Guard dogs are important for many reasons. You need them for business protection, as guard for your household or for scaring off potential intruders. There are things needed to be done correctly with guard dog training to keep a dog sane and composed if there is no need to be aggressive. But before you get your dog into training you need to consider first the breed selection and traits you may want from your guard dog.
What is the role of a guard dog?
A guard dog can simply alert you if there is an intruder or one can be trained to chase them off your grounds. Some people think that guard dogs are the aggressive type and poorly socialized ones that do not know how to recognize a friend from an enemy, but they miss the many great things about a good guard dog. You can select and train one for yourself or you can buy a ready-trained and specialized dog.
Breed Selection:
Selecting the breed depends largely on what you want to expect from the dog as a guard. Every dog breed can be a decent guard dog because all it has to do is be alert and bark when there is an alarm or something suspicious. This is all an ordinary household needs. Shih Tzus, Terriers, or Poodles are good breeds of natural watch dogs. However, any dog that is trained and goes well with family members can play the role.
There are dogs that are bred to protect herds and they are better guard dogs. Imagine a group of cattle being kept together by a dog or two that can be aggressive to defend a group of larger animals; these must be great dogs! Mastiff is the perfect breed for this purpose.
If you want the Pit Bull And other Bulldogs, they are also great dogs for your protection, but you have to study thoroughly the proper ways to train them.
In many parts of the world, the most common guard dogs are Doberman Pinchers, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Belgian Malinois.
Dogs Have Personality Traits Too:
Like people, there are personality traits to look for when selecting a potential guard dog.
• Highly confident – this is the kind of dog that explores, greets new people confidently, does not hesitate while training, and does not always wait for approval.
• Highly trainable – a dog that resists training cannot make a good guard dog. It is going to be a rigorous process that requires the dog to use mind and physical endurance.
• Total loyalty – dogs are said to be always loyal to their masters but there breeds with absolute loyalty and they are the guard dogs. You can only trust a guard dog that is totally loyal and will not fail you.
• Assertive – if a dog does whatever you tell him to do, that’s not a good guard dog. A good one can go out of his way to get what he should. But you should be careful to know the difference between being assertive and aggressive.
Selecting a guard dog and training it is not a matter of buying your favorite breed and putting it in your yard to bark at strangers. A dog can easily assume control of your household without correct guard dog training. You can rest assured that your house is protected if you make the right choice and give the most attention to its training as a guard dog.
