ImageDogs have been used to safeguard people’s homes for many years Having a trusted companion to keep your home safe can be the best way to rest easy.

Whilst plenty of hard-working Security Dogs are of a particular breed, it is still feasible to give your dog the suitable traits with the appropriate Security Dog Training. Dogs with a good manner around young children and show control in exciting situations are often the best to keep your home safe. It is complicated sometimes to quantify whether your puppy will have these attributes, but as we see below, the younger you begin Security Guard Training, the better.

For around ten percent of all dog-owners, the principle reason for their pet is to offer security for their family home. It is therefore momentous that these pet owners realise that security dog training is not something to be learnt overnight. If you are thinking about using your dog as a means of protection against intruders in the home, you can start by following these very simple tips:

1. Being seen as the ‘master’ is essential and this starts when the dog is a puppy. It is so important that the dog understands your domination over them as without this, there is no way you will be able to then train your dog into a security dog. Starting your security dog training with an older dog that has no respect for you or anyone else is virtually useless.

2. If you are training your dog from a puppy, it is then far easier to ‘add-on’ commands to the standard collection of normal commands. By building upon these building blocks of dog training, the influence of your security dog training is easily enhanced.

3. Your dog must understand and act upon the command ‘come’. Without this basic command, your dog will not be able to take on new commands and will get distracted easily.

4. As with all dog training, an unalterable voice is a requirement so it’s worth spending some time practising your tone, volume and pitch and seeing how it affects your dog. Choose the most effective voice and stick to it.

5. Positive reinforcement is integral in Security Dog Training, as it is in many aspects of dog training. Many dog owners make the mistake of associating failure with negative reinforcement which can include physical punishment.In Security Dog Training, this can create an overly aggressive dog which will only lead to further problems.

6. Your dog must understand and act upon the command ‘stop’. Why I hear you ask – “surely in the event of someone breaking into my property I won’t be wanting to get my dog to stop?!” Wrong. Getting your dog to stop and lie down, regardless of what they are stopping doing, is an invaluable attribute and considerable in training your dog to be an effective security dog. The ‘Stop’ command is the golden command and the real sign of a dog’s obedience.

7. How many times have you been barked at whilst innocently just walking past someone’s house? Your dog must understand and act upon the command ‘No bark’. You may be thinking, “surely an efficacious guard dog is one which doesn’t stop barking in order to alert as many people as possible about a break in into my home”. Whilst this is proper, again getting your dog to understand the differences between regular people visiting your home and criminals is substantial.

So there you have it, some top tips to think of when deciding whether to train your dog into a Security Dog. If you decide to begin your Security Dog Training with an adult dog, the challenges you will face are greater but you still may be able to get the required results…it might just take more time! A better idea is to start your Security Dog Training the minute your puppy becomes part of your family and secure your home with a law-abiding, intelligent Security Dog!