Big Paws Only Dog Forums

From what you have said, about coat and drooling I would say a Bouvier, Rotty or Doberman might be more what you are looking for, but I would wonder, like the other poster, how likely you are to find someplace that will allow 100+lbs of dog?

The other thing I wonder about is your definition of "guard dog"?  Do you want something that people would look at and just steer clear, or something that will have a big enough bark to scare people away?

One other thing to consider is that most breeds that are "guard dog" type breeds NEED a strong master, they need an owner that will be the Alpha or they will take that role, which usually ends in disaster.  Are you willing and more importantly able to become the Alpha???

I've been considering some of these questions for a while, and I think that I would be looking for a dog that would actively protect.

As for being able to take charge of the dog, I think so.  Despite their small size, lhasas are notoriously stubborn and unwilling to listen unless forced to. Although I think I started out on an awkward foot with my dog (My family never really trained her properly), I think I've improved pretty well over time at being able to get her to do what I want her to do. Although she's still only a small breed, I think that if I got a big breed as a puppy and started training early, I'd be okay.

I had looked at dobermans and rotties in the past, but I was concerned about how they'd get along with smaller dogs. Also, they appear to be some of the most difficult dogs to get into an apartment due to their reputations (It's a shame, though - I've met some really sweet dobermans).

I had not previously considered a bouv, but if I kept the fur cut short, that might work pretty well. I'd still have a weight limit to contend with, but bouvs have better reputations, so it'd be one step easier. I'll keep that idea strongly in mind in the future. Thank you very much for your help.

So I was just wandering around, looking up questions about big dogs and apartments, when I found this board. I'm a little shy about posting here because currently, I have only a small breed (lhasa apso). However, well, right now, I'm a college student, and when I graduate, I hope to be able to get a dog or two of my own - my lhasa is our family's dog - and I was trying to think what sorts of breeds would be good ones.
I'm almost certain I want to live in an apartment - I'm pursuing a career that lends itself to a big city, and the housing bubble burst has made me even more wary of trying to buy a house (I was also wary because: 1) DC, where I hope to live, has sky-high real estate prices, housing bubble or not, and 2) I am sucky at cleaning, so leaving my quarters smaller sounded ideal).

Since I already own a lhasa, I started out looking at similar breeds, like shih tzu - I was fairly certain that I didn't want a lhasa of my own, since Tally, bless her heart, I love her, but she was one of the most difficult dogs to train ever. However, shih tzu are prone to getting separation anxiety, so if I were to get one, I would need to get a second dog as well, since I have no intention to get married and every intention to get a job. So I started looking at what I'd want in a second dog.

Then, I started looking at the practical matter of being a young woman in DC, and figured, you know what, it'd be nice to have a dog who could accompany me if I needed to go out late at night and maybe serve as a guard dog. Now some small breeds are very good as watchdogs, but precious few make good guard dogs.

So, in theory, and everything is very hypothetical at this point, since I'm just starting junior year, I would like a big dog who could serve as a guard dog, but still get along with small dogs, and who could live in an apartment.

I think there were a few places that I and the rest of my family messed up in training Tally, and I'm devoted to not making those mistakes again.

I've heard good things about many breeds, and at this point, a Newfie sounds like it may be a good option (once again, in theory). I'm... a little wary about the grooming and the drooling. Grooming, I'm used to with a long-haired breed like a lhasa, although we keep her in a puppy cut, but I just don't know what's necessary for a newfie, since its coat is kinda different. Drooling is just something I'd need to figure out if I can get used to or not. The other thing is the shedding. I hear that newfies shed a lot. Normally, this wouldn't bother me, except, do you remember that whole "sucky at cleaning" thing? Granted, a big reason I'm sucky at it is that to a large extent, mess doesn't bother me, and once it does, I can be decently good about it.

In any case, I wrote this roundabout post to ask for advice, so if anyone has any, I would be really appreciative.