Where to find pets in Denver

[zenkonami]

Agreed about the dichotomy between "pet" and "guard dog." Personally, I'd still go with Dumb Friends League, but for some people animals are just tools to be exploited more so than companions. It's unfortunate that it's so difficult to bridge that gap as guard dogs, seeing eye dogs and the like are incredible useful but I would find it difficult personally to keep dogs formally in those capacities if I needed them.

Anyway, a quick search of google yielded the following:

Guard Dog Kennel

[AMidnightSoul]

Originally Posted by parks71

How an animal is raised in early life is a huge determining factor for temperament which is extremely important when buying a large guard dog. I also do not want a mixed breed because I want to make sure I am getting a guard dog which might not be the case in a mixed breed.

I cringe when I hear these type of statements from someone who is looking for a "guard dog". To say that you can't judge the temperament of an older dog and that mixed breeds can't be trained as protection dogs means the OP doesn't know dogs well enough to have or train a guard dog.

Many large breeds that are used as "guard dogs" are vilified by the public because so many people who aren't prepared for the level of knowledge and time needed to properly train a dog as a protection dog end up with a poorly trained dog that ends up getting in trouble or hurting someone. Not because the breed is bad, but because of improper training from their owner who thought it was a simple task to train a dog as a "guard dog".

If the original owner is deadset on a protection dog around small children then to be responsible about it he will need to lay out thousands of dollars for a trainer who specializes not only in protection dogs, but one who also requires that all buyers are put through proper training for ongoing handling of a protection dog. A guard/protection dog is a working dog and has completely different needs and requires a completely different skillset in training & handling needs than that of a pet.

[gooberlx]

Originally Posted by AMidnightSoul

If the original owner is deadset on a protection dog around small children then to be responsible about it he will need to lay out thousands of dollars from a trainer who specializes not only in protection dogs, but one who also requires that all buyers are put through proper training for ongoing handling of a protection dog. A guard/protection dog is a working dog and has completely different needs and requires a completely different skillset in training & handling needs than that of a pet.

Exactly this. There is a vast difference between "pet" and any working animal, much less a protection dog. I do hope the OP understands that difference, and moreso his/her kids who may have a hard time grasping that difference. Else we're likely to see yet another unfortunate story on 9news with the dog having to be put down.

I'm going to suggest this instead.

[strawberrykiki]

I'm sure this is going to make me sound like an ass...but why don't you just install a security system? I don't like the idea of training a dog to be your bodyguard. Isn't training a dog for protection basically training it to be aggressive to anyone not in your own family? That sounds like trouble to me.

[2bindenver]

Just wait until you tell your hazard insurance company that you have a "guard dog."