From ya'lls experience and experteeeeez can any of you suggest a dog that will meet the following reqs:

-Good mannered, yet willing to defend you and your home in an instant (not afraid to actually engadge a man rather than bark 10 feet away)

-Doesnt bark all that much, doesnt dig up the yard

-Good health in the breed, not too many weaknesses and illnesses prone to

-Not extremely high strung

Im leaning towards a boxer, but dont know of too many other suggestions

Now I realize each animal will have their own personality but Im referring to breed traits. Thanks!

Boxer is a great dog. I have had 3 and each one of them have been great. Good with kids and very protective as well. You can't go wrong with a boxer but make sure you get to see the parents as with any dog and see how they act. My .02 worth

The all American mutt.

Boxers are excellent dogs as are:



The Rottweiler is calm, trainable, courageous, and devoted to their owner and family. They have a reliable temperament. Protective, he will defend his family fiercely. These are strong fighters that seem immune to pain. Serious, steady and confident. Firm and careful training is essential for this breed, otherwise you may end up with a very powerful and overly aggressive dog.  Yet they can, with proper handling, also be loyal, loving and very rewarding companions. They require owners who can handle their massive size. The Rottweiler is a natural guard dog with a mellow temperament.

They are highly intelligent and have proven their worth beyond question in police, military, and customs work over many centuries. Because of their size, training should begin fairly young - while the dog is still small, and great care should be taken to ensure that the dog is not made vicious. This breed needs a lot of companionship and socialization to be truly happy. They can be aggressive with other dogs and should be kept on leashes in public places. When the Rottweiler is consistently brought up and trained, it will be a good playmate for the children.

It will accept cats and other household pets as long as the dog has had a positive experience with them while it was young. Friends and relatives of the family are normally enthusiastically welcomed. Strangers can get no further than the sidewalk. The breed does well in competitive obedience, schutzhund, and tracking.

There are none better than the Black Labs-period.

HH

classic germen shepard!!

Quoted: There are none better than the Black Labs-period. HH

Labs are really GREAT dogs, but I haven't seen one yet that met his one criteria:

"willing to defend you and your home in an instant."

Just my .02

I would say Rottweilers would be your best bet.  They're healthier on average then Boxers and calmer.  I have only trained a couple of each breed so diffinately not an expert but the Rotties I've trained have been easier to train then the Boxers too.

Best of Luck.  Patty

I've got a similar set of criteria to the original poster:

1.  Good mannered.  I need a dog that won't freak out when I have infrequent friends over, but who WILL freak out when someone forces their way in or has a confrontation with family members.

2.  Not an excessive barker.

3.  Good with kids.

4.  Doesn't require excessive training.  Although I'm willing to put time in to train the dog, I'm gone for most of the day, so my wife will be in charge of the dog, and she won't put too much effort into disciplining the dog.  I don't want a dog who suddenly think's he's in charge as soon as I leave.

5.  Good with other animals.  We'd like to keep open the option of getting a second dog later.  Also, many of the trails that I regularly walk have lots of other people walking their dogs on them.  I'd like to avoid high strung confrontations every time I meet another dog owner.

Like the original poster, I've shortlisted the Boxer, as well as a Great Pyrenees, but I'm a little concerned that the Pyrenees may be difficult to train.  

rotties are good but get a female had a male before  he went nuts and stated biting out of the blue and have heard its not that uncommon.

My family has had Great Pyrenees for coyote patrol.  They're awesome dogs but they are not ones you would want to put an obedience title on.  Not to say they aren't well manner as they are.  They are just non conformists.  They were bred to be constantly circling [this is what keeps coyotes away] so keep in mind that if you get a Great Pyrenees you'll see it circling your property constantly.

They do not bark so are not good first alerters nor are they terribly agressive dogs [they were bred to eat dogs, not people].  I would be very careful with small animals [small dogs and cats] if I owned one too.

Ours were pretty healthy, which is a plus.

Patty

Quoted: Quoted: There are none better than the Black Labs-period. HH Labs are really GREAT dogs, but I haven't seen one yet that met his one criteria: "willing to defend you and your home in an instant." Just my .02

Mine backed my friend out of the house because something wasn't quite right...but you're right, they're not quite as protective as German Shephards, which are my 2nd favorite dogs.

HH

Mixed breeds you rescue from the pound.  You'll never have a more loyal dog.

I've had great luck with Golden Retrievers, Labs, and Border Collies

<-----  As you can see, I am a GSD owner...however.......

I'm really thinking of getting one of these next year.  I saw one at a dog show this weekend and I thought they were great.  

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

Quoted: rotties are good but get a female had a male before  he went nuts and stated biting out of the blue and have heard its not that uncommon.

+1
Had a female Rott for 11 years, cradle to grave and miss her all the time.  Great with kids, wonderful natural protective instincts without getting psycho.  Smart as hell and easiest dog I've ever trained.

Boxer. Will never own another breed of dog again. They are not overly protective by nature but can be trained to be very easily. Great with kids my kiddos are VERY rough with our boxer and she will pin them down and lick thier faces until they stop lol. But if anyone ever messed with my boys she would eat them.
Down sides are health (hips in particular) like to jump and can get hyper
heres my girl


EDIT-took this pic while she was trying to 'bull bait" me which is what they were breed for. She hits me with front paws and stays just out of my range torturing me

Quoted: Boxer. Will never own another breed of dog again. They are not overly protective by nature but can be trained to be very easily. Great with kids my kiddos are VERY rough with our boxer and she will pin them down and lick thier faces until they stop lol. But if anyone ever messed with my boys she would eat them. Down sides are health (hips in particular) like to jump and can get hyper heres my girl

What age are your kids, and what age were they when you got the Boxer?

Quoted: What age are your kids, and what age were they when you got the Boxer?

She is 3 now kids are 4 and 9 she is fondest of my 4 year old.

Quoted: Mixed breeds you rescue from the pound.  You'll never have a more loyal dog. photos.ar15.com/ImageGallery/Attachments/DownloadAttach.asp?iImageUnq=478

+1

 Black lab +1

Best dog we ever had was a ..........schnoodle!
worth her weight in gold.

I have a Lab/Weim mix.  I very much doubt that he would physically (as opposed to verbally with a bark) defend me.  He is large (83lbs) and shiny black with bright white teeth so he does look imposing.  I only want my dog to alert me to a problem, maybe give the bad guy pause, and then let me deal with the issue at hand.

My only advice to you would be to consult with your homeowners insurance company as you neck down your choices.  Some companies will not insure certain breeds or will raise your rates if you own a certain breed.

Hmmmm, this thread seems to keep popping up a lot.

Quoted: From ya'lls experience and experteeeeez can any of you suggest a dog that will meet the following reqs: -Good mannered, yet willing to defend you and your home in an instant (not afraid to actually engadge a man rather than bark 10 feet away) -Doesnt bark all that much, doesnt dig up the yard -Good health in the breed, not too many weaknesses and illnesses prone to -Not extremely high strung Im leaning towards a boxer, but dont know of too many other suggestions Now I realize each animal will have their own personality but Im referring to breed traits. Thanks!

Those were similar to my requirements when I went shopping for a dog. I originally wanted a German Shepherd, but I shopped for two years and I wasn't happy with what I found in the US in GSD lines. Not big enough for my taste, not the right temperament, health problems, etc.

Then I found Shiloh Shepherds -- a perfect GSD times two. Mine behaves nearly perfectly. He will respond to single finger commands and will take orders from the two-year-olds in the family. Very good with kids. My two-year-old granddaughter can literally lead him around by the collar.  Doesn't bark except when there is a reason, but he does "talk" quite a bit.  

He is very healthy because of all the health checks that Shilohs have to go through before they are bred.  You probably won't find another breed with such tight requirements before they can be bred. Before you can breed a Shiloh you need to submit two hip certifications, a heart test, behaviorial tests, a genetic defects profile, and a DNA sample, among other things.

As for "high strung", he is one of the mellowest dogs you will find and has been since I got him at two months old. Shilohs are bred to have a very mellow personality for families. In addition, he required zero training. He did all the basic commands at three months old, by either hand or verbal signals, without training. The only command I had trouble teaching him was the "stay" command -- because he viewed it as punishment if he was forced to be away from my side. He has never dug a hole in the yard, chewed up any furniture, or done anything else like that, even when he was teething.

As for protecting the house and family -- Holy Shit! He has all the protective instinctive of a good GSD, backed up by 160 pounds of muscle. There are three rottweilers in my neighborhood that occasionally get out and roam where they shouldn't. They came into my yard just once and haven't wanted to do it again.  

It is a long story, but he has already bitten one guy who tried to come in through the back door when my wife was home alone. He didn't give the guy a chance to apologize or back up or anything. My dog found the guy opening the back door and hit him hard.

You can read about the breed in general at www.shilohshepherds.org -- although I would not currently recommend that kennel as the place to buy one.

You can read about my dog at www.druglibrary.org/chopper

If you are interested in getting one, I can recommend my breeder as quite good and trustworthy majestic-knights-shilohs.com If she doesn't have any available in the time frame you are looking for a dog, I would trust her to recommend other good breeders.

I have had boxers, GSDs, mutts, collies, and a number of other breeds. There are some good dogs in other breeds but I have never seen any that quite matched a Shiloh. Mine literally draws a crowd when I take him for a walk.

Drawbacks? You have to like larger than average dogs and they shed a lot. They are also expensive. I paid $2,000 for mine (plus shipping) but he was worth every penny. Also, because they are so mellow, don't expect them to be trainable in Schutzhund or for hunting. They just don't have the drive for it.  

And here is what one looks like. Note that the picture was taken when he was younger and smaller. He was about 110 pounds in that picture. He is about fifty percent bigger now.

American Bulldog.

Quoted: There are none better than the Black Labs-period. HH

what, you got something against yellow labs racist

my lab is perfect except he isn't a watch dog, well he'll lick 'em to death but that's about it

Quoted: There are none better than the Black Chocolate Labs-period. HH

Fixed for ya. Thats what you meant to say, right

Quoted: The all American mutt.

+1 - I have owned labs, collies and refugees ( the poodles and Taco Bell dogs my mother and sister had were useless and most likely to bite).  By far I have had the best luck with the pound refugees both good with kids, easily trainable and neither one is a barker.

But I would never leave a child alone with a dog no matter what breed, kids do stupid things sometimes just my .02


The two I have now lab mix and Rhodesian mix.

There are none better than the Black Labs-period.

.

+1

My black lab is a handfull.

Always doing something stupid to make me laugh. Jumped in the neighbors pond for the hell of it one day to catch the coy fish this weekend.

Loves getting visits from the neighbor hood kids. Explains whys he's well fed.

Good watch dog.  I feel sorry for what he did to the UPS guy(LOL)

Quoted: American Bulldog.

+Forever

Man or Beast, the AB will stop them.

ETA: Not a fan of Boxers. Have never seen a Boxer hold it's own.

Quoted: +1 - I have owned labs, collies and refugees ( the poodles and Taco Bell dogs my mother and sister had were useless and most likely to bite).  By far I have had the best luck with the pound refugees both good with kids, easily trainable and neither one is a barker.

You can pick up some nice dogs at the pound, but I didn't do that because I often have kids around and you never really know what you are getting with a pound dog. The dog may be great with kids -- or not. If not, you may discover the problem too late. I wanted something a little more reliable in that department so I felt it was worth it to pay for a known quantity.

If it was just me, with no kids around, and I am the only one at risk of getting bit, I might have made a different decision.

But I would never leave a child alone with a dog no matter what breed, kids do stupid things sometimes just my .02

I have had both dogs and kids and I can say with some assurance that, if you have both, then -- sooner or later -- the dogs will be alone with the kids. The only exception is if you are absolutely manic about controlling both kids and dogs. I wouldn't have a dog that I didn't trust 100% to be alone with kids, no matter what the kids did. Every dog I have had would take any abuse from kids without getting aggressive with them.

ETA:

I've had german shepards, malamutes & a begle...now I have a golden retriver and he would fit your criteria perfictly...

Thats a great picture!

My experiences have shown that an indistinguishable mix of breeds in one pound hound makes for great dogs.  

You can buy registered dogs until you run out of money but I firmly believe that all the selective breeding has bred OUT the character traits of a "good" dog.  You may get a good dog in terms of build and so on but when they're manufactured for money they don't seem to have the same personalities.  

Just my experience and feelings.  I'm sure you'll get plenty of guys telling you why it's just fine to spend thousands on a dog.

Had a German Shepherd go for my throat when I was young.  My mother had put him on a chain because she was expecting company and he was a big dog.  I remember feeling bad that he had to be on the chain so I went to pet him.  He lunged at me as I got close and the chain was all that stopped him.  My mother put the 12 gauge to him immediately.  He was simply too big to trust with kids.  

I still feel bad about that.  I always felt like it was my fault because I wanted to pet him.  Very conflicting emotions.

My biggest problem with pure breeds is that they tend show up with genetic/congenital defects like hip problems for instance.  Tow inlaws both have/had purebreeds and have had nothing both problems - healthwise.  My first lab was a purebreed from a breeder and he had serious health problems by the time he was 4 or 5 years.  I know this is ancedotal and others may not have had any problems.  Certainly a YMMV sort of thing.

Any dog you love.

Mutts always seem like great dogs, if you get them while they are young.  They remember you saved their ass from death row!!

Boerboels...Atomic Boerboels

Black Russian Terrier or Giant Schnauzer

www.dogbreedinfo.com/blackrussianterrier.htm

www.dogbreedinfo.com/giantschnauzer.htm

Quoted: My biggest problem with pure breeds is that they tend show up with genetic/congenital defects like hip problems for instance.  Tow inlaws both have/had purebreeds and have had nothing both problems - healthwise.  My first lab was a purebreed from a breeder and he had serious health problems by the time he was 4 or 5 years.  I know this is ancedotal and others may not have had any problems.  Certainly a YMMV sort of thing.

I walk my dog in public on a fairly regular basis and I run into lots and lots of people who report that they had to put dogs down (often purebreds) because of hip problems. Bigger dogs, especially. It is obvious to me that it is a widespread problem, even in some of the medium size breeds. I didn't want to get any dog and then wind up putting it down for health problems. I ran into a lot of people who said their (sometimes expensive) dog got hip dysplasia at age three or four -- and then what should they do????

If the vet fixes the hips then it is likely to cost thousands.

The breeders offer to give a refund on dogs with hip problems -- but what good is that after you have spent three or four years getting attached to the dog?

That's why I went with a Shiloh. They require hip certifications, as well as other health and behavioral information,  on the parents before they can be bred as registered Shilohs. They even require owners by contract to have hip certifications done even on the non-breeding dogs, just so they can keep track of the problem and try to eliminate it. If you ask a Shiloh breeder, they can probably give you the complete health history for the dog's entire family tree.

Quoted: Black Russian Terrier or Giant Schnauzer www.dogbreedinfo.com/blackrussianterrier.htm www.dogbreedinfo.com/giantschnauzer.htm

A second for the Black Russian Terrier. The history of this particular breed, and its characteristics, are quite interesting. This breed was second on my list behind Shilohs. Smart, good with kids, very protective, and up to 120 pounds. Read up on this one for sure.

Don't overlook rhodesian ridgebacks.  They meet all your criteria, and are great dogs.

Of course, all large breed issues (hips) etc need to be carefully evaluated.

Loyal, friendly, fast, smart, very intimidating to an intruder, great with kids and family.

you will never see another rabbit, chuck or squirrel on your property.

Bit of a digger, and can easily hop a 4 foot fence, so a taller fence is appropriate.

Australian Shepherd
The dog will need something to do to keep it occupied.  Not necessarily high maintenance, just needs to keep it occupied.  If with kids, raise pup around kids.

Quoted: Quoted: +1 - I have owned labs, collies and refugees ( the poodles and Taco Bell dogs my mother and sister had were useless and most likely to bite).  By far I have had the best luck with the pound refugees both good with kids, easily trainable and neither one is a barker. You can pick up some nice dogs at the pound, but I didn't do that because I often have kids around and you never really know what you are getting with a pound dog. The dog may be great with kids -- or not. If not, you may discover the problem too late. I wanted something a little more reliable in that department so I felt it was worth it to pay for a known quantity. If it was just me, with no kids around, and I am the only one at risk of getting bit, I might have made a different decision. But I would never leave a child alone with a dog no matter what breed, kids do stupid things sometimes just my .02 I have had both dogs and kids and I can say with some assurance that, if you have both, then -- sooner or later -- the dogs will be alone with the kids. The only exception is if you are absolutely manic about controlling both kids and dogs. I wouldn't have a dog that I didn't trust 100% to be alone with kids, no matter what the kids did. Every dog I have had would take any abuse from kids without getting aggressive with them. ETA: druglibrary.org/chopper/2201501404.jpg

Oh My God I want one of those dogs right now! Like now! Sheesh...I'll have to wait though till I have $2000 and Im settled in a house. Geez.

Quoted: Oh My God I want one of those dogs right now! Like now! Sheesh...I'll have to wait though till I have $2000 and Im settled in a house. Geez.

You can get a pet grade Shiloh (non-breedable) for about $1,000. My breeder also had one come back to her recently because the owners had to move to Europe, so occasionally an adult may come around looking for a new home.

Here is another picture of mine when he was about seven months old (and still fairly small).



BTW, I know this wouldn't have anything to do with your decision, but they are chick magnets like you wouldn't believe. I could tell you about the chick I met who wanted to do a photo shoot with him. She is a model for a company called "Trashy Lingerie".  I have had people walk clear across the parking lot just to get a look at him.

I ran into one couple in Loews that were rather taken by him, and pumped me for all kinds of information. I get so many questions about him that I often have to take printed fliers of Frequently Asked Questions to pass out. As we were standing there talking, about half a dozen women walked by and every one of them stopped to gush over the dog.

After watching a few minutes of this, the wife turned to her husband. "We can get one," she said. "But you ain't taking him anywhere."

Good breed of Dog to have   --

Belgiun shepard-