Trying to find the right dog

[Hello6]

Dachshunds are good. Deep bark that sounds scary and when an intruder comes in, they be trippin him up and the bad guy will hit his head on the coffee table and be knocked out and then sue you for his injuries....wait, maybe that's not the best plan....

 

[johnycarcinogen]

I have heard that the Standard Poodle is a great family and guard dog.

I wanted the same thing and got a rottie mutt and a doberman. I feel pretty safe when the hubby is not around.

and the Standard Poodle is a very very smart dog too.

I have a fondness of German Shepherd Dogs, just adopted a white one actually. We had one for almost 15 years, she would protect us to the death no doubt. She had a great judge of character too. Each time my cousin brought a new boyfriend to visit, our german shepherd got uneasy and wouldnt take her eye off the guy, but the one guy who the german shepherd didn't do that too, is the one guy my cousin ended up marrying.

 

[teverheart2002]

Invisible fence didn't keep out all the stray's I have One of the dogs figgered out the invisible fencing real quick, that lasted all of 2 weeks. I put up a 4000 sq. ft compound to keep em all in-and several big "BEWARE OF DOG" signs.
Have you ever lived in the country before? Just curious!

Don't forget this one too:

 

[remaxrealtor]

I moved to VA 4+ yrs ago-I now have 6 dogs-all but 1 is a "stray"-I have Shepherds, a Dobie, hounds and a mutt or 2-out of ALL of them, the hounds are the best watch dogs!Give yourself time to settle in, make sure you have a fenced yard THEN think about getting a dog-until then, get a shotgun (keep it in a safe place!)!
Wait a month or two-you'll have a stray show up at your doorstep-folks in the VA countryside loves to let their dogs run loose!
BTW, where y'all moving to?

You're not kidding! My Bluetick Coonhound is VERY sweet and gentle, but packs quite a bark. She's really great with kids, but the UPS guy is scared Shaitless of her. It's a wonderful breed, but they can be stubborn.

 

[river rat]

She is looking for a great sense of security when I am not there. We are not moving to Compton, just small town VA living in the county. Been cooped up with neighbors for 20 years I finally want some privacy. It doesn't help that she is not from America but we are going through immigration LEGALLY(totally different issue, and what she believes about America is from too much from the boob tube (blocked Jerry Springer and Maury already)

Get the dog that you want and if she doesn't like it, then get a different wife.

BTW, I can't believe you are blocking programs from an adult. I hate Jerry too but pleeeease

 

[Vince]

Don't take in a stray if you have kids. You need to get a puppy so it will grow with the kids and be more protective. You can't tell what will set a stray off if it's previous owner mistreated it. A shepard is as good a choice as any or a dobie. Or you can get a small dog. They make great burgler alarms and then just break out the weapons. I have a little rat terrier, best little alarm around when she was young. If something moved in the street in front of the house she let loose barking. Now she's very old and can't hear so well anymore. :shrug:

 

[Pandora]

Don't forget this one too:

My sister's boxer mix can do that.

He sees a squirrel on a tree 3 blocks down the road and his butt is gone.

When I was growing up, we had a Standard Poodle. My mom LOVED poodles and frankly, they were very popular in PA. Her name was Ginger, and she was great. When my mother was sick, she had a toy poodle and I kept if for her while she was going back and forth to the hospital but he was not handling her absence very well. He peed on everything and I mean EVERYTHING. Toys seem to focus on one person in the house and the Standards seem to hang with the children. Just from what I have noticed.

Vince is right, IMO, with a 4-month old, I would consider getting a small dog. A dog is only a early warning sign for protection, not actual protection. Many people get these big dogs and don't realize that it is big work. You have to have a dog well-trained that is going to get up to 100 lbs.

I have a Jack Russell and he is the neighborhood boys favorite dog. Everywhere they go, he goes. They are not recommended for families with children under 5. He is not only protective over the boys; he is protective over his cats. Imagine that? A Jack Russell who is protective over his cats.

 

[teverheart2002]

My sister's boxer mix can do that.

He sees a squirrel on a tree 3 blocks down the road and his butt is gone.

When I was growing up, we had a Standard Poodle. My mom LOVED poodles and frankly, they were very popular in PA. Her name was Ginger, and she was great. When my mother was sick, she had a toy poodle and I kept if for her while she was going back and forth to the hospital but he was not handling her absence very well. He peed on everything and I mean EVERYTHING. Toys seem to focus on one person in the house and the Standards seem to hang with the children. Just from what I have noticed.

Vince is right, IMO, with a 4-month old, I would consider getting a small dog. A dog is only a early warning sign for protection, not actual protection. Many people get these big dogs and don't realize that it is big work. You have to have a dog well-trained that is going to get up to 100 lbs.

I have a Jack Russell and he is the neighborhood boys favorite dog. Everywhere they go, he goes. They are not recommended for families with children under 5. He is not only protective over the boys; he is protective over his cats. Imagine that? A Jack Russell who is protective over his cats.

Your Jack Russell cracks me up!

I don't like toy poodles. My parents had one and it hated my dad, peed on his stuff and on his side of the bed. So sounds like that it something they like to do, but I haven't actually had any experiences with owning one. I think that the small ankle-biters are actually the ones to be afraid of. The big dogs you see coming, the little ones can came at you under radar.

I think that almost all of our best dogs were mutts and strays that we acquired, you can tell that they appreciate the second chance at a great life and just enjoy being included in the family. They are the ones that haven't had the greatest life until the point that that you took them into your home and vowed to just love on them and let them be a part of the family. We adopted Remi when she was around 8-9 years old and everytime we take her someplace you can see how happy she is. I can't believe that she doesn't have a complex as we were her 4th-5th home, but she completely trusts us to take care of her and we try to the best of our ability.

Good luck in your search.

 

[Ponytail]

Mastiffs were bread to protect the Emporers. They don't have a mean bone in their body, but their size is intimidating. Biggest damn lap dog I've ever owned. And no trouble with "didn't see that land mine", cuz those suckers are HUGE!

I have one. And she is a trip. AWESOME with kids. She gets upset when the youngin' cries. She tries to hug him though it looks more like she's trying to smother him....girlfriend says that she's trying to comfort him. I just think the dog's trying to get him to stop crying cuz it hurts her ears...I know it hurts mine!

For intimidation, she's got a bark that'll rattle the shingles!

 

[SouthernMdRocks]

Me and the wife can't agree on something and she gets pi**ed every time I say no. We are getting ready to move and since we are leaving the confines of base housing(moving to VA) she wants a dog for protection. She wants a dog that people will look at and be afraid to enter the property like a pitt, shepard, or a rotty. I want a lab or a mutt. Meanwhile we have a four month old baby and two cats. Any dog can protect the family but some have a tendancy to turn before others. Anyone with similar problems? Back home some insurance companies will not insure a house if certain breeds of dogs are on the property (which is total BS). Thanks




I found out after marriage, A man may wear the pants and think that he is boss in the house but the woman helps him take them off and you can't get into the panties with that attitude

I have the two Rottie sisters I'm fostering, they are very loving. Only thing is, I don't think they would do well with the cats. They've been great with my kids but I still don't take chances not knowing their history. So far I can say they are great with people.