take this as you wish, im not speaking in any form badly about anyones pets or choices in breed, this is my expierience throughout my life...

labs are great dogs, even my father as a kid owned one along with an Irish Setter.. they arent however very good security dogs IMO, yeah they may bark, but barks dont stop generally, and like some stated, they are kinda boneheaded big furry babies and will accept your food and let you come in and watch a movie with them...they will alert you however, but dont expect them to come after the guy running at you with a knife while you are in bed, or if someone pulls a gun, ect... the upside, you can teach them to hunt... so with a lab, you will get alerts, they will fend off other dogs like stated as well, people are different however, this is just from my being around them...

watch it with mixes... you never know what you are going to get, especially when concerning rotts and pitts, and this is coming from someone that just buried his rott pitt not that long ago after 17 years, i had help training him tho, but i still didnt trust him around kids, and wouldnt allow him to be around them... a rott lab mix would be just as dangerous...

i would stay away from breeds such as Dobies, Rotts and Pitts, and any Mastiffs for that matter...

i would look into a pure German Shepard, you have to watch it with them as well.. dont go buying a 450 dollar dog from Craigslist, get one from a reputable AKC registered breeder, yeah, you will pay, likely over 1 grand, and maybe more if you decide to... but what you get with the AKC certified dogs, is history and such with the Dam and Sire of the bloodline, its heritage, ect... in the end tho, it all falls on you, you have to train it and take care of it, it will be work, but it will be worth it, trust me... it will be the most loyal, protective dog you could ever wish for, and the worst enemy of anyone that decides to cause harm to your family... a well trained Shepard will put any pit bull on the planet to sleep, and i will put money on that... it will also take care of any intruder in the house, yes, they can get shot as with all dogs/humans in situations like that, but not getting shot, means you dun fvcked up comin in here...

old pics, but some of our dogs from when i was younger, last one died before i got my pup, but uncles and such have had them since, and i trained a buddies.. my next dog may be one, but im just not ready yet...










my next choice, deffinately a lab.. 3rd would be a hound of sorts, their bark is obnoxious as hell... they however will bolt instead of charge an aggressor...