We all know when it comes to protecting your home, family, and property — having a guard dog is a great option to include in your layers of security — but with so many breeds to choose from, it can be tough to decide which one is the best fit for you.
In this post, I’m going to give you my choices for the top 7 best guard dogs for home security, protection, and defense.
These are not going to be in any particular order because the exact option for you will depend on any number of factors…
Maybe you live in a tropical climate, or an extremely cold climate. Maybe you live on a farm, ranch, or just a large property. Maybe you live in an apartment in a big city. Maybe you have kids, maybe you don’t. Maybe you have a very active lifestyle, or maybe you are a couch potato. And so on…
Anyway, you get the idea. There are things that I don’t know about you, and every persons specific situation is different, so it’s no possible to give the #1 unquestionable best guard dog for everyone. It simply can’t be done, so you will have to choose the best option from the list based on your circumstances.
I narrowed it down to the top 7, and I believe there is at least one option on this list to fit pretty much every situation.
So, let’s get to it…
Cane Corso
This one may not even be on your radar since it’s not as well known as some of the other guard dog breeds, but it has definitely been quickly rising in popularity throughout the world in recent times. Most importantly, it’s undoubtedly among the top tier of guardian breeds.
The Cane Corso is a large, muscular breed of dog with an intimidating appearance. They are highly trainable and renowned for their loyalty & protective nature, as well as being incredibly fearless. Of course all of this combined makes them excellent guard dogs.
Additionally, they are known to be very social and affectionate with their family, making them a good choice for families who want a protective and loving companion in their household with the added benefit of home defense.
Take all of the Cane Corso traits into account and you have a reliable guard dog that can provide peace of mind and protection for your home & family.
Rottweiler
This breed probably needs no introduction. It’s a pretty obvious choice for home protection, and no list of guard dogs would be complete without including the mighty rottweiler on it.
The Rottweiler is a highly respected and sought-after breed of dog known for their natural guarding instincts and protective nature. They are large, strong, and physically imposing. More importantly they are known to be extremely loyal and fiercely protective of their family, and will stop at nothing to defend them if they are being threatened.
Another key strength of the Rottweiler is their intelligence, which makes them highly trainable and adaptable to various roles. They can be trained to guard residential properties, commercial businesses, or even serve as protection dogs for law enforcement and military. They are very versatile and excel in many different security and defense environments.
Actually, as a side note, the first guard dog I ever owned was a rottweiler. That was way back in the 90’s and to this day he is probably the most intelligent, loyal, obedient, and protective dog I’ve ever had. I have nothing but good things to say about my experience with this breed.
Turkish Kangal
Here’s another one you might not be very familiar with or maybe haven’t ever even heard of, but it’s one you should absolutely not overlook!
Kangals are a huge, powerful breed that originated in Turkey. They have been used for centuries as guard dogs to protect livestock and property.
This is a very robust, courageous, strong, and independent breed known for its incredible reliability and protective instincts. The Kangal has a calm and confident temperament but are downright ferocious when necessary.
They have a need to guard and will fiercely defend their territory. This is a dog that will not back down to the death if duty calls.
Kangals are quite intelligent, but can be a challenge to train due to their independent nature, and they aren’t exactly known for being the best family dog out there.
However, if you need a dog to guard your home, property, livestock, and so on… you will be hard pressed to find a better choice than the Turkish Kangal. This is especially true if you have a very large amount of land or livestock that needs to be protected from all kinds of different predators — the Kangal will get the job done! They are a property guardian of the highest caliber.
German Shepherd
Virtually everyone knows this one as they are easily among the most popular guardian breeds in the world. But you truly can’t do a best guard dog post without including the German Shepherd, so here it is!
German Shepherds are highly intelligent dogs that are often used as guard dogs due to their protective nature, strong sense of loyalty, courage, devotion, and train-ability. They also have a strong ability to sense danger, which make them excellent watchdogs.
The GSD can also be trained to attack on command if necessary. All of these traits make them great for home security, defense, and personal protection dogs.
However, they are not just guard dogs! The German Shepherd is well known to be friendly and affectionate with their owners and families, and can be very loving family pets.
Akita
To be clear, I am recommending the “American Akita” here, although the Japanese Akita is a nice choice as well.
While the Akita did originate in Japan and is an ancient breed of dog, there are 2 different versions of the breed these days – the traditional Japanese Akitas, and the American Akitas.
The American Akita is a large, strong, muscular breed with high levels of courage & protection instincts. Also known for being very loyal, devoted, and protective of their owners — making them excellent guard dogs.
Akitas are intelligent, which makes them quite trainable, but they can also be very independent, so it does take patience and consistency to train them.
They are wary of strangers but are affectionate with their family. Overall they are regarded for being very territorial and will defend their property and family at all costs when necessary.
BullMastiff
The bullmastiff is a massive and powerful breed of dog that was literally created to guard home & property. That is what they were bred for from the start. So that bodes well for their guarding abilities.
They are notorious for being calm, alert, fearless, protective, obedient and deeply devoted to their owners.
Additionally, they are known for being very good with children and other pets. They are considered a “gentle giant” when it comes to family and loved ones, but will unleash hell on intruders if they need to.
This is not typically a barky or overly aggressive breed. They are often called silent watchdogs. But they absolutely are natural guardians, and will protect their family, home, and property without hesitation.
Overall, bullmastiffs are excellent guard dogs, and make great companion animals as well.
Doberman Pinscher
Depending on how old you are this might be a very terrifying breed for you. Decades ago, back around in the 1970’s to 80’s or so, the Doberman was probably the most feared dog on the planet.
No, they aren’t some crazy vicious breed – that was a false stereotype back in those days – so you definitely shouldn’t fear them. Well, that is unless you are an intruder in their home or threatening their family, but that’s a different story.
I tell you that only because the Doberman does have a reputation that would make a lot of intruders piss their pants simply at the sight of this dog. And if I’m being honest that is potentially a positive factor when discussing the best guard dogs!
Anyway, I digress, so let me give some info about this amazing protection breed…
The Doberman is a very athletic and versatile breed of dog known for its intelligence, loyalty, bravery, and protective nature. Plus their intimidating appearance can be a deterrent to would-be criminals on its own. All those traits make them excellent guard dogs, but that’s not all.
They are highly trainable and respond well to commands. They also have a strong sense of smell, which allows them to detect intruders or potential threats.
These dogs are social, love human company, and are absolutely capable of being gentle & coexisting with children. They are very loyal to their family and will do whatever it takes to protect them.
Dobermans are well suited as guard dogs. There’s no doubt about that. Many experts would argue that they are the best breed for the job.
Okay, that wraps up the 7 best guard dogs as far as I’m concerned.
However, I do have some honorable mentions…
Obviously, I decided to narrow the list to just a top 7, which is a very difficult task when there are still several more very solid guard dog breeds out there that could easily have made the list for various reasons, but I had to cut it off somewhere.
With that being said, I do have a handful of breeds that I feel compelled to at least mention before I wrap this up. These are certainly among the top guard dog choices and could be interchanged for one of the best 7 if there’s something about one of them that appeals to your specific needs a bit better.
These are the:
- Tibetan Mastiff
- Rhodesian Ridgeback
- Giant Schnauzer
- Dogo Argentino
Anyway, that’s it for the honorable mentions. I’m not gonna go in depth on them as with the main top 7 list, but I wanted to at least give them a shout out.
Final Thoughts
Don’t forget that each breed of guard dog has its own unique characteristics and traits, so it’s important to do your research and choose the one that’s the best fit for your family, home, environment, and so on. Make sure to provide proper training and socialization for your protection dog to ensure they are a responsible and loving companion.
Let me know what you think about my best guard dogs list in the comments below. Do you mostly agree or totally disagree? Is there a breed that you absolutely would have had in the top 7 that I didn’t? Do you have a question about any of the breeds? And so on. I’d love discuss it all, so comment away!