What Makes a Good Guard Dog?

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What Makes a Good Guard Dog?

doberman pinshcers When people seek out a new pet and select a dog, there are generally only two reasons for this choice. The first is companionship and the general addition to the family of a fun, caring, playful dog. The other is for protection. Many dogs are bred and raised to be ideal guard and watch dogs, but some people may not know exactly what this means in relation to their pooch. Are all dogs capable of being guard dogs? And what does it mean to be a good guard dog? That’s what we’ll try and address here.

Dogs, instinctually, live in packs. Part of the pack mentality is a drive to protect the rest of the pack from intruders and keep them safe. Your dog views you as part of their pack and so will have at least some primal urge to keep you from harm. With the pack mentality also comes a very territorial insistence, so anything that’s foreign must be proven okay before acceptance within the confines of the pack’s territory.

Now, with many dogs, this just means that they’ll bark whenever a stranger presents themselves and then nearly immediately get over it and get on with playing or seeking attention. This initial protective response can be encouraged depending on what role you’d like your dog to play in the family to the point that they can become a good watchdog or even a solid guard dog, though some breeds are much simpler to train in these regards than others.

The reasoning is simple genetics. Some breeds are just prone to be guard and watchdogs by nature as they contain DNA that’s been specifically bred to encourage this protective aspect. For instance, the Rottweiler breed, one of the most famous guard dog breeds, was developed specifically for this purpose. Many breeds initially breed to be hunting dogs were later bred to encourage the guard dog and watchdog traits, making the leap from chasing animals to chasing people fairly simply.

Some of the first guard dogs were actually farm dogs trained to chase off predators like foxes and wolves. They would be trained to include the sheep, cattle, or chickens as part of their pack and learned to defend them from any unwanted intrusion. The next logical step was to train specific breeds to apply the same concept for city use, giving rise to the “junkyard” dog.

These days, guard dogs are used primarily by police forces to attack and restrain criminals, only relenting when commanded to by their trainers. More common however is the watchdog, a dog that epitomizes the “his bark is worse than his bite” notion. These dogs have powerful barks which are meant to alert you to any potential person or thing of interest. Think of these pups as living security alarms, though just like a security alarm sometimes they can be set off by cats and squirrels as well.

A truly good guard dog needs to be able to do two things effectively. First, they need to be capable of backing up any bark they have, so that when it’s go time, they’re capable of defending their owner with all the strength and valor of a thousand Lassies. But secondly and probably more importantly, they need to be trained NOT to attack. A guard dog who attacks everyone is dangerous. A guard dog who attacks no one unless instructed to is trained properly.

Sometimes the best dog is a big dog. Oddly enough, some of the largest breeds are also some of the friendliest dogs you’ll ever meet. It all comes down to how you’ve trained them. Do you have a dog that’s willing to fight to protect you, or are they just willing to fight? Which dog would you rather have?