Need a smart, protective family dog for first-time owners with kids?

For purposes of looking after children, the first breed to come to mind is Great Pyrenees. They are flock guardian dogs, are known to be loyal and protective, and are large and robust enough to live outdoors if given proper shelter. As a thick-coated breed, they do require regular brushing and grooming to keep from getting matted. German Shepherd/Alsatians are also excellent family dogs, very loyal and protective and highly intelligent. Bernese Mountain Dogs are loyal, confident and intelligent. Rottweilers are also a good breed as they are very loyal and protective. Some people are put off by their reputation but they are a product of their environment, as is any dog. As long as the children are taught to respect and properly treat a dog, there is no need to worry.

My favorite breed is a Golden Retriever. They are truly the best family dogs ever, great with kids. They do need exercise daily, but don't tend to have chewing tendencies. I had a Golden Retriever for 12 years, best dog ever, and she was protective as needed.

I do not recommend a Rottweiler or Bullmastif for a first time dog owner. These are very strong willed dogs, and are not ones that should ever be owned by someone who has no experience with dogs. A great family friendly dog is a Golden Retriever. While they aren't a guarding breed, you need to know that the typical guarding breeds are not suitable at all for first time owners. They can be aggressive if not trained and handled correctly, and that is not safe at all for your kids. A Golden Retriever is very smart, friendly to the family, but they do bark and can look after a family. I also don't recommend keeping a dog outdoors all the time. Best of luck, I hope this helps.

Great question! This is a bit of a tough question in that a number of breeds of dogs who are good guard dogs are also difficult. For example, a German Shepherd. Good guard dogs, but require a lot of training and are not for a first time dog owner. If you don't know how to handle them, they can be aggressive to humans and small animals. They are also high energy dogs. Personally, I would recommend a Golden Retriever. They are absolutely lovely dogs, extremely loyal, very easy to train, excellent with humans and small animals, and if need be, could defend the owner. I had a Golden for 12 years, and she was honestly the best dog I have ever owned. So sweet and caring, but I knew that if I was ever in trouble, she would defend me. Goldens are a large breed dog, and large breed dogs can be intimidating to strangers. My Minnie would bark if someone came to the door and knocked, but otherwise didn't bark much. Sometimes a bark is enough to scare someone off. I would look into getting a Golden Retriever for the reasons I listed above. I hope this helps!

One of my favorite breeds is a Golden Retriever. A very intelligent dog, loyal, easy to train, and tends to get along with other animals. I had one, and she got along great with my other dogs and my cats. A Labrador Retriever would be another good option. I would see about getting one of those breeds. I hope this helps!

I personally recommend a Golden Retriever. They are very intelligent dogs who are athletic and easy to train, as well as being an excellent family dog. They aren't overly messy dogs, and their upkeep is not high. They are also extremely loving. I hope this helps :-)

Based on your desires I would recommend a Labrador or Golden retriever. They are eager to please dogs and so easier to train than huskies or hounds and tend to stay close. They also have less of a prey drive than some of the other breeds so less of a risk to your other pets though every dog can be different, I had labs growing up with rabbits and birds and little creatures and they did not harm them.