Dogs are commonly accepted as one of the most popular pets for a family home, and yet we also acknowledge that they have the traits to be an effective guard dog, and a deterrent against would-be burglars or trespassers. There are so many different dog breeds and cross-breeds in evidence in the world today that it should be no surprise that we can use dogs for vastly different purposes, but how do you know which breed is great as a family pet, and which is best for guarding your business?
The truth is, most dogs can be trained to some extent. But there is a difference between training a dog to return to you with a stick in the park, and training it to detect drugs in a music festival queue or to deter an aggressive intruder in a vacant property.
Why do we use dogs for security purposes?
Canine security offers various benefits to a business, such as:
- A highly sensitive sense of smell, compared to humans
- The ability to be trained to detect specialist smells and to identify this smell over another
- A faster searching ability using this sense of smell
- Speed and agility of movement
- Obedience, loyalty and territorialism
- A visible presence
This is why canine security is ideal for specialist security needs, such as event security, vacant property patrols or for dealing with trespass and unauthorised encampment.
How dog breeds can differ in their characteristics
Many dog breeds share common characteristics which can make them ideal as a family pet, and also as guard dogs, but there are also some dog breeds which are unsuitable for one or the other. So you may have some dog breeds which are affectionate, playful and loving, but for a guard dog you want it to be alert, brave and territorial. Some dogs are naturally calm and affectionate, but can also be trained to be aggressive as and when needed, while others will completely lack this ability, and rather than being territorial, will be friendly with strangers and may even be complicit to allowing them to enter a property in return for a treat.
The best and worst dog breeds for guard dogs
Taking all this into account, what are the best and worst dog breeds to use as guard dogs? Most professional security dogs will either be German Shepherds, Rottweilers or Staffordshire Bull Terriers. These are all dogs which can be affectionate family dogs, and can be loving and playful in natural settings, but they can also be trained to be aggressive and fiercely territorial when under threat. A more specialist dog security breed is the Bloodhound. These aren’t naturally aggressive dogs at all, but they do have a more highly sensitive sense of smell. This makes Bloodhounds ideal for event security or airport security, where there is a reduced risk of aggression, but a higher risk of illegal substances that need to be detected.
In terms of dog breeds you definitely wouldn’t use for canine security, these include the Basset Hound, well known as being one of the most sociable dogs, including with strangers meaning you couldn’t train it to be aggressive to someone it didn’t know or identify. Likewise, the Labrador and the Golden Retriever are one of the most popular family dog breeds, because they are friendly and loyal, but they are also greedy, and it is very easy to get round their defences by offering a dog treat. So an intruder is more likely to be tickling their belly than fighting them off. Similarly, the Old English Sheepdog would rather lick you to death than bite you, and just doesn’t have the natural traits for canine security.
If you are looking to employ dog security for your business, and need to decide on the right breed of dog for your purposes contact React K9. We can advise on the suitable characteristics required and can match you with suitable dog security from our nationwide resources.
