Guard dog

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A guard dog, an attack dog or watch dog is a dog used to guard against, and watch for, unwanted or unexpected people or animals. The dog is discriminating so that it does not annoy or attack familiar people.[1]

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[edit] Barking

Both guard dogs and watchdogs bark loudly to alert their owners of an intruder's presence and scare away the intruder. The watch dog's function ends here; a guard dog is capable of attacking or restraining the intruder. For example, livestock guardian dogs are often large enough and strong enough to attack and drive away livestock predator such as wolves. Some breeds (such as Keeshonden) are excellent watchdogs but not excellent guard dogs because they bark loudly to alert their masters of intruders but are not given to assertive behavior. Similarly, even very small but attentive dogs (among a few other species) may function well as watchdogs.

The following pedigree breeds are the best at watch dog barking:[2]

If the risk is from human intruders, a suitable dog can be simply trained to be aggressive towards unrecognized humans and then tethered or enclosed unsupervised in an area the owner wishes to protect when he is not around (such as at night); the stereotypical "junkyard dog" is a common example of this. Other guard dogs intended for police or more supervised work are trained to bite, restrain and release an intruder only on the specific commands of its handler—as in Schutzhund or K9 Pro Sports training.

[edit] Breeds

Breeds like this Doberman were specifically bred for guard duty.

Many of the now prominent guardian breeds such as Rottweilers started as farm dogs types but then developed over many years into guard breeds. Some breeds, such as the Weimaraner and Rhodesian Ridgeback, were originally bred for hunting, but their large intimidating look and territorial instincts have helped them evolve into guard dogs in today's society. Others like Dobermans were specifically bred as guard dogs. Many of the below breeds have a greater amount of molossoid or mastiff DNA. This is confirmed by a DNA study done on >270 pure breed dogs. The study suggests that in the distant past thirteen ancient breeds broke off early on after which a group of mastiff style dogs were developed.[3]

These dogs are grouped with the mastiffs Great Dane and Irish wolfhound. The Irish wolfhound (a traditional hunting guardian breed) has evidence that its population was nearly wiped out 200 years ago and its existing members descend from a very small group of dogs and thus it is a rebuilt breed, but evidently out of somewhat different building blocks.[4] Some people[who?] think that the Irish wolfhound contributed to the Great Dane.

The St. Bernard is also somewhat different from the mastiffs and is not in the molossoid group;[3] however, the Swiss mountain dogs are. The Moscow Watchdog thus probably inherits its guarding ability not from the St. Bernard but from its other major contributor, the Caucasian Ovcharka (no evidence other than speculation and the known breed characteristics). Great Danes are odd because they are not in the molossoid group[3] and traditionally behaved as though they should be.

The original Saint Bernard was used for alpine rescue in the Saint Bernard Pass by the monks. An avalanche killed off many of the dogs used for breeding. The Saint Bernards had to be bred with larger dogs such as mastiffs, which give it the large size and the guard dog instinct that the Saint Bernard has today.

It is claimed that female dogs tend to make better personal guardians than males, due to maternal instincts, but males are considered better for guarding property because of their greater territorial instinct.[5] Female protection dogs are much easier to train and learn at a faster rate. Less independent, they are adept at integrating into their new family and swiftly blend into any situation they are consigned to.

The Australian cattle dog or blue heeler fought in wars in Australia,and still is used as a military dog today. They also serve in the police force and help to guard herds of cattle or sheep. Being made for harsh weather, herding, and protection, these dogs are very intelligent guard dogs.

The Australian Shepherd has been used as a flock guardian after being introduced into the United states as a herding dog. Over the years, the Australian shepherd has adapted to being used as guard dogs on farms, flock guardians, and guarding households. The Jindo dog is widely used in civilian and military in South Korea.

The German Shepherd dog is widely used by the Metropolitan Police Force and private security companies in the UK.[6]

[edit] List of breeds commonly used as guard dogs

Guard dogs, like this German Shepherd, may be trained to target the arms and legs, incapacitating—but not killing—intruders.

[edit] List of other guard dog breeds

Note some are not AKC, UKC, recognized and a few are not FCI recognized, but all at least have their own breed club.

[edit] Rare breeds

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Plato, The Republic, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=v_BpLwLKFPsC&pg=PA65 
  2. ^ Benjamin Hart, "Analysing breed and gender differences in behaviour", The domestic dog: its evolution, behaviour, and interactions with people, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=I8HU_3ycrrEC&pg=PA75 
  3. ^ a b c "Genetic Structure of the Purebred Domestic Dog" Science, 21 May 2004: Vol. 304. no. 5674, pp. 1160 - 1164. http://intl.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/304/5674/1160?ck=nck (Subscription required) Note: pay special attention to Figure 3 of the study.
  4. ^ "Genome sequence, comparative analysis and haplotype structure of the domestic dog" Nature 438, 803-819 (8 December 2005) | doi:10.1038/nature04338 http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7069/full/nature04338.html
  5. ^ Willis, Malcolm B.. Genetics of the Dog. 
  6. ^ http://www.securityguarddogs.co.uk
  7. ^ Matthew Newman (1985), Watch/guard dogs, p. 19, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=f8e4uwFwJ_wC 
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