Top Guard Dogs

The ability of a dog to be efficient as a guard dog depends primarily on the ferociousness of the breed, secondarily on the level of ferociousness of the parents as well as the level at which the owner exposes the dog to human strangers at puppy hood.

Top guard dogs available in Nigeria in order of the level of ferociousness of the breed which include American Pitbull terrier, Rottweiller, Doberman Pinscher, Mastiffs, Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Alsatians. Below are significant features of these breed (types).

The American Pitbull Terrier
The pure bred American Pitbull terriers are extremely ferocious, stubborn and short stocky dogs with unbelievable strength for their size.The average weight for an adult is 20kg to 25kg.The colour of a dog of this breed can be any colour, often the colour is brown with white patches on the chest, totally white or white with brown patches on the body, black or grey with white patches on the chest.

This breed possesses these attributes because they were originally bred for the criminal act of dog fighting. It is advisable to use a dog of this breed (type) only for guarding premises that requires the presence of a dog with extreme ferociousness and viciousness. Sometimes their ears are cropped and their tails docked to give them a ferocious appearance.

The Rottweiller
These are big-headed, broad-chested, robust and stocky dogs with strong body conformation.They are ferocious dogs but more obedient and controllable in nature than the American pitulls.Their tails are also docked to give them a ferocious appearance.The average weight of an adult is 40kg to 60kg.The pure bred colour is only black with tan markings on the head and chest.

They possess great strength that matches their body conformation.They are also efficient in guarding premises where an obedient dog of extreme ferociousness and powerful intruder overpowering strength is required.

The Doberman Pinscher

Doberman PinscherThis breed was developed from the Rottweiller and the Greyhound. Dogs of this breed possess the ferociousness of the Rottweiller and the speed of a Greyhound.They are very agile dogs and run around in premises with unbelievable speed.

Their tails are docked and their ears sometimes cropped to give them a ferocious appearance.The colour is similar to the Rottweiller, black only with tan markings on the head.They are very efficient in guarding large premises because of their speed.Their speed and agility enable them to kill snakes with ease.

The Mastiffs
These are big-headed, robust dogs weighing an average of 50kg to 80kg at adulthood.These breeds include the Neopolitan mastiffs,the Bullmastiffs and the Boerboel mastiffs.Depending on the pedigree or parental lineage, individual dogs in this category can be extremely ferocious or docile.

They are of different single body colours, sometimes with white markings on the chest. Dogs of this breed possess scarey, intimidating size which is enough to ward off intruders from the premises they are present.The individuals that are ferocious are very good guard dogs for all premises while the docile individuals are good family companions.

The Rhodesian Ridgebacks
These are medium-sized dogs with strong body conformation. They are not noisy dogs and seldom bark until they see or perceive strangers or intruders within their guard territory.They usually don’t fall ill because they are resistant to tropical canine diseases of Africa.The average weight of an adult is 25kg to 50kg.They are agile with unbelievable strength and speed which make them efficient for guarding large premises.They could be quick and ferocious when guarding premises. They are experienced hunters and can easily kill snakes and alligator lizards found in their premises.

Alsatians or German Sherpherd Breed
The dogs in this breed are moderately ferocious, sensible, easily controllable, obedient and easy to train dogs.They can easily be trained as indoor guard and protective dog for the family.They are always friendly and protective to their owners.The typical colour of this breed type is black and tan. White coloured Alsatians also exist but few .

They are medium-sized dogs with an average weight of 25kg to 35kg at adulthood.They could be long-haired or short-haired and are the most popular exotic breed in Nigeria and worldwide.This is because of their good temperament, intelligence and friendliness to their owners.