Looking For A Guard Dog 2023: Here are the 10 worst and best breeds of adorable dog to protect your family - from Rottweiler to loving Labrador Retriever 🐕
David Hepburn
·3-min read
Some dogs are naturals when it comes to protecting their owners' home, while others would be more likely to welcome an intruder with open arms. (Photo: Canva/Getty Images)
Plenty of us decided to welcome new four-legged friends into our homes in the last couple of years – according to Kennel Club figures dog ownership soared by nearly eight percent – and post-lockdown demand for puppies remains high.
There are a whopping 221 different breeds of pedigree dog to choose from, alongside numerous crossbreeds, so there’s plenty of thinking to do before you select your family’s latest addition.
There’s even academic guidance to seek out, with Psychologist Stanley Coren’s book ‘The Intelligence of Dogs’ ranking breeds by instincts, obedience, and the ability to adapt.
A breed that sometimes get a bad reputation for being aggressive, a well-bred Rottweiler will only show aggression when it, its home or its family are under threat. When not on guard dog duty they are calm, confident, loving and playful. (Photo: Canva/Getty Images)
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One thing worth considering before making a decision is that some breeds of dog can be very useful to protect your family and home, as well as being a great pets and companions.
Starting with the breeds that make the best guard dogs and the king of canine protectors. There's a reason that German Shepherds are popular with the police and army - they are alert, fast, strong, and make great guard dogs. The popular breed - they are a regular in the annual top 10 favourite UK dogs list - are also affectionate and great with kids. (Photo: Canva/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, other types of canine are just no good at being guard dogs – lacking the territorialism, courage and alertness required.
Of course there are always exceptions, but in general these are the 10 breeds of dog you should – and shouldn’t – trust to guard your house.
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Originally from Japan, where they are venerated as family protectors, the Akita's extreme vigilance and distrust of strangers means they can be trusted to keep your safe. They are also playful and love human companionship. (Photo: Canva/Getty Images)
Another hugely popular choice in the UK, the Staffordshire Bull Terriers were originally bred to fight and make brave, compact muscular and tenacious guard dogs. They are also incredibly loyal and loving. (Photo: Canva/Getty Images)
Used in their native America (despite the name, they are not actually from Australia) to guard vast ranches, the Australian Shepherd is a breed that is as brave as it is beautiful - and are also great with young children.
The Bloodhound has the best sense of smell in the canine world so could happily track down a burglar. Just don't ask them to stop the crime in the first place though - they'll welcome all and sundry into their home. (Photo: Canva/Getty Images)
Moving to the dogs you shouldn't trust to guard...anything. The Basset Hound is one of the most sociable breeds of dog, well known for getting on with everybody. Unfortunately that includes complete strangers, such as potential intruders. (Photo: Canva/Getty Images)
Labrador Retrievers are the UK's favourite breed of dog - partly due to their friendly disposition. This counts against them as a guard dog though, while their innate greed means that it tends to only take a couple of treats to get around them. (Photo: Canva/Getty Images)
Unless your idea of guarding a home is licking intruders into submission, then the Old English Sheepdog just isn't up to the task. (Photo: Canva/Getty Images)
What's true of the Labrador Retriever also usually applies to their close cousin the Golden Retriever - including their lack of guard dog attributes. If they think there's a snack in it for them, they'll probably happily share the location of your valuables. (Photo: Canva/Getty Images)
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