what breed for a "guard" dog - Kuvasz, Lab?

We currently own a female golden retriever that is the best dog in the world
but wouldn't bark at or bite anyone if her life depended on it. Someone could
be breaking into our home and she would be wagging her tail at them.

So we are thinking about getting a new puppy to raise with her that will at the
very least bark at an intruder. I am not looking for a vicious attack dog. I
will not raise the dog to be vicious. This dog has to be a family pet. It has
to get along well with my golden retriever and my cat. But I want a potential
burglar to think twice before breaking into our home. I also want the dog to
be fairly trainable. Although I do have some patience and willing to work with
the dog, I don't like the really stubborn types. And I don't think I could
take on the responsibility of total training required of a German shepard,
doberman, or rotty.

Here are our thoughts on potential breeds of dogs:

1. Kuvasz. This sounds like a great dog breed that will defend our home.
Will he get along with our golden if he is raised with her?

2. Laborador Retriever. I love these dogs and how eager they are to please,
much like our golden. I have known some black labs that will bark at a new
visitor until he was told by the owner to stop. But I have also known labs
that were as friendly as my golden and would be no guard dog. What do you
think?

3. Newfoundland. I love these dogs. I know that a Newfy is not going to be a
guard dog, but just his size might be imposing enough to make people afraid to
try to break into our house.

So you can see, we are looking for a nice family dog that is easy to train, but
will scare off intruders. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance...

I second what Emily said. My Min. Dachshund scares more people than my
Boxer does. The Boxer is much bigger, alot of people think she's mean
looking, but she's more apt to welcome a stranger into the home and show
them the comfiest places to sit than to even think of harming them. My Min.
Dachshund, while friendly, never hesitates to raise an alarm when someone is
in the yard or knocks on the door. Dogs can sense true danger when its
directed at their humans and will generally act on that danger. If they
don't sense a threat then they have no reason to act and that's how it
should be. If you want a dog that people will see and be afraid of then
you'll want a larger dog but if its just an alarm you want then just about
any small dog will do since small & vocal tend to go hand in hand.

Since you've ruled out 2 of the breeds I would have suggested looking into,
then I'd suggest the Chow Chow. I have no idea of their trainability or how
well they generally do with strange dogs. I know they are loyal to a fault
and tend to be protective first and accepting later but I've also heard of
some with really lousy temperaments. If this breed turns out to be the one
sounding like the best fit after research then I'd definitely recommend
finding one that was well bred. One last note is that the Chow Chow,
Doberman, Rottweiler and Pit Bull tend to be on ban lists by homeowners
insurance companies in some states. You'll want to check your homeowners
policy, or call your agent, to find out if they have banned any specific
breeds before making a purchase.


--
Tara