List of Guard Dogs

Someone has rightly said, "Dogs are miracles with paws". A loving dog is nothing but the most rightful member of the family, as it showers love in its purest form and safeguards all its members till its last breath. Guard dogs are born with supreme devotion towards their master, surpassing bravery and extreme pain bearing ability. While researching for this write up, I got an opportunity to learn more about these wonderful beings and my love and devotion towards them has increased manifold.

The Best Guards

"Man is a dog's idea of what God should be." Well, this is what these dogs truly believe. The list is not in any order of superiority, however, I have ranked them according to my personal choice.

Doberman Pinscher: With a royal black beauty look, the Doberman pinscher is one of the most famous of dog breeds. The dog is highly powerful, with an elegant body, having well-proportioned chest, muscular neck, well-toned legs, developed teeth and clever dark eyes. It is amazingly alert and dexterous. A pinscher is a mixture of rottweiler, greyhound and terrier breeds. It absolutely loves its family and can do anything to protect its members. It is ranked the world's fifth smartest dog. For me, it's no.1.

Rottweiler: Here comes one of the smartest and bravest of them all. A Rottweiler is famous for its unparalleled strength, extraordinary stamina and pain resistance. Training makes this dog a perfect choice for every dog lover as it is an ultimate family dog, having boundless love for its family. It is known to protect its family to the last limit and can do just anything for its master. Rottweilers are also used as therapy and service dogs due to their high intelligence level. I rate it no.2.

Fila Brasileiro (Brazilian): A most wonderful Brazilian breed, its love towards its owner is distinctive. There in a Brazilian saying, "Loyal as a Fila", so you can very well imagine its boundless loyalty. The Fila is extremely loving and a wonderful family dog, however, it shows just the opposite streaks towards strangers. It does not accept strangers and is famous for challenging anyone suspicious. The huge beautiful dog is of Molosser breed with large bones and loose skin. It is a natural guardian dog and believe me, if you wish to know what is 'true love', it's time you gift yourself a Fila puppy. I rank it no.3.

German Shepherd: The Loving GSD is considered to be one of the most favorite of pets. Along with being an amazingly cheerful pet and a great family dog, it is one of the most intelligent dog breeds in the world. A trained German Shepherd is highly successful as a police dog and also a watchdog. The body of this dog is well-proportioned with a strong bone structure and a rounded forehead. The feet are strong, thighs sturdy and the teeth, a strong scissor bite. They are highly alert, courageous and obedient. The ears are pointed upwards and the tail is highly bushy, which is one of the most striking features of this breed. There are three varieties of this breed, namely, rough-coated, long rough-coated and long-haired. I award it the 4th position.

Bulldog (American): Belongs to the devoted lot, this beautiful American Bulldog is a descendant of the British Bulldog, which was a working dog meant for guarding the master's property. Though the original Brit breed is not found anymore, its nearest relative is quite common in the US. It is a loving pet and loves his master and all the other pets owned by him. It is extra-ordinarily brave and is known to hunt everything from birds to bears. It is athletic, with a strong muscular body, well structured jaws and smart temperament. It is fearless and quite a danger for intruders. I place it in the 5th position.

Bullmastiff: The Bullmastiff is a powerful dog, bred for hunting down poachers. It is a cross between the English Mastiff and the old English Bulldog. An independent dog by nature, it loves to take its own decisions. In recent times, however, a bull mastiff is becoming popular as a family dog which awaits for its master's permission to act. These dogs are least aggressive, though very good at guarding. A Bullmastiff has all the inborn dog characteristics, namely, loyalty, courage and high devotion towards its family.

Boxer (German): A cross of English Bulldog and the Bullenbeisser (now extinct), it is a powerful, medium-sized dog extremely useful as a guard dog. Boxer dogs are one of the most common breeds (sixth most popular in US) and is famous for faithfulness and devotion. It is highly loving in family but not very fond of strangers. A boxer is supposedly a very clean and hygienic dog, very intelligent and tactful. Its devotion towards its family continues to grow even in its old age. It's the most playful breed and a perfect choice for children.

Tibetan Mastiff: One of the oldest breeds, a Tibetan Mastiff is a breed of domestic dogs which guard the home at night as a guardian. It is a big and ferocious dog and shows no reluctance, whatsoever, even to face leopards and wolves. This primitive breed is perfect for guarding and is also an ideal home dog, behavior entirely dependent upon training (or no training).

Black Russian Terrier (Russian): A smart and intelligent dog breed, the black Russian Terrier is strong, brave and athletic. It was originally bred as a police and guard dog, and has been recognized recently outside its home country. A great companion, this dog is calm, loyal and extremely confident.

Belgian Shepherd Dog: As the name suggests, this breed originates from Belgium and is mainly a shepherd dog. It was meant for herding and has all the characteristics of a brave and strong guarding breed. The breed has four varieties: Groenendael, Laekenois, Tervuren and Malinois. It is a highly intelligent and brave breed and is known for bonding with its family. They are highly trainable and a perfect family dog.

Staffordshire Terrier (American): Lovingly known as Staffie, this breed is not a 'very' friendly dog and is quite famous for its not-so-social behavioral outbursts. Though it's highly protective and attacks when it finds any of its family members in danger, the dog must be trained to socialize at the puppy stage. The breed was mainly created for bear and bull fighting.

Giant Schnauzer: Counted among the most ideal guards, these are huge, strong and extremely loyal. The dog must be trained with an iron hand as it is mischievous to the highest extent. Proper and continuous training makes this naughty kid one of the most responsible and alert guard dogs.

Rhodesian Ridgeback (African): This smart breed has high distinctive attitude as it chooses what it really wishes to do. Though mainly meant for guarding, it is highly successful in hunting down its prey. A word of caution - do not leave a Rhodesian Ridgeback alone at home as it hates being lonely and is quite messy if it is forced to.

Puli: Looks are deceptive, applies perfectly to this breed. The lovely looking Puli (the name is lovely as well!) is an alert, watchful and intelligent dog, originally meant for sheep herding. They are not very aggressive but have shown signs of a sharp and strong instinctive mind.

Komondor (Hungarian): Considered as national treasure of Hungary, this unique looking breed is known for its natural guarding instincts. It is a huge, strong and smart breed, meant for guarding livestock and other property. It has a long, corded coat which disguises it among the sheep flock and also protects it from the hot and cold weather.

Kuvasz: A most friendly and beautiful (sorry, handsome) breed, this dog loves to be cuddled and pampered by its family. However, don't go by the soft looks, as it is a highly strong and territorial breed and has natural guarding instincts.

Some Rare Breeds

A list of rare dogs, which are also amazing guards, is given below.

• Caucasian Ovcharka (Russian)
• Chippiparai (Indian)
• Combai (Indian)
• Formosan Mountain Dog (Taiwanese)
• Kanni (Indian)
• Rajapalayam Dog (Indian)
• Serbian Defensive Dog (Serbian)

Other Guards

• Anatolian Shepherd (American)
• Shar Pei
• Cane Corso (Italian)
• Akita Inu (Japanese)
• American Pit Bull Terrier (American)
• Chow Chow (Chinese)
• Kunming Wolfdog (Asian)
• Antebellum Bulldog (American)
• Great Dane
• Saint Bernard
• Boerboel (South African)
• Sharr Mountain Dog (Macedonian)
• Australian Cattle Dog (Australian)
• Bull Terrier (British)
• Bandog (American)
• Danish Broholmer (Danish)
• Alano Español
• Cão de Castro Laboreiro (Portuguese)
• Argentine Dogo (Argentinian)
• Beauceron (French)
• Dutch Shepherd Dog (Dutch)
• Canis Panther (American)
• British Mastiff (British)
• Great Swiss Mountain Dog (Swiss)
• Karelian Bear Dog (Finnish)
• Mioritic (Romanian)
• Moscow Watchdog (Russian)
• Shiloh Shepherd (American)
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier (British)
• Swinford (American)
• Weimaraner (German)

Cannot be compared with anything on planet earth, this being is the most adorable and loving companion. The above information would have given you an idea about the commitment and chivalry of such dogs. Here, I leave you with this timeless quote, "My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am". True, dogs are simply 'the best'!!!