Choosing a Family Watchdog

Along with a home security system, a well-trained dog can help keep your home safe. If you’re considering purchasing or adopting a dog to help protect your home, the first thing to understand is the difference between a watchdog and a guard dog. Watchdogs serve mainly to alert others to the presence of an intruder to your home, and are more suitable for a home or family setting (especially with children). Guard dogs, however, will move to incapacitate or subdue an intruder, and tend to be more aggressive than watchdogs. So, if you’re merely looking for the dog to alert you of an impending intruder, a watchdog might be the way to go.

When selecting a watchdog, you want to pick a breed that has a tendency to bark when it senses trouble. This attribute is perhaps more important than the size of the dog. The goal isn’t necessarily to make the burglar afraid of the dog so much as it is to alert the homeowner and deter the burglar.

If you are already a dog owner and aren’t satisfied with how your dog alerts you to unknown guests or intruders, they can probably be trained, depending on their breed. If you don’t currently own a dog, here is a short list of some of the best watchdog breeds:

German Shepherd
Generally calm, loyal, and intelligent breed of dog. German Shepherds have a good sense of who to trust and who to alert you to.
Scottish Terrier
Regarded as being one of the best watchdogs for families. They are very protective by nature and are wary of strangers, making them perfect for the job. Even though they are small, their bark will leave a burglar looking for a quieter target.
Poodle
Highly trainable in a variety of tasks, including watchdog duties. Poodles are very territorial and tend to have a high level of alertness. Besides being a good watchdog, poodles are very affectionate dogs, which are great for family environments.
Yorkshire Terrier
Even though Yorkies are often small enough to fit in a purse, they make excellent watchdogs. A very devoted dog, the Yorkshire Terrier will bark to warn you of an unknown visitor to your home. This breed also tends to bark more frequently than others, giving owners a good sense of safety when they are around.
Rottweiler
A constantly watchful dog, the Rottweiler has gained a reputation for being an effective guard dog. They can, however, also be used for regular watchdog duties due to their obedient nature and susceptibility to training.
Miniature Schnauzer
Don’t let the name fool you, Miniature Schnauzers are actually great watchdogs, despite their smaller size. This dog tends to reserve its barks for when for when you need to be warned or alerted to a stranger’s presence.

Remember owning a dog is a big commitment. If you are getting a dog for the purpose of it being a watchdog, make sure you find one that matches your lifestyle and home as well. Once you do, make sure that you put forth the effort to train it properly and accept it into your home.

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