Duty Calls: The Working Legacy of Guardian Breeds

Before camera-equipped doorbells and alarm systems, people relied on dogs to alert them to potential threats and to safeguard their property and themselves. But they didn’t trust just any dogs. They wanted those with proven pedigrees for protection. 

Welcome back for the next installment of “My Dog Was Bred for What!?,” where we uncover the once hard-earned reputations of our four-legged couch potatoes. Believe it or not, your dog and all his doggy friends were bred for specific jobs.  

In the first article of this series, we explored the born-and-bred purposes of retrievers, Bulldogs, and Dachshunds; in the second, we explored the purposes of Yorkshire Terriers, Pugs, and Pomeranians. Today, we’re calling on guardian breeds—Rottweilers, Dalmatians, Great Pyrenees, and Great Danes—built for protecting livestock, properties, and people across oceans of time, from the ancient Romans to modern housewives. 

Rottweilers: The Butcher’s Dog 

Despite this breed’s modern moniker stemming from Rottweil, Germany, Rottweilers’ roots date back to the Roman Empire. They were bred specifically to manage and protect cattle herds and earned a reputation as working dogs along the livestock trade trail, where they assisted butchers by pulling heavy carts of meat to market, then protected the earnings in bags around their necks. This earned them the title of “Rottweiler Metzgerhund,” or “Butcher’s Dog of Rottweil,” according to the American Kennel Club. 

Rottweilers are known for being a strong, enduring, protective breed. Combined with a staunch sense of loyalty, confidence, and a general affinity toward having a job in the first place, these traits make today’s Rottweilers perfect for service roles such as policework, military, and search and rescue missions. However, their natural instincts to herd and guard can cause issues for Rottweilers that live more sedentary lifestyles. Making sure these dogs are regularly exercised and presented with opportunities to socialize with other pups can help curb anxious or overprotective behavior.  

This working history translates into a few health predispositions, many of which are common among larger dog breeds today. This includes hip and elbow dysplasia, aortic stenosis (a heart disease),osteosarcoma (bone cancer), and obesity in the case of consistently low activity levels.  

Rottweilers thrive when provided a clear role and purpose that exercises their intelligence and leverages their sheer power. However, they are also quite sociable and affectionate. With the right environment, guidance, and care, the same traits that make Rottweilers indispensable working dogs can also make them steady, loyal, deeply devoted companions. 

Dalmatians: The Spotted Sentinels 

This is a mysterious breed in more ways than one. While reports of “spotted dogs” date back thousands of years to ancient civilizations in Egypt and Greece, the specific origins of the Dalmatian have largely been lost to history. What we do know is they were used extensively in the 17th and 18th centuries as carriage dogs, where their observed affinity for horses and protective instincts made them great companions for protecting said horses during travel, as well as the passengers and any goods in tow. 

Considering this old pastime, it’s not surprising that these dogs were prized for being athletic, highly intelligent and alert, sociable with people and horses, and protective. They’ve also been employed as ratters, herders, hunting dogs, and firefighters back when fire departments still used horse-drawn coaches. This means Dalmatians aren’t built for lazy lifestyles. Much like their iconic coats, there are both bright spots and shady sides to their behavior. These high-energy dogs need plenty of exercise and mental stimulation to stave off potentially destructive or restless behavior. 

Speaking of spots, Dalmatians’ dotted looks are due to the interaction of several different genes, as the theory goes. They aren’t born spotted; they're pure white and develop spots starting at about 2 weeks of age. (Fun fact: You’ll never see two Dalmatians with the same spot pattern—each coat is unique!)  

This breed’s genetic quirks not only impact coloring but also health. Scientists have speculated that Dalmatians are at increased risk of deafness in part due to the genes that cause white and roan spotting on their coats. Additionally, Dalmatians’ urine contains more uric acid than that of other breeds, which increases their risk of developing bladder stones. 

Great Pyrenees: Ancient Guardians of the Alps 

Ever been lovingly tackled by 90 pounds of pure floof? It was probably a Great Pyrenees, a breed with incredibly strong protective instincts and perhaps an even bigger heart. The origins of the Great Pyrenees, or “Pyr” among friends, are a little fuzzy, but their ancestors have been traced back to 3,000 BC.  

Named after the Pyrenees Mountains, which span the border between France and Spain, these dogs earned an early reputation as cattle guardians, put to work by shepherds to protect their flocks from predators such as bears and wolves. This made the breed nocturnal by nature, according to the American Kennel Club, as these guard dogs would take the night shift as their shepherds slept. 

According to the Great Pyrenees Club of America, some members of this breed live semi-independent lives in mountain valleys where they protect sheep and other cattle. Great Pyrenees are so perfectly suited for this job because they are naturally independent, fiercely territorial toward predators and impostors, yet able to remain calm and patient toward whomever they’re protecting. 

As times changed, the Great Pyrenees adapted to more urban lifestyles, serving as “guardians of the gate” on large estates across France. The breed was even declared “the Royal Dog of France” by King Louis XIV in 1675, and Queen Victoria is known to have owned a Great Pyrenees during her 19th-century reign. Today, many members of this breed continue to serve as livestock guardian dogs, while others happily serve in therapy or service roles or as household companions. 

From a modern behavioral perspective, Great Pyrenees can make gentle family companions, but several qualities should be considered to ensure they thrive in their environments. For one, their strong protective instincts can be misread as aggression, while their natural independence can be taken as stubbornness. More rigid training approaches can cause frustration for both you and the dog, so it’s better to stick with milder methods practiced consistently. Additionally, this dog was bred for wide-open spaces, meaning it would likely have trouble adapting to a Brooklyn apartment. Similarly, Great Pyrenees are double-coated to protect them in harsh mountain climates, which can require some extra care during grooming and in extra-hot weather. 

Great Pyrenees suffer from many of the same health predispositions as other large breeds, including hip dysplasia and patellar luxation, osteosarcoma (bone cancer), orthopedic issues from rapid growth in puppies, entropion (inward-rolling eyelids), and potential weight gain that can lead to obesity when they don’t get enough regular exercise or are overfed (or both). 

This breed exudes a calm strength from thousands of years spent in protective, trusted solitude. Modern owners of Great Pyrenees can honor that heritage by providing ample space and gentle training. After all, who wouldn’t want to snuggle with all that floof after a long day? 

Honorable Mention: Great Danes, The Gentle Giants 

I would be remiss to talk about large-breed dogs without mentioning Great Danes, or rather, their earned title: “the Apollo of Dogs.” Great Danes are descended from Mastiffs in Germany, as are Rottweilers and Boxers, and originally served as boarhounds—hunting large game like wild boar, bears, and deer. The French gave this giant breed its modern name, Grand Danois, and it was dubbed the “Deutsche Dog” or national dog of Germany in 1876, where it was valued as a bodyguard and protector. 

Great Danes are known for being gentle, loyal, and affectionate, and their natural alertness and protective instincts mean they’re likely to watch your every move, just in case. Despite being the tallest dogs in the world, these dogs can adapt surprisingly well to tight spaces, such as apartments and urban environments. However, it is still important that they receive plenty of regular exercise to stretch those long, muscular legs.  

In terms of health, Great Danes weren’t exactly dealt the best hand. Firstly, their lifespan is short, with most living between 8 and 10 years. They are also predisposed to musculoskeletal and joint issues, including but not limited to hip and elbow dysplasia and arthritis, due to their massive size. Finally, Great Danes are at increased risk of gastric dilatation-volvulus (a fancy word for bloating); thus, both diet and exercise regimens should be carefully managed to ensure Great Danes truly thrive during their short time here on Earth.  

Big Bowls to Fill 

With great size comes great responsibility. Okay, that’s not how the phrase really goes, but it certainly does apply when considering how to feed and care for these large breeds and others. Large and giant breeds, and guardian breeds in particular, carry complex histories in their bodies and bones. By understanding their unique genetics, working histories, behaviors, and temperaments, we can ensure we’recaring for them in a way that speaks to their modern needs as much as their legacies. 

If you missed the first and second articles in this series, learn about the elusive origins of retrievers, Bulldogs, and Dachshunds here, and get up to speed on the long-lost jobs of smaller breeds like Yorkshire Terriers, Pugs, and Pomeranians here. 

Which dog breeds do you want to learn more about next? Let me know in the comments, and stay tuned for more breed-specific insights! 

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About the Author

Jordan Tyler is the Director of Media at BSM Partners and co-host of the Barking Mad podcast. She has more than five years of experience reporting on trends, best practices and developments in the North American pet nutrition industry. Jordan resides in Bentonville, Arkansas, with her husband and their four furry family members.