If you’re like us, you’ve probably more than once stopped to think what would be the ideal dog for your family. Should you choose protective dog breeds, children-friendly dog breeds, or a little bit of both? It’s a relatively complicated question, that usually goes beyond the usual reasoning of “I like this dog, I will pick this dog.” If you do so, you may end up with just a big blob of fat that sleeps all day.

These could be French Bulldogs, Pugs, or even English Bulldogs. No offense to any of the three, but they are simply not good at any practical tasks, and often they have difficulty just moving their body. While some may like the adorableness they exhibit, others may want something with a little more courage and a little less laziness than Mr. I’m-don’t-even here on the right.

Protective Dog Breeds Your Family Needs

That being said, you also don’t want something with more brawn than brains. So we’ve made a small list of most protective dogs out there. Depending on which you prefer, here are some of the family watchdog options to choose from.

The Welsh Springer Spaniel

The Welsh Springer Spaniel is a friendly and exquisite dog. Its coloratura usually exhibits red and white hair, arranged in diverse patterns. If the dog shows any other color, then it is probably part something else. It’s usually interbred with English Springer Spaniels, which have a little less red hair, generally replaced with black.

This member of the spaniel family is one of the best protection dogs, as it usually is very wary of any stranger who enters his territory. Besides, this cute pooch is a great option as a family watchdog, because it is loyal, affectionate, and extremely active. It’s so active that it’s often recommended it be taken for extensive walks on a daily basis. If it’s not maintained active, it may become a bit too playful around the house. The dog is also an all-time child-favorite, and will quickly make friends with any new house member, be it human or animal.

The Bearded Collie

The Bearded Collie is one of our canine friends that make good guard dogs. It’s perfect as a family watch dog as it is extremely alert to everything that happens around him, and can be easily disturbed by even the tiniest of flies. And above all this, it’s just adorable, look at the photo above.

Once bred specifically for herding sheep and cattle in the Scottish highlands, the Beardie can become quite protective of its herd (or its family, on that matter). Therefore, it can make an excellent companion for most kids, as it is active, loving, very intelligent dog, capable of solving simple problems all the while being funny to watch.

The Doberman Pinscher

The Doberman may seem like one of the most frightening dogs to own. Often when it is seen on the street, people are at least a little bit scared. This is because Dobermans are usually improperly trained. With adequate training, the dogs can be just as loving and sensible as the two above. One might think that this familywatchdog is a bit too aggressive, but remember that it is also among the most intelligent breeds of dogs.

So, if you can teach it a thing or two about discipline, it will can understand when to behave normally, and when to become aggressive. In athletic challenges, this dog performs exceptionally well in trials testing its agility and its obedience. It doesn’t feel the need to please its owner as much as other dogs, but it can become incredibly loyal if it is treated well by the owner.

The St. Bernard

The St. Bernards are some of the ideal protection dogs out there. Due to its giant size, some people don’t really like having them around. Adversely, some actually prefer the protective dog breed due to its giant nature. Do not be misled by the size of the animal, its mane is just meant to scare all the baddies away. In fact, St. Bernards are kind, loving, and sweet dogs, the real gentle giants of all the human pets.

St. Bernards must be trained from when they are puppies, as once they get bigger and bigger in size, even the strongest of humans can have problems dealing with them. The dogs are extremely docile, and just love to hang around humans and their kids. But be careful, it may knock your kid over due to its large size, and this could lead to severe injuries. Still, don’t blame the dog for its size, imagine how clumsy they can be when confronted with things much, much smaller than they are.

The German Shepherd Dog

Just to be clear, we’re not saying that the German Shepherd is the best of the protective dogs, but it sure comes pretty close to being at the top of that list. After all, everything depends on which of these dogs you think is best. There are many other dogs that offer good protection for you and your family.

That being said, the German Shepherd is indeed an amazing family watchdog. Its qualities are not only in the muscle zone, but it is also a very intelligent dog, ranking third after the Border Collie and the Standard Poodle. It’s been used successfully as a search and rescue dog and is at the top of the most-popular dogs list.

Besides, the dog is even good around children, and if they are taught to be nice to humans from a young age, most times they have no problem getting along. Plus, if you choose to get a German Shepherd with adequate training, you may even win a few competitions.

If you liked this list of medium to giant protective dog breeds, be sure to check our small dog watchdog list. After all, some of you may not be so keen on the idea of a giant St. Bernard strolling through your house.

Image source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.