Tell me about
Boxer
Doberman
Great Dane
Mastiff
We lost out beloved Pitt bullX and I really miss his presence. He made me feel safe when the tv guy came, when the weirdo at the gas station came too close and was amazing with the kids. However I do not want another Pitt, please share your thoughts on my short list. I want a dog that will alert/bark and is kid safe.
Thank you
My family has had Dobermans for a very long time and we love them. They are a very loving almost clingy breed. I find them to be loyal, beautiful and misunderstood. People think they are way more scary than they are. They do get cold easy so have a nice jacket for them.
first off, sorry for your loss… i echo what ladylexie said about the dobes… they are tragically undervalued - but yes they are NEEDY!!
not trying to open up another can of worms, but pits are a dime a dozen especially in the south - why not get another X from the shelter? what you described of your guy is pretty standard in PBs…
mastiff is more a “type” than a breed so which mastiff breed are we talking about? i love molossers but they are not for everyone. most mastiffs i’ve known are not kid safe - they take the place of the kid :lol: they don’t live long enough for me and IME are fraught with all types of genetic/hereditary diseases. they also come with their own set of frustrations and disadvantages and it can be very hard once they get “older” (like 6) to assist them - can you imagine trying to pick up your mastiff to put in the car or on the bed?
everything that you want (protection, barking) comes in PB form, just saying… as far as “kid safe” i don’t think any breed is “guaranteed kid safe” - that is something that depends entirely on training and temperament.
My SIL bred and showed Bull Mastiffs for 15 years and quit because of aggression problems in the breed. One of her fellow breeder’s champion bench dogs attacked her daughter unprovoked in the face resulting in epileptic seizures and facial reconstruction surgery. One of SIL’s own dogs suddenly, at 2yo, cornered her husband in the living room while he was home alone and wouldn’t allow him to move until the rest of the family came home and distracted the dog. SIL’s DH said it was the longest hour of his life. This from a beloved, well bred, well on it’s way to being titled, raised in the family home, dog. She said no more and moved on.
Please don’t adopt a pit bull of unknown ancestry/history as a family pet with children in the house.
I have had my rescue doberman for almost 6 years. He is a needy little bugger who I wouldn’t give up for the world. Everyone falls in love with him, he is respectful, kind, friendly and entirely too loving.
If you get one, don’t expect to use the bathroom, go to sleep, sit on the couch, have a meal, do laundry etc by yourself ever again.
My red male Doberman is oh so very needy, and vocal, and any stranger would not dare to enter my property. He is also the sweetest most loving dog on the planet (in my opinion). He can be trusted with any dog, small animal, any child, or infant.
He is also ruled by my 9lb cat and 10 lb Poodle.
We have had a series of five Dobes for over thirty years. I’ll echo AMwookey’s post. The only behavior issue was a stray rescue Dobe of unknown origin and past. He was unpredictably aggressive. He was PTS as dangerous. All the others fit AW’s post to a tee… Plus protective of family.
As a breed, Dobes need humans. They were bred as people protectors rather than herd protectors. When young, they need to be socialized with people and children. As adults, they have no equal in loyalty. Their only downside is they only live for 10 or so years. We were lucky to have two live to 15.
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are great with kids and their families. Sometimes, particularly if they don’t go a lot of places as youngsters, they become overly protective of their families. Usually, they are spot on in determining when to act like a golden retriever and when to act like a protection dog. I get females, as some of the males will fight other males who come on their property.
We have had both - I had a hard time deciding.
As kids we had two Boxers and one Doberman. My daughter has a Boxer, and we had a Doberman when the kids were smaller. The Dobe was a wonderful dog, loyal, intelligent, willful but he was unsteady with strangers. In the end at 2-1/2 years old he had to be put down because of Wobbler syndrome.
My husband and I just purchased a Boxer pup (now almost 6 mos. old) We are crazy about this little Wild Child. Boxers are a pile of fun, friendly, loyal and power packed personalities. Excellent with children. Need socializing like any dog and also discipline as they can get excited and jump up on visitors. Ours is learning her manners fast.
One of my simple criteria is a single, short coat. Our house had a permanent golden glow from all the hair our golden lab shed.
We have enough space for a larger dog. They can run all they want from the back deck.
It may be harder to find that wonderful Dobbie temperament - nothing like that if you find the right dog.
Chatted to a man the other day with a Boxer - he is on his NINTH Boxer, so they have a loyal following.
Boxers are my favorite. I have had 3 over the years. Goofy, lovable and loyal.
They are great family dogs. Unfortunately, they are cancer machines. My white boxer I lost at 5 due to lymphoma. My soul mate boxer I lost over the summer at 11.5. He had battled some Mast cell tumors. He lived a great life. I miss him every day! I have a 10 year old brindle at home now that is the best couch warmer and mail man alarm.
I have a valley bulldog along with my doberman. the valley bulldog originated as a boxer/bulldog. She is 14th generation. I absolutely adore her as well, and would have both.
But if you want something to feel safe with, people are so afraid of dobermans. Its ridiculous, but there you go.
Don’t you think that a lot of dogs are cancer prone - we seem to have lost several dogs to cancer and cannot remember that ‘back in the day’?
I did hear tell that long-boned dogs are more prone to bone cancer.
It would not stop me making a choice, tho. Same as in grey horses since I seem to attract them like bees to a honeypot.
I know several Boxers who are GREAT dogs. Great with kids. High energy. Goofballs. Very lovable.
I worked on a farm that bred Mastiffs. Her stud was sooooo sweet. Not very protective, because he loved everyone, but HUGE and imposing. His size alone would deter me, if I didn’t know his personality. Great with her kids. Drool EVERYWHERE. Her spayed females were great too. The breeding females were very… temperamental. I didn’t like most of them. She also had a Great Dane/Lab cross who was one of the nicest dogs I’ve ever met. Also, my sister has a blue Cane Corso who is very sweet, but one of the dumbest dogs I’ve ever met. So, SO good with her kids, cats, and chickens!
I have a Lab who is very protective and scares people off a lot (she’s really a big love, just vocal). I’ve also known quite a few Rottweilers who were great with kids and just really awesome dogs in general. I think personally I’d go Rottweiler for my next dog.
If you get a male of any of these breeds, be sure to neuter them late, at least a year and a half.
Dobermans are the breed I love - I have had four and have one still with me. They are amazing, loving, smart, protective and attentive companions. Many people are straight up afraid of them, even if there is nothing to be afraid of, so they’ll give you and yours a wide berth. A well-bred and well-socialized Doberman should display good judgment - they are not “bark at the leaves in the wind and the mailman walking by” type of dogs - they should be able to discern normal activity from abnormal activity.
We have our first Great Dane - he is 11 months old. Extremely loving but not even close to the intelligence level of a Doberman. And the only way he might protect me is by knocking an assailant/intruder over accidentally, because he’s HUGE and still working on personal space boundaries. He’s also just as likely to ignore that anything at all is going on and calmly observe. The only protection benefit is if someone is simply afraid to approach because of the size.
You didn’t ask about Chessies, but AKB mentioned them above. They really stand apart from the other retriever breeds, IMO. I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with a pack of 5-6 of them that were owned by the owners of the marina where we kept our boat in Rising Sun, MD when I was a kid. Those dogs babysat us marina kids, always went swimming with us off the beach to the south of “A” Dock, and NEVER let us swim past the buoy that marked the end of the swimming area 
They have extra robust bodies, larger heads and a distinctive coat, and definitely tend to be more protective than other retriever breeds.
Why neuter late?
I have had good experiences with all of these breeds. What are you looking for energy wise in your companion?
[QUOTE=Sugarwells;8556578]
If you get a male of any of these breeds, be sure to neuter them late, at least a year and a half.[/QUOTE]
Are you thinking the testosterone levels? Because there is also info out there that speaks in increased chances of cancer from neutering late.
We had our little boxer bulldog (50lbs) at a dinner party (dogs invited) with another girl who brought her 11 mth old rottie cross pup. Not neutered. I am not a violent person, but I wanted to punch her in the face. She said she wanted him to be bigger, so she didn’t neuter him. Instead, he went around attempting to hump my girl. Everyone else restrained him, she refused to because she didn’t want to curb his natural expression. We let it go a little, because my dog is well versed in dog language, and the pup needed to learn some manners, something ours was good at doing. She eventually ended up sitting on my lap during dinner and after, because she couldn’t get away from the other dog. What we didn’t realize, was that he had penetrated her a couple times. She ended up with a UTI and expensive vet bill. All so her dog could express himself.
But yes - curious why a non crazy person says not to! (Not calling you crazy - calling the crazy person in my story crazy)
When will people get it - if you cannot take care of your dog then spay or neuter it. All these mixed-breed street dogs that end up in shelters is pitiful.
Our good friends will not neuter their collie-type dogs - and do not have a fenced yard…those things are running around everywhere and they think it is the responsibility of the bitch owner to take care of it. All it takes is a quickie …
i think it’s reasonable that you could get a young mix/pbx at a shelter and make it the dog you want…
if i had kids i wouldn’t adopt any adult dog period - it’d be a puppy or bust.
someone up thread mentioned chesapeake bay retrievers… i just have to say, i don’t like goldens, i don’t like retrievers, labs, etc – but i absolutely adored the two CBR dogs i knew - one of which i house-sat quite frequently. the poster that mentioned they can dial back their reaction based on the situation is spot on - they are VERY emotionally intelligent.
if you want protection and good with kids, dobermans are my first on your list… i don’t think a molosser breed of any type sounds right for your situation… what about a german shepherd on that emotionally intelligent vein? they have all you want and more.
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