How to Train Your Dog to Guard Sheep

Choose a breed that has the attributes needed to be an effective guard dog. German Shepherds, for example, are often a sensible choice. There are plenty of other alternatives though, just do your homework first.

Secure your dog to a leash and walk him around the sheep and area you want him to guard. Do this twice a day. This will reinforce where his territory begins and ends. Once he considers the sheep to fall within that, he will naturally want to guard them from outsiders.

You need to make sure he doesn’t see the sheep as prey. So, spend time each day walking him around the sheep. Give him treats and words of encouragement whenever he remains calm. Pull him away if he turns aggressive. Do this regularly and he will soon learn to accept them.

You need to encourage any signs of defensive and guarding behavior from an early age. Any chasing and barking at strangers should be rewarded with treats and verbal praise. This will help him naturally develop into a guard dog.

It is important you do not punish him. Scaring him could make him aggressive and dangerous. He may then be even harder to control and you don’t want him biting you or anyone else, let alone any of the sheep.

Spend a couple of days looking for situations that cause him to bark. You are going to use these to train him to bark on command. When he is waiting for meals or about to go out for a walk are common triggers.

Now put him in one of the bark inducing situations and give a ‘bark’ command just before or as he barks. Give it in a clear but playful voice. Dogs learn best when they think they are playing a game.

As soon as he starts barking, hand over a tasty reward. Give him some verbal praise too. The happier he feels afterwards, the more likely he will be to follow your instruction again. Now practice this for a few minutes each day. After a few days, start giving the command in an array of situations. By this point, he will associate the instruction with the command.

Once he understands the ‘bark’ command, it’s time to incorporate it into guarding the sheep. So, secure him to a leash and take him to the sheep. Now have a friend or stranger approach. Give the command and reward him as soon as he barks.

Over the next few weeks, have different people approach him when he is around the sheep. Each time you need to instruct him to bark. After a while, it will become habit to bark at any person or animal that approaches. At this point, you can slowly phase out the treats.

To fully integrate him into working with and guarding the sheep, you also need to feed him near them. Having said that, make sure he has some privacy. He shouldn’t have sheep trying to eat his meals. This will all help the area feel more like his territory.

When he is just a puppy, really encourage play between him and the sheep. Secure him in a small pen and supervise him. As he gets older you can allow them into bigger, more open spaces. Again, this will help him feel like the sheep are his to protect.

Secure him to an extremely long leash or rope to start with. Make sure he has enough space that he can cover a lot of the sheep's area. This will help make the space and the sheep feel part of his territory.

You must encourage him to run up to and bark at strangers. To do that, have people approach, then point, shout and run towards them. Dogs mirror their owners' behavior, so if he sees you do this each time, he will soon follow suit. Then reward him with a treat when he displays the right behavior. Once he jumps up at anything that approaches, you can gradually cut out the treats.

It is important you are careful having him around when it is birthing season. The temptation to switch from guarding to hunting can be high when newborn lambs are around. So, wait until he has proved himself a reliable guard dog before you expose him to that.