Home Protection Dog

[Never A Victim]

My wife and I recently purchased a Doberman puppy with the hopes of having him at home at night with my wife while I am at work and while we are both out of the house. The Jack Russel mix wasn't going to deter any would be burglars. He's 11 weeks old and we are currently in the process of enrolling him in basic obedience classes.

Has anyone else been down this road before? What books, websites, training did you go trough to make sure your home protection dog became exactly what you wanted? I feel pretty confident that if I am at home I can react in a way to keep myself and my family safe. But when the houes is empty or when my wife is home alone, I didn't feel as safe.

 

[GlockPaperScissors]

I would actually like some information on this as well. I want to get a dog eventually and it would be nice to have some ideas beforehand.

 

[IncendiaryGunner]

Leerburg is a pretty solid resource for training information.

Basic obedience training is a good step to take, but understand that your dog's level of obedience will be a result of your dedication and consistency.

That is really all it is about... being patient at first, positively reinforcing good behavior, and being consistent.

I really cannot bold and underline that word enough... even if you do not enroll your dog in obedience classes, simply being consistent from the start will lead to a well behaved dog.

I have found marker training to be a good place to start. http://leerburg.com/markers.htm

 

[HavokCycle]

i've never trained home defense dogs, but i've trained a LOT of dogs in obedience.
couple key points -
A - you are master, always, and without flaw, hesitation, fear, or question.
B - repeat A.
C - whenever I did classes, there's a matter of training the master, as much as training the dog. training the dog was the easy part, dogs have no egos. training the master, not so much.

 

[Classic]

Find a trainer that will train you to train your dog. The one I used years ago is out of business so I can't help there but ultimately you need to be the one to do the training.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

We mostly need to train the ten year old to be consistent with the lab/GSD. She's great with me, great with the 17 y/o, not too bad with the fiancee, but she and the 10 y/o are bad mojo. She's territorial as all hell and doesn't bide strangers, just by instinct, but otherwise dumb as a sack of hammers. Two of my three cats I would trust before her, and the third is blind. Hoping some training will focus her.

 

[Hoosier Cowboy]

 

[moosebag]

 

[GlockPaperScissors]

This is exactly what I was looking for. Maybe in a larger size though... Where can I pick up one of these puppies?

 

[lovemachine]

Here's my home protection buddy. Barney is 120lbs, and lets me know if anyone is outside. He's a VERY good guard dog.

 

[buffalohump]

We have two dogs, they are for your protection. First they bark, next sound is a round being chambered. That's strike two. Next pitch is up to you.

 

[GlockPaperScissors]

\

Here's my home protection buddy. Barney is 120lbs, and lets me know if anyone is outside. He's a VERY good guard dog.

Awww! So adorable! He looks so happy.

 

[netsecurity]

As long as it is a male, his instincts should be sufficient to alert your family of, and intimidate an intruder. If you want to actually train him to be aggressive on command, then you need professional help, and lots of time and/or money. I think your breed will do fine as a guard dog even if you send him to normal obedience school, and treat him with love like a normal family dog. That is what I recommend. If you don't do any obedience training then the dog will probably be overly aggressive towards everyone, so definitely do at least basic obedience at a real dog school, like First Friend K-9 Training (it is actually inexpensive, but classes are packed).

The biggest thing I've learned is that each breed has dominant behavioral traits, and then each individual dog has unique behavioral traits (primarily domineering or submissive). Then, just like you have with humans, some have mental defects like paranoia, or OCD. Males are physically stronger, and innately territorial. Females can be *****es. jk

Having a male Doberman means you likely have a good guard dog no matter what you do. But if it is submissive, afraid of people, or has any mental deficits, I doubt you can train him to be a good guard dog.

 

[RedneckReject]

My greyhound half breed has had no training, but he alerts me any time he hears anything out of the ordinary. Don't let his sweet look fool you. He has a bark that makes him sound about the size of a wolfhound. He has a growl that a rabid animal would be scared of. Anyone who would want to enter my home without permission would surely turn around when they hear this. If they don't turn around, at least his "alarm" will notify me to an univited guest in my home. At which point I will be ready. Fortunately for me I am a super light sleeper. I wake up if a mouse farts. The best dog is not one that has to be trained, but one that wants to protect his home and family.

 

[Echelon]

...Having a male Doberman means you likely have a good guard dog no matter what you do. But if it is submissive, afraid of people, or has any mental deficits, I doubt you can train him to be a good guard dog.

My dad got a male Doberman a couple years hoping for a half decent guard dog. Didn't work out how he'd hoped... biggest sissy dog i've ever met.

I have two GSDs, both female, oldest is about 4, the pup is about 6mo. Oldest would do anything I ask her to, and will let you know she's there if she hears something she doesn't like, but if the SHTF, she'd probably try to hide behind me. The pup just wants to play, she doesn't care about much of anything, but she's starting to show interest when the oldest hears something.

 

[bigus_D]

First Friend K-9 Training