Are Great Danes Good Guard And Protection Dogs?

Do you want to know if Great Danes are good guard and protection dogs?

Great Danes are one of the most popular dog breeds in the world, and for good reason. They make great family dogs due to their kind and gentle nature. They are also very trainable, making them an excellent choice for people who want a loyal companion.

Great Danes are massive dogs—we’re talking the largest of all dog breeds. They can weigh anywhere from 125 to 200 pounds and stand around 30 inches tall.

With that kind of size, Great Danes on a surface have the potential to be amazing guard or protection dogs.

However, we’ll explore why you should think twice about using a Great Dane as your guard dog.

Great Dane owners love their big buddies for many reasons: they’re loyal, loving, and protective family pets.

But it takes a lot more than just being big to train a dog as a great guard or protection companion. Training any dog to be effective in guarding or protection takes time, patience and persistence with extensive training routines on your part.

You will also need extensive knowledge about their breed and its typical habits in order to train them effectively as a guard or protection dog.

However, are Great Danes good guard and protection dogs?

Great Dane

What Makes Good Guard Dogs?

When looking at the qualities of a good guard dog you want to look for a few things.

Size: First, you want to make sure that the dog is on the larger side. You don’t want something that is not going to scare an intruder away. You want to make sure the dog can take on a human if the situation arises.

Strength: A guard dog needs to have some strength and confidence so that it can stand its ground against an intruder and scare them off.

If the dog is too cowering in fear the intruder will just push them out of the way and get what they are after.

You also want to consider if the dog is naturally aggressive. Although aggression can be trained out of a dog, it is easier to adopt one that already has a little aggression built-in.

An aggressive guard dog will deter most burglars from trying to enter your home, and if they don’t they will be prepared to fight back.

Confident: A good guard dog should be confident and should not back down from a fight. They should know they are strong and they should be confident that they can take on a challenge when needed.

Appearance: A good dog should look fierce and should look intimidating. A person should be intimidated just by looking at their face and size.

Are Great Danes Good Guard Dogs?

No, do not believe that Great Danes are the best choice if you are looking for a guard or a protection dog.

Great Danes are great at protecting their owners but as guard dogs? That depends on how you define a guard dog.

In the context of a guard dog, a guard dog is a dog that actively patrols and protects a specific area.

Great Danes can be trained to look for intruders and to bark and growl at any suspicious or unwanted visitors that come into their watch area.

Guard dogs are not necessarily always on a leash. Guard dogs have the ability to roam freely within their specified watch area and have a reliable way of alerting their owners of any disturbances.

Great Danes are not usually trained for this type of protection. They are very loving and friendly dogs that enjoy the company of people. They are also known to be very gentle and easygoing despite their large size.

Why Are Great Danes Are Not Good Guard Dogs?

Great Danes are not trained to be guard dogs as they are not naturally aggressive or protective.

Not suspicious: They do not naturally patrol an area on their own and report anything suspicious to their owners.

Not aggressive: They are not trained to be aggressive towards any strangers who come near their owners.

Not an attack dog: And they are definitely not trained to attack anyone who approaches.

Friendly: Great Danes are trained to be companion dogs. They are trained to be friendly and loving towards everyone they meet.

They are friendly towards strangers, children, and even other animals. They are not trained to be guard dog that is always on high alert and ready to attack a stranger just because they are near their owners.

Are Great Danes Good Watch Dogs?

Yes, Great Danes can be a great watchdog.

A watchdog is a dog that is supposed to bark whenever an intruder or suspicious person comes near the house.

A watchdog is a dog that is supposed to respond to his owner’s command to bark at all times, even when there is no one around.

A watchdog is a dog that is supposed to bark whenever a car backfires or a loud noise is heard.

Great Danes can be a good watchdog and they can be trained to bark at any and all disturbances.

They are may bark at every sound, every time and everything that comes their way.

They can be trained to bark at every suspicious-looking person that passes by which will make them an excellent watchdog as a stranger will be intimidated by a Great Dane’s size and may not know how friendly they are.

Who Is A Great Dane Good For?

Great Danes are great companions dogs and good family dogs. They love to be around people.

They love to play with kids. They are gentle with children and are naturally protective of them. However, due to their size you need to make sure that you watch the kids while playing with your Great Dane.

They are calm and easygoing, but they need a lot of exercises. And they are definitely not recommended for people who have limited space or live in an apartment.

These giant dogs are not a good choice for every household. Great Danes are also not good for people who want a dog that can detect intruders.

These dogs are not usually trained to be alerting dogs that bark at every little disturbance. They are not trained to look for suspicious people and then bark at them. Instead, these dogs are trained to be friendly towards everyone they meet.

Great Dane History

The Great Dane is a giant breed of German hunting dog. They are known for being gentle and friendly dogs.

They were originally bred as hunting dogs to hunt wild boars. The Great Dane was bred by crossing Irish Wolfhounds with English Mastiffs to create a superior hunting dog that could hunt large wild boars.

They are known as the “Apollo of dogs” and were once used as guard dogs in German castles. It is believed that they were used as guard dogs because they are such large dogs. The Great Dane is the official dog of the United Kingdom.

Reasons Why Great Dane Make Good Watch Dogs?

Appearance – Great Danes are large and intimidating. They look aggressive to strangers hence they can be a good watchdog.

Strong – If trained, a Great Danes could knock an intruder to the ground, pin them and keep them there until help arrives.

Size – Great Danes are extra large dogs, and can weigh anywhere from 125 to 200 pounds and stand around 30 inches tall. However, not all great Danes are created equal in terms of size.

The average Great Dane size is around 90 to 100 pounds, but there are certainly big and small Great Danes out there.

Confident – Great Dane puppies and adult dogs are confident and sure of themselves. This makes them excellent guard dogs because they don’t back down from confrontation.

Alert – Great Danes could let their owners know when someone is near their home by barking. This makes them great watchdogs.

Loud bark – Great Danes have loud and deep bark making them a great dog alert if there is an intruder on the property.

Intelligent – Great Danes are smart and quick learners. This makes them easy to train and makes them excellent watchdogs for many different settings.

Things To Remember When Using A Great Dane As A Guard Dog

Give attention – don’t forget to give your Great Dane plenty of attention. While they are excellent family dogs, they are very affectionate and loving.

They thrive on attention from their human family members. This is how you show them that they are doing a good job. It will also keep your Great Dane happy and healthy.

Treat them nicely – remember that your Great Dane loves affection. They rely on you for everything from shelter to food.

If you forget to feed them or give them water, they will weaken and eventually die. This goes double for their medical needs.

While most Great Danes are fairly healthy and don’t require a lot of medical attention, all dogs can catch diseases.

Regular training – don’t forget to train your Great Dane every day. Go for a walk, play ball with them, play hide and seek, and go for a short hike. They will appreciate your company.

Socialise early – You should begin socializing with your Great Dane puppy as soon as you bring them home.

Socializing them early will help them get used to new people, places, and things. You should take them to lots of different places and make sure to introduce them to as many different people as possible.

Crate Training – Great Dane puppies should be kept in a crate until they’re 8 weeks old. This will prevent their muscles from growing too large and hinder their ability to hunt once they become adult dogs.

Crate training will also help prevent your Great Dane puppy from chewing on your furniture and other valuables while they’re still growing.

Make sure to give them plenty of chew toys, both while they’re in the crate and after they’re fully grown.

Exercise – Great Dane puppies require lots of exercise and stimulation. Investing in lots of different toys and taking them to the park on a regular basis will help them release their energy.

It will also help them get used to different people, places, and situations.

Will An Untrained Great Dane Protect Their Owners?

If you have an untrained Great Dane and you’re wondering whether or not to trust them to protect you or your family, you should know that dogs in general aren’t that great at protecting us.

At best a Great Dane would bark and alert their owner, which is not exactly helpful in dangerous situations.

Even if your dog is trained as a guard dog, they’ll probably just be barking at the threat if it ever presents itself—not exactly helpful in a dangerous situation.

If you’re looking for a dog that can guard or protect you, Great Danes probably aren’t the right breed for you.

To be effective in guarding or protecting you, a dog needs to be trained to do so. You can’t just let your dog run around freely outside and expect them to bark at every stranger who walks by.

There’s a difference between barking at someone and actually protecting you. Dogs bark for many reasons—they’re bored, they’re feeling territorial, they don’t like the look of the person walking by—they don’t bark because they want to protect you.

Are Great Danes Territorial?

Great Danes are not generally territorial dogs. In order to be an effective guard dog, a dog needs to be extremely territorial.

If you’ve got a Great Dane, chances are you have a very large yard. But does your Great Dane bark at every person who walks by your house? Does your dog bark at the neighbors who walk by your yard?

If not, then your dog probably isn’t very territorial—which isn’t helpful for being an effective guard dog.

Territorial guard dogs bark at every person who walks by your yard, alerting you of an intruder.

Territorial dogs also bark at anyone who walks by your house—which is a good thing!

However, if your dog doesn’t do either of these, they probably aren’t very territorial—meaning they probably wouldn’t be a very effective guard dog even if you trained them to be.

Male vs Female Great Dane: Which Is A Better WatchDog?

Male Great Danes on average are more territorial and protective of their home and family than female Great Danes.

Male Great Danes like to be the leaders of the pack—meaning they’ll probably be barking a lot at people who walk by your house.

Female Great Danes aren’t as territorial or protective as male Great Danes. Female Great Danes make great watchdogs too, but not quite as effective as male Great Danes.

Also read:

Are Cane Corso natural guard dogs?

Should you get an English Mastiffs for a guard dog?

Should you consider a Tibetan Mastiff as a protection dog?

Are Bullmastiffs good guard dogs?

Are Rottweilers good guard dogs?

Why Do Great Danes Lean On You?

Conclusion

If you’re hoping to train a Great Dane to be a guard or protection dog, you’re probably going to be extremely disappointed in the results.

Great Danes are amazing dogs, but they just aren’t built for guarding or protecting. To be effective in guarding or protecting you, a dog needs to be extremely territorial and aggressive.

Great Danes aren’t very territorial and aren’t naturally aggressive—meaning they aren’t built to guard or protect. If you’re looking for a dog to guard or protect you, Great Danes probably aren’t the right breed for you.