What is the best dog?

Question
We are looking for a dog that is good guard dog, good with our 3 children, good with our 3 cats plus be an inside dog.  

Answer
Hi Machelle;
Any dog that has more then one leg. LOL
I don't mean that sarcastically.
I have, at one time or another, raised, or at least trained almost every breed you can think of.
If you get a dog, any breed, raise it like a member of the family, treat it with love and caring, will be a good companion and give it's life to protect you.
Even a little Chihuahua will fight to the death for those it loves.
All my dogs have been inside dogs, except one Irish setter that just would NOT sleep indoors.
He was a year old when we got him, and apparently set in his ways.
He would stay in the house, and come and go, but at bedtime, he preferred the outside and would just go and sleep on the ground, so we built a dog house. That was the only dog house I ever jhad.
My son had a Rottweiler and for the first 3 years of her life, he lived in an apartment.
I have known quite a few Pit Bulls, and they were trained to be good companions and they were very good with the family's children and other children.
My first German Shepherd was raised in an apartment.
The hunting breeds like Setters and hounds need more exercise than they can get in an apartment, and unless you are an Olympic runner, just a walk everyday oir a run is not enough for them.
Beagles are not good dogs to have in limited space. They are rangers, and they are escape artists, sao if you don't want to be out looking for your dog a lot, I would advise against a Beagle, even though they have a great disposition. The one we had was a joy, but everytime I turned around twice, she had gotten out, and I had to go chase her down. When I would wlk up to the shopping center near us, to the grocery store ( needed some exercise.LOL), she would get out of the house, somehow, and track me down.
She would come through the automatic doors, sniff until she caught my scent, and bugle beautifully and track me down.
Someone would get th mike and say , "Charlotte, someone is looking for you:.
VERY embarassing. LOL
Rottweilers, the "so called" vicious breed, along with the other so called vicious breeds are great dogs, and great dogs with children.
Bad dogs are made not born.
Rotties, Chows, Pit Bulls etc need a little more intense training, because they are a bit hard headed, and want their own way a lot.
Chewy ( Chewbacca) was the best dog with children.
She was 3 years old when my son't daughter was born.
The baby learned to walk bu pulling herself up by Chewy's skin or ears.
That dog took every step the baby did, and I think her forst words were," Mon Shooey"
When she had a litter, friends and neighbors' children would come to play with the puppies, and Chewy let them play with them. When one got a little too rough with a puyppy, she would take the puppy ut of the child's hands, and put it back in her bed.She never so much as growled at a child, or anyone who should not be growled at, but it would have been too bad for anybody who tried to harm a hair of that child, or any other child's head.
I can't say enough about the German Shepherd as a companion dog.
They are loving, protective and loyal.
The main reason that a family pet will bite a child is when they are messing around with their food.
When I first get a dog, whaever the age, I sit when I feed them, and pick up some of the kibble out of their bowl, and hand feed them.
Sometimes I will take a handful of their food out and take it away.
The point I am teaching them is, that no matter of someone takes some of your food, you will get more, that their food supply is not threatened. The reason it is usually the child's face, is because the face is what is right there when the dog turns to snap.
Little children will gravitate to the dog's dish and they will pick up some food, so if a visitor has a little toddler, and they go by your dog's food dish, your dog won't bite the child.
Raising dogs is just like raising children.
When they need is to be taught the rules, in a way they can understand, be loved and made to feel safe and secure.
So really, whatever breed you like will work as well.
Right now, we have 4 dogs, a purebred Sheltie, a Lhasa mix, an Australian Cattle Dog/Huskie mix, and an Australian Shephers/???? mix. They all four live in the house.
I foster dogs for rescue groups, and all 4 of these are rescues we took and didn't want to give up after the fostering period.
The oldest one is now 9 years old, and they are a lot of help to me with dogs I foster. They actually help me with housebreaking them, making the dogs feel calm and safe, a lot of ways.
They always welcome other animals that come into the house, and in one case, two cats.
I love the Australian Shepherd pesonality!!!
Rowdy is the neatest dog.
He loves children and literally scrams when he hears some children coming up the walk.
They are so patient, and loving. Rowdy will play with children as long as theyt want him to, or will drop down and lay in their lap and cuddle with them. But if anybody raised a hand to them, he would be hard to dal with.
They are not huge dogs, but they have good strength.
My little Lhasa mix isn't very big, and wouldn't make a good police dog, but he would start at their ankles and chew them down to size.LOL
They know if a baby pulls their ears, I am going to gently get the baby's hand away, so they just endure.LOL
All of them will sit and just watch a baby sleep.
I have some adorable pictures of dogs I have had, watching over a baby in a crib or the baby seat.
The Sheltie is very even tempered too, but they are a very active breed, so you need a lot of energy. Laddie loves to play all the time, and he and Max the Lhasa) chase and throw each other all over the house.
The only complaint I have with any of the herding breeds, is them herding ME!!!.
None of my German Shepherds did this, but Rowdy and Laddie do it.
When you are walking through the house, they will walk on one side and push against your legs, then do the same on the other side. HERD YOU!!!!!
By nature they are protective, and nurturing.
German Shepherd
Australian Shepherd
Rottweiler
Doberman
Collie
Pyranese
Great Dane, and St. Bernard
Those are all good choices in the larger and midium sized dogs.
They are by no means all the good breeds in larger dogs, but I have personal experience with all these breeds, except the Pyranese.
In smaller sized dogs,
Shetland Sheep Dogs ( Shelties)
Well, I started to make a list, but it would get soooo long.
Really, any breed you like the personality traits and the looks of , if they are trained right, will be great family dogs.
In dogs, as in children, what kind of adults they make depends on how you raise and teach them.
I also like mixed breeds.
Check with your rescue groups in your area.
Just put dog rescue groups in your search engine, and your state, and you will get up links to find a dog.
When we take a dog at the recues, we foster them to a home for a week or two, to get a good picture of what their personality, temperment, and flaws they have, so we can place them in the proper kind of home.
Some will need to not be placed in a family with children because of past abuse etc that makes them unpredictable.
They get their health checked, and are given their shots etc.
We make certain we are not putting the wrong dog with th wrong home, becase we want the home they go to to be permanent.
These dogs have sometimes had a pretty rough time of it, and to be taken into a home and loved and cared for, they know what you have done for them, and they make great family members.
You can go to this site, and read about the basic information on different breeds and their needs.
Use it as a guideline only, because like humans, each dog will be a distinct personality.

http://www.akc.org/

The way I pick a dog I am going to keep, is to let them do part of the picking.
Dogs will bond to people like we do to the dog, and they will react to you more.
You just hold them , pet them, and play with them a little while, and you will know when you find "Your dog".
If I were you, I would let the children pick.
If you get a younger one, or one that has been raised with cats, they will get along with your cats.
It usually takes the cat longer to warm up to the dog, than it takes for the dog to warm up to the cat.
Petsmart and Petco stores in this area allow floor space for rescue groups to hold adoption clinics on weekends, so any weekend you go there, there will be dogs and cats looking for a good home. That's a good place to find a good dog.
There are rescue groups that concentrate on only one breed.
You would be surprised how many purebred dogs are just thrown away by the family that has them.
If you need help finding a rescue group in your area, write me where you live and I will be glad to help you search.
Some breeds need more grooming than others.
Dogs don't need baths, in fact, too often bathing can cause some serious skin problems.
No more than one bath a month, unless they roll in something gross is a good rule of thumb.
/a daily, or in some cases, every other doy, brushing will keep them clean, and prevent dog hair on everything in th house.
My Austrlian Shepherd, if he gets muddy from head to toe, letting him dry off outside, and the dirt will dry and flake off, and a brushing will bring him back to a clean dog. The Sheltie tends to have a dryier coat, and if my Sheltie and my Lhasa get muddy, they have to be rinsed off with just water, or it clings to their dryer hair, and they are a filthy mess. Brushing alone, when they get very muddy, just isn't enough.
In the American Kennel Club site I gave you has facts about how their coat is etc.
There are a lot of great dogs out there for you, and I hope you find "YOUR DOG" soon.
If I can help further, feel free to write anytime.
Charlotte