German Shepherd/Rottweiller

[Clay Pigeon]

Me too, but each to their own.
And I'd get a confidently friendly dog that alerts me when anybody comes around so I CAN DECIDE what force if any is needed.
But is confidently friendly to my guests and doesn't scare kids.

All I know is everybody in my life I've ever known personally who got some aggressive dog that hates everybody but a handful of people and was supposed to "protect" them, only succeeded at threatening or biting people who were no threat at all, never actually defended them from anybody who was a threat, and ONLY succeeded at driving their friends away.

Yep....well said.
I have a male Chesapeake Bay Retriever. OP, They will do all you are looking for and more.

 

[foszoe]

A lot of untrained, unsocialized dogs are not served well by their owners. It takes time to train and socialize dogs. Most don't want to put the effort into it or pay the money to have a competent trainer do it. If a dog can't be put in a sit-stay while the owner carries on a conversation that's the owners fault. Heck, I wouldn't even let my dogs lay down if on a sit stay. If they looked at me like they wanted to then I would give the command but if they laid down with out a down command they had to sit up again. If a dog charges anyone without the owner's direction, that is the owners fault. I have seen what you are talking about from supposedly non-aggressive breeds.

That's really why we have leash laws nowadays. Poor training and poor socialization. A person really doesn't need a leash for a well trained dog except when reinforcing training. On my property, have never needed a leash and they would sit, stay, lay down, auto heel, head never past my knee, until given a command to explore. While the pup is still young have friends or neighbors over and react positive to them. Have some people you know but don't come over at all or very rarely and let the pup have positive reactions to them. Some protective instincts are natural and must be guarded against. If your kids have friends over and get to wrestling in the yard for example, make sure the dog is leashed or under direct supervision. We had the worlds friendliest dog when I was a kid but my cousin came in from out of town and we got to wrestling in the front yard. He pinned me to the ground and I was struggling against him. That dog came right up and bit him in the ass . Didn't break skin but he jumped up howling! Owner has to be cognizant that the dog considers the family his pack and the land his territory, but he also needs to know that the owner is alpha. Then take the pup everywhere. He will look to the owner for guidance on how to react in all sorts of new situations and become confident in the owner's leadership and his own abilities. I take mine downtown, airports, truck stops, gun ranges, mechanics shops with air tools, dog parks, and college campuses in between classes.

All that takes time. During those first 3 weeks with the pup, he should be with the owner and the herd as much as possible. That's why I take 3 weeks off work.

The key really is puppy selection. Can't be stressed enough.

It's good to take more than one trip to the breeders to watch the pups. Roll them on their backs and hold them. If they squirm right away, they tend towards dominance. Throw a firecracker a couple of times. Are they skittish or do they get curious? Roll tennis balls, do they like play? There are several things to be done before the dog is selected that can make sure one doesn't end up with an overly aggressive "aggressive" breed. Make sure both parents are on sight and interact with them so their behavior can be observed.

Me too, but each to their own.
And I'd get a confidently friendly dog that alerts me when anybody comes around so I CAN DECIDE what force if any is needed.
But is confidently friendly to my guests and doesn't scare kids.

All I know is everybody in my life I've ever known personally who got some aggressive dog that hates everybody but a handful of people and was supposed to "protect" them, only succeeded at threatening or biting people who were no threat at all, never actually defended them from anybody who was a threat, and ONLY succeeded at driving their friends away.

 

[Onpoint2020]

If your seriously interested in a great German Rot check out Von Evman Rottweilers. We had one from them and that dog was amazing. It’s all in how you train them as a pup. It was an incredible teddy bear in the house with small children and other pets. On the other hand it would definitely let a stranger know they were not welcome. That’s great that you have some land for the dog of your choice to run as that’s exactly what they need. Best of luck with search.