A guard dog is a good thing to have around. There's a difference between a dog that sounds the alarm and a dog that will go after anyone that steps in the yard. A small child and a dog that can't be trusted is a problem. My best friend had a dog like that. He was around 80 pounds. I pulled in one day and he came at me. Missed me with the first shot and he didn't get a second. I didn't kill him, but he figured out fast I was the wrong guy to attack. My friend got rid of him shortly after that. The dog tried to go at his infant son while the mother was holding the boy.