Guard dog breeds

Guard dogs are large breeds, watchful with strangers and attached to their home or flock. This list includes the Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog, Caucasian Shepherd Dog, Rottweiler, Cane Corso, Dobermann and German Shepherd, among others.

How the breeds were chosen

We included two types of breed: livestock guardians, which the breed standard describes as guardians of the flock or farm (such as the Romanian shepherd dogs, the Caucasian Shepherd Dog or the Anatolian Shepherd Dog), and large and giant breeds with the top score (5 out of 5) for “Watchdog/Protective Nature” in the American Kennel Club (AKC) breed ratings. Small breeds that simply bark at strangers and hunting dogs are not included. A guard dog needs early socialisation and an experienced owner.

See all dog breeds.