How to know which kind of dog breed would make a good guard dog?

Dogs protect its owners and the family and provide an array of services, some of which are just astonishing and entertaining at the same time and useful too.  Dogs can perform amazing feats of agility to entertain us, assist handicapped people and children with special needs and use their ultra-sensing noses to help track criminals and find out hidden items. But the most impressive performance of dogs is the protection it provides to its owner’s family. Dogs have immense love for humans and are willing to do anything to keep their owners and home safe. Not only family protection, but dogs can provide many other types of protection by undergoing proper training at dog training Bentonville AR.

We are going to talk about guard dogs in this article. Interestingly, all dogs are guard dogs in their own rights because when a dog barks, it is enough to frighten people and drive them away or at least halt them on their tracks. This is true for dogs of all breeds and sizes. Only hardened criminals who are accustomed to dog behavior can dare to cross the initial barrier of barking dogs. 

Dog breeders and trainers use a variety of terms to describe the dog types according to the kind of protection it provides in order to describe the most competent dog breeds. However, dog breeds do not define the type of protection that it can offer because it depends on the kind of training it receives. 

Types of protective dogs

Watchdogs – These dogs keep an eye on what is going around, and the moment they detect any stranger approaching or anything unusual happening, it starts barking loudly to alert people who can then deal with the situation. The habit of barking is inherent in dogs, and in most cases, it does not need any training to groom the dog to become a watchdog. Since watchdogs need not get physical with a perceived threat, even small dogs like Chihuahuas can be good watchdogs.

Guard dogs – Guard dogs not only perform the tasks of watchdogs but go a step ahead and can get physical with the aggressor to defend the owner and the family from threats.  They start barking first, and if it is not enough to stop the advancing threat, then it would even pounce upon the invader and bite it if required. When to attack, the aggressor is what guard dogs learn during the training, and it can excel in its task of guarding homes and properties. 

Sentry dogs – Sentry dogs are very much like guard dogs, but these are deployed specifically to act as sentries for guarding a defined area of large properties and yards. Sentry dogs must possess some specific traits and have a high level of intelligence besides being self-reliant and confident so that they can be on their own and act without any direction from humans.  

Personal protection dogs – Personal protection dogs have lots of similarities with guard dogs in protecting individuals and families, but its specialty is that it can protect people when they are moving around. The dog accompanies the person to all places like a bodyguard and has special training to differentiate between friends and foes and can safely perform their duties in crowded places. Usually, these dogs have a very strong bond with the people they protect.

Attack dogs – Police and the military use attack dogs because, in addition to performing the tasks of the other protection dogs, it has special skills and training to be used as a weapon to unleash attacks on specific targets. The dogs are very ferocious, and only their handlers can use them effectively, or else it can turn very dangerous if handled by the wrong people.  

Most dogs perform the duties of watchdogs efficiently, but only some selected breeds with advanced training can qualify for providing advanced protection that involves attacking strangers and even biting them.

Do guard dogs fit well within families?

Before inducing a dog in a family, one must carefully consider its implications, especially if it is a large size dog of some breed that normally serves as guard dogs. Large dogs and even its pups might hurt children while playing or just goofing around. The sheer size and weight of the dog would be overbearing for children. Luckily, most guard dog breeds are loyal and love humans, but still, you must train it properly and love it with lots of affection to enable it to socialize in a various environment that makes it easy for the animal to adapt to the conditions and become a part of the family.

Selecting dogs carefully from the proper bloodlines will ensure that it easily becomes beloved to the family members and learn the ways of treating children with kid gloves. 

What makes a good guard dog?

Some specific dog breeds make good guard dogs because it possesses some characteristics that exhibit traits t you would expect from a dog that is responsible for guarding humans.

Intelligent – A guard dog must possess the minimum intelligence of responding to some basic commands like lay down, sit, stay, and heel. Moreover, it must have in it the instinct of distinguishing between innocuous stimuli and real threats.

Loyal – Loyalty of guard dogs must be absolute towards the family it protects, and its allegiance to the family should always remain unquestionable. It should never be that the dog keeps welcoming sundry visitors to the home.

Brave – Guard dogs must be very brave and ready to face any danger that presents itself.  It must have the courage to confront well-built criminals with a robust physique who could be much larger than the largest size of a guard dog.

Willingness to protect – Guard dogs not only bond very strongly with the home that they protect but must be willing to go at intruders by keeping a close watch on trespassers.

Fearlessness is the common trait of guard dogs when faced with danger, but it also longs the lovable hug very much, which makes it suitable for protecting homes.