A guard dog, also commonly known as a watchdog, is utilized to guard something (usual someone's home or a business) against things like unwanted intruders such as criminals or wild animals.

When a guard dog notices an unwanted creatures presence it begins to bark which is both an attempt to scare away the intruder as well as method to alert the guard dog's master that there is some kind of trouble going on. Normally a watch dog's job would end here but there are some watch dogs that are trained to subdue any intruders. Watch dogs that are in charge of keeping watch over a flock of livestock for instance may be trained to take down a wolf that attempts to attack the flock for example.

One of the first things that a dog being trained to be a guard dog needs to be taught is that it needs to become indifferent toward other animals. If guard dogs are not taught this, an animal looking for a fight for example could distract them and they would loose sight of whatever they were in charge of guarding. Teaching a male guard dog to ignore female dogs can be a daunting but not impossible task.

Barking is another issue that needs to be addressed with a dog being trained to guard something. Most all puppies and older dogs bark in order to let their master know that something or someone is there. If you have plans for a guard dog that resides outside you are going to want it to be quiet. This is a great idea as it can also teach your guard dog to not run off in the direction of any disturbances, which protects your guard dog's safety.

Almost all guard dogs need to be trained to bite quite hard. This way they can disarm and take down intruders and keep them down until the police arrive.

Studies have shown that female dogs generally make better choices for guard dogs. The reason for this is their strong desire to protect there young.

There are many breeds that are commonly associated with being used as a guard dog. Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Pit Bulls and Dobermans are all extremely popular guard dog choices.

If you have plans on purchasing a dog for the purpose of it being a guard dog, do a bit of research to be positive that you are selecting a breed of dog that is conditioned for this type of training.