I am looking into getting a dog soon. What are some opinions on dogs by knowledgeble patriots?

The requirements are few:

Dog has to live indoors.
Must be compatible with children.
Must learn to accept another dog (my daughter has a little ankle-biter)
Hopefully, can alert me to possible intruders.

What are some smart, child friendly breeds out there that will still make a good watchdog? Any thoughts?

Oh, and money is a problem, haha.

The smartest, most child friendly, best indoor and watch dog we ever had was a "Red bone" hound dog. I don't know if you can get one in Kentucky, its kind of a Georgia specialty breed, like Alabama's "Blue Tick " hound dog. You didn't mention hunting, but they have it in their blood.

What is the reason that the dog has to live indoors? Could the dog be outside during the day and be brought in at night? How big a dog are you looking for? How much dog can you afford?

I dont need it for hunting, really, just a pet/watchdog.

It has to live indoors, last dog was stolen. The dog can only be outdoors with either me or my wife. Size, about German Shephard or smaller. Price, less than $250.

I wanted the same thing in a dog that you do. I had 5 children at home when I got my dog, so getting along with children was a must. I now have 7 grandchildren and my dog gets along fine with all of them. I have pictures of my grandchildren crawling over my dog. I also have another dog now and the 2 of them get along just fine.

I wanted a certain breed of dog, but the type of dog I wanted has gotten a bad rap from the media (imagine that). So I did a lot of research and ending up getting the dog I wanted in the first place. My dog is smart, friendly to my friends and family, and is my constant companion and protector. She has had occasion to protect me and did it well. I waited to tell you that my dog is a rottweiler because I wanted you to read the rest of this post first. They are not the devils that the media makes them out to be.

I Know what you mean about the propaganda. They try the same with Pit Bulls. Its all about how they are raised. A friend of one of my relatives has a Doberman Pinscher, very cool dog, and it loves me. But I did a search and they are way outta my price range.

I know they can be expensive. I was lucky enough to get mine from my wife's cousin in Missouri. I got the family discount. Just had to pay for first shots and tail dock. She cost me $100.

She's no one's idea of an attack dog, but our Boston Terrier is great around kids, and her bark is a lot bigger than she is.

A few years ago, a couple kids bailed out and ran from a stolen car across the street from where I was working as a security officer. They ran through back yards, jumping fences--but they weren't hard to track. We just followed the sounds of barking dogs through the neighborhood.

One of them soon surrendered after a brief foot pursuit. The second one was eventually found hiding in a back yard storage shed--being held at bay by The World's Most Ferocious Boston Terrier.

The moral is, you don't always need a big dog. Ours, and other breeds of smaller dogs, are great around kids, and are just as protective of their masters as many of the bigger ones. Circumstances are always different, but I would recommend looking for a pet first, and a guard dog second.

Onward and upward,
airforce

You might want to consider a Husky or a Husky mix. They are STRONG hearty dogs that always proved to be loving and playful for me and my family. They love the outdoors and do not mind the cold. Ours slept outside all year round in a small doghouse with plenty of hay. They were built for it.

These dogs can pull a cart or sled for you in a survival situation. Our entire extended family owned them at one point. At one time a large dog got away from its owner and was rushing at my grandfather. He unhooked his husky, Charley, (a beautiful gray and white husky) and Charley intercepted the dog. They wrestled and Charley pinned the larger dog to the ground, possibly saving my old grandfathers life.

Huskies are very intelligent. As far as getting along with other dogs... they are very pack oriented. But not violent. There objective in a fight with another husky or another dog is to subdue it and establish the pecking order. I have never seen one of our huskies attack another dog. As a matter of fact, one of my fathers favorite stories to tell is one when he brought Cassy, our husky to pet day for me at school. Cassy was the only dog in the room who was not barking or raising a fuss about the other dogs. To the contrary she was silent and sat next to my father.

I think I can safely say that a husky may damn well be a overlooked dog for a militia man. Especially one who lives in colder climates or a zone like mine where you seem to get the worst of both extremes

Get a Rottie or a Bullmastiff. My rottie is a big baby with me and my kids (ages 2 and 7) but when it comes to strangers, she stands her ground.

mastiffs are the biggest most lovable oafs on the planet :-)

Hmmm....Huskies. I may just look into that.

ConfederateInfidel,

I've owned many dogs in my life, all of them on the large side. I already recommended the Rottweiler to you. Box Proper has a good recommendation with the Husky too. I had a Husky/Shepherd mix when I was young. Great dog. I never had a Mastiff, but Rotts are supposedly part of the Mastiff family, so I don't doubt what Box Proper said about them.

There are two other dogs I've owned that you might consider as well. I had a Collie/Shepherd mix and a Black Lab that were very good with kids and good protection dogs as well.

Whatever you do research the dog you think you might want. Dogs have different requirements of their masters. You need to know if you can handle the type of dog you want to get.

well I always just liked big dumb dogs. And mastiffs are huge and dumber than a sack of hammers. haha. They are just like dog... in need of understanding, boundaries, respect, and love. Just like people :-P

I wouldn't really recommend Huskies for like a defense situation though. They are not all too big and not aggressive towards humans, often the opposite. If you know of any working huskys, personal protection huskies, let me know... if they could perform that task as well as remain strong, able to survive the roughest conditions, willing to carry and pull.

I was considering buying and training with a dog, or perhaps two, and am currently torn between husky and other more security based dogs like a Doberman (tooth-rockets :-P) or a German Sheperd.

the Doberman and the like are probably much more able to be trained to subdue enemies and secure areas, but the husky is gonna be way more survivable and I can have it/them share the pack load with me by using those dog packs.

perhaps ill ask a trainer about the feasibility of a husky as a personal protection dog.

I like the Husky idea due to their working abilities, even though I probably will never put mine to work. I dont need a dog to fight or subdue others, (it would be cool) but I would be happy with just a pet AND a watch dog who barks at strangers. Hell, even my daughter's Chihuahuah/Pekingnese barks at strangers. As long as they dont see him, they are intimidated haha.