Dog Training - What's A Watchdog About?
Many people confuse watchdogs with guard dogs. It is critical for people who want a watchdog to difference between the two. The role of a watchdog is to act more like an alarm system when he sees what he considers a thread toward their master or toward their territory. Some of these events that watchdogs consider threatening are someone getting too close to you, a stranger entering your property or someone walking around your backyard.
If you have a dog that barks to everyone that gets near you or your house, like for example the mailman, someone jogging around or another animal like a cat or another dog, this dog is not considered a watchdog, and what it basically means is that your dog is not well trained.
So what are the things you need to know when training a watchdog? A very critical fact is that you need to go toward your dog every time he barks. You have to be consistent and do this every single time your dog barks. Depending on what your dog is barking at you will need to praise him or discourage him from barking. For example, if your pet is barking at something you want him to bark at, you should give him lots of praise and maybe even a treat. If your dog is barking at something you do not want him to bark at, then you need to put your hand around your pup's mouth, look at his eyes and say the word "quiet". You need to make sure you are consistent at this, until your dog really understands what you are trying to tell him.
To speed the training of your watchdog it is suggested that you set up different situations with friends, neighbors or family members to give your dog the opportunity to react toward the situation and so you can correct him or praise him accordingly. The more you practice this with your dog, the better he will get at it. Remember to reward your dog every time he barks for the right situation.
There are some dogs that are natural watchdogs; some other dogs are not cut off to be watchdogs. You can't expect a dog that is not a watchdog to become one. If what you want is really a watchdog, make sure to do the appropriate research on the breed of dog you are considering to get, to make certain that the dog have the watchdog skills that you are looking for. A great quality for a watchdog is a dog that barks selectively, and not to everything they see or hear, that is why some it is important to apply the right dog training techniques as mentioned above to get your dog properly trained.
If you get to your dog's site every time he would bark, then he will learn to take his job as a serious issue. The dog will love the attention and praises that he gets from you when he is barking for the right situation and you will see more of this behavior, in contrast the dog behavior to baking at everything and anything will start extinguishing.
Have a great "dog training" day,
Dr. Alfonso
