Dog ideas - Watch dog-ish but good with kids

luvmykids wrote: I'm thinking along the lines of the big breeds but just don't know much about them, I've almost always had mutts from the Humane Society and am considering looking there too but want to find a starting point. Of course they have to be good kid dogs but I'm wanting something a little more protective than Bogie. He does a good job in that area as far as barking and putting on a scary show but I don't know if he'd actually be protective, kwim? In our other house he was ferocious but I think it was depression, now that he's back in the country he's really mellowed out.

cameragirl21 replied: i recommend a german shepherd--they are intelligent, loyal and very protective.
i had one growing up.

Calimama replied: I like Golden Retrievers but they are friendly with anyone. They are awesome with kids though.

A&A'smommy replied: German sheppard mix would be a EXTREMEMLY good dog, my best friend has a sheppard, lab, and chow mix you can really and I mean REALLY see the sheppard in her (my brother has her sister and and you can see it in her ears and how smart she is) they are VERY smart dogs and really good with kids and great watch dogs, and pretty happy wherever you have them at. Good luck

cameragirl21 replied:
i LOVE golden retrievers.
they're not protective but they're very sweet and loveable.

C&K*s Mommie replied: German Shephards definately.

Our American Eskimo is good at barking and growling and is protective to a point, but I am not sure if they are all like that.

flirtycuddle replied: We had a German Shephard/Chow mix and he was the best with both of the kids from day one. Never had a problem with him and would be very protective. I mean if anyone he didn't know came near the kids he'd get start growling to make them leave till we said it was alright. We gave him to my brother cuz of the fact we moved to where dogs can't be and the other day he chased away some guy trying to jump his back fence at 2 in the morning.

3xsthefun replied: We have a Lab/ Shepherd mix (I think he is) he will diffently let you know when someone is too close. I think he is a pretty good dog for protection, he will even do a low growl sometimes specially people he does not know. I'm not sure if he really would protect if it came down to hurting a stranger or not.

I think a Doberman, German Shepherd, Boxer or Rottweiler (I know I didn't spell that right) might be good breeds to look into.

Of course I know not everyone like the Doberman and Rottweiler but they can be good family dogs.

Kentuckychick replied:
That's me... lol

I love them really, I think they are absolutely gorgeous breeds but many times they can be protective to a fault. I'm not as sure about the Doberman as the Rottweiler, but there have been so many cases of Rottweilers getting out of their yards and attacking other children that I just can't justify getting one to protect my own children... especially at the possible expense of someone elses.

German Shepards can be the same way. Protective is good, overprotective isn't. My best friend's husband was actually attacked by his when he was little because he got out of bed in the night to get a drink.

I personally would want a dog that I can trust with my children AND other children.

That said I think that there are many wonderful breeds, retrievers and labs are wonderful, huskies are great and boxers are great as well.

I'm a mutt kind of person myself.

paradisemommy replied: a mastiff..think turner and hooch..if you can get past the slobber they are the BEST protective dogs and are extremely loyal to their owners..

Swood75 replied: Well,we have both a Doberman and a Boxer and as much as I hate to say it..I don't think they would hurt a fly...(especially the Boxer) the both wag their little stubs whenever they see someone..Now our Doberman will bark if someone is in the yard she doesn't know and (a couple times now) I have had things either delivered or like yesterday the heat pump being fixed and neither guy would hardly get out of their work van until I came out and they were like does she bite etc??? So,I am not exactly sure what would happen (Lord lets hope and pray nothing ever does)if it came down to being protective...Oh,and my mom has a beautiful German shepard that she got to get over her fear of being attacked by one when she was young...And she seems to be a pretty good dog..

gr33n3y3z replied:
I agree with Jennifer
I grew up with them also

Edited to add Mastiff those are a huge dog but very good with kids and protection depends if you want this size lol


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momtoMegan&Alyxandria replied: I had a German Sheppard Mix as well. She was an excellent dog, but sometimes hyper. My husband and I had an Akita/Chow mix and he was dumber than a box of rocks, and when he say Meg in the yard (1 at the time) he would run full boar straight at her and knock her feet out from under her. He went to the pound.

An excellent place to do research about purebreds and to get an idea about a mutt (if you know what it is in them) is www.dogbreedinfo.com. It is a great resource. That is where (after he went to the pound) I discovered that both Akita's and Chows are very stubborn. Check it out. Good luck with your choice. Oh, and another idea is the baby's daycare provider has an Australian Sheppard/Border Collie Mix and she is wonderful with kids and very protective.

momtoMegan&Alyxandria replied: I don't want to start a big debate about what dogs are bad which ones aren't because that is the last thing I want to do. But, any dog can turn on you. My 7 year olds daycare provider has a step daughter who was nearly scalped by her grandmothers Collie when she was around 6 or 7. They still to this day don't know exactly why the dog attacked her (it happened almost 15 yrs ago). Again good luck in your search.

stella6979 replied: American Bulldogs are great dogs!

luvmykids replied: Well gee, so German Shepherds huh? The only thing that worries me is my dad and step mom have one who actually has to be sedated when company comes over because he is TOO protective, I don't want to worry about that kind of thing. But I guess any breed has a few bad apples.

I'm looking into shelter dogs, hopefully I can find a good mix with some Shephard and something else.

We actually already had the perfect dog but had some friends keep him when we were moving a few years ago; they got attached to each other and he seemed happier there (Bogie beat up on him) so we let them have him permanently. But he wouldn't let anyone out of their car without my ok yet he was sooooo sweet and gentle with the kids, even when they were babies. He was a Shephard/Huskie/Coyote mix and I miss him and thats what I'm hoping to find.

C&K*s Mommie replied: Shep/Coyote/Huskie mix sounds like an interesting combo. Hope you have success in finding a new dog similiar, or better.

jcc64 replied: I'd like to make the case for a shelter dog, if possible. Yes, I agree with the comments regarding Shepherds- they take their protector status very seriously- something that to me can be both a blessing and a curse. I think you can find the qualities you are looking for in a shelter dog quite easily. My mom volunteers at a dog shelter- and I've gotten all of my dogs that way. The best thing to do is go in and have a long talk with the staff at your local shelter- tell them exactly what you're looking for- temperment, disposition, size, etc... and ask them to make a suggestion. They know the dogs better than anyone, and they would most likely not want to make a bad match because the dog would just end up coming back. The volunteers always want to see the "best" dogs adopted out- so chances are if you follow their recommendations, you'll get a good one. Good luck!

cameragirl21 replied:
do shelters have many puppies? and is it possible to get a shelter dog without going back there and seeing all the poor doggies and kitties in cages? like could i go there and tell the staff exactly what i'm looking for and then have them bring it out to me to see if it's what i want?
i wouldn't mind a shelter dog, not that i'm about to get a dog or anything, i travel too much BUT when it comes down to it, i wouldn't mind a shelter dog, it's just that there is no way i can go to the back and see all those dogs in cages, i'd end up wanting all of them.

lovemy2 replied: I have a shepherd, she is the best and we had her pre-kids...she adjusted great so I imagine getting one post-kids would work too.....she is very loyal loving and protective yet very sweet too.....she puts up with alot from Olivia

Here she is - hopefully if the picture works.................

stella6979 replied:
WOW! She's gorgeous!!

3xsthefun replied: I was going say sometimes you can even find a purebred dogs in shelters.

Good luck with whatever dog you decide to with! Mutts are good dogs also.

gr33n3y3z replied:
she looks just like the one I had
I would have 4 of those if I could

luvmykids replied:
Wow, she's beautiful

Jackie012007 replied:
shelters typically go in seasons on the amount of puppies. dogs can have several litters a year, typically big booms occur during the spring, mid/late summer and early winter.

I highly doubt that a shelter would do that for you, to be quite honest. I know my shelter wouldn't, and they probably wouldn't let you adopt a dog either. They want people to see the reality - it tends to make them really think before they sign the papers and then want to return the dog they HAD to have, a week later because it peed on their rug .

People want us to sugar-coat it but if it's a reality that if that dog isn't adopted in a week, it's going down to make room for the 500 more coming in next tuesday, then we flat-out tell them. We have to.


Referring to the breeds, German Shepherds are good but the pure breeds tend to be a little too protective. Shepherds mixed with like collie or a more mellow animal tend to have a great temperament - I was "raised" by a german shepherd/collie mix. I've have tons of dogs and she was by far the best! But, yes, no matter how great a dog seems, they ALL have the capacity to harm someone, including your own child, if provoked. And often the provocation doesn't need to be much!

here's a pic of my "surrogate mom", Miss Ladybug! She lived to the ripe old age of 15 - unheard of for large dogs!!