I would reccomend a female. First, she's not going to piss everywhere to mark her territory, second, she's the one that will be more protecting by nature.
Golden Retreivers are cool dogs, but I would reccomend a Black Lab mutt. I have a chow black lab mix and he's super smart and a cool dog, but mean and scary as hell when it's appropriate. If you want a dog to protect your house, get a lab mutt
