by David Yuri

As there are a lot of Indian dogs, breeders have started the competition; but this time it is not about the best in show, but who makes the top 10 guard dogs. It is not easy, as different breeders have different criteria; as well as that owners have their opinions when it comes to what they want in a dog.

The best guard dog is not a specific dog, but any dog that is well trained and has good manners and acts calmly around the family. To get these good manners, owners should start using professional training techniques at the age of 2 or 3 months when the puppy’s personality is forming. German Shepherds and Rottweilers make good home guards partly because people expect them to be protective. Either breed is very loving with family when raised and trained with them starting at 8 weeks. Nothing is automatic and dogs don’t do a good job of training themselves. This is why these 2 dogs will always be part of the top 10 guard dogs. But all dogs, including Indian dogs can make it to that list.

Almost any dog will bark and if you are a novice a true guard breed would probably be too dominating for you. Danes are good guards but usually mellow, so they could be a good choice for someone who has never had guard dogs. So are Rottweilers but they need a firm hand and knowledgeable owner or they will take over. Any breed has wild and mellow dogs. If the parents are mellow the pups will likely be so too. Black dogs are scarier so a black Labrador may fit your bill. And whether you choose any of the above or Indian dogs, you should know that all dogs need exercise to a greater or lesser degree.

When selecting a puppy for making to the top 10 guard dogs list you need to choose the pup that is most dominate. There are breeds that are known for their potential to bite but don’t get it unless you are prepared to insure your dominance over the pup. This does not mean for you to totally dominate the dog to where he sub misses totally, but to where the dog knows that you are alpha and he is second in command after you. Indian dogs such as the Himalayan mastiff or the Indian bull mastiff are known to be dominant, so watch out!

If you want your dog’s behavior to place it in the top 10 guard dogs it would be best to take it to a professional school. That way, you won’t be training the dog to be vicious; there are enough of those types around. You want your dog to be alert to strangers and not attack anyone, unless of course, they are breaking in or attacking you. You could also expose him to lots of new people and situations in order to make it more confident. This way he’ll be able to tell a threat from a situation that is not serious. Some breeds are naturally tougher, while others will never be aggressive no matter what you do. If you teach your dog to bite, you will have a huge liability problem - you and your family can be sued or even go to jail if your dog injures someone. Your homeowner’s insurance policy may even refuse to cover you if you have a dangerous dog.

A lot of people have purchased Indian dogs with the intention of training them to be guard dogs. Although many Indian breeds are not known for being in the top 10 guard dogs they can still be trained to faithfully watch your properties and assets.

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by MarcGoldberg

Remember that dog who just knew you didn’t want her piddling in the house? Some dogs just need a slight sense of disapproval from you, and they virtually housebreak themselves.

But you don’t have one of those dogs…or you wouldn’t be reading this!

So how do we house train the dog who just doesn’t seem to get it? Believe it or not, it’s simple.

I have two key words for you:

Confine and Observe.

While there is a great deal to know about food and water scheduling, timing can vary from dog to dog. So we’ll just concentrate here on the main concept which is to confine your dog to an appropriately sized crate when you cannot observe her.

A properly sized crate is large enough for your dog to stand up and turn around, but hardly bigger than that. If you have a puppy in a large crate, she’ll think she’s got a bedroom with a bathroom built in. She’ll wee in one corner and sleep in the other.

The correctly sized crate consists of bedroom only with no “bathroom.” So if your crate is too large, go to the pet store and purchase a crate divider so you can temporarily reduce the accessible area.

Fido should be in her crate unless you can observe her 100%. This means that when the dog is loose, she has your undivided attention. Consider attaching a 6 foot light cord to the collar so you can more easily locate the dog, and prevent her from leaving the room without you. Simply step on the cord to stop her.

At the first sign your dog needs to go, whisk her outside. Those signs include circling, sniffing, anxiousness, whining among other symptoms.

When you’re not observing your dog with full attention, you confine her to the crate. That being said, you do need to ensure your dog has liberty periodically so she’s not all day in the crate. By being diligent now, you’ll be able to give Fido years of liberty with no worries. So it’s well worth the investment in time at this stage.

Be sure you spend time playing with your dog, and also let her wander outside the crate. Avoid tossing her in the crate as punishment. Alleviate your guilt feelings by placing bones smeared with peanut butter in with her.

This method makes it impossible for your dog to have an accident. You’re either right there to take her out, or she’s in the crate where she won’t want to go. When you’ve had a month with no accidents, you can begin to let the dog earn a little more liberty, five or ten minutes at a time.

That means she can be out of your sight for a few moments at a time. But only a few. You want to build slowly on a record of success until your dog literally forgets that the house ever contained a bathroom.

For each week with no accident, you can give Fido a few more moments of liberty at a time. However, if there is an accident, go back a step, and reduce that liberty. One accident in the house erases progress made for the several previous days.

Confine and Observe your way to house breaking success. In the course of just two or three months, you’ll have a dog you can trust in the home. It’s going to be worth the effort!

About the Author

Marc Goldberg is an IACP Certified Dog Trainer specializing in the rehabilitation of difficult dogs and improving relationships. He is Vice President of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP) and Editor of SafeHands Journal. The author also educates professional dog trainers in his techniques. Visit him on the web at http://www.chicagodogtrainer.com or http://www.dogtraininginchicago.com.

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by MarcGoldberg
You live with a predator.

He is not human.

He is armed with fangs for slashing flesh and molars for crushing bone. His jaw may exert nine hundred pounds per square inch of pressure. He has forty-two teeth in all.

His sense of smell is so powerful that we, with our human limitations, can barely comprehend. Our olfactory sense does not detect odors unless they are painfully obvious. The nose of this more efficient hunter collects and concentrates minute traces of scent until they create a mental picture more detailed than a visual image. When he smells the ground, he knows every thing that has passed within many, many hours, days even.

While our human eyes process a wealth of colorful detail, his eyes are specialized organs tuned to detect movement above all.

Aligned above his eyes and nose, aimed forward, preternatural ears detect frequencies and sound which easily escape us. Noises such as the softest rodent squeak beneath a thick blanket of snow do not evade him. The footfall of a stranger on an outside porch step does not escape his attention. He hears the breath of large prey even from a distance.

He is swift. The fastest of his kind can sprint at forty miles per hour, covering ten feet in a single bound.

He is agile and he is strong. He can crawl. He can jump. He has a high ratio of muscle to fat. He is an efficient predator. A carnivore designed to detect prey, catch it, to kill, to eat, to reproduce.

He is a social animal. Left to his own kind, he will live in a clearly organized pack led by a dominant male and a dominant female. Serious challenges to the social structure will be met swiftly and violently. Yet a strong survival and social instinct inhibits this killer from harming his own kind unless necessary to maintain order. Thus, he speaks a complex and rich language with which he can advertise his intentions. He assures his pack mates that he means no harm, but that he will defend his rank within the pack.

He is an animal. He is a predator. He is opportunistic. He understands social order, his place in that order, and lacking strong leadership from above, he is ready to assume control of his pack. He is ready to defend his pack from outsiders. And he is ready to protect it from social unrest within.

He is your dog.

He has forsaken life with his kind to inhabit your world. But he has not forsaken his nature. He retains his predatory nature. He remains a social animal. You and your family members are his pack mates. You are his leader.

Or he is yours.

Make no mistake about it. Your dog understands the hierarchy in his pack, the organizational flow chart if you will. He will yield to pack mates above him on the chart, but not below.

For example, if you give your dog a high value treat such as a meaty bone, can you take it away? Does your dog remove the bone and run away with it as soon as you’ve given it? That is a low level form of resource guarding behavior. Higher up on the scale is when your dog freezes and stiffens over the bone. In his language, your dog is very clearly stating an intention to guard the resource.

The only question is to what length he will go in order to retain it. Perhaps he is bluffing. If you reach in closer to touch the bone he may give it up. Or perhaps he will begin to growl, stiffening further over the treat, revealing his fangs. Whether he decides to bite you is a question determined not only by his perception of your ranking versus his, but also by the level of aggression he is willing to employ in defending this resource from you on this day.

If he is your leader, then he decides whether or not you touch the bone, and if that act will cost you an injury. If you are his leader, then when you make clear your intent to take the bone, he drops it into your hand without protest.

Dogs do not bite by accident. They decide. They choose. They make conscious decisions in a split second. If your dog permits you to take food and other valuable resources away and is willing to follow your direction, chances are good that he regards you as his leader. Therefore, he will give you all the privileges due your rank.

However, you may find that the dog does not treat all members of your family the same. If he respects you, but not your spouse or children, this can lead to serious problems. Be on the look out for ranking issues in the family.

If you find that your dog does not accept your leadership role, consider contacting us or another professional dog trainer to assist you. Not all dominant dogs are aggressive. Some dogs are very benign dictators who never bother to reinforce their rules upon you. But if your dog is the leader in your home, things can go wrong in this backward relationship.

The beauty of dog training is that, much like counseling, it can put the relationship back on track so the love affair can flourish.

About the Author

Marc Goldberg is an IACP Certified Dog Trainer specializing in the rehabilitation of difficult dogs and improving relationships. He is Vice President of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP) and Editor of SafeHands Journal. The author also educates professional dog trainers in his techniques. Visit him on the web at http://www.chicagodogtrainer.com or http://www.dogtraininginchicago.com.

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by Gerry Ronson

Doberman Pinschers originated in Germany around the late 1800’s as personal guard dogs, watch dogs, rodent killers, sheep herders, and gun dogs. Since then they have become extremely important to combat for the Marine Corps and as guard dogs for many houses. You will find the Doberman Pinscher is 65 to 90 pounds. Males tend to grow to 26- 28 inches, while the female is usually 24-26 inches in height. They are black, red, blue, and fan in colouring with tan markings.

Their coat tends to be thick, smooth, short, and coarse. You will find that they shed a little hair during certain seasons, but much less than other breeds of dog. The Doberman works well as a guard dog because of their extremely muscular body. They are able to jump to great heights and have quite a bit of stamina. Despite being a medium sized dog they are fierce. You will find they are resourceful, intelligent, and courageous as well as protection and devoted.

Grooming is not a huge concern for these dogs as the lack of hair helps you keep them clean. They do need occasional brushing or wiping down with a towel, but for the most part they are extremely clean dogs. Most often you will have to have dental hygiene care as well as trimmed nails. Bathing is not recommended with their sensitive skin. You will also find that they tend to suffer from Wobbler syndrome, Von Willebrands disease, hip dysplasia, and heart disorders. Unlike other dog breeds you will find the cold climates are too harsh on the Doberman Pinscher.

When considering how well they do around other people you will note that they are assertive in behaviour, and that they love companionship and stimulation from humans. They do well with like dogs, but can be a little anti social with other dog breeds. You will not want to have one around if you have small children, as they are not very tolerant. Strangers need to be cautious when first meeting the Doberman pinscher as they tend to be a little aloof. You will also find they need a lot of attention as most dogs do. They don’t like being left for long periods of time and do well with active owners. This breed is not recommended if you have never owned a dog before or don’t wish to provide a lot of exercise.

Training is quite easy once you determine the pecking order with the dog. They need a dominant owner. Someone who will give them attention as well as give them respect is the best type of owner. They can be shy, timid or aggressive without proper training. It is best to train right from the early stages of puppy- hood to get the best traits. They don’t like harsh treatment and it will not work. Rewards or reinforcement for the correct behaviour is the best way to train them as well as consistency. You will find they are great with tracking, search and rescue, police work, and as therapy dogs when they have had the proper training. Mentioned above was exercise. They do need to have a lot of exercise during the day. Just a small walk and a little playtime are not going to be enough. They need to have play sessions, and long walks to feel their best. Though they can live in apartments the ideal place for them is a fenced backyard where they can run free and get plenty of play in during the day. Most often a house is the best place you can have.

Gerry Ronson - Kong Dog Toys, Dog Collars and Dog Beds.

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