How to Train a Dog for Defense

Training a dog to defend your home or your person is a difficult and time-consuming process, but it provides an important layer of protection during a crisis. Although training a dog to physically attack an aggressor is possible, it is dangerous and seldom attempted by mainstream dog owners. It is possible, however, to train a dog to bark a warning whenever a stranger approaches your front door, which simultaneously alerts you of possible danger and deters potential burglars.

Instructions

Choose a dog breed that is known for loyalty, trainability, excellent temperament and confidence, like a German shepherd, Labrador retriever, American bulldog, or mastiff, unless you already own a dog you wish to train. Get the dog when it is a small puppy or a newborn so you can start training it immediately. Spend a lot of time around the dog during the first weeks and months of its life; this will forge a stronger connection when training the dog for defense. Make sure the dog is fed nutritious food, exercised regularly and treated with respect.

Assemble some of your dog's favorite treats when you are ready to begin training. Choose a command word, such as "bark," that you will use to train your dog. Offer a treat to your dog, but retract your hand when your dog tries to take the treat and speak the command word. Repeat this until the dog barks in frustration. Praise the dog in the moments after she barks and give her the treat; it is crucial to react quickly enough for your dog to connect the barking, the praise and the command. Repeat this process until the dog barks when she hears the command word spoken. Allow several days, if not weeks, for your dog to master this game.

Gather more treats and take your dog to the front room. Go outside, wait several seconds, then open the door. Give the command to bark as you open the door. Reward the dog for barking with a treat and affectionate praise. Repeat several times, but occasionally omit the command, until the dog learns to bark when he sees the door open. Expand this behavior to knocking, if desired, by knocking and issuing the command, then gradually dropping the spoken command.

Narrow the focus of the barking behavior to strangers by silencing the dog when a person the dog has already met is at the door, but slipping the dog a treat if it barks when a solicitor or stranger is knocking. Take time during this process; dogs learn complex behaviors slowly, and they thrive with patient owners. Remember that teaching your dog to bark when strangers are at the door should be undertaken carefully; the dog must fall silent on command and may frighten newcomers. Check for danger or suspicious activity if your dog barks in the middle of the night.

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