"With dogs energy management is a key to success"
-Cesar Milan

Dogs are born with different levels of energy. If you have a dog that does not match your energy level it can be extremely frustrating and difficult to live with so let's explore this topic.

Family guard dogs with low to moderate energy levels are the easiest to care for since they do not require extensive exercise and whatever you give them will full fill their needs. Mastiff type dogs and big breeds tend to fall into this category. Typically, these dogs need a daily walk and will have a burst of energy maybe once or twice a day where they will play tug and run around. The rest of the time they spend lounging around and dozing off. Dogs with low to moderate energy should not be considered for dog sports and make terrible working dogs. They are real easy to live with though and can make awesome family protection dogs, especially if you have to spend large amounts of time sitting around and you want the dog to keep you company without driving your crazy.

Dogs with high energy levels are harder to care for because you need to give them lots of exercise every day. Some dogs can't get enough exercise and even if you spent the whole day giving them a workout they would still want more. These dogs go nuts if not given enough exercise, and can have all kinds of behavior problems and neurosis and turn your life into a nightmare if not worn out daily. Depending on the dogs physical health and drives, high energy dogs potentially make the best sport and working dogs. If you are going to go into dog sports with your family guard dog you should get one with high energy, strong play drive and at least moderate defensive drive.

The biggest problem I see are dog owner mismatches over energy level. If you are low to medium energy person and/or if you don't have alot of time to spend exercising your dog and/or you don't plan on doing dog sports you should not get a high energy dog because it will drive you nuts. Likewise, if you plan on spending alot of time training/exercising your dog and plan to participate in dog sports you should get a high energy dog with tons of play drive or you will be very disappointed. You cannot turn a lower energy dog into a higher energy dog and training a lower energy dog to competition levels is an exercise in frustration.

You will need to make observations of a dog, or puppy, several times to assess the energy level. It is hardest to predict energy level with a puppy and more easily determined with an adult dog.