Simple Living & Country Skills SPECIAL COLLECTION • Choosing a Watchdog • Self-Sufficient 1-Acre Homestead • 75 Ways to Live on Less and Love It PHOTO BY: BRYAN WELCH Choosing and Training a Watchdog By Barbara Pleasant Make your pet a safe and loyal guardian. My home security system is large and Justice, 16 percent of American house- guard duty. Watchdogs look, listen and black—and she pants when it’s hot and holds were victims of property crime in bark to sound the alert that something sheds hair every spring. In return for 2003. Especially in rural areas, the theft unusual is happening in their territory. regular feeding, periodic veterinary care pattern goes like this: Thieves make a After that, humans take over. and grooming, I get a beloved compan- quick visit to a house or farm to check Dogs have performed this duty for ion that barks loudly when any strange for security, then return later to take thousands of years. In Tibet, the little vehicle enters my driveway. My dog also what they want. But a barking dog often Lhasa apso, called the “bark lion senti- chases opossums from my deck and rab- turns off potential burglars at the scout- nel dog,” was bred to work as an indoor bits from my garden. But mostly, my ing phase. watchdog. In Belgium, schipperkes watchdog makes me feel safe. It’s no surprise that, of the 68 million earned the nickname “little captain of I am not operating under an illusion: pet canines in the United States, most the boat” because of their work as ship According to the U.S. Department of are expected to perform some kind of watchdogs. homesteading “Dogs have coevolved with says even naturally friendly dogs humans for at least 12,000 years,” Watchdogs look, listen can be trained as good watchdogs. says veterinarian Andrew Lu- and bark to sound the “Dogs are quite good at realizing escher, director of the Animal when something is amiss.” Behavior Clinic at Purdue Uni- alert when something versity. “Dogs are better than Training a Watchdog any other animal at reading hu- unusual is happening in Let’s say you adopt a mixed- man body language, and they are their territory. After that, breed puppy after learning the the only animals that can follow puppy’s parents are good watch- something when you point it out humans take over. dogs. Where do you go from to them.” there? “Don’t encourage too Wayne Hunthausen, a veteri- much barking at an early age,” narian and co-author of the Handbook ask the previous owners how the dog Hunthausen says, because “territorial” of Behavior Problems of the Dog and performed as a watchdog. With a pup- barking often does not emerge until a Cat, says most dogs—including mixed py, find out as much as you can about dog is 9 months to 3 years old. Then, as breeds—can be trained as good watch- its parents, and if possible, spend time the dog reaches maturity, teach it how dogs. The exceptions are calm, less- with the parents before you decide to to do its job. reactive breeds such as bloodhounds or take the puppy home. “I like to teach the dog to bark when Newfoundland dogs. Also keep in mind that some dogs are something unusual happens, and then “You want a dog that will pick up on not content only as watchdogs. When go to a family member,” Hunthausen unusual things and then discriminate as they are not given appropriate work, says. “To do this, tell the dog to be quiet to what’s unusual,” Hunthausen says. herding dogs such as border collies or every time it barks, and then call it to “Dogs that have been bred for territorial Australian shepherds can be extremely you and give it a reward—a treat or a reactivity—Scottish terriers, Airedales excitable, which is not a good trait in chew toy. You want to develop a reflex and standard poodles—make good a watchdog. Predatory aggression is an- so that when a dog senses something watchdogs, but so do many others.” other bad trait that can be present in unusual, it barks and then goes to a fam- If you decide to adopt an adult dog, some aggressive breeds. But Luescher ily member and stops barking.” One version of this technique is “clicker training.” As the dog car- ries out a request, the owner sounds a small clicking device to alert the dog it has performed the correct behavior and then gives it a treat. As a result, the dog learns to associate the sound of the clicker with the treat. Using the clicker is very effective; the device allows the dog to instantly recognize that it has performed the desired task because it immediately hears the clicking noise. As soon as the dog is comfortable with the requested behavior, a verbal command H can replace both the clicker and treat. Donna Mlinek, an animal behavior AN WELC AN Y educator at the Dumb Friends League BR L in Denver, says words and phrases, such as “quiet” or “enough barking,” should PHOTO BY PHOTO be taught as firm word commands. “If you yell ‘Shut up!,’ the dog may think Watchdogs don’t have to be large, imposing breeds—almost any dog can be trained to you’re barking with it,” she says. signal something suspicious. The Rottweiler mix above has a loud bark and a friendly But some dogs get so carried away smile. A diligent border collie keeps lookout over a homestead in Lawrence, Kan. barking that owners have trouble teach- ing them a “quiet” command. In this homesteading case, it can help to use an “interrupter,” to think that appropriate barking is bad, insurance companies like deadbolt locks such as shaking a can with pennies in since that’s an important part of its job.” better than dogs; some companies even it, or giving the “quiet” command and When my dog wakes me up by bark- offer discounts if you don’t have a dog. squirting the dog in the mouth with wa- ing in the middle of the night, I get up (For more information, see “Dogs and ter. The dog will stop barking to lick the and look around before I tell her to set- Homeowner’s Insurance,” at left.) water; follow that by giving it a treat. tle down. I can feel her relief when she I personally want my dog’s job per- With these strategies, the dog eventu- sees that I’m doing my part. formance to fall somewhere between ally will respond to the command alone, Security Dogs that of a watchdog and that of a security and the noise or squirt won’t be neces- Security dogs take watchdogging dog. I don’t want her to bite, but I do sary, Mlinek says. a step further by aggressively defend- want strangers to encounter a dutifully “It’s important to understand that ing their territory. Because they can be territorial dog. We’re pretty convinc- you’re using aversive conditioning and dangerous, security dogs require special ing, I think. When a stranger comes to that the interrupter you use should fit training; owning one is a serious respon- my home, I often allow my dog to bark the dog,” she says. “If the conditioning sibility. a little before I tell her to settle down. is too strong, the device will elicit a fear “I do not recommend that people Not wanting to sabotage my own goals, response, which is not what you’re try- buy or attempt to train a protection I also avoid saying the dog’s name or ing to do. You also don’t want your dog dog,” Mlinek says. “This requires a using voice commands within earshot great deal of expertise and many years of strangers. Many dogs can be quickly of training, as well as precisely the right neutralized if a stranger says their name Dogs and kind of dog. A protection dog that is and gives them a treat. (If a burglar said poorly trained or handled by an un- my dog’s name while giving her a treat, Homeowner’s trained person can be very dangerous.” she might show the burglar where I hide Luescher adds, “People want a guard my extra key!) Simply offering a treat Insurance dog, so they will encourage it to be ag- will allow a delivery person to place a gressive because it makes them feel safe. package by my door, but he or she Some insurance companies charge Then things get out of hand.” would have to use commands and the higher premiums—or even deny cov- Aggressive dogs are more likely to dog’s name to get farther than that. erage—to homeowners who have spe- bite, which occurs 4.5 million times a “People also need to be aware that cific dog breeds, such as those listed year in the United States—and that’s once they start encouraging barking be- below. Owners of mixed breeds may only the number of bites reported to havior, their dogs may not make a dis- have to provide veterinarian state- authorities. In 2011, according to the tinction between the kind of ‘intruder’ ments about the dogs’ predominant bloodline before new policies can be Insurance Information Institute, dog that their owner cares about and the issued. The American Kennel Club’s bites accounted for one-third of all kind that their owner is unconcerned Web site has resources for dog own- homeowner liability claims, and the in- with,” Mlinek says.