Does anybody know what dog type has the most strength as i'm thinking of getting one as a guard dog. completely random i know...

What exactly are you planning to do with it's 'strength'? Get it to pull a locomotive on a rope with its bare teeth? Your post and your username strike me as rather incongruous! ;)

you'll have to watch...worlds strongest dog ...on bbc 1 next tuesday

My mother has 2 Alaskan Malamutes, which are very big strong dogs. They'll howl and whine at anyone they recognise but when strangers approach the house they just look baffled and disinterested. I wanted to send my new boyfriend into the house on his own, the first time he visited, to test how they would react but he wasn't keen on the experiment.

I've always thought that having a guard dog, which was also a family pet, would be very difficult. I can imagine it being very difficult to find a happy medium between it's nasty side and it's loving side.

The only dog I can recommendation are Rottweilers.

Get some geese

mastifs & rotties etc are good because the have the weight & size to knock a person over

Yeah geese are better guarders than dogs, they are very very evil though! They really hate anything that comes anywhere near them.

When you say 'guard dog', I assume that you will be treating the animal as a household pet which also has the added advantage of guarding your property , rather than the tethered, lonely creatures one sees in scrapyards etc? You will have to be careful regarding the infamous 'Dangerous Dogs' Act. I am not completely familiar with all of it, but you would be on a sticky wicket if the dog mauled anybody, even those loathsome beings called burglars.

I am familiar with English Bull Terriers [own one] and Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Few dogs outside of the 'fighting' lines of the American Pitbull Terrier could compete with these breeds in terms of 'toughness' in relation to dog-on-dog violence. Those that might are banned [Fila Brasileiro , Dogo Argentino etc]. In any case, Bullies and Staffies tend to be too friendly with humans to be excellent guards, on the whole. One 'Bull' breed of dog that is usually stronger and heavier than the German Shepherds , Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers that make up the bulk of guard dogs is the Bull Mastiff. If correctly trained, these dogs make affectionate if slightly aloof pets, and are often first-rate guards. They were originally bred to guard game-keepers against poachers, and are definately what is termed 'man-stoppers'. In other words, at [on average] 25-27 inches in height and 90-130lbs in weight, the Bull Mastiff possesses sufficient size and strength to tackle and overcome any intruder. However, I cannot guarantee that the intruder will remain in one piece or that he will not die of terror.

Does anybody know what dog type has the most strength as i'm thinking of getting one as a guard dog. completely random i know...


I found these people a big help.


http://www.a1k9.com/

weve got an Akita and a rotty
Akita was rubbish at letting us know anyone was lurking about she was just to idle to make the effort i recon :hihi: UNTILL she had puppies now she howls at anyone that comes into the house or shop.
Rotty is just as bad , he lets anyone in and just wants to play but outside he cant stand anyone or anything :hihi: :hihi:

If you want a family friendly guard dog ,the lab is second to none,a very powerfull dog when it as to be ,but very gentle with family.

Yeah geese are better guarders than dogs, they are very very evil though! They really hate anything that comes anywhere near them.
Bit like Millwall supporters then :hihi: :hihi:

Flyer has a point re Labradors in some cases. My uncle's dog pinned an insurance salesman to a tree [how many of us have wanted to do the same?!] with its front paws at his home in Derbyshire some years ago. The big black dog , thinking the man an intruder, would not release him until my uncle shouted him off. However, the Labrador we owned in the 80s ['Basil'] was suitable only as a fireguard and doorstopper. I do not consider the breed in general to be sufficiently aggressive and territorial for guarding. There are some exceptions to the rule, like my uncle's old dog, but they surely cannot be compared to Bull Mastiffs.

Yeah geese are better guarders than dogs, they are very very evil though! They really hate anything that comes anywhere near them.
But they are a pushover if you know how to deal with them - and it isn't difficult, it just needs a bit of bottle the first few times :)

Personal recomendation - a Doberman Pincher - but I'm biased. The only trouble you might have is that they are a bit too bright for their own good so you may find them carefully dismantling interesting things to see what's inside - like children.

Tony,
Do you own a Doberman or have you been bitten by one? I do hope the latter is not true.

Both timo :) I personally helped my pup through teething. I was covered in a multitude of sore razor-like cuts for about 6 weeks. :o
I became best friends with the manufacturers of witch hazel.

A rottwieler makes a good guard dog.

Get some geese

You're not kidding. I was once chased by a goose that a farm kept as a guard goose. Problem was they kept the gate open and this goose would come out and chase anyone who happened to be walking past.

Just turn around and chase the goose*. Watch it scarper ;)





* I accept no liability for this who do not use the correct technique and get bitten :hihi:

Sid,
I'll resist any jokes about 'goosing' [ooer missus etc]. What can geese do though, besides gang up together like cowards, hiss vulgarly and peck people? Pecking is annoying but doesn't really hurt in my experience, unless the bird in question is some sort of Eagle or Vulture [the Eagle at Riber Castle Zoo was a nasty beggar]. I'd rather be chased by a flock of daft, waddling geese than a Bull Mastiff. Come to think of it, I would like to be chased by geese. Sexy little beasts, aren't they?!

What exactly are you planning to do with it's 'strength'? Get it to pull a locomotive on a rope with its bare teeth? Your post and your username strike me as rather incongruous! ;)

Lol! Actually my little cousin (who is a big dog fanatic) asked me to post: "what is the strongest dog" as after asking everyone he knew and trawling the internet for hours he still didn't know. I just happened to be posting something about kids stuff to do that day and he asked me to post that (although i modified the original question in order not to look like complete freak). He really appreciates all your answers (and this one quoted especially made me laugh out loud-you oh so funny person you!;) ). So sorry about that rather strange posting, think i appear even more of a freak now!:hihi:

Aw shucks, I made a wee bairn smile. Not the complete waste of a day it felt like. Cheers!

:)

We should be allowed Guard cats.........a tiger is about the same size of these big dogs............ .....but can we have one .........No ............we have gone pc mad.........

Anybody looking for an intelligent animal that is both loyal and makes a natural guard dog (ie catious of stragers) should look no further than either the German Shepherd or the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Both are superb - loving and loyal to their owners, frindly to anybody they are introduced to through their owners (and other dogs), but very cautious of strangers - especially if their owner is not there.

Ridgies don't even need training; it's in their genes to protect, and they are adorable luvvies to their family.

The Norwegian Elkhound (http://www.lappfamily.com/images/TRUFA.JPG) is a natural guard dog.

He is bred to regard the family as his pack to protect, and any outsider is subjected to the most rigorous round of shaving off known to man. His black 'mask' (coupled with the unfriendly attitude) gives him an 'evil' appearance that is enough to put most grown men off the idea of giving him a friendly pat ;)

He is from the same family of dogs as the Akita, but is more compact, making him an easier housemate, and has no 'personality' flaws such as those displayed by some Akitas (tendency to rip parts of people off at random)

A huge benefit is the fact that they do not have the 'doggy' smell displayed by some breeds.



Rotties are generally a rubbish deterrant. They welcome burglars with open arms, then pin them against the wall and await their owner's return :D (My uncle is on his third BTW)

we have a scottish terrier bitch
soft as butter and such a pesonality
but boy does she look after the house and a bark like a great dane

Anybody looking for an intelligent animal that is both loyal and makes a natural guard dog (ie catious of stragers) should look no further than either the German Shepherd or the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Both are superb - loving and loyal to their owners, frindly to anybody they are introduced to through their owners (and other dogs), but very cautious of strangers - especially if their owner is not there.

Ridgies don't even need training; it's in their genes to protect, and they are adorable luvvies to their family.

Ridgebacks are extremely good guarddogs but they are also bred specifically for hunting game and as such are pretty lethal. If you let them off lead in a park they are likely to attack other dogs unless you socialise them extremely well and train them extremely well. [edited]. Far better with a German Shepherd.

Believe it or not, dalmatians are excellent guard dogs.

Originally bred to run alongside horse drawn carriages to guard the horses and riders, by night they stayed in the stable with the horses so that the drivers could sleep indoors rather than staying in the stable to look after the horses.

The theory was, the dalmatian was too alert to let any horse thief near the horses and should two or three men take one dalmatian on, the dalmatian could guard against them all.
Add this to the stamina of the dog and it meant a dog that could travel with the horse by foot for long distances and still stay alert all night.

We have two, both are territorial and protective of their family members.

They are not naturally aggressive but are protective and do not welcome strangers to the house and have deterred their fair share of postmen from coming to the house :hihi:

They are also incredibly strong when they need to be and can look surprisingly fierce :o

If this (http://hattrick-dals.home.att.net/GregorSmile.jpg) is what they look like when they smile, you don't want to see an angry one!

[edited]. Far better with a German Shepherd.

Are you thinking of the right dog:confused:

rhodesian ridgeback (http://www.shangani.de/images_shangani_rhodesian_ridgeback_1_2005/shangani_rhodesian_ridgeback_1_2005_1.jpg)

german shepherd you cant get any better for a guard dog.

Ridgebacks are extremely good guarddogs but they are also bred specifically for hunting game and as such are pretty lethal. If you let them off lead in a park they are likely to attack other dogs unless you socialise them extremely well and train them extremely well. [edited]. Far better with a German Shepherd.

We breed Rhodesian ridgebacks. [edited] and there not vicious either.

there good guard dogs to have and are very friendly.

plus ive been bit by a german shepherd!

We breed Rhodesian ridgebacks. [edited]. and there not vicious either.

there good guard dogs to have and are very friendly.

plus ive been bit by a german shepherd!

Yes I was under the impression that, like most dogs if trained and socialised, they are friendly dogs.

[edited] I think they're beautiful looking dogs.

we had a gs for 10 years she was the best guard dog ever a soft as putty with the family but by jove did she protect the house even the milkman was nervous of her and he knew her from being 1y.old!!! would deff recomend as a good guard dog, if they are good enough for the police etc then it has to say something about the breed. also very intelligent

We breed Rhodesian ridgebacks. [edited]. and there not vicious either.

there good guard dogs to have and are very friendly.

plus ive been bit by a german shepherd!

It's a matter of opinion obviously. However the origin of the Ridgeback is that they were bred to chase down game and as such need very good training to almost go against their instinct which is to attack smaller creatures (including other dogs in parks if off lead). I am sure that they are extremely loving companions to their owners. Most well trained dogs are loving to their owner including Ridgebacks.

Cobi - I suspect you are not yet familiar with the formula for the Pets Forum

'Opinions' are welcome only on the basis they are not hurtful to other members of the group. We like to keep 'Pets' as a warm and fuzzy place, away from the cut and thrust of the politics on the main boards, and as such we moderate very harshly

I'm removing your comments (and the responses) before an argument starts

Forget siberian huskies. absolutely no guarding instincts at all and ment to be that way.

Cobi - I suspect you are not yet familiar with the formula for the Pets Forum

'Opinions' are welcome only on the basis they are not hurtful to other members of the group. We like to keep 'Pets' as a warm and fuzzy place, away from the cut and thrust of the politics on the main boards, and as such we moderate very harshly

I'm removing your comments (and the responses) before an argument starts

I was hardly being that hurtful! What is wrong with a bit of free speech! I am a passionate dog/pet lover and just wanted people who may consider Ridgebacks to know the salient traits of the breed so that they are informed of the pros and cons of what can be an amazingly loving dog!

Free speech?

Have you read the forum rules? ;)

Please consider the effect your comments have on other members, and bear in mind you are given the same consideration when others post.

Nobody is forcing you to post here ;)

I don't think there is such thing as a specifically good "guard dog" Its how the dog is trained. If you reward a dog for barking at someone at the door, it will continue to do so.

I don't think there is such thing as a specifically good "guard dog" Its how the dog is trained. If you reward a dog for barking at someone at the door, it will continue to do so.

This is true, but there are also dogs who will naturally guard and those who will welcome anyone into the house- and each breed generally follows a trend.
For instance, Northern Inuit Dogs look very much like wolves and people are often afraid of them, but, the majority I know - and I'm by no means an expert on the breed, will welcome someone into the house and kiss them while they steal the TV.

There are breeds who have been bred with specific traits to protect people/posessions/territory etc. and there are those who weren't so the ones who have the trait bred into them will be far more natural at doing it than those who weren't although most dogs and every breed, is capable of guarding.

Labradors make good guard dogs, if you want the intruder to be kept indoors and licked to death :hihi:

I have a rhodesian ridgeback and i think it is a great guard dog. She is particularly big for a bitch though.
But she loves human company so it depends what kind of guarding you need a dog for.
I hate asking her for a paw because ridges have strange shaped feet and she really hurts.
Very loud bark.
Very protective.

The hardest part about getting a dog that you want to be a big tough guard dog, is that it is very difficult in a dog's mind to be a tough, barking, aggressive dog in one instance and then be a friendly, licky, waggy tail the next. This can be one of the main causes of undesirable aggression by dogs towards other dogs or people, and leads to dogs being put to sleep and to many of the accidents you see with dogs attacking children/dogs, etc. As most people have said, there are lots of breeds that will bark at strangers etc. Most family dogs (including the waggy tail labs and retrievers) will bark when strangers come to your house and will naturally 'guard' their family. If you teach. If you teach your large guard dog to attack or be aggressive to strangers, how does it differentiate between neighbours/the postman/children, etc ?

Free speech?

Have you read the forum rules? ;)

Please consider the effect your comments have on other members, and bear in mind you are given the same consideration when others post.

Nobody is forcing you to post here ;)

I shall therefore vote with my feet! If I cannot simply share information about key traits of a breed to ensure that people are careful when making their important decisions about which breed to chose as a pet then I would say that the merits of the pet forum are questionable to say the least.

:wave:

your opinion on the attractiveness of a breed of dog has no bearing on any potential purchaser Cobi. Your presence will not be missed

The pets forum is the busiest and most successful group on the forum for a good reason

Closing until the dust settles - as some of us have better things to do this week than squabble over nonsense