Hi everyone,

I am considering getting a dog in aproximately 12 months and I have been reading about the different breeds, but I wanted some input from the people in this forum. I am looking for a companion. I won't take the dog for any sport or work. I am looking for a medium sized breed with average energy that can protect me and my family against an intruder if needed. I am interested in the alapaha blue blood bulldog and in the boxer. I would appreciate any info on those breeds or any other breed suggestion. Thanks in advance.

Eduardo

You immediately run into several problems with the concepts that you've mentioned.

If you're not going to take the dog for any sport or work, how do you expect it, in your own words to "protect me and my family against an intruder if needed."?
No training means that a dog's ability to actually protect you in minimal at best.
And even if you buy a trained dog, if you don't continue to keep up with it's training, boom.....you have an unreliable protection dog.

You also talk about a dog with a dog with "average energy", again, you're looking at a real problem if you want a dog that will actually protect you. I have met very few, if any, dogs that will actually protect their owners and yet still have an "average energy level".

You need to prioritize what you actually want in a dog and look at it in a realistic fashion. If you just want a dog to bark, no problem, any pet can do that. If you expect more than that, you need to change your requirements.

Good post Will.

Eduardo, sounds like you may want a dog w/a visual deterrance. Meaning, looks mean as hell, so most people won't try anything on your property. That's about it. If the intruder really wants to cause harm, most likely that person will cause it. If you want it to "protect", you need to invest lot's of time and money in teaching it to and also maintaining that skill.

Average energy dog...Hmmm. I think some Mastiff type dog, but it's going to be much larger than a Bulldog. A Boxer is usually not an average energy dog. Believe me.

Thanks for the input. I understand what you mean Will. I don't have a security threat. I think I should have posted the question differently. I am interested in the guardian breeds, but the only guardian breed I have owned is the GSD. I have been reading in this forum and on the web about the rottweiler, boxer, cane corso, american bulldog and alapaha blue blood bulldog. I plan on looking up clubs and breeders in the area so that I can meet some of the dogs. I found other topics in this forum where other users asked the same question, but any additional info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Eduardo

Eduardo

The American Bulldog(AB), Boxer, and the Alapaha are not average or medium energy breeds. The Alapahas I have seen/know of are quite intense little bundles of muscle. I say little in reference to their height as they do have a considerable amount of weight for their small stature. One thing you have to know about the Alapaha is they have been cross bred a lot with ABs, Boxers, the APBT, AmStaff, and Catahoula Leopard Dog so there can be a LOT of variation in the temperament, drive, energy, and size of the dogs.

ABs also there are several different "types" of American Bulldog,
some are "lower" energy but I've never met a low energy AB. I would not recommend an AB to someone who has no experience with bully breeds. They are great dogs but very different from the GSD.

Cane Corsos.. quality Cane Corsos are not cheap dogs. I was looking into getting Canies before I got into ABs and the bloodlines in the US are very muddy and the dogs produced are often quite large. Canies are often bred to be bully and oversized.

The breeds you listed are visual deterrents but as stated without training you cannot expect a dog to protect you or your family.

I think meeting and getting to know the breeds is a good decision but remember meeting one or two or five members of a breed does not make an average temperament or type and unless they are the parents of the pup you plan to get should not be what you expect your dog to be. Meeting the parents and learning about the specific individuals of a pups pedigree will be far more useful in determining how your pup will be likely to turn out.

There are often if not always different types of a breed and the temperament, drive, energy, and physical appearance are all affected by the different type they are and what goals those breeders had in mind when choosing the dogs to breed and what they want to produce.