Looking for a dog for my mom who lives alone. suggestions for a loyal, friendly, but protective dog breed?

Question

My mom is 60 and her Akita just passed away. He was a friendly dog fiercly loyal to my mother and a great protector. I felt more secure knowing she was living alone with him. So any suggestions on a breed type that is at once friendly and loyal, but also a big dog and protective? Thanks! Also, I usually get my dogs from shelters. Any advice about that?

Answer 1

Loyalty are a Bullmastiff's and Rottweiler's middle name. They're fierce protectors and rather die than let anything harm to their owners. You really cannot possibly talk about a guard dog without including these two. They're both big animals and very strong.

Simultaneously, both of them are big teddy bears and love nothing more than pleasing their owners. They tend to be protective of their owners therefore you as well as any of your siblings (if you have any) should have the dog get used to you to prevent the dog from seeing you as a threat or stranger.

I'm sorry that your mother's Akita passed away, they are great dogs as well. Good luck to both of you.

Answer 2

All dogs will be protective if thy are well cared for. The bark is the most important most people meaning harm will turn away from a house if they hear a dog bark. Even my moms chihuihuia has a evil loud bark. For a 60 year old I would not get an overly strong or large dog every dog is different and some no matter how they are trainnned will pull on the leash, jump and cause damage. the best thing is to teach the dog to bark at strange noises, and strangers at the door or window. My dog loves everyone but I taught his to put on a front of barking and if i act scared he will growl but he will never bit I don't want to get sued. He will even still bark when my B-friend whom he has known for years comes in the door, Makes me feel really safe, The other important command is enough! good luck

Answer 3

I would suggest that you get a german shephard, i have one, they're not vicious like some people think. they are only very pretective and are very loyal. but you have to be careful with this when getting dogs from the shelter. I'm not saying its bad to do, but you should spend some time with the dog, whatever the breed, to see what it's like (most shelters let you take the dog outside for a while or something similar). if the dog was abused, it may have serious personality problems and can be aggressive. also, an older dog is much better so that you don't have to go through the different puppy stages.

Answer 4

I own a Japanese Aktia.

Sorry to hear about your mom's Akita. I would suggest she needs a breed that requires little exercise but has the ability to guard her home. The dog needs to have the characteristics of the Akita. I suggest you get a female shar pei. They are very strong dogs but do not require much exercise and will protect to the death. You must consider the strength of these dogs that why I said get a female. But if your mom had an Akita before it should not be a problem.

Answer 5

OK... an Akita is not a small dog.
I'm 65 and I have 2 Great Pyrenees.
Mom will need to learn how to show the dog she's the Pack Leader and at her age, the easiest method is the stare-down.

Pyrs are highly intelligent. Mine knock to come in and knock to go out. They are usually herd guardians, but can be your mom's guardian. They are calm and not nervous because, as a large dog, they don't need to fear very much. They are independent thinkers as their job as guardians depends on them thinking things over and making a decision how to handle the danger to their charge(s).

They are friendly and loyal, big, intimidating to strangers and protective. They bark to tell predators they are there and "don't enter my territory" so they try to scare predators off by pre-emptive barking. I talk to my dogs. They understand a limited vocabulary. When I say "lets go in the car" they understand and are excited.

Please join a good pyr group at Yahoo. The two best are Elegant_Great_Pyrenees and PyrTalk

read up on pyrs and learn about them before making a final decision but you sound like you and your mom would do well with a Pyr.

Pyrs can spend a good amount of time quietly laying around, but they do like and want some exercise. They also make excellent service dogs.

The groups have information on getting a rescue dog so you don't have to do the house training thing and I think that would be your mom's best option.

Answer 6

We got our dog from a shelter, too--good for you! She's a lab-Weimeraner mix, and is the most loving, loyal dog we've ever had. She will bark when she hears something outside (she's an indoor dog), and she sounds like a monster when she does. There have been some people she's made right up to, though, and almost always it's been people we were already close to before we adopted her. She loves to play, but she isn't overpowering, so your mother should be able to control one. My 70+ year old great-aunt lives out in the country and had 2 lab mixes. Even though they were outdoor dogs most of the time, we never worried about her.

Answer 7

I would really suggest a boxer. My aunt had a boxer along with a toddler who had just started walking. The boxer followed the baby around everywhere he went. And when the baby would tug on his ears the boxer would move away but never showed any type of aggression. The boxer was a very great protector, any little noise he would hear was responded by a lot of barking and he would actually move the curtains to see out the window. The boxer was very dog friendly even though he had very little to no dog interaction in his early months in life. He was so friendly and loved to go meet new dogs. I really recommend a boxer for your family. With little kids and a dog it would be a great match.

Answer 8

A German Shepherd is a good choice. They're protective and loyal and easy to train, I personally don't like them tho because the "sloped" back thing is extremely unappealing. And these you might not find in a shelter near you, but you might get lucky with a mix of some sort if you look on: www.petfinder.com

Doberman pinscher's are another excellent breed. Though they require alot of exercise, they will repay you with their loyalty. They will attack if they feel like the home, or family is being threatened. And very intelligent.

I think adopting a pet from the shelter is an excellent thing to do. Ask the shelter about the pet's temperant if its easygoing, submissive, or fierce. Good luck. :D

Oh Staff's can be amazing protectors but I wouldn't suggest one for your mom unless you can get it GOOD training, and lots of exercise. and get one from a breeder. A shelter is a bad place to go for Staff's unless you can train it properly..

Answer 9

Search on http://www.petfinder.org for local pet rescues.

Look particularly at foster-only/nonshelter rescues. These dogs will have lived in homes and you'll get a much better sense of how a dog reacts in a home situation.

Your mom sounds perfect for an adult dog that needs to be the only pet -- these are often the hardest dogs to find homes for. Also, look at the selection of black dogs - again, these are usually the last to find homes.

Good luck!

Answer 10

I've heard great things about German Shepards being protective, obdient and loyal. That being said, I think it depends on the dog itself. My dog is large and a wimp. He's loud but if someone were to walk into the house he would not challenge them. I know a 40 pound Shepard mix that would rip your arm off if you challenged him. I say, go to the shelters and ask the people working there. Tell them it's for your mom and I'm sure they'll be able to help you out.