best guard/defence dog

[dec11]

im moving out of the city to the countryside within the next 3mths and as i work nights and sometimes go and visit family who live 200 miles away i need to get a good guard dog as the missus is quite afraid on her own at night.
now i know most would say rotty, german sheperd, pitbull etc but i dont particularly like those breeds.
im down to the following

1. rhodesian ridgeback
2. boerboel
3. cane corso
4. poss other type mastiff


it must be able to get on with my 2 dalmatian bitches, i will be getting it from pup so im hoping that wont be a problem.
i want the dog to be able to go at an intruder rather than just stand and bark.

anyone have experience of any of these 4? cheers

[Hoggage_54]

[SlimmerMe]

You did not have Doberman on the list....

[scotty51312]

Great dane's usually scare people with thier size but they're clumsy and not an agressive type dog, Supprisingly for me the most protective dog i've had was a tenacious english bulldog named nugget

[dec11]

You did not have Doberman on the list....

na, not really fussed on em, plus hard to get good dobers in ireland, all screwed up by dodgy inbreeding

[Flier]

im moving out of the city to the countryside within the next 3mths and as i work nights and sometimes go and visit family who live 200 miles away i need to get a good guard dog as the missus is quite afraid on her own at night.
now i know most would say rotty, german sheperd, pitbull etc but i dont particularly like those breeds.
im down to the following

1. rhodesian ridgeback
2. boerboel
3. cane corso
4. mastiff


it must be able to get on with my 2 dalmatian bitches, i will be getting it from pup so im hoping that wont be a problem.
i want the dog to be able to go at an intruder rather than just stand and bark.

anyone have experience of any of these 4? cheers

The ridgeback is excellent for that purpose, it can at the same time be socialized to be a friendly family dog.
U want real protection, similar to the ridgeback is the Anatolian Shepherd. Very protective, but as the ridgeback, can not be confined into a small space, and need daily mental and physical challenges...ie exercise, and games.

[dec11]

Great dane's usually scare people with thier size but they're clumsy and not an agressive type dog, Supprisingly for me the most protective dog i've had was a tenacious english bulldog named nugget

id love a harlequin dane but as you say not really a guard dog

[dec11]

is that the 'werewolf' chick from the end scene of The Howling? lol

[dec11]

The ridgeback is excellent for that purpose, it can at the same time be socialized to be a friendly family dog.
U want real protection, similar to the ridgeback is the Anatolian Shepherd. Very protective, but as the ridgeback, can not be confined into a small space, and need daily mental and physical challenges...ie exercise, and games.

yeah im drawn to these, they dont look like something neighbours would try to get lifted and impounded but are supposed to be on the button when they need to be protective.

[alexISthrowed]

Good luck getting past a cane corso. I would love to have one some day.

[dec11]

Good luck getting past a cane corso. I would love to have one some day.

yeah but i suspect some like the above are cross with pits? theres stark contrast in appearance in some pics online, some appear almost great dane docile and some look plain satanic!

[gbrice75]

Love Ridgeback's, they're beautiful dogs!!

How about a Bullmastiff? I was gonna suggest a Dobie too, but you mentioned you're not into them. How about a Chow? If you want a BIG dog for the scare effect (just the bark should be enough to ward off most intruders), how about a St. Bernard?

[Shol'va]

Dec I suspect that you will be well satisfied with any of those dogs you mentioned since you are getting it from a pup.

[dec11]

Love Ridgeback's, they're beautiful dogs!!

How about a Bullmastiff? I was gonna suggest a Dobie too, but you mentioned you're not into them. How about a Chow? If you want a BIG dog for the scare effect (just the bark should be enough to ward off most intruders), how about a St. Bernard?

yeah im split between the cane and a ridgeback, the cane might be an expensive rarity in ireland though!

[DSM4Life]

Pitbull has been the most protective dog I ever owned.

[dec11]

Dec I suspect that you will be well satisfied with any of those dogs you mentioned since you are getting it from a pup.

prob true and depends on training, my last dalmatian was a rescue dog and thus not trained by me, he was extremely dominant and he would have ripped your head off if you came into my yard, not typical dalmatian behaviour!

the powerful look of some of the mastiffs and the ridgeback would prob be enough to deter any intruders

[dec11]

Pitbull has been the most protective dog I ever owned.

yeah, just dont like em though and dont think id trust one with my dals

[bjpennnn]

ridgebacks are great dogs and they are very friendly to people. I once saw one jump about 5 feet in the air and walk on top of a fence that was about 2 inches thick. Get a female they are the badasses of that breed.

[dec11]

ridgebacks are great dogs and they are very friendly to people. I once saw one jump about 5 feet in the air and walk on top of a fence that was about 2 inches thick. Get a female they are the badasses of that breed.

dont really want it to be friendly to strangers unless i introduce them

[BgMc31]

Presa Canario?

[dec11]

Presa Canario?

had to look that up lol, seems another mastiff type similar to the corso but alot cheaper to buy, a possibility

[BgMc31]

had to look that up lol, seems another mastiff type similar to the corso but alot cheaper to buy, a possibility

Yeah, their temperment is very close to bull mastiffs. Not overly aggressive, great family dogs. I have a American Bulldog/Presa Canario mix and he is the best dog I've ever owned. He's about 125lbs, strong, only aggressive to strangers, and very well behaved.

[dec11]

Yeah, their temperment is very close to bull mastiffs. Not overly aggressive, great family dogs. I have a American Bulldog/Presa Canario mix and he is the best dog I've ever owned. He's about 125lbs, strong, only aggressive to strangers, and very well behaved.

this is a serious contender, good few available in ireland by the looks of it and a right fookin scary looking SOB.

what they like with other dogs if brought up with them from a pup?

[bjpennnn]

dont really want it to be friendly to strangers unless i introduce them

trust me they have very good instincts man.

[alexISthrowed]

yeah but i suspect some like the above are cross with pits? theres stark contrast in appearance in some pics online, some appear almost great dane docile and some look plain satanic!

Thats actually a pure bred named chaos. Heres the link to the site I found the picture on http://www.abouttimecanecorso.com/OurDogs.shtml. I think it's probably the way the ears are cropped and the angle the picture was taken. A cane corso crossed with a pit would be a wicked breed though.

[BgMc31]

this is a serious contender, good few available in ireland by the looks of it and a right fookin scary looking SOB.

what they like with other dogs if brought up with them from a pup?

DO NOT HAVE OTHER MALE DOGS AROUND, if you get a male. They are very territorial and will fight another male dog at the drop of a hat. But, we have 2 other female dogs (boxer and maltese) and he is great with them. He plays with them and has never jumped on them violently. Well, let me take that back. My female boxer jumped him one time and he had to put it on her, lol!! But it was weird because he never locked down on her. He jumped on her, pinned her down and held her there. It was a trip.

Oh, I have to mention, he is fixed, so I believe that has something to do with his temperment.

[dec11]

DO NOT HAVE OTHER MALE DOGS AROUND, if you get a male. They are very territorial and will fight another male dog at the drop of a hat. But, we have 2 other female dogs (boxer and maltese) and he is great with them. He plays with them and has never jumped on them violently. Well, let me take that back. My female boxer jumped him one time and he had to put it on her, lol!! But it was weird because he never locked down on her. He jumped on her, pinned her down and held her there. It was a trip.

Oh, I have to mention, he is fixed, so I believe that has something to do with his temperment.

the dals are both bitches so no probs there. are the presas best kept intact for guarding purposes or will it make any diff?

[dec11]

Thats actually a pure bred named chaos. Heres the link to the site I found the picture on http://www.abouttimecanecorso.com/OurDogs.shtml. I think it's probably the way the ears are cropped and the angle the picture was taken. A cane corso crossed with a pit would be a wicked breed though.

fantastic looking beast, i wouldnt mess with it!!! isnt chopping illegal in most countries now? not tht id do it anyhow

[BgMc31]

the dals are both bitches so no probs there. are the presas best kept intact for guarding purposes or will it make any diff?

I guess it depends on what type of guard dog you are looking for. My dog, while fixed, is a very capable guard dog. Alert, great bark, will attack on command, and very suspicious of strangers.

[dec11]

I guess it depends on what type of guard dog you are looking for. My dog, while fixed, is a very capable guard dog. Alert, great bark, will attack on command, and very suspicious of strangers.

well if im not around i want the missus to be able to command it to attack if someone is snooping around. i ask about the fixing because the big male dalmatian i had was a seriously vicious dog and afew ppl who would be up on their dog info reckoned he was that way because he was neutered, i always thought neutering calmed a dog down. the dals are great alert dogs but would lick the intruder to death lol, they only bark if something is stirring around and dont join in with the neighbour hood muts

[BgMc31]

From my experience with dogs, usually not fixing them leads to them being overly aggressive. My wife can command my dog with no issue. As can my oldest son. He doesn't listen to well to my youngest boy or my daughter though. But he isn't aggressive towards them. Like I said, he's the greatest family dog I've ever owned.

[DSM4Life]

[SlimmerMe]

what about a boxer? curious.....

[BgMc31]

what about a boxer? curious.....

Not a good dog around children. Also they are very hyper dogs, its like having a 2yr old all the time. Not the most intelligent dog, but very loyal. They need space to run off that energy and you need to spend a lot of time with this dog.

[gbrice75]

Not a good dog around children. Also they are very hyper dogs, its like having a 2yr old all the time. Not the most intelligent dog, but very loyal. They need space to run off that energy and you need to spend a lot of time with this dog.

x2!!!

[dec11]

what about a boxer? curious.....

nice dogs but not really a guard dog, quite the same mentality as my dals

[dec11]

Not a good dog around children. Also they are very hyper dogs, its like having a 2yr old all the time. Not the most intelligent dog, but very loyal. They need space to run off that energy and you need to spend a lot of time with this dog.

you've swayed me, thanks a mill for the info mate. a presa its gona be

[stack_it]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned a rottweiller. Rotts look mean and Are great guard dogs. Also very loyal and loving to it's owners.

[dec11]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned a rottweiller. Rotts look mean and Are great guard dogs. Also very loyal and loving to it's owners.

i ruled them out in my OP mate, just not inclined towards them at all. i always like to have something unique and diff

[stack_it]

Oh my bad. I read from the list down in the op. See what I get for being lazy lol.