Bull Mastiff. Research the breed and you'll understand why. We love ours.

sure is. We have a decent sized backyard and it's wide open so ours had room to run around. Especially when we got our Dane those two could chase each other nonstop for 30min. We didn't have to walk ours too much, and she didn't get riled up or seem to mind.

She was a house dog as is the Dane.

Surprisingly Danes are great apartment dogs. They don't require much exercise at all and are lazy, but big.

If you want a true watchdog check into an Anatolian Shepherd. Very similar to the Great Pyrenees, in fact the 2 breeds or crossed frequently. Don't think the Anatolian is AKC recognized but there is a breeders association.



http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/anatolianshepherd.htm

I bought my used lowboy from a guy that had 3 of these that lived in the pastures with his herd of 100 goats. They allowed nothing near them. He said they had even caught 3 deer. If your kids and home is what they are charged to protect I think these dogs are alpha material.

Having said that the GS would do most all that and probably be easier to socialize. An Anatolian is a bigger dog too. I looked into them a couple of years ago but like the UPS guy pretty well.

A little more blurb on the AS is they are not known to have hip dysplasia problems where labs and GS's do. Get your dog certified if you get these large breeds. Also the AS has been around for centuries, the Persians have used them in the rings to fight lions for millennia .

Great Dane....

they only live 7-8 years don't they?

Since you said one of those two, I'll go with GS. I'd also consider a Catahoula.

pitt mix
best dogs ever

i like GS but they suffer seperation anxiety really bad

They do have a shorter life span... Mine is 6 and healthy so far... Knock on wood

I have an 85 lb GS. She is the best dog I have ever had. Just sheds a lot. And what I mean by " a lot" is a ridiculous amount. When she blows her coat twice a year, you can brush until your arm falls off and it just keeps coming. We filled 3 Walmart bags full of hair before I gave up. Other than that, I couldn't ask for a better dog. So easy to train, very attentive and super loving.

Read an article one time that said, "German Shepherds are working dogs. They need a job. If you don't give them a job, they will find one themselves and it usually won't be what you want them to do." They also respond well to positive reinforcement and not so much to negative. I always thought trainers who said that just didn't want you to spank your dogs or something but it really is true with mine. If I yell and spank her, it kills her drive. As long as I stay positive, she will work all day if I wanted her to.

American dingo / Carolina dog. Slightly smaller than a German shepherd but none of the genetic problems. Quite big enough to scare the bejeebers out of somebody with bad intentions.

Personally I think family dogs should be good with people and especially kids. The last thing I want is for a dog I own to bite someone. I like the Golden Retriever because it is 100% likely to never bite someone. I have an Alarm System for the security and a panic button for the kids if needed. My Golden chases all Coyotes, Foxes, Deer, Squirrel and rabbits. But stops If I tell her to.

Just my two cents. The dogs that have in-bred aggression can turn koo-koo as they age and attack people. I know from experience family, deeply loved pets (German Shepherds), seriously biting little children. Nothing great about that.

Another vote for pits. I've got a 4 year old black one, Max is the biggest puss you've ever seen but folks are terrified of him. And best of all, you could train him to eat that chiwawa.

A good GSD breeder doesn't breed for aggression. They breed with working characteristics in mind. You want a security dog, train the dog for the job and it will do it 100% of the time. Want a family dog, train the dog for it and it will do it 100% of the time. You just have to train a GS to be what you want it to be. They aren't dual-purpose dogs for sure.