Why get a guardian breed?

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#1
*disclaimer* This was not meant as an attack on anyone. I also do NOT intend for this thread to be a flame war. I'm just curious, and want some intelligent feedback.

There have been a lot of posts lately about guardian breeds. I've noticed that a common theme seems to be a desire to curb the breed's natural protective tendencies through extensive training/socialization.

That disturbs me greatly. Guardian breeds were bred to be that way for a reason. There are people out there who greatly desire these traits, and I believe they should be nurtured. These traits are written into the breed standard for a reason. The ideal breed specimen SHOULD have this type of temperament. The changing and lessening of temperament traits is just as bad for the breed integrity as the changing and lessening of physical traits.

I can't remember where I saw this quote from a dobie breeder, but it's very fitting. "If you have a doberman who sleep all day, loves everyone and never barks, then you have a great pet. But you have a bad doberman."

I don't believe in getting a dog with the condition of "I don't like XXX trait, so I will train it not to be that way." That is not fair to the dog. They are wired to be that way, and they are happiest when fulfilling their purpose. If you want a dog, you should like the ENTIRE dog. That is why there are hundreds of different breeds to choose from.

Besides, what if you can't train Fido to "not be that way"? What do you then? Shelters are full of dogs that could not be trained out of their natural tendencies: BCs who are "too active", terriers who dig and scenthounds who howl and bark. It's not considered responsible dog ownership to get a dog not suited to your situation. So why is it acceptable to get a hard guardian breed and try to train it to "play nice" with everyone?

Thoughts, anyone?
 

Romy

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#2
Extensive training and socialization does not lessen the protective ability and instinct in a well bred guardian breed dog.

What it does is give the dog the proper tools to determine what is actually a threat and what is normal non threatening human behavior. This makes the dog safer to be around non threatening people (like children) and less of a liability to own.

Many guardian breeds are extremely independent thinkers and bred to act without direct guidance from a human handler. That trait makes it extremely important to socialize properly. You don't want a dog that flips out at kids riding their bikes past you on a walk. You do want a dog that flips out if someone charges you with a crowbar. A well bred dog with correct protective instincts should be able to tell the difference.
 

Oko

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#3
Any dog breed with any natural tendencies needs to be taught to channel them appropriately. Just like I wouldn't want my BC trying to control anything that moved, you wouldn't want a guardian breed to guard inappropriately.
 

*blackrose

"I'm kupo for kupo nuts!"
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#4
Extensive training and socialization does not lessen the protective ability and instinct in a well bred guardian breed dog.

What it does is give the dog the proper tools to determine what is actually a threat and what is normal non threatening human behavior. This makes the dog safer to be around non threatening people (like children) and less of a liability to own.

Many guardian breeds are extremely independent thinkers and bred to act without direct guidance from a human handler. That trait makes it extremely important to socialize properly. You don't want a dog that flips out at kids riding their bikes past you on a walk. You do want a dog that flips out if someone charges you with a crowbar. A well bred dog with correct protective instincts should be able to tell the difference.
:hail::hail::hail:
 

Romy

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#6
I know it's spam, but there are a lot of lurkers on Chaz so the answers are mostly for their benefit.
 

Ozfozz

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#7
There's a massive difference between getting a guardian breed and trying to train it to act like say a Labrador Retriever, and training it to channel it's protective traits appropriately.
 

Dizzy

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#8
I know it's spam, but there are a lot of lurkers on Chaz so the answers are mostly for their benefit.
The thread should be deleted like the rest of the spam, I've already reported one... The user should be banned.
 

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