My guard dog is too friendly. How can I train him to guard property?

Bruno will continue to be friendly towards strangers if he is introduced to them on a regular basis. If you truly are using him to be a guard dog rather than a companion or family pet, having him spend time with lots of strangers is not going to make him effective at performing his job. This will make him well-socialized and ultimately a friendly well adjusted dog. If you haven't already considered it, I would recommend looking into Schutzhund training. There is a ton of literature and media on this available, which will demonstrate how to train Bruno into being a good protector. German Shepherds are generally better dogs when they have a job do, and this type of training will provide just that type of stimulation.

I’m sorry, but our experts do not provide information regarding how to make a dog aggressive. If you want to train him in being a guard dog I suggest you consult a trainer who has experience with police and security dogs.

The first best thing you cn do with a territorial dog is invest in obedience training. This will allow you to have greater control over her when she displays her aggressions to those she feels are 'trespassing'. Additionally, makes sure she gets plenty of physical and mental stimulation. Take her for long walks, runs, play ball or fetch, take her with you wherever you can, rides in the car, anything and everything to tired her body and mind. A tired dog is a happy dog. Highly intelligent dogs are often the most anxious and therefore need a 'job'. She seems to have chosen guarding her yard as her job, you need to convince her to choose somethign else as her primary function. Never punish her for being protective as this may escalate the aggression. Try teaching her tricks or tasks, get her a Kong toy to keep herself entertained, even consider a slow feeder or a puzzle feeder to make her work and think about how to get food and treats and therefore keep her mind occupied with matters other than who's in the next back yard. Also, I highly recommend the books by Victoria Stillwell. He training methods are always based on positive training and never punishment.

I'm glad to hear Tobias has been making improvements! Protective dogs can be challenging to train and modify the behavior. Wolves are naturally protective of their territory and don't want trespassers. Certain dogs will also exhibit this behavior to a degree. In their mind, they are doing the right thing for the pack and the territory. However, most of us need a dog who is accepting of people they don't know in the house. Additionally, he may be trying to 'herd' these people to an area where they will sit down and he can get attention. Dogs are very clever like that sometimes. I recommend to read some of the books written by a trainer named Victoria Stilwell. She uses a positive reinforcement only approach for dog training and behavior modification. You may also need to help of a professional trainer for those last few tweeks you want to make. Until you know the exact reason for Tobias's behavior, it may be difficult to know what else to do to get the desired response. Best of luck.

If you are seeking a dog specifically to bark at strangers, your best bet would be not to introduce him to others outside of your immediate family. If you allow him to mingle with lots of other animals and people, he will likely become a well adjusted dog that gets along with most people. German Shepherds are definitely known for their protectiveness, especially towards their family and property. Unfortunately they are also known for their neurotic behavior and destructiveness when not given an appropriate job. Because of their high level of intelligence, German Shepherds tend to do better when they have a purpose. Oscar might benefit from some training in some type of dog related activity. German Shepherds are known for their acumen in Schutzhund. I would suggest you watch some videos online about this, and see if it is something you are interested in pursuing with your dog.

Great question! This is a bit of a tough question in that a number of breeds of dogs who are good guard dogs are also difficult. For example, a German Shepherd. Good guard dogs, but require a lot of training and are not for a first time dog owner. If you don't know how to handle them, they can be aggressive to humans and small animals. They are also high energy dogs. Personally, I would recommend a Golden Retriever. They are absolutely lovely dogs, extremely loyal, very easy to train, excellent with humans and small animals, and if need be, could defend the owner. I had a Golden for 12 years, and she was honestly the best dog I have ever owned. So sweet and caring, but I knew that if I was ever in trouble, she would defend me. Goldens are a large breed dog, and large breed dogs can be intimidating to strangers. My Minnie would bark if someone came to the door and knocked, but otherwise didn't bark much. Sometimes a bark is enough to scare someone off. I would look into getting a Golden Retriever for the reasons I listed above. I hope this helps!

This is a very difficult situation. Bruno is doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing, so it's going to be hard to win him over. I would recommend assuming that he is going to continue to be aggressive towards you and focus on taking precautions to prevent injury. If you've just returned in the last few days, it's possible he will warm up. But if it's been months, he's probably never going to accept you as a member of the family. So, with that poor outline in mind, here are a few ideas: - Never punish him or yell at him for guarding the house from you, because he is doing what he was trained/bred to do and confusion generally makes aggression worse - Develop a protocol with your family so that Bruno doesn't see you coming or going, and avoid him inside the home as well - Start working on developing a relationship with Bruno by tossing him treats without expecting anything in return If he starts warming up to you, keep taking it slow, and always assume you're not one of his "inner circle" since you missed his socialization window.