Guard Dog Training
People often confuse the term "guard dog" with the term "security dog." They imagine a large, intimidating breed such as a German shepherd or Doberman pinscher. In fact, most breeds of dogs, large, small and in-between, can be trained to be good guard dogs. A guard dog merely keeps a lookout for anything unusual and reports it by barking or getting its owner's attention. Anyone can train a guard dog with time and patience.
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Misconceptions
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Burglars are generally more afraid of a dog's bark than its bite. A yapping puppy is just as likely to awake suspicion as a baying hound. Training your dog to be a guard dog is, therefore, just another benefit of owning a dog. A poodle that barks at the sound of a nighttime intruder is as great a preventative as a pit bull and easier on children and furniture. Another misconception is that smaller, cuter dogs aren't effective in keeping unwanted animals (such as rats, possums and raccoons) away. But, a rat doesn't know whether a dog is cute.
Warning
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For some people, the disadvantages of a guard dog outweigh the advantages. People living in urban areas, for example, where there is a great deal of activity even in family neighborhoods, and houses are close together and apartments plentiful, often prefer as quiet a dog as possible so as not to annoy their neighbors. If you train a dog to guard your property, it will guard it. Again, this does not imply that your dog will be dangerous--as opposed to a security dog--only that it will be noisy from time to time. You must decide whether noisiness is something you and your neighbors can tolerate, even in small doses.
Considerations
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A guard dog is trained to raise the alarm at the first sign of something unusual. You, as the owner, decide what "unusual" means. This is a subtle question, which means that an intelligent dog will make a much better guard dog than an unintelligent dog. Intelligence varies from breed to breed, as well as within breeds. If a guard dog is high on your list of benefits in a dog, you should research to discover which breeds are ideal.
Training a Guard Dog
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Guard dog training, like all dog training, is fundamentally a matter of rewarding certain behaviors. As your dog is repeatedly rewarded for lifting its paw at the command "shake hands," for example, it will eventually lift its paw automatically on command. The same goes for a dog barking at strange noises outside. You must decide which noises are strange and when they are strange. You probably don't want your dog barking frenziedly every time a neighbor stops by for a visit. Unlike shake hands, then, guard dog training involves both reward and punishment. When the dog barks properly, it is rewarded; when it barks improperly, it is punished. Dogs are sensitive, and punishment should be restricted to firm but controlled vocal chastisement and (as needed) kenneling the dog or some other hands-off penalty.
Further Ideas for Training Guard Dogs
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Feel free to be creative when training your guard dog. An ideal way of teaching it which noises are suspect is to make the noises yourself. This allows you to be specific and to have total control. You'll need the assistance of a friend or family member to be successful. One of you stays with the dog, while the other goes outside. (If you want your dog to guard your property primarily after dark, you should train it primarily at night.) Whoever is outside makes noises at different doors and windows. Each time your dog barks, it is rewarded verbally or with a treat or both.
Benefits
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A guard dog brings peace of mind, and the process of training a guard dog brings dog and owner together like almost nothing else. Guard dog training has this effect because of the time and effort involved and also because, when a dog feels protective of someone/something, it is naturally more loyal and reliable. Consistency and patience are the main keys to training a good guard dog.
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