My guard dog is not guarding!!!?

Question

I have a full sized Doberman and he is about a year and a half old. He is extremely playful and if someone were to break into my home he would most likely run from them! How do I get him to be more protective???? Please help!!!

Doggie school is out of the question you have to neuter or spay for that option.

Answer 1

Dobermans have an uncanny sense to detect malice..thus far, he hasn't met a person in which he sensed malice, or danger.. He just may surprise you if ever he has to defend your home.. usually just the appearance of a Doberman will deter any wrongdoer..

Answer 2

The Dobie here at our shelter looks out for all the other dogs and cats, including our ancient ones. He manages quite well with the three legs he wound up with after an accident. He's very playful and active, but is immediately on the defense when strangers arrive at our gate.

He is the best "Guard Dog" around as far as alerting us to visitors. However, we don't encourage or tolerate aggressive behavior from any of our animals--people could get hurt and we could lose our shelter due to lawsuits.

This play/protect is part of the Dobie make-up. You wouldn't want the dog being an obnoxious growling maniac 24/7, would you? :-) I sincerely hope you or someone else in the household isn't teasing or tormenting to "make the dog mean." Those dogs usually wind up euthanized after they become a problem at home and are screened later at a shelter.

If the dog is full-sized, that's usually a deterrent to housebreakers, and the breed does have an unfortunate and undeserved reputation for fierceness. As rescue shelters well know, a so-called bad dog is the result of human mishandling 99% of the time.

PetSmart has training classes that run about 8 weeks, and are $99.00. That's the best deal around, and you don't have to worry about bringing in a spayed or neutered pet. Please consider doing this, and you and Dobie will be a lot happier with each other. Please enjoy him for the happy-go-lucky wired guy he is (think "Surfer Dude" version of a dog). Good luck to you.

Answer 3

At a year and a half your dobe is only a pup, let him be a pup he will grow into a good guard dog all by himself. Dobermans need special care and special owners, do not under any circumstances train the dog yourself to be aggressive, this can only be done by a professional trainer. As far as guarding goes you have to decide whether you want a guard dog or a watch dog, there is a huge difference. A guard dog is trained to be aggressive and will attack (this is very dangerous around a home) a watch dog is calmer and will announce strangers and naturally protect you if someone was to break in. This for dobermans usually never has to be taught, it comes with age and a sense of loyalty.

Police dogs, armed forces dogs and guard dogs are only given obedience training at a young age and then all the way up to the age of two. Formal training doesn't start until they are mature enough to handle it which happens to be around the age of two. For training your dog does not have to be neutered or spayed many well trained dogs are also show dogs, and this procedure would disqualify them.

Be patient and he will come into his own. Just remember you need to decide which type of dog you want. A watch dog can live in a home with a family and be very stable, a guard dog cannot because of their training they are always on the alert.

Answer 4

Did you train him to be a guard dog? Or did you just raise him hoping he would bite an intruder? A trained "guard dog" is too much for the average person to handle. Do you really want your dog barking and growling when your family members come to visit? IF he gets out and bites someone do you want him to be put down? If I were you I wouldn't trust myself to train him to be more protective on my own - you may end up making him aggressive.

If you are looking for protection I would say get an alarm system! It is easier to train and you won't feel sad if it is killed in the line of duty.

You should also get him neutered. It won't help with the guarding but it will prevent you from breeding a dog when it seems like you aren't a doberman expert

Answer 5

He is young, and probably never had a reason to act protectively or aggresively so far. if the need arrises, i am sure he will protect you, dobermans are very smart dogs. They dont bark without GOOD reason, either. Mine is 1 1/2, and she is goofy and sweet, but when something outside isnt to her liking, she will quietly come and get me, letting me know where she heard or saw something, which is great, since its only been a deer, or foreign cat so far. To really be the kind of dog you want, professional training would have been in order. be glad you have a well socialized dobie, and buy yourself an alarm system and a gun (or just a taser) if you are still worried.

Answer 6

Great choice of dog. I have had dobies all my life and all mine have been brought up to be family dogs. I used to say exactly what you are saying he's too soft, he wont do this" Until the time came when someone actually did break into my house he reacted like a dog i had never met before. You can never tell until the time comes where they do have to either protect you or your property how the dog will react. Dobermans are born guard dogs, they will not let you down.

Answer 7

I don't know who told you that you had to spay or neuter a dog before going to obedience school. That is totally wrong. I take my intact dogs to obedience club with me. Try finding a good trainer in personal protection work. You can look into local Schutzhund clubs as well. If you train in personal protection, you need a helper to do this. You should not be attempting to teach bite work to a dog without a helper. It sounds like you need an experienced trainer anyway. Personal protection dogs are not viscous dogs. They are well socialized dogs, that are trained to work if needed. I have a boy that would take down anyone that tried to break into my home. But, he is a very well socialized dog that does well with people when I am around. Schutzhund is a sport for dogs, they do it because they like having fun with it. Don't take your boy to a trainer that is heavy handed in training, or is one that puts the fear of god into a dog to do the work. You could end up with a fear biting idiot that way. You can train a dog in personal protection with positive reinforcement.

Answer 8

I have a lab and I thought the same thing. That is until someone tried to break into my house one night. She is very young... not even a year old yet. She was sleeping the wash room because it had been storming and she is terrified of thunder. I heard her growling and barking. I got my husband's gun and went to the door only to see two people running to a car. I called the police but of course there was nothing when they got here. My dog probably saved us a lot of money. If they would have gotten inside, I think she would have eaten them alive. Now even my husband has to talk to her before he comes in if it's late. She is very playful and nice to everyone...until she feels threatened.

Answer 9

You probsbly spoiled him rotten with love dear heart and now that is why he is so playful. However, if someone were to cause you harm, he would probably jump on the person. Dobermans usually are very good guards and are protective of their master.

Sorry about not being able to suggest anything other than a trainer who would know what to do.

Good luck dear heart.

Answer 10

It depends on what you mean by "protective". Many dogs serve as useful watchdogs simply by barking, thereby alerting the owner that there's someone around the house. The barking can also scare off potential burglars who don't want a dog's fangs hooked into their throats. If you want an actual attack dog, though, that would be tricky because you might risk a lawsuit and maybe even a court order to have the dog put down.

Answer 11

Just because this dog is a Dobermann, doesn't mean that he is a PROTECTION DOG. Protection Dogs are very carefully selected by professionals that judge their pedigree and individual temperaments. You cannot MAKE a dog more protective. A dog is either born dominant or submissive. A dominant or dominating dog will be naturally more protective of your house because he views it as his responsibility as pack leader or 2nd in line (at least) to guard the territory against intruders. A submissive dog is fearful because you are not protecting him from all the scary things in the world by not being a strong leader and encouraging the dog to find his place.
I suggest you contact a protection dog trainer in your area to assess your dog's temperament, but I doubt that this dog will ever be a protective animal.