Are Great Danes Good Guard Dogs?
Most people get dogs just for the sake of the protection of their belongings and their family. A potential guard dog can scare away the intruders in an efficient way. However, most dog breeds are not protective nature. Regarding the Great Danes, the question arises whether they can prove to be good protective or guard dogs or not?
The answer is, Yes! A Great Dane has many characteristics that make him a good option for a family guard dog. This breed is so protective that even the noblest Great Dane can scare the people off whoever will try to harm you or your family or trespass your boundary.
Protective Qualities of Great Dane
Some of the protective qualities of Great Danes are based on the following factors:
- Appearance
- Patience Level
- Activity Level
- Personality
A Great Dane is one of those dog breeds that can be deemed as a protective pet. This means that Great Danes can prove to be scary for strangers but are gentle enough for families as well as kids. Contrary to the guard dogs who are not comfortable with socialization, Great Danes are quite socializing dogs, making them the best choice to be a part of your family.
Commitment with Great Danes from your side
Owning a dog demands a lot of commitment from your side as an owner. This commitment includes feeding him properly, giving him enough amount of exercise, and giving them a comfortable space to live. But, all of the commitments are not just required from your side.
In return for the up-mentioned activities, a dog can show his love by giving you peace of mind by making you feel safe. Even Great Danes are said to be patient and gentle, still, they can prove to be protective whenever required.
The appearance of Great Danes
Great Danes are large in terms of their physical appearance. Without any doubt, they are one of the largest dog breeds. The weight of an adult Great Dane lies between 110 pounds to 175 pounds. However, the range of their height is between 30 to 34 inches. Therefore, it is nearly impossible to ignore that size of dog without being timid.
The color of these dogs varies giving them a more unique kind of appearance. The brown color is common for Great Danes, but you might see a black or blue Great Dane as well. Some dogs have harlequin or mantle coats. Thus, the color of a Great Dane makes him even more intimidating to strangers. Combine the coat color with the large size of Great Dane, and as a result, you would have a huge dog that strangers would not like to mess with.
The patience of Great Danes
Despite the huge size of Great Dane, this dog breed is more friendly than it seems. Great Danes are very patient and calm, making them great for families with children and other pets. Even with their high level of calmness, Great Danes can be aggressive whenever required.
If your Great Dane senses something harmful for you, then he will do everything to protect you and your family from that person or the situation.
However, to increase the calmness and patience of your Great Dane, it is necessary to train him in a correct and efficient way. After that training, you can say that he is calm on a normal day.
In fact, one of the breeding objectives of Great Danes is to protect their owners from any kind of unwanted situation. However, they are said to be a flexible breed that is easy to train.
The personality of Great Danes
Great Danes are said to be quite playful by their nature. Due to the urge to seek attention from their owner, they fit well in a larger family. They are also social, which makes them a good fit for any household.
They are said to be a breed of people-pleasers, and hence they are not reluctant in making new friends.
Great Danes are not very trouble making hence they are easy to live with. They prove to be a good fit for people living in cities. They do not bark more frequently. They also do not snore that much either.
However, in return, they demand extra care and attention from you.
The activity level of Great Danes
Every dog needs some sort and some amount of physical activity to keep them in a good shape. Earlier in their life, Great Danes puppies have high energy levels and hence require more rigorous activity. However, the requirement for activities will decrease with the increase in their age.
However, to keep the body healthy and in perfect shape, a Great Dane of any age would benefit from regular walks. Even the Great Danes are excellent protective dogs, but still, they are prone to health problems that can adversely affect their overall health.
If a Great Dane is having an issue related to their bones, then they would not be as active as you expect. That means that they would not be able to do the job of protecting their owners. So, make sure that your dog is active and gets an adequate amount of exercise.
What Exactly is a Guard Dog?
As the term defines itself, a Guard Dog is a dog that works to guard something important. This could be either a home or an office building, or any other area you want to keep safe. However, the choice of guard dogs varies on the basis of different places and their purpose.
Wherever there will be a guard dog, he will do his best to protect their assigned territory. If he senses something fishy or an intruder, he will attack in no time, regardless of the person whom he is attacking.
In most cases, guard dogs are not well socialized. However, Great Danes don’t usually become good guard dogs without any prior proper training.
Traits of a Guard Dog
If the following traits are already present in a dog, then he will surely prove to be a good guard dog, and training him for this purpose would not be a difficult task.
- Most good guard dogs should be aggressive to some extent. In a normal routine, they should be quiet and calm, but whenever aggressiveness is demanded, they should be available for this purpose.
- A guard dog should be quite alert in doing his job. He should be able to notice a slight unwanted activity or an unidentified human in no time.
- Once they are approached by someone, they should have a good and confident stance. A dog who would run away would not prove to be a good guard dog.
- A good guard dog should be quite calm and relaxing with the humans he knows as well as with other friendly dogs. In this regard, Great Danes are quite a good match.
- A good guard dog should be able to maintain dominancy. It means that he should be able to stand his ground whenever challenged by other humans or dogs.
- Loyalty is another important trait in a good guard dog. Especially for the home guard dogs, they should be loyal and protective to their homes and owners.
If the comparison is carried out from the up-mentioned traits, then Great Danes fulfill some of them. They are alert and are calm around their owners as well as loyal. However, in terms of aggressiveness, they are not aggressive as other breeds.
What is a Watchdog?
A watchdog is less aggressive as compared to a guard dog. Almost every breed of dog can be a watchdog, even if they are not guard dog. As the name indicates, a watchdog watches over the home of his owner, eventually can be said as a family guard dog.
The watchdogs protect the home and their owners, and they can also alert their owners if there is a potential threat. Even though Great Danes may not attack the strangers, but their big size can be scary enough in a home environment. This makes them an alternative to alarm systems in houses.
Training a Great Dane to be a Good Guard Dog
As discussed earlier, the Great Danes do not fulfill all the traits of a good guard dog. However, it does not mean that they cannot be trained to become good guard dog. With the right training at right time, you can teach your Great Dane to develop some of the skills that will make him a good guard dog.
Conclusion
Great Danes are large in size and thus they can be intimidating to most strangers. Their high-level patience and loyalty can make them a good fit as protection dog. So, with a little input in the proper training, you can turn this breed into an efficient guard dog.
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