By Stan Beck

Guard dog training is usually provided by owners who want their pets to guard their homes smartly. Even if untrained, most dogs assume the job of guarding the home of their master. This could be because dogs are highly territorial in nature and dogs are also known to be devoted, protective animals that guard their master throughout the day; and they have proven this for thousands of years.

A Guard dog watches its territory for anything strange, be it human beings, animals or objects. Anything unusual will be considered a threat and met with incessant barking even if its master thinks otherwise. The dog's natural guarding skill with the use of its senses added to its protectiveness and loyalty makes it an effective watchdog. Add to it a little training and you will already have a very efficient guard to watch over your household and keep your family feeling protected from intruders all day.

Dogs normally bark, but you've got to teach it to bark smartly, as it might only be producing noise and wasting its energy when it barks for no good reason. Teach your dog to bark effectively by rewarding it with a treat or a toy each time it barks at an intruder or an unfamiliar face or object; then go to a family member. This will reinforce your dog's barking habit when this is practiced regularly. It will also learn to condition itself to bark and approach a family member each time that it finds something unusual coming.

Another way to develop good barking habits is to use the clicker method. Every time that your pet barks at an unfamiliar visitor should be acknowledged by sounding the clicker, followed by a reward. As it develops the habit, you will be able to replace the clicker sound with a verbal command need.

A dog barking to protect its territory is good for you, but you will reach a point when it's barking is no longer necessary and you need it to stop and be quiet. To do this, you need an interrupter that will teach your pet to quiet down. One way is to shake a can with pennies in it, or by squirting its mouth with water and giving the "quiet" command. A stunned dog will to quiet down as the can of pennies is shaken; similarly, the dog will be quieted when it licks the water squirted in its mouth; and as it quiets down, you have to acknowledge its response with a treat. Your pet will eventually adopt to the "quiet" command with constant practice and time will come when the can of pennies or the water squirt will no longer be necessary to get the "quiet" command executed.

A higher level watchdog is the security dog. They belong to a higher category because they are taught to be aggressive when their territory is under threat. Security dogs can be dangerous because they are capable of inflicting serious injury to people or other animals. People who are interested to adopt a security dog must see to it that he understands the bit responsibility that is upon him.

Most home security companies usually advise their clients to post a "Beware of Dog" sign outside their homes. This is partly to deter intruders from forcing their way in and also to warn visitors that a security dog is placed somewhere and they must wait for the owner to assist them. Security dogs are trained to be aggressive, while guard dogs only need to bark smartly to alert its owner that something is coming. This is where guard dog training comes into play.

You can teach your dog to guard, to bark sensibly and to be quiet. Stan Beck's free Dog Training Guide will lead you while you develop your dog to become a good pet. He also maintains a website that provides useful insights in making dog training easier. To drop by his website just click here.

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