Best small guard dogs to protect your home

Small guard dogs are remarkable in their ability to combine a petite size with a robust protective nature. Taking into account the height, protective abilities, and friendliness towards children and family members, we recommend the following small protective dog breeds.

1. Yorkshire Terrier

The Yorkshire Terrier is one of the smallest dog breeds of the terrier type and indeed of any dog breed. The breed developed during the 19th century in Yorkshire, England. Ideally its maximum size is 7 pounds.

2. Silky Terrier

The Australian Silky Terrier or simply Silky Terrier is a small breed of dog of the terrier dog type. The breed was developed in Australia, although the ancestral types and breeds were from Great Britain. It is closely related to the Australian Terrier and the Yorkshire Terrier.

3. Lhasa Apso

The Lhasa Apso is a non-sporting dog breed originating in Tibet. It has traditionally been used as an interior sentinel.

4. Miniature Pinscher

The Miniature Pinscher, also known as the Zwergpinscher, and Min Pin, is a small breed of dog of the pinscher type originating in Germany. The breed's earliest ancestors may have included the German Pinscher mixed with Italian greyhounds and dachshunds

5. Scottish Terrier

The Scottish Terrier (Scottish Gaelic: Abhag Albannach; also known as the Aberdeen Terrier), popularly called the Scottie, is a breed of dog. Initially one of the highland breeds of terrier that were grouped under the name of Skye Terrier, it is one of five breeds of terrier that originated in Scotland, the other four being the modern Skye, Cairn, Dandie Dinmont, and West Highland White terriers.

6. Pembroke Welsh Corgi

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a cattle herding dog breed that originated in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is one of two breeds known as a Welsh Corgi. Pembroke Welsh Corgis descended from the Spitz family of dogs

7. Sealyham Terrier

The Sealyham Terrier is a rare Welsh breed of small to medium-sized terrier that originated in Wales as a working dog. It is principally a white-bodied, rough-coated breed, developed in the mid-to-late-19th century by Captain John Edwardes at Sealyham House, Pembrokeshire.

8. West Highland White Terrier

The West Highland White Terrier, commonly known as the Westie, is a breed of dog from Scotland with a distinctive white harsh coat with a somewhat soft white undercoat. It is a medium-sized terrier, although with longer legs than other Scottish breeds of terrier.

9. Schipperke

A Schipperke is a small breed of dog that originated since the 1600's in Belgium. There has been a long informal debate over whether this type of dog is a spitz or miniature sheepdog. In their home country of Belgium they are considered a small shepherd.

10. Shetland Sheepdog

The Shetland Sheepdog, often known as the Sheltie, is a breed of herding dog that originated in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. The original name was Shetland Collie, but this caused controversy amongst Rough Collie breeders of the time, so the breed's name was formally changed.