And it helps that they tower over just about every other breed of dog around. Though smaller than some of the other guard dogs, Appenzeller Sennenhunds still make a great guard dog pick due to their agility and energy. A dog will consider you to be part of his family as much as you consider him to be part of yours. Image license: Creative Commons (view source), Homeless pets need help year round every year. Designed to Protect Are you concerned for the safety of your dog? Do not invite guests over, or if you do, keep your dog in a separate area in the home. Great Dane. Protective dogs are asking for other dogs or people to move away from the preferred owner, In behavior modification for protective dogs, treat delivery is contingent upon others approaching, once the person/dog leaves, treat delivery stops. The Belgian Malinois is likely the favorite breed of professional protection dog trainers, and they’re likely the most common breed working for police and military units in the US. Share your favorite training tips, ideas and methods with other Positively members! Being known for a strong muscular look, the Doberman has matchless stamina and energy to sustain in unfavorable situations. Dogs acting protective have a space bubble in place when they are in company of their favorite person. js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; Dogs are known to be ‘man’s best friend’ because of their boundless loyalty and willingness to protect their masters. We also deploy dogs for livestock protection against bears and coyotes. Don’t over indulge the dog. Look for a dog trainer/dog behavior professional experienced in aggression and using force-free behavior modification. Here are ten of those breeds. if (d.getElementById(id)) return; A protective dog is showing a natural behavior when he reacts in an aggressive way if he feels you’re in danger. Why do dogs sleep with their eyes open? If your dog senses a pregnancy, you’ll likely notice a change in their behavior. In other words, these dogs desire space and want to put distance with the person or dog that is approaching. Wednesday: 7am-6 pm Which Dog Breeds Are the Most Protective? Therefore, you need to stop this aggressive behavior before it gets out of hand. That would be counterproductive though. Enlist the entire family’s help and take a step back in your role as primary caregiver. You need to be careful not to make your pet overly protective, so do not allow your canine companion to snap at everything that moves without reprimanding him. Although now not so commonly used due to the evolution of other dog breeds, this breed is still in use for personal protection by fighting if there is a need to do so. Similar in looks and temperament to the Belgian malinois, the German shepherd dog is another intense, active dog breed also favored as a police or military working dog. Many dogs have a space bubble, that is, an imaginary boundary, which when surpassed, makes the dog feels on the defensive. Know what strong leadership looks like from your dog’s perspective. Another root cause of this behavior is that some dogs are bred with protective characteristic traits. Have someone else feed the dog a few times a week, and encourage other people to engage him in playtime. Dogs are pack animals (according to the most popular theory), and part of a pack animal’s duty is to ensure that the rest of the pack is safe. Putting some space between you and your dog will help him learn to trust other people. However, you must ensure that your dog does not become overprotective as this can lead to problems in the future. A dog like this would not let a young baby or child be lost or left behind. (function(d, s, id) { If you allow your dog to become too aggressive and protective, you are making him think that you are weak and in need of protection; this ensures you are not seen as the pack leader. Paying attention to your dog's ears is important to gain a deeper knowledge about what is going on with your canine friend, however, it's important to consider that ears are only one piece of the puzzle. This is because every time the dog puts on the aggressive display, approaching people or other dogs tend to raise a "white flag" and move away. Other dogs, like some shepherd dogs, spitz dogs, cattle dogs and some catch dogs are also great guard dogs as well as being useful as multifunctional dogs, acting as attack dogs, personal protection dogs, police dogs, sport dogs such as schutzhund dogs, etc. Read more. On the other hand, more than a willful desire to protect a resource, there are chances that some dogs simply feel very safe when nearby a particular person; whereas, they feel threatened by others, but because they feel safe in presence of their preferred owner, they put up a false scene of "get away from us...or else...". To better understand this behavior it takes gaining a closer look into the roots of the behavior which dates back to when a dog's ancestors lived in groups and hunted for their own meat. You walk your dog and the moment he sees another dog, he's barking as if he just saw an alien from another planet. Guard dogs are not restricted to mastiffs. It makes no sense punishing dogs for barking and growling if we fail to tackle the underlying emotions. The dog whisperer himself, Cesar Milan, rates Doberman pinschers among the best guard dogs. Friday: 7am-6 pm The barking, growling and lunging are therefore external manifestations of an internal turmoil with the dog pleading for distance. If your dog snaps at a stranger on the street when you are walking him, for example, and you do nothing to discipline him, the dog will take this as approval and will continue on this path. We hear numerous stories of pooches that give their lives to save their owner without a second thought. If your dog acts protective in presence of people approaching, do not allow them to approach. Take for example a Sheepdog, this type of dog is bred to protect the sheep and herd them together in an event of danger. These dogs certainly deserve being given the benefit of doubt before labeling them as hard-headed or lazy. Tuesday: 7am-6 pm Some dogs may grow protective once the dog owner grows old and some dogs only act protective towards children. Are they jealous? It comes natural for dogs to form a strong emotional attachment to certain caregivers and therefore, it is possible for the dog to "resource guard" his favorite person just as they would do with a high-value bone, toy or a favorite sleeping spot. Confident, well-socialized dogs typically aren't the ones to act protective. Interestingly, some dogs act protective of a particular person in particular circumstances, such as when the caregiver is pregnant or sick or when that particular person is sleeping. One tactic for putting a stop to protective tendencies in a dog is to teach him that good things happen when other humans or animals approach their food or belongings from a young age. Skip punishment-based techniques. While the list is good and it is damn hard to beat a German Shepard there are a couple of other breeds worth noting. This training method is known as. Saturday: 9am-5pm Some guard stolen items, such as food wrappers from the trash can or socks. It's a common sight for people who walk their dogs by fenced yards to see dogs who are highly aroused and barking. If you own a dog that comes from an abusive background, you may notice that he is extra protective. When you’ve taken your dog for a quick stroll in the evening and you see a loud and slightly intimidating group across the road, having your protective dog at your side can certainly put you at ease. What is causing though the internal turmoil in these dogs? 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