Guard dog training 101

Guard dog training is more demanding than regular house training. This is because, on top of the same responsibilities that a regular house dog has, a guard dog is given additional duties to carry out. Here are some of them.

guard dog training

Guard dog training tip #1

Barking and Silence
In order to effectively guard your home, a guard dog is required to recognize and bark at unusual things or people. This is why guard dog training usually starts with proper barking.

The good thing about barking training is that most dogs instinctively bark at things or people they are not familiar with. The problem is how to train them to bark only at these things. Most professional guard dog trainers usually conduct this type of training in a controlled environment where they administer the type of stimuli with which they train the dog to bark and reward them with treats or verbal praises. While doing this at home can be very tricky, it can also work. The key is constant vigilance. Because the home presents more stimuli than necessary for training, it would be good to incorporate a punishment system to train them to stop barking. This should complement barking training well.

Guard dog training tip #2

Defending
Guard dogs are expected to be able to attack intruders in order to defend their master. This particular portion of guard dog training is a bit too risky to be conducted at home. But should you pursue it, just remember to train your dog to distinguish between strangers and family members. Also, make sure you put up warning signs in your house to make sure that your dog does not attack people who accidentally open your gate or something.

Guard dog training tip #3

Passive reaction to Distractions
The basic problem with training dogs is that dogs usually get distracted by a lot of things – cats, female dogs in heat, food, etc. Guard dog training should make your dog capable of ignoring such distractions. Not only do they hinder the dog’s ability to guard your house effectively, but this also presents a big danger for them.

The final word on guard dog training

What ever guard dog training method you decide to go with just make sure to be consistent in your approach with it.