While it’s true that some dog breeds make better guard dogs than others, most pooches aim to please. Just be careful of the breeds that are lazy or too friendly. They may not be as open to a potentially unsafe situation.

Note: It is advised that Bernese Mountain Dogs and Newfoundlands are very friendly with children and have good protective instincts toward them. And, with dogs these sizes, no one wanting to hurt a child would dare to come near!

To understand a dog's relationship with children, it helps to know a bit about their social structure. In the wild, canines go to great lengths to establish and reinforce their place in a social group, and these positions clearly dictate who's in charge and who's subordinate.

Among dogs raised as pets, the hierarchy is fairly straightforward (i.e., he who feeds me may boss me around). Dogs also have a clear sense of who their family is. Once a person becomes “one of us,” they are to be defended at all costs, whether they put food in the bowl or not.

A family setting is no different — at least from the dog's perspective. Canines know who their family is and most won't hesitate to put themselves in harm's way to protect one of their own. In fact, most dogs have such a strong instinct to protect their loved ones that no amount of socialization will diminish it.

On the other hand, a protective instinct can be so strong that it causes unwanted aggression toward people outside the family. For this reason, the guarding instinct should be honed through early and frequent socialization and regular training. Without this, an overzealous protector could pose a danger to children and adults outside of the family unit.

And, of course, there are other dogs that have protective instincts bred into them. A herding dog is a good example. It knows to keep the pack together, including children, not matter what.

If you would like to learn more about protective dogs please go to Animal Planet. They will tell you about the breeds to avoid, because of anxiety issues or a natural but detrimental independence, and more about those pups you can control and will be a perfect and protective companion for your children.