How do i turn my dog into a guard dog?
I live in a really bad neighborhood. i adopted a medium sized 3 year old rottweiler/mix a year ago. He is a really sweet dog. But he is also shy and skiddish because he was abused. He does bark if some one is at the door. But its 1 bark and and a short howl. I want him to do awesome aggressive barks. And if some one tries to break in, i want him to attack. Are there any training tips or guides?
Thanks!
Comments
Guard dogs look, listen and bark to sound the alert that something unusual is happening in their territory. In return for regular feeding, periodic veterinary care and grooming, they can be taught to bark loudly when any strange vehicle enters your driveway, chase opossums from your deck and rabbits from your garden and many other useful tasks. With a little training, you can make your pet a safe and loyal guardian.
Teach your dog to bark and then to go to a family member when something unusual happens. To do this, after it barks, call it to you and reward it with a treat or chew toy. You want to develop a reflex so that when a dog senses something unusual, it barks and then goes to a family member.
A variation of this technique is called 'clicker training.' As the dog carries out a request, you sound a small clicking device (found at most pet stores) to alert the dog it has performed the correct behavior, then give it a treat. As a result, the dog learns to associate the sound of the clicker with the treat. Once the association is made, gradually replace the clicker and treat with a verbal command.
Some dogs may get carried away with barking, so it may be necessary to also teach them a 'quiet' command. Sometimes it's helpful to use an 'interrupter,' such as shaking a can with pennies in it, or giving the quiet command and squirting the dog in the mouth with water. The dog will stop barking to lick the water; follow that by giving it a treat. Eventually, the dog should respond to the quiet command alone, making the noise or water unnecessary.
You never want to try to teach your dog guard or protection work on your own. All you will achieve is creating a very unstable dog that has learned to attack anyone that comes near. This is especially true for dogs with a history of abuse. Your dog is already unstable with the shy and timid behavior. A well balanced protection dog will have nevers of steel and show no signs of timidity, shiness, or be overly aggressive. This dog needs a professional trainer who can do some confidence building with the dog before working on any bite or guard work.
Your dog is a mix of a Rot. these dogs are natural guardians, and just their presence alone is a better deterrant than having an alarm system. If you are determined to have a protection dog you should find a quality/ reputable trainer. They will teach you to work with your dog after training. Never try to teach bite work on your own. This is a liability you do not want, and you will ruin your dog.
What I recommend is taking your dog for walks in the neighborhood. If people ask if he bites, say yes no matter what. This will spreade the rumors, and set people on the alert. You also should put up beware of dog signs on your gates or fences. These are known to be an even better deterrant than any security system. Just the presence of a dog is enough to scare most thieves, and anyone else that is interested in your house.
What we did with my Shepherd to give the illusion that he was trained to protect was to teach him to speak using the protect command. If you are out and about, and someone bothers you; you say the dogs name, and protect. The dog starts barking, and the person is more than likely to back off.
I'm a former corrections officer, and I know from experience that criminals are more afraid of dogs than they are guns or tasers. The would rather ride the lightening or take a bullet than get bitten.
Just get a professional trainer, and don't try to do this type of training by yourself.
Don't teach him to attack if someone breaks in. Your shy dog going up against a housebreaker stands a good chance of being injured or killed- they expect dogs, they often know how to deal with them. It won't do anything except get your dog killed quickly before he can raise the alarm. Everyone knows that the best burglar deterrent is an uncatchable dog that won't shut up, because it's not being bitten that's the problem, it's being caught.
Plus there's the danger if someone else comes into the house- your dog could be put down as aggressive or you could be sued (especially since it's a rottweiler mix). Abused and skittish dogs get afraid more often than other dogs, and generally guard dogs are supposed to attack when something goes wrong or when they're afraid- your dog will be much more likely to attack the wrong person.
Apart from that, reward him whenever he barks at someone coming to the door- give him lots of praise. You could perhaps go to stay with someone who has a dog with a good bark for a while- dogs pick up barking habits from each other, if he hears the other dog going nuts when someone arrives he'll learn to do it as well. Reward him more the longer he keeps barking, and get him excited- teach him to bark until you come along to see what the problem is, and teach him to stay out of reach until you come. That's the best way to keep yourself safe.
First of all reward him when he barks once and does his howl- praise him and make a big fuss. Then when he gets the idea, reward him more for bigger barks or when he barks for longer periods, and gradually stop rewarding him for one bark only- just wait until he gives another bark and looks at you in frustration waiting for the treat. Continue until he'll bark until you come and praise him.
You find a professional trainer for protection dogs and have them train you and the dog. It's not something to do yourself. Done incorrectly, you could turn him into a dog that bites everyone regardless of whether they're a threat or not. There are also many legal points to consider which you should discuss with a lawyer or an animal control officer could probably tell you your city's requirements on protection trained dogs. The first step though is to have a trainer evaluate the dog for potential. Honestly, from your description I don't think he really has a lot of potential as a protection dog. Lacking confidence is not a good thing for this kind of training.
All dogs can become guard dogs it really depends on how well they are trained and the house setting they were brought up in. they do not lose there playfulness at all all dogs love to play in some way. though if you get a dog that becomes extremely attached to you, if you are put into situations you do not like the dog will be able to sense this can come to your aid and guard you being a chihuahua or a shepherd they will both be able to have this reaction. its there instinct to protect there family. Now dogs that have be trained to guard places like attack dogs. do not play as they are be taught its wrong to do so. a dog being trained like this in my opinion is wrong. but even dogs on the police force have a playfull side just as much as guide dogs for the blind.
No. Period. Simple. End of story.
He does not have the right genetics, background, OR temperament. All you'll do is turn him into an indiscriminate biter that will need to be euthanized. Invest in a security system and a LEGALLY obtained and registered firearm.
It takes a good mixture of proper breeding and training to get a dog to be able to fuss, hold back, charge, and know when to bite (as well as how/when to release.) Your dog does not have the breeding and YOU do not have the experience.
Don't ruin a good dog. Unless you're highly experienced and are planning to pay hundreds extra to your insurance company, don't train a dog to be aggressive. If you're worried about your house being broken into, get a security system. A dog won't do you much good. One bullet and your dog is dead.
i think that dogs will naturally bark or otherwise make it known when someone it feels is not welcome comes around. they are after all a pack animal and will try to help / protect its pack. i feel that if you love you're dog and make him part of you're family, he will protect you automatically just for being his "pack". as far as attacking goes, it might be better if he doesnt attack because a case of mistaken identity could wind up with him attacking someone he shouldn't. if you love him and he loves you, he will try to protect you any way he can.
You dont. Dogs are not "programmable". You get a security system installed. Dogs are family, not robots. They are living beings and not meant to be weapons. Do you get it?? Probably not.
All i know is to abuse it to make it mad. But sometimes that just makes the dog scared AND THATS NOT WHAT YOU DO! DONT ABUSE YOUR ANIMALS! try using treats to teach him to me mean to people you don't know.