The number of companies specializing in guard dog training is on the rise, driven by the high crime rate and the feelings of insecurity this has produced. Concerned citizens are ready to spend as much as $1,000 to $5,000 on training their dogs to protect their families. There are, however, a number of drawbacks to this type of training. Training a dog to attack or protect can create a dangerous situation. The most serious problems are the absence of government standards and the existence of unskilled trainers with no knowledge of canine ethology. Finally, many potential owners are not sufficiently informed of the legal ramifications of owning such a dog and usually lack the training required to control the animal.

Any breed, large or small, can be trained as a guard dog. As they mature, dogs naturally develop the ability to bark moderately to signal the arrival of a visitor. The ideal guard dog does not bark too loudly or insistently and, generally speaking, does not bite or attack. However, dogs do sometimes become problem barkers, which means they bark at anything that moves, and they can also develop aggressive behaviour. Studies show that 23% of dogs become aggressive and 15% engage in excessive barking.

Some 10,000 years ago, men and wolves hunted the same prey. Since men would frequently kill more animals than they needed to survive, wolves would approach the hunting grounds and eat the leftovers. Later, wolves began to follow hunters home to their camps. During the Neolithic Era, camps become more permanent. Wolves and primitive men had common enemies. Semi-domesticated wolves would guard over these camps. The characteristics of watchdogs began with this natural selection, and continue to the present day. While dogs may show differing aptitudes for guarding, they all share the ability.

Puppies usually start barking between the ages of four and six months. If the owner fails to immediately correct the problem or encourages the barking, the dog will bark too much and guard his environment more aggressively. A more excitable dog will bark excessively, even without unintentional encouragement from his owner.

When four-month-old puppies begin to bark, owners and visitors initially find it amusing and often encourage it. Around the age of eight or nine months, however, the barking is much less humorous. The puppy has matured and the barking is more threatening. As they approach their one-year birthday, puppies learn to associate this threatening barking with reactions of avoidance, mistrust and fear from certain visitors. The dog therefore learns he can manipulate and control his environment and get a reaction from people. Owners must quickly intervene when the dog is young and teach him who is the master.

Like excessive barking, aggressive behaviour develops primarily from the dog's interactions with his environment. If the owner overstimulates the dog by shouting ''Who's there?'' every time someone knocks on the door, dogs who tend to hide or who, on the contrary, tend to jump up on visitors, will develop aggressive behaviour if their barking does not drive away visitors. Also, if the owner physically punishes the animal or locks him up because he barks at the arrival of visitors, the dog could associate these punishments with strangers and learn to defend himself by biting his owner or host.

Although it is normal for puppies to bark at unidentified sounds, or new odours or movements, this behaviour should be discouraged. To ensure your puppy grows up calm and confident, it is essential to introduce him to various situations (other dogs, children, visitors, etc.) where you can exhibit your skills as leader of the pack. If you don't, the dog may bark at the slightest provocation (a passing pedestrian, the doorbell, etc.) instead of barking moderately to warn you of the presence of a stranger. Owners who want a good watchdog must therefore train their dogs from an early age.

Here is an effective method to curb excessive barking. First of all, take note of what causes the barking. Then, recreate these situations (often with the help of another person). As soon as the dog barks, clap your hands and call the dog using the command ''Come.'' If you are in the same room as your dog, you must leave the room when you ask the animal to come. In this way, the dog satisfies his need to bark and warn by going to join his master.

Once you have successfully finished this first stage, you may find that your dog barks at anything that moves when you are away. Once again, you must recreate the situation that provokes the barking. This time, however, you must be hidden and inaccessible to the dog, outside near an open window, for example. When the dog starts barking, clap your hands or make another non-verbal noise. Since the dog associates this noise with his master, the dog will attempt to find you to warn you. As in the previous exercise, the dog will look for his master instead of barking. It is important to note that it is very difficult to condition a dog. Often, owners will fail to use exactly the same sound. To help the animal learn, you could use the ABS Anti-Barking Collar collar to interrupt the unwanted behaviour and then train him as described above.

Once a dog has matured and developed associations between barking and its owner's reactions, he will naturally act as a watchdog without special training. However, owners must be responsible for their animals' behaviour. As the dog grows, they must not encourage barking or isolate the dog. Owners must also control barking, which will prevent nuisance barking and unnecessary aggressive behaviour.