What You Need To Consider Before Getting A Guard Dog
If you are someone that wants protection for your home, you may be weighing your options. One of the options a lot of homeowners opt for is a guard dog. A guard dog meaning a dog that is trained for protection. However, there is much more to consider to determine whether or not it’s a good idea. Perhaps it’s better to get a regular dog and hoping his instincts prevail? Here are some of the most important factors to consider when you are looking into getting a guard dog for protection. However, before we get into the article you may want to see how to prepare dog for post-lockdown life for some useful information.
Is It a Good Idea To Get a Guard Dog?
One of the things that you need to keep in mind is that you cannot easily train a dog to be protective without instilling bad habits. The fact is, a guard dog is going to be trained to act aggressively in most situations. To train a dog to be able to differentiate when it’s time to be vicious and when it’s time to be friendly, you’ll need advanced training. Likewise, you likely won’t love the training techniques that have to be used to do so. There are things that you need to endure when your dog is going through this advanced training that isn’t worth it.
While you could train a guard dog that does help you in some aspects of life, it may also cause more issues. A guard dog is always going to be on alert. Therefore, you may find that your guard dog is constantly alerting you that your spouse is entering the home when that’s not what you wanted. This could end up negatively impacting your life and startling everyone in your home when you wanted peace and protection. This is likely something that would need to be trained out of your dog which is only going to cost more time and money.
However, you may feel as if you need a guard dog and that the sacrifice is worth it. There is a lot to like about dogs trained as guard dogs. Not only do they form special and close bonds with their owners, but they also can be just as playful and fun. For many, a dog trained as a guard dog can be a major boost in quality of life considering they can make you feel much more protected. If you’ve decided that a guard dog is for you, here are some of the best breeds to consider.
Best Breeds For Guard Dogs:
Some breeds are naturally good guard dogs because they have natural guard dog instincts. These dogs tend to be very protective of their families and homes. You will find the best guard dogs are usually the smartest and easiest to train. Likewise, they are strong and can be tenacious.
- Akita
- Doberman Pinscher
- German Shepherd
- Rottweiler
- Akita
These breeds are also referred to by many as “guardian breeds.” They are natural-born guard dog breeds that will not only give you notice when an intruder is near, but they will also instinctively protect you. They also need to be trained to be obedient if you ever need to take full control over a situation that the dog may have misjudged. One of the best examples of a dog that is both obedient and loyal and an effective guard dog is a Belgian Malinois. This breed makes for one of the best for a single woman than wants to feel more protected while walking and while in their home.
While you will want to opt for a breed that has protective instincts, you also want to learn about some of the different health issues that are rampant in the breed you are considering. Certain health issues impact different breeds more than others. For instance, German Shepherds typically suffer from hip problems much more than other dog breeds. While it doesn’t mean you should avoid them, it does mean you need to think about them and monitor them. Likewise, you want to get one of these dogs from a reputable breeder that can supply you with the requisite documentation you need to know they come from a healthy lineage.