05/01/2026
‘GUARDIAN’ BREEDS
Do you share your life with a ‘Guardian’ Breed Dog?
Have you considered the implications?
Guardian Breeds include the following breeds …. each breed having its own peculiarities…
- German Shepherd: Highly intelligent (one of the three most intelligent dog breeds in the world!), loyal, and versatile and historically used for guarding livestock (sheep). This is a dog that came out-think you and you won’t even know it.
- Rottweiler: Confident, strong, and fearless, historically used for guarding livestock and property.
- Doberman Pinscher: Sleek, fast, and loyal
- Belgian Malinois: Powerhouses known for their focus, fearlessness, and energy.
- Bullmastiff: A large, powerful breed that's a gentle giant but a formidable guardian.
- Cane Corso: An Italian mastiff, powerful and alert, with the name meaning "bodyguard Dog".
And then there are LIVESTOCK GUARDIAN BREEDS (LGDs):
- Great Pyrenees: Calm, affectionate, and protective of flock
- Anatolian Shepherd: Independent and strong, bred to guard livestock.
- Komondor: Hungarian sheepdog with unique corded coat, known for being territorial and protective.
The Key Characteristics of these Breeds are:
- Instincts: Strong protective drive for their family or flock.
- Intelligence: High intelligence aids in training and threat assessment.
- Independence: Some, especially LGDs, can be independent thinkers.
- Loyalty: Deeply bonded to their humans.
CONSIDERATIONS:
- Training & Socialisation: Essential for responsible ownership, as they can be formidable.
- Activity Needs: Many require significant exercise and mental stimulation.
For the purpose of this exercise we will address the GERMAN SHEPHERD specifically – being the breed that is most popular in WA (a close second perhaps to our gorgeous ‘Rotty’, and a breed that we have most commonly worked with…
LIABILITY:
Let’s talk liability when you own a guardian breed, because some are genuinely shocked that your German Shepherd ‘guards’.
Hence, they are typically very territorial!
This is a Dog bred FOR GENERATIONS to protect property and livestock.
This is a Dog whose entire bloodline reads like a résumé for work - sheep, livestock, and around WWI, their instincts were directed toward Police and Military service.
Having said that, breeders have a lot to answer for in that they have changed the genetic make up of the German Shepherd so that we typically see a lot of Dogs now with weak nerves, that don’t really know who they are - however they still have some of the natural tendencies - but they may not be applied appropriately.
Hence we see German Shepherds who are Dog and/or human aggressive - always, in our experience, a result of innate fearfulness (genetics, enhanced by us loving humans) 🥲
Assuming your German Shepherd is of good breeding, don’t be surprised that he/she posts up at the window or fence line, like a seasoned officer on duty!
That is not reactivity. That is employment - genetics.
That is her checking the perimeter, tracking movement, logging suspicious activity, and filing the postie under ‘known but still watched’.
And if you don’t train or supervise this level of intelligence and drive? The liability is yours. Full stop!
Your Dog cares not that you live in a quiet neighborhood or that everyone smiles politely and pretends nothing ever happens.
German Shepherds don’t read rules. They read posture. They read tension. They read intent before you even notice it yourself.
TRAINING IS NOT OPTIONAL
>> TRAINING IS NOT OPTIONAL
Neutrality is key and nothing is more important… no fear, no threat - NEUTRAL.
>> Teach her to SWITCH OFF >>
- She must know when it’s appropriate to stand down…
>> It all comes down to TRAINING >>
>> PROVIDE HER WITH STRUCTURE and BOUNDARIES >>
- that don’t involve intimidating the delivery drivers.
>> ADVOCATE FOR HER! >>
>> TRAIN
and REINFORCE TRAINING >>
- DAILY!
>> RESPECT HIM/HER >>
- and the BRAIN that lives inside that powerful, beautiful body. 🥰
NEGLECT THESE THINGS and she will create her own rules… and trust me, you do not want a freelance German Shepherd making executive decisions…😬😂
