Not everyone who looks to a dog to guard the home property and to be at the same time a companionable adjunct to the family could go so far as to choose a Rottweiler or a Dobermann. A writer in Country Life in the week before Crufts names several other big dogs which could be considered. The Japanese Akita (never heard of it) is a favourite. The description goes: "powerful, square body, wedge-shaped head, small erect ears, short coat and tail curled over its body".
The Kennel Club, says the article, describes the breed as "aggressive with other animals and with a desire to defend its territory against all intruders, human or otherwise". A breeder, who has five, praises them for their love of human contact but reminds potential buyers that the lovely puppy will turn into a powerful adult of nine stone weight. Mastiffs come into the picture where security is involved and one breeder keeps Neapolitan mastiffs, described as companionable and effective for that purpose. They grow to 10 stone weight. There is, too, the English mastiff, whose 16-stone weight is hard to beat as a deterrent to unwelcome visitors.
Then there is the Rhodesian Ridgeback, which has "a unique ridge of hair growing in the opposite direction along its spine". Its athleticism, says an owner, and its stature, honed for strength, is an excellent warning-off. Also there is a Leonberger, which sounds the alarm when strangers are around but is a loveable family dog. He adds: "Ask any Leonberger owner where his pet sleeps and he will tell you `Anywhere he likes'."
That's all very well, but what about those of us which were brought up on Kerry Blues, Alsatians (sorry, German Shepherds) or even Dalmatians. Kerry Blues must take pride of place. One man swears that when he first went to school, about a mile away, Peg walked him all the way (there wasn't much traffic then), and was sent to collect him later. But for alertness - and an instant springing from even deep sleep - try a Dalmatian. One such can hear the fistle of a chocolate-paper three rooms away. And even a footstep outside the door brings a barrage of barking. And the fridge door, which hardly clicks, can bring her out of an apparent slumber. Anyway, didn't see the Crufts on TV.