How to Make Labrador Guard Dog? 5 Training Tips

Would you like your cuddly Labrador to also double as a guard dog for your home? Let’s explore how to make Labrador guard dog. It’s not easy because it’s going against their nature but we’ll share 5 tips to help you bring out your Labs inner guard dog.

Along with the loving nature of Labradors, there is a wide range of benefits to owning this large breed, and security is one of them.

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How to train a Labrador to be a guard dog 

Labradors are not aggressive dogs by birth. They don’t even bark at strangers. So if you are willing to raise an aggressive and guarding dog, then you will have to train it properly. It can be a tough job to teach your Labrador to be an aggressive dog, but consistency makes it possible.

Training a Labrador as a guard dog serves the owners with multiple benefits such as a range of protection along with the elimination of the threat.

But how do you gain all of these benefits? How to train your Labrador to be aggressive or to be a guard dog? 

Are Labradors good guard dogs?

However, the characteristics of a Labrador are not typical for guard dogs.

Yes, Labradors can be guard dogs, but it’s just one side of the story. Sadly, Labradors are not suitable as guard dogs if we compare them with other large breeds.

If you are turning your Labrador into a guard dog, you will have to spend a lot and a lot of time on training sessions. Even after dozens of sessions, you will not get a perfect guarding fur ball.

Labradors can’t ditch their nature which is relatively calm and friendly; because of this, they will never be good guard dogs.

Can Labs be guard dogs?

Almost all of us love the idea of adopting a cuddly and friendly dog, for sure. But sometimes, we want some aggressive touch in the nature of our dogs to safeguard our home and family. Well, the idea is to get the best of both worlds, and it’s not that difficult.

Believe it or not, the large breed can easily be trained to be a guarding dog but expect too much hard work. It requires a wide range of innovative techniques along with patience.

Before getting into the tips and recommendations, we advise you to take the help of a professional to make sure that training is going smoothly according to plans.

But before you get into the training, know about the traits which make the Labrador good as guarding dog.

1. Big in size

A Labrador’s size is perfect for guarding. Their size helps keep unwanted visitors away.  

Labradors are smart

Labradors are playful, and at the same time, they are very smart. Moreover, Labradors are 7^th in rank for all large breeds for intelligence and obedience.

Labradors are obedient enough to react to the very first commands 95% of the time. As well as, Labradors are known to learn new orders fast as compared to other dog breeds.

2. Energetic and protective

Labradors are full of energy which makes them perfect for guard training. They interpret training as a game or exercise and therefore learn the behavior fast. Also, exercise is a basic need of Labrador, so you must put it into training sessions to fulfill the requirement.

Labrador, the large energetic breed, is alert at the time of suspicious activities.

At the same time, Labradors are protective of their owners and property. This protective nature makes them aggressive to strangers or suspicious people.

3. Loud in nature

Almost all Labradors are loud, which offers a deterrent in case of any foe. So the Labrador bark is like a lion’s roar which is more than enough to warn anyone.

Labrador Guard Dog

Let’s look at how to turn your Labrador into a guard dog. Following some tips will make the process easy.

1. Hire a trainer

First of all, make sure that you are hiring a trainer for your Labrador to make it aggressive in this way; half of your job will be done in the first step.

Trainers are well aware of the Labrador’s nature and know their job very well. Moreover, trainers have the equipment necessary to train a dog to be aggressive for the guarding purpose.

With the proper use of the equipment and verbal cues, the teacher or trainer will turn your Labrador into a guarding dog without any harm.

2. Dummy scenarios

Do not expect the perfect aggressive behavior of your sweet Labrador at the very first sign of danger.

While training the Labrador, you will have to expose it to the dummy scenarios like gunfire so that it will understand the suspicious activities.

Teach your Labrador to react to suspicious activities and provide a treat when it is responding as expected. Even when your dog is barking at strangers or in planned scenarios, provide him with joy and praise for it.

Training your dog to be aggressive is the only situation in which you can encourage the excessive barking of your dog. Constantly show your dog that it is making good reactions; it is going to be more productive in the training sessions.

3. The reward for expected behavior

When your doorbell is ringing, and Labrador is the first to react and run towards the door, reward it. Positive reinforcement is going to make your Labrador continue this behavior.

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4. Try to be calm and consistent.

Keep calm and never show angry behavior to your Labrador because it may ruin all of your hard work. To transform your Labrador into a guard dog you need to be consistent.

When it’s about Labradors, they may take a long time to be a guard dog compared to the other breeds, so you should not lose hope.

5. Do not neuter

Labs that have high testosterone levels are better at reacting to their environment.

You will find a wide range of methods to train your dog to be aggressive; all you have to do is follow the recommendations. Again, consistency is needed from the trainer as well as from the owner.