Jump to section
Your Husky may look big and strong with fierce eyes, but you know they are cuddly and soft inside. In fact, your big fuzzball spends most evenings cuddled up with you on the sofa, barking whenever another dog appears on the TV screen. As much as you love your Husky's companionship, you'd like to put him to work keeping an eye on things around the house. To help you do that, you want to put your Husky to use as a guard dog.
Training your Husky to be a guard dog will do more than just the obvious of keeping your house and belongings secure. It will also assert your position as pack leader, giving you control that you can use to address any problematic behavior. This type of training is also a great way to stimulate and challenge your dog. Finally, training will make for a fantastic way to bond.
Training any dog to be a guard dog is challenging and unfortunately, Huskies are no exception. However, the earlier you start and the more consistently you train, the sooner you may see results. Training will consist of setting boundaries and showing them that what you want them to protect falls within their territory. You will then need to use positive reinforcements to bring out the types of behavior they need to be an effective guard dog.
If your Husky is just a puppy then they should be a fast learner. This means you could see results in just a few weeks. However, if they are older and not such a great listener, then you may need a number of months. Stick with training and you will be able to sleep easy at night knowing your house, family, and possessions are safe and secure.
Before you can start training, you will need to gather a few items. Stock up on tasty bite-sized treats or break your dog's favorite food into small pieces. You will also need a short training leash and a friend to help you for one of the methods.
You’ll of course also need the item or space you would like your Husky to protect. Then set aside 15 minutes each day for training.
Once you have all that, you just need enthusiasm and a positive attitude, then work can begin!
The Day One Method
Most Recommended
4 Votes
Most Recommended
4 Votes
Start early
The earlier you can start training your Husky, the sooner you will see results. They are most receptive when they are puppies. So start teaching them basic obedience commands, such as ‘down’ and ‘wait’.
Encouragement
You need to encourage any promising behaviors they may need to be a guard dog. That means handing over treats and verbal praise whenever they bark or take an interest in strangers.
Obedience classes
It’s also important you take your pup to obedience classes. This is a great place for them to socialize with other pets and people. It is important they learn not to be defensive and bark at everyone.
React
If they bark at people or pets they know, then you need to react. Take them calmly by the collar and remove them from the situation. It’s important the defensive behavior is controlled and only aimed at strangers.
Avoid punishment
Don’t punish your Husky when they do something wrong or fail to defend against strangers. Fear could make them aggressive and then dangerous. Positive reinforcements are the most effective way to train a Husky.
The Boundaries Method
Effective
1 Vote
Effective
1 Vote
Morning march
Each morning, secure your Husky to a leash and walk them around the perimeter of the area you want them to guard. If you do this each day it will show them where their territory begins and ends. They will naturally want to defend anything within that space.
Evening walk
Do exactly the same thing in the evening. Walk quietly as you go, you want them to concentrate and take in their surroundings. After a couple of weeks, this will soon feel like their space to defend.
Long leash
In the daytime, secure the dog to a long leash. Make sure they have enough space to roam around the area you want them to guard. Also make sure they have access to water and are given meals.
Bark
Whenever a stranger approaches, point, talk and draw their attention to them. It may take a while, but eventually they will catch on. Continue to get them worked up until they bark.
Reward
As soon as your Husky barks, hand over a mouth-watering treat and give them some verbal praise. You now just need to repeat this each time, until they naturally get into the habit of barking at strangers.
The ‘Bark’ Method
Effective
0 Votes
Effective
0 Votes
Monitor
Spend a couple of days monitoring your Husky. You’re looking for situations that naturally trigger a bark. This could be when you are about to feed them or take them for a walk, for example.
‘Bark’
Once you have found such a situation, give a ‘bark’ command just before or as they start to bark. Give it just once in a playful voice. Note you can use any word or phrase you like for the command.
Reward
As soon as they do indeed bark, hand over a treat and some verbal praise. Now practice this for a few minutes each day, until you can get them to bark with a quick instruction.
Stranger approach
Now secure your Husky to a leash at the place you want them to guard and have a friend they do not know that well approach. As soon as they get close, point and issue a ‘bark’ command to your dog.
Reward
Have your friend shout and run away and then hand over a treat. It’s important your Husky knows they need to bark until the intruder runs away. Now practice this several times a week and try to use different people each time. Soon enough they will naturally bark at anyone that approaches.
Written by James Barra
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 03/21/2018, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
I would like to know how to train a husky to be a guard dog
June 14, 2020
Rocky's Owner
Darlene Stott - Dog Trainer and Groomer
102 Dog owners recommended
Thank you for the picture of Rocky. To train a dog to guard, one has to consult a professional at all times. They have experience and can instruct so that you, your dog, other people, and other dogs are safe in all situations. Look for a certified trainer in your area by looking online. In the meantime, take Rocky to obedience classes so that he can learn basic commands and beyond. This will give him confidence and help him to be a well-rounded dog. All the best to you and Rocky!
June 16, 2020
We adopted a Siberian Husky who was been mistreated. He is a very sweet and smart dog, he has picked up a lot of tricks and is very patient with out one year old. We are moving into a bigger city and want to train him to guard our daughter since her bedroom will be far from ours. Is there a way to train him to guard her?
May 13, 2019
Nike's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Yacqueline, I highly suggest NOT teaching him to guard her. Encouraging that type of behavior can actually lead to him being possessive of her and in extreme cases not letting you or others get close to her either. Instead, you could have him sleep outside of her door and teach him to "Speak" when someone he doesn't know enters your home. This teaches him to alert and stay close but doesn't encourage acts of aggression that go past alerting. First, teach him the "Speak" command. Once he has learned to speak when told "Speak", then have friends and family members that he doesn't know visit your home. Command him to "Speak" as soon as they enter, then reward him when he barks. You want him to remain social toward guests so don't encourage other forms of aggression, simply barking. A well socialized dog should understand the difference between unknown guest entering while you are there and someone odd sneaking in while you sleep, so socialization should not be counteractive to what you are wanting to teach. Either way he will be learning to alert, whether he feels suspicious about the person or not - simply based on them being new. Practice Quiet with those he DOES know as well, so that he will learn to be quiet around those he knows and speak around those he doesn't know. Practice this until he automatically barks without having to be told when someone new/unknown comes inside your home. Reward him with treats when he automatically barks, in anticipation of being told. When he starts to bark on his own, then stop telling him to bark, wait ten seconds to see if he will bark on his own, then tell him "Speak" if he needs a hint. Reward him more when he speaks on his own than when you have to tell him. Speak: https://wagwalking.com/training/speak Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Next, create a place for him to sleep at night near her door or room. Teach him the Place or bed command and work on that command in that location. Also reward him anytime he chooses to go there willingly. Place: https://thegooddog.net/training-videos/free-how-to-training-videos/learn-to-train-the-good-dog-way-place-command-the-good-dog-training-tips/ Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
May 13, 2019
I'm about to take in a 3 month old tricolor husky from a couple in about a week. After seeing him in person, I found him to be very shy and self-withdrawn. The owner explained to me that he's almost never been outside due to an illness going around that is supposedly fatal to pups. I'm also taking in a kitten who'd just finished weening and spent a lot of time around Elroy. Once I claim ownership of Elroy, I'll get to have 4 days to myself to get to know him and get him comfortable in his new home, but I want to make sure I do it right. What can I do to help get him to break out of his shell and gain more exposure to the outside world? And when and how should I take steps further to train him to become intimidating and protective on command? I really look forward to your response, and thank you very much in advance!
Jan. 6, 2019
Elroy's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Douglas, Check out the link I have included below. At that link you can download a free PDF e-book on puppies. There is a chapter in that book on socialization and puppy classes. I highly recommend attending a puppy class that includes supervised off-leash play time for puppies and handling with treats by dog owners. AFTER You Get Your Puppy e-Book download: https://www.lifedogtraining.com/freedownloads/ To get started on protection training, you can start telling the puppy a word that will mean growl and act intimidating whenever he growls while playing something like tug of war with you. This will help him learn to growl on cue. When he growls, praise and reward him for it. It may look like "Stranger", play growling, praise and reward for the growling. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Jan. 6, 2019