Guard dogs have the job of guarding or watching someone or something in order to protect the object from unwanted circumstances such as intruders, a thieve or even other animals.

Their history of the guarding dog is long and well documented. Originally bred to protect people carrying gold and precious materials, the dogs quickly grew in status.

Some communities have dogs that protect them as well as the live stock. They are as valuable and important as every member of the community

Guard dogs are now mainly used on personal property guarding his or her owner and their private property. They have also been placed in businesses to help protect ones investments and you may also see guard dogs or sentry dogs in place to guard livestock from predators such as coyotes.

Guard dogs, as well as watch dogs use their voices to warn their owners of intruders.

They will bark loudly to make people aware that someone is intruding or something is wrong and also to try and scare away the- would be thief. Generally a watch dog is trained to only alert the owner where as a guard dog is usually trained to attack and sustain the intruder.

Owners will train the guard dogs to keep their attack in the area of the intruder's arms and legs. This can allow the dog to incapacitate the intruder but not to kill them.

If the intruder is an animal, the guard dog may be trained to fight off the animal in defence and to protect the property and its owner. The extent of the attack depends on how the guard dog is trained.

In most cases it is illegal to allow the guard dog to attack rather then restrain.

Certain breeds make better guard dogs and other make better watch dogs. The breed of Keeshonden have been said to make great watchdogs as they can easily be trained to bark loudly, warning their masters of an intruder but they lack the attack behaviour that guard dogs have.

Best Guard Dogs. Chose the right breed

Here are a few of the more commonly used breeds with the top of the pick for the best guard dogs.

Doberman, German shepherd, Saint Bernard, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, Weimaraner, Bullmastiff and American Bulldog

You see you have a wide choice in breeds to choose from if you are looking for a guard dog.

One key thing to keep in mind when choosing a guard dog is that the female dogs usually make better guard dogs for you and your personal property. Many say this is due to their maternal instincts.

The male guard dogs are better used for guarding property as they are usually more territorial like the German shepherd.

When making a choice of what guard dog breed to go with, it might be good to decide exactly what and how you want the dog to protect then go with what breed matches that style the best.

For instance, you will not want a dog for your family that is not good with children. A dog like this would be better suited for property protection.