Based on many years (up to hundreds) of breeding, some dogs are naturally inclined to retrieve, hunt, dig, guard, and protect, which is a question that many pet owners frequently ask. For example, Dalmatians have long served as guard dogs for carriages against thieves. To this day, they are still very protective pets. You can learn how to train a dog to guard a person or object even if the breed of your dog isn’t naturally inclined to do so.
Remember that your goal is to get your dog to help you, not to attack other people, before you start the process of learning how to train your dog to protect you. This means that instead of pounce on another animal or person right away, you should train your dog to stand between you and a potential threat while growling and posing.
Even if your dog is justified in attacking, you risk being sued every time. Additionally, teaching an attack dog to behave aggressively can result in the dog acting out of control. You may decide to train your dog to attack only if barking doesn’t work, depending on the level of protection you desire. That could be as easy as letting the dog off his leash and allowing him to attack.
Learn about your dog’s breed-specific behavioral tendencies. Some dogs are amiable by nature, while others are the complete opposite. Some are good with children, while others are not. To find out if your dog has qualities that would make her a good candidate for a guard dog, search the web using the breed of your dog and words like “protect” and “guard.”
A barking dog will be more threatening to humans and other animals than one that glares or even snarls. Train your dog to bark (some are not natural barkers). Choose a bark command—it can be a word or a phrase, like “Bark, Duke!”—and then bark it yourself.
Keep trying the combination until your dog starts barking. Give your dog a pat, a treat, and praise when he barks for the first time. After several successful attempts, give the command alone (don’t immediately follow it with a bark) to see if your dog will respond by barking. If so, give praise, a stroke, and a treat.
Weekly repetitions will help the dog become accustomed to and conditioned to perform this.
Your dog should intervene to protect you by putting himself in the way of the danger. Once you have taught your dog to bark when called, work on teaching her to move in front of you and away from the threat. You can do this with a friend and keep your dog on a leash as you practice.
Have the friend approach. Put the dog between you and the “attacker” by giving the bark command and moving backward. When your dog exhibits this behavior repeatedly, give the bark command, stay in place, and then point to where you want the dog to stand. Give her a big hug, a treat, and praise the first time she puts herself between you and your threat.
As part of this training, when your dog approaches you and barks, your “attacker” should back off or begin to walk or trot away. Give the dog praise each time this occurs to help her understand your intention is to frighten away an attacker.
Always use positive reinforcement training rather than negative commands. If your dog behaves incorrectly, don’t correct them or call them “bad dogs”; instead, just show them the right way to behave and praise them when they do so. Continue doing this throughout the session until it becomes automatic, and keep practicing throughout the week.
Make sure your dog does not interpret all unfamiliar people as threats. Only after you bark at your dog to protect and defend you should that happen Practice interacting with strangers while walking, and discipline your dog if it begins to bark at a cyclist, jogger, skateboarder, or another animal. Use positive reinforcement, including praise, caresses, and treats.
Teach Your Dog to Bark on Command
Encourage your dog to bark whenever a stranger approaches. (If you require additional assistance, check out my advice for teaching your dog to bark when asked. (Barking at an unfamiliar person can be more effective than barking in response to the command “attack.”
Some dogs are not good at learning this command. Since my Pit Bull gets agitated and barks at vultures on the beach, I trained her to bark when I say the word “urubu” (vulture). Now, I just say the word “urubu” to get her to bark.
Take note of your dog’s natural behaviors; occasionally, he will respond.
Many dogs naturally bark, but you might need to teach your dog to stop when instructed to do so. You can tell him to sit after he has barked once or twice, and then command him to stop. If he does not stop, order the dog “down. “A dog finds it very challenging to bark when he’s on the ground.
Important Information: Your dog should not be used as a protection dog if he will not bark when called or even at strangers.
You must select a panic phrase that any member of your family, from the smallest to the largest, can use. Make sure the word you choose is unique and not something common like “attack” or “bark.” Alternatively, you could choose “help.”
It’s time to go outside, starting with your dog on a leash. Have someone your dog doesnt know approach. Give your dog the panic command once more and give him the same three barks when he is about to start barking. When he stops, tell him to be quiet and reward him with a treat. Just be patient, and your dog will eventually learn to defend you and the rest of your family when strangers approach.
The typical dog will typically bark whenever a stranger approaches. Utilize this behavior to your advantage by having a visitor who is unfamiliar with your dog ring the doorbell at your front door. Give your dog the command word when he first begins to bark. After allowing him to bark for a short while, tell him to be quiet. Make sure to reward him with plenty of praise and treats when he does this.
The breed of your dog will influence how well he will defend you or how simple he will be to train. Some breeds, such as Rottweilers, German shepherds, and Doberman Pinschers, are born protectors and require little training. You are not teaching your dog to attack; instead, the goal is to teach him to bark and behave slightly menacingly around strangers. You are preparing him to be a protector rather than a murderer.
Ring the bell, bark, hush, and reward him repeatedly in this manner until he learns to connect the command with the desired behavior. This could take several days or longer.
Five Tips for Training Your Dog to Protect You
Here are five suggestions for training a dog to protect you if you are certain that you want a personal protection dog and not a pet.
FAQ
How do you know your dog wants to protect you?
When a dog defends a person, he is responding to another dog or person coming close to the pet owner and himself. Protective dog behavior manifests differently for different dogs. Dogs may freeze, glare, snarl, show teeth, snap, or even bite an approaching person.
Can dogs be trained to protect their owners?
The act of teaching a dog to bite people is known as protection training. It entails teaching a dog to attack a person wearing padding for protection for any reason, including sport.
Will my dog instinctively protect me?
According to a recent study, dogs are naturally programmed to defend and save their owners. According to a recent study, dogs are wired to guard and save their owners, which is more evidence that they truly are our best friends.
At what age do dogs start to protect their owners?
Although you can start to see protective behaviors as early as 12 weeks, full-fledged protective behaviors usually don’t appear until your dog is about 6 months old and has reached puberty.