How to Train a Husky as Guard Dog

Hello Melissa, Guard dog training will start with simply teaching pup Basic and Intermediate Obedience to lay a good foundation with you. Once pup is good at that you can teach the Speak command, reward for automatic alerts and attentiveness to build on that, and if you want to pursue bite work, I would then hire a professional protection trainer to do the bite work with you. For the obedience, you can either teach Basic obedience commands on your own, then work those up to an intermediate level as pup improves, or join a Basic Obedience class, then after pup completes that, an Intermediate Obedience class to gain obedience even around distractions. The following commands are some good ones to teach if you plan to work on this on your own. Thresholds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-w28C2g68M Out - which means leave the area: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Leave It method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Quiet method (this will also allow you to teach Speak for future use if you give pup a Speak cue when pup barks): https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Place command: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75dyWITP1s Down-Stay: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/train-your-labrador-to-lie-down-and-stay/ Sit: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-sit Heel- Turns method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Come - Reel in method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-whippet-to-recall Off- section on The Off command: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-train-dog-stay-off-couch/ Drop It – Exchange method: https://wagwalking.com/training/drop-it For an Intermediate Obedience level, check out trainers like James Penrith from TaketheLeadDogTraining from Youtube, and Ian Dunbar from dogstardaily. When looking for a high quality class for your purposes, look for one with a trainer who also is experienced with off leash, advanced obedience, who understands what a dog's defense drive is, and has some experience with things likeSchlutzhund, protection training IPO, French Ring, or other bite sports, so that even though you will just be pursing training through them for basic and intermediate obedience at first, they will have a good understanding of where you want to go with pup in the long run, so can help you modify the early points of training to prepare pup for the more advanced stuff you will pursue in a few months. I also always recommend finding someone who comes well recommended by their previous clients. Other's referrals are great additions, but its their previous clients that you want to check into, since they are the ones who have been helped by that trainer, especially those who were wanting similar training as you are.. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Tiffany, If you are looking to train pup to protect an unfenced yard, I highly suggest hiring a professional trainer who has a lot of experience with off-leash training, including boundary training, as well as protection training. You will need a higher level of training than some to ensure that pup is safe as a protection or guard dog in an area that doesn't contain them. If pup were to react toward someone off your property - even a couple of feet off your property, you could have a lawsuit, pup's life at stake, and the injury of another person on your hands so I wouldn't recommend tackling this type of training by yourself. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Michael, You can either hire a professional protection trainer to train pups formally, or you can work on teaching pups to bark when someone comes onto the property and generally be more alert of surroundings, on your own. For any bite work, you will need to hire professional help though. To teach pups to bark and be more alert, first, teach pup the Speak command. The following article gives a few ways you can teach that depending on what triggers barking most easily for them. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-to-speak Once pups knows the speak command, recruit friends pups don't know to step onto the property outside the fence while pups watch from a window or inside your fence. Command speak and reward with a treat when they do. Practice with telling pups to speak each time the person is on the property, until pups bark on their own when the person appears without you saying speak first. At that point, have the person step onto the property, wait seven seconds to see if pups will bark on their own, reward if they do, and command speak if they don't - then reward but give a smaller reward when you tell pups opposed to when pups bark on their own without prompting. Practice until pups will bark each time someone appears on the property. Practice with different people you can recruit, that pups doesn't know so that pups will learn to do this with anyone who enters the property and not just that one person. Draw pup's attention to people outside or people on your property, and reward pup when you see them watching someone in general - so that pups will begin watching people and staying more alert as a habit. Pups don't have to bark to reward this one - just reward when pup is watching someone and you notice that. I also recommend teaching the Quiet command, so that you can tell pups when to stop barking after they alert. Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark If pups are motivated by rewards, you can likely still train this despite their ages. It will take more practice and likely more prompting to teach Speak to begin with. With this type of training you are not teaching pups to protect the property in terms of bite work. You are simply teaching them to alert and appear protective. True protection would need to be pursued with a protection trainer who has the equipment and knowledge to work with pups in person safely. You don't want to accidently create aggression or fear. True protection involving bite work will be much harder with older dogs, opposed to teaching alerting and pups appearing intimidating. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello. Many pet owners are concerned that their dogs are too friendly to be guard dogs. Dogs have intense instincts and know when someone/something is a threat. You can count on your dog to be protective when needed. Even the friendliest dogs know when something isn't right or when you are in danger.