I would say that the dog which should be brought by you for your grandparents, which will not only contribute in diminishing their loneliness but will also be acting as an agent of security for the old couples would be The German shepherd.
As far as my knowledge jogs then I think German shepherd are known for their ability of being a good guard dog. And at this age, your grandparents need a good guard dog and not a normal fancy doggie, which will be rendered useless at the time of need. My aunt has a German shepherd and he is an excellent guard dog due to his intrinsic attributes like courage, fearless and keen to learn. The last attribute that I mentioned is of great importance to be a guard dog. The German shepherd is so quick in learning stuff. They grab at a great speed, which is a must for Guard dogs. I guess you should go in for the German shepherd as the guard dog. They can risk their life for it also, trust me. But don’t pamper your pet shepherd too much else it will start assuming the alpha position and the status of pack leader, which, ideally should be you.
You should be training the breed, as you grandparents will not be able to execute a proper training, so the best thing is, impart proper training and then gift a fully trained doggie to your grandparents and make sure that the training session takes place in the house of your grandparents, so that the doggie is aware of the grandparents also.
The list of doggie breeds which suit an old couple, including German shepherd breed, are-
- Newfoundland
- Papillon
- Japanese Spaniel
- Maltese
- Italian Greyhound
- Beagle
- Great Dane
- Golden Retriever
- Chesapeake Bay Retriever
- Greyhound
- Cocker Spaniel
- Boston Terrier
- Bichon Frise
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Border Terrier
- Chihuahua
