It’s A Dog’s Life—

Tips On Training

By Mary Jane Anderson

Q: Are there some serious disadvantages to owning a guard dog, even if the dog is professionally trained?

A: Yes, and the first and foremost disadvantage is if the dog is not properly trained for guard or protection work and the dog is in the hands of an unqualified owner, such a dog could be a great liability.

Let us first consider the dog. Working dogs such as German shepherds, Dobermans, and Rottweilers can be trained as guard or protection dogs, but not all of these dogs are training material. In fact, about 70 percent of the dogs tested were rejected because they do not show natural instinct for such work. Therefore, possibly only 30 percent of the dogs are trainable and reliable, while 70 percent of these dogs are possibly being trained by an unqualified trainer, after a fast buck!

Consequently, selection of a well-qualified trainer with a background of previously trained and accomplished dogs is of the utmost importance. All over the country, there are advertisements for sale of trained guard and protection dogs. Any of these should be judged very carefully. One advertisement states, “Bring or send your dog to us for training, any breed, any age and our registered professional training staff will train your dog in obedience-protection.” What would you say about this “professional training staff”?

The second consideration is the proposed owner. Does the person wanting a guard dog have a legitimate reason to own such a dog or would the dog be an ego booster to the owner? A well-qualified trainer would very carefully screen applicants in regard to their personalities.

Guard, protection, or police work dogs, therefore, can be a valuable asset to society, but if such dogs are in the wrong hands, the dog could be a “loaded gun.”

Q: My dog Josh will not stop jumping up on me or on visitors that come into the house. What can I do so that he does not jump on people?

A: Traditionally, the correction is made by lifting your knee to bump the dog’s chest to set him off balance and put him back on his four feet. You cannot expect other people, however, to correct your dog’s misbehavior, and also you might physically hurt your dog. So, why not keep a leash around the door knob to remind you to put on your dog’s collar before you open the door. As the door is opened and the dog begins to jump, jerk back on the leash and command “Sit.” After he has sat for a few minutes, tell him “Good” and walk away. When people are coming to visit, do the same thing with the collar and leash. After the people have sat down, then let him go visit; he must always have his four feet on the ground when he visits people. He should also sit to be praised or petted. This is not a difficult problem to correct; the problem lies with the owner’s inconsistency. The key to any correction is consistence every time!