protective

Question
 hi..i am a long distance trucker, and while on the road, my wife and infant daughter are home alone. i want to get a dog for them that would protect them from an intruder. by protect, i mean either run them off or attack them. so, which would you say would be the top 2 or 3 breeds which i can consider? thanks!

Answer
Hi James;
That's a hard qyestion to answer without more information.
answer some questions for me, and then I can better advise you.
ANY breed is a great protector of it's family. Even a tiny chihuahua will fight to the death for it's people it loves and that love it.
I have been around just about every breed in the book, and in my 65+ years of dealing with dogs, I am MORE than certain that the breed has little to do with it.
It is 90% relationship between the dog and the humans,90%, 90% understanding of dogs, 90% training, and 100% love.
There are very few BORN BAD dogs ( some dogs do have aggression problems and problems with nerves, just like some humans do).
Bad dogs are MADE by bad and cruel humans, humans that try but just don't understand dogs, humans that are afraid to establish a close relationship with dogs because of a bad experience, maybe when they were little, and bad training.
I need to know more about your wife's feelings about dogs, since she will be at home alone with it.
Was she raised with dogs?
Is she a dog lover?
Can she be a firm disciplinarian?
Is she afraid of a dog's reeaction to a baby?
How trusting of dogs is she, and how much attention does she pay to some breeds being so-called vicious dogs?
Do you want a puppy to raise or do you want an older dog?
I take in dogs all the time.
I foster dogs for some of the rescue groups in this area, and am used to taking in abused and neglected animals.
My family says I am a reincarnated dog.
They are probably right.LOL
I don't se much difference between dogs and humans, except that we walk on 2 ffet, and they walk on 4, and we speak words, and they don't have the vocal mechanism to allow them to form words, but theu can convey to you, and understand a lot more of what we say that is commonly thought.
I had a female Grman shepherd that was 9 months old when I became pregnant with my first child, and she was my "baby". but she also acted like my mother.
when I got pregnant, I talked to her about "our" baby, and she took care of me like a mother hen.
When they baby was born, she watched me when I bathed, changed etc the baby, to make sure I was doing it right.
She would actually stand up on her hind legs and watch me. she did that for the firt 3 children, until one day, when my sone was about 2 months old, I had enough and said "Lady, I think I know how to do it by myself now!"
She walked off with her nose out of joint.
My husband was a pilot and traveled a lot, so I was alone at home with the baby.
When someone came to the door, Lady answered the door with me.
If it was a stranger, especially a male, and I said come in, she would stand aside and let them come in, if she thought it was alright.
Dogs know what is in a person;s heart. three times, she refused to let someone come in, and if she didn't want them in, she would growl and show teeth, like a rabid L:obo wolf.
When she said "no", I did NOT unlatch the door for them.
She sensed hardm in them.
One that she really got growly with, and her hack;es went up. He asked who was the boss, the dog or me. I told him the dog when my husband wasn't home.
He went to a neighbor's house ( middle of the day), and when her husband just happened to drive up in their driveway, and scare the man off, my neighbor was running around her living room, shoving furniture between herself and the man. He was trying to attack her.
When your dog doesn't trust someone, don't YOU trust them with your family, your life, or your valuables.
    I can tell you at least a hundred such stories.
Seven years ago, I took in an Australian Shepherd/>>> mix. He was 6 months old, and our grand daughter was staying with us. she was due to deliver her baby in about a week.
I was too busy helping to get ready for that great grandbaby, so I just didn
t have time to take him to the adoption clinic.
On weekends, at a Petsmart store here, we have an adopting clinic from 9:00am to 5:00pm, on saturdays and Sundays.
We usually keep them a week or so to give them any training they need, see what their personality is so we know how to place them with a family for it will be a permanent lacement, and take them for Veterinarian visits to make certain of the condition of their health.
Our grand children were all ages from 2 on up.
The dog layed with each child, with roughness according to their age. He was so watchful and careful with the little ones, and he slept in the doorway of our grand daughter's room at night.
As soon as she brought that baby hoe from the hospital, he took up residence under the cradle, and checked out EVERYONE that tried to enter that room.
My husband and I agreed that was too much dog not to keep. Rowdy is 8 years old now, and still the sweetest dog you could want. He adore children and helps with the dogs I foster. He has been a BIG help with some of the shyer ones, helping them come out of their shell, and helping me teach the more aggressive ones what is and is not allowed.
My oldest son had a 2 year old rottweiller when their little girl was born.
That dog watched over her, and when she started toddling, she took every step the baby took. Caressa learned to walk by pulling up on that dog, and holding onto her. YThe first words Caressa said were. "Mon chewy"
Chewy ( short for Chewbacca ) was the dog's name.
See Rotties are supp[osed to be vicius unpredictable dogs.
I have personally known several Pit Bulls that were fantastic dogs with childern and all people.
It depends on the training, but f someone is a little afraid of dogs and not used to them, that can create a bad atmosphere that is NOt good for the dog or the person.
I started taking care of my own pets when I was 3 years old. My dad was a Veterinarian, and animal lover, and he taught me.
I have taken in hundreds of stray dogs and cats, and trained almost that many for other people, and of course trained all the ones I had.
I have never been even nipped ( except for a puppy that was playing too hard).
So, write me and give me some more information, or have your wife write me, and we will find you a good one.
I highly recommend adopting a rescue dog.
they have had a bad experience, and trhe thread that seems to run through with all these dogs the resue groups place in good, loving homes, is, these dogs knows who saved them and what they saved them from, and make very devoted and loyal family members, and are very protective of their families.
I don't recommend either purebred or mixed breeds dogs.  I have known wonderful dogs that are both.
There are some general breed charistics, but they vary between individual dogs, because each dog will have their own personality, just like humans do.

The main thing to consider is the feelings about dogs in each person, the facilities that have, a big yard or an apartment.
Some large breed dogs make great apartment dogs, and some very small dogs will drive a whole apartment building nuts.
Some dogs need more room to run and play, and some ( even large breeds) will be very content in a small apartment.
So give me some more information, ok?
and I will try to halp as best I can.
Charlotte