If you live in a farmland, or a village with few people or far away from city or town, a wathdog would be necessory for you in case of accidents. The role of a watchdog is not to attack people or to chase people away. A watchdog’s purpose is to sound the alarm when he sees someone do something that you really need to know about.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 16 percent of American households were victims of property crime in 2003. Especially in rural areas, the theft pattern goes like this: Thieves make a quick visit to a house or farm to check for security, then return later to take what they want. But a barking dog often turns off potential burglars at the scouting phase. Its no surprise that, of the 68 million pet canines in the United States, most are expected to perform some kind of guard duty. Watchdogs look, listen and bark to sound the alert that something unusual is happening in their territory.
For example, if a stranger walks into your backyard, or tampers with your cars, or fiddles with your front gate, those are things you need to know about. On the other hand, if a jogger or a cat pass on the sidewalk, the mailman goes by, or someone shouts in the yard next door, there is no sense in your dog barking at those things.
If you already have a dog you love, then it’s a great added bonus that you may be able to train him to serve as a watchdog. But dogs being expensive, if you don’t really want to put a lot of time, money, and effort into raising a dog, don’t make the mistake of acquiring one for the sole purpose of sounding the alarm when suspicious people come around. In the long run it is likely to cost you a great deal more to properly maintain a dog than to buy and pay the upkeep on a first rate security system.
The trick to training a primo watchdog is to go to him every time he barks, every time. From the first moment he first steps paw on the plantation, you need to answer your dogs every bark by rushing to his side. Then, depending on what he is barking at, you must either pet and praise him, or sharply tell him “No” and give him a little smack. If he is barking at something you want him to bark at, like a stranger opening the gate, you praise and pet him, and maybe give him a taste of dog biscuit. If he was barking at something extraneous, like someone passing on the sidewalk, tell him “No” and give him a smart little two finger tap. If you provide your dog with that kind of steady feedback, it won’t take him long to catch on to what is to be barked at and what is to be ignored. The tough part is disciplining yourself to respond to his every bark.
If unexpected guest comes and has something to do, but you feel uneasy about him, you can let your dog to follow him. No matter he goes away or sit down, your dog must follow closely. If he touches things, the dog can bark at him and bite his clothes. Its better to train the watchdog to understand our language. It must be not only a good watchdog, but also a polite usher. It can do all kinds of things agilely, and is good at observing and obeys the master.