It’s a Rainbow Nation
A LEADING South African television presenter, Peter Davies, has launched a scathing attack on all the critics who questioned this country’s safety record ahead of the 2010 World Cup — including the British tabloids — as the Rainbow Nation continues to score high marks in terms of its security arrangements.

With the increasing levels of crime, that is often accompanied by acts of violence, it has become more and more important  for home-owners, and particularly people who live on large properties, to have a dog that is both a loyal companion, an excellent watchdog and an animal that can be relied upon to guard their home. 

There are a number of breeds that make excellent. lovable pets but are quite useless as guard dogs. In some instances they welcome the criminal into your home like a long-lost friend.   In  my experience the following six breeds will serve the dual purpose of being a loyal companion and also a fearsome guard should the need ever arise. 

1.   GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG.   Top of my list is the German Shepherd Dog.   This is a breed that has a long history of being a wonderful companion for children and also a most discriminating guard dog. A well-bred German Shepherd Dog knows instinctively when a situation is potentially dangerous. The dog instinctively reacts to your body language and your tone of voice.   This comes from generations of breeding for this specific purpose.   But it is important to note that the dog must be well-bred. By the term "well-bred" I am not referring to show quality, but rather the temperament of the parents. If both the Sire and Dam of the pup you intend getting are stable, confident animals, there is every likelihood of your pup turning out to a good guard dog.   If they are nervous and unsure of themselves, this is the type of temperament you are going to have with your pup.  

2.      ROTTWEILER   A well-bred Rottweiler is also an excellent choice as guard dog. But here again the question of  being well-bred has to be taken into account. Generally speaking Rottweilers are completely reliable, trustworthy dogs, and excellent with children, but there are some dogs that not as confident as they should be. Because of it's size, strength and powerful jaws a good Rottweiler can be relied on to warn off any would-be criminal.  

3.      DOBERMANN PINSCHER   This is another breed of dogs that was originally bred as a watchdog. It is an agile, athletic and intelligent dog that that has a natural, inborn tendency to guard. But here again it is important to have a look at both parents of the pup you intend buying to make sure that their temperaments are sound.  Unfortunately in recent years, many of the show winning Doberman Pinchers are not as confident as they used to be.  Sometimes they can over-excitable.  

4.      RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK.   This large, well-muscled breed is becoming increasingly popular. Originally bred to assist in tracking lions, this breed is generally an extremely confident animal that is both and excellent family companion dog and a very reliable watch dog.   The dog has a very stable temperament and is excellent with children.  An attractive feature of this dog, besides it's attractive color, is the distinctive ridge running aloing the lenght of the back.  It is an intelligent animal that can be easily trained. In spite of its size, is not generally a fighter.  

5.       PYRENEES.   This very large breed with a beautiful white coat was originally bred to guard flocks of sheep.   Because of its massive size and strength it can ward off even the most determined intruder.   It has excellent guarding characteristics.  With a dog of this size early training is necessary to make certain the animal understands that it cannot have it's own way and must obey  commands.  

6.      BULL MASTIFF   Bull breeds are generally excellent with children and the Bull Mastiff is no exception. It is an excellent family dog, and can also prove to be a wonderful guard. A useful feature of the Bull Mastiff is that, although it is a large dog, it is not a particularly active animal, so that it does not need quite as much as space as the other large breeds.    

There are many other breeds of dogs that are sometimes excellent guard dogs, but because they have not been specifically bred as guard dog, they are not as consistently good guards as the above six. If you are interested in learning more about other breeds of dogs, you will find details of  70 different breeds on the following website: http://www.freedogadvice.com

Dennis Fisher has been interested in dogs ever since childhood and he is still involved in training his own dogs for obedience competitions. As director of training for an all-breeds training Club, of which he was Chairman, he has had experience of training a wide variety of different dogs. For useful information and advice about many different aspects of dogs training visit his website: http://www.freedogadvice.com