A guard dog is a dog that has been trained to serve as a security system for your family or property. Training a puppy to grow up as a guard dog without the help of a professional dog trainer or guard dog training equipment, such as attack suits, is a difficult and exhaustive process. It is important that proper diligence is paid in order to ensure that your puppy is neither too submissive nor too aggressive, thus becoming a threat to yourself or others.
Step 1
Teach your dog basic obedience, such as sit, stay and heel.
Step 2
Familiarize your puppy with your property. It is important that she learns to bark at trespassers on your property but not at everyone who walks by on the street. Failing to teach proper boundaries will lead to your dog constantly barking, which is both annoying and can cause a "boy who cried wolf" situation in which you no longer react to your dog's barking.
Step 3
Teach your puppy to stop barking immediately at your command and only at your command. Praise your puppy for barking when somebody approaches your house, then decide upon a stopping command, such as "Safe," and offer further praise and reward for stopping upon that command.
Step 4
Practice the "Release" command until mastered before teaching your dog any attack commands by playing fetch and having the dog "release" the ball or stick when commanded. At first you may have to pry the item free, followed by encouragement, but in time the dog will learn to drop when ordered.
Step 5
If you wish your guard dog to be an attack dog, do not attempt to teach attack commands unless you have proper safety equipment to protect the simulated assailant, and professional supervision. Teach the dog to grab limbs by offering encouragement when they do so, and to drag the attacker down and hold them until "release" by having the simulated assailant drop to the ground when caught. Immediately offer encouragement to the dog.
Warnings
Do not attempt to train your dog as an attack dog without proper supervision, or you could create a dangerous dog that is a threat to others as well as yourself.
An Item You Will Need
- Puppy treats