A watchdog is a dog breed that has one primary function – it sounds the alarm whenever something unusual happens. Watchdogs are not the same as guard dog breeds or attack dog breeds. Hyper-vigilant dogs are better suited as guard dogs or attack dogs. A watchdog breed, on the other hand, is intelligent and knows how to handle situations based on the levels of risk or harm. Watchdogs are trained to not attack without a command.
The bark is the most essential trait of watchdog breeds. A loud barking ability is crucial, and it is not the size of the breed that matters, but the sound of its bark. In fact, small sized dog breeds happen to be amazing watchdogs! Here is a list of watchdog breeds for you to take a look at and choose from:
1. Smooth Fox Terrier
A Smooth Fox Terrier is one of the most well known watchdogs. It is a small dog breed that stands tall at 15 to 16 inches and weighs between 15 to 18 pounds. The Smooth Fox Terrier has a flat coat that comes in the shade of white, with marks in shades of tan, black, or both. Their V-shaped head is the most distinguishing feature of their body.
A Smooth Fox Terrier is a clever watchdog breed. The breed is a hunter, and has a lot of strength and sturdiness. However, it is never clunky or too coarse. Smooth Fox Terriers are short backed, and move with grace. They are alert and tend to walk on tiptoes, which makes them amazing watchdogs from an early age itself.
2. Dachshund
The Dachshund is a small dog breed that stands tall at between 5 to 9 inches, and weighs between 11 to 32 pounds. The variation in the height and weight of Dachshunds is due to their two variations of the standard and the miniature. Dachshunds are a friendly, spunky and curious breed. It has a little body with little legs. Its coat comes in three types: smooth, wired or long. They come in the shades of black and brown.
The Dachshund was bred to be a hunter. The breed is a hound that is smart and vigilant. They have a loud barking ability which makes them brilliant watchdogs. Some other admirable traits include their patience, great concentration levels, and an excellent sense of smell. So they end up being good trackers too.
3. Chihuahua
The Chihuahua is a sassy, charming and graceful small dog breed that stands tall at between 5 to 8 inches, and weighs up to 6 pounds. The distinguishing feature of a Chihuahua is its rounded apple head. The breed has erect ears and big eyes. The coat of a Chihuahua comes in various shades of black, tan and white.
A Chihuahua is a breed that rules over one’s household. It is a sharp and confident watchdog breed. That’s not it though. Its alertness and high levels of intelligence are also some of its key characteristics. While they might be really ferocious, they are often quite protective of their loves ones too. With or without training, the breed is an amazing watchdog.
4. Boston Terrier
A Boston Terrier is a friendly and bright dog breed which happens to be quite amusing. It is a small dog breed that has a height of 15 to 17 inches, and weighs between 12 to 25 pounds. The Boston Terrier’s coat comes in shades or seal, brindle or black. It has a square head and a short muzzle. Its eyes are round and shiny.
Boston Terriers are always alert, but are calm and disciplined. It’s not like they are very aggressive, but due to their protective and suspicious nature, Boston Terriers can be a bit territorial. This majorly applies to strangers. Boston Terriers are in fact very people oriented, and love to go for walks to the park or a cafe.
5. Shih Tzu
The Shih Tzu is a small dog breed that is very popular across the world. It is about 9 to 10.5 inches tall, and weighs between 9 to 16 pounds. The coat of the breed comes in several colours, and is extremely beautiful. Often, Shih Tzu is identified because of their long and wavy furry coat. Their fairly distinctive appearance also extends to the flappy ears.
The beauty of a Shih Tzu is that they come with extremely amazing qualities of being alert, intelligent, decisive. Moreover, they are genuinely protective of their humans, and especially little children. A Shih Tzu is known for being sociable, even when it comes to other dogs.
6. Airedale Terrier
The largest Terrier breed, the Airedale Terrier stands tall at 23 inches and weighs between 50 to 70 pounds. It is a friendly and courageous breed. You can identify an Airedale Terrier for their dense and wired coat, with long and muscular legs. They have a long head and are bearded. With their sporty moustache, neatly folded ears, and beautiful dark eyes, it becomes a bit easy to distinguish an Airedale Terrier from others.
Getting an Airedale Terrier to have things your way is not always easy since they can be really stubborn. On the other hand, their qualities of being alert and willing are really admirable. Of course, it also helps that they are bold and determined. Interestingly, Airedale Terrier can also be quite docile and patient with children.
Conclusion
So now that you have come across and learnt about a varied range of watchdogs, you have a much better idea of each one of these watchdog breeds. It’s perhaps the right time go ahead and find the perfect match for your home!
Also read: Best Guard Dog Breeds
