DOGS AS GUARDS

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 November 1934, Page 12

DOGS AS GUARDS

KNOWING FOB FROM FRIEND Perhaps the best, criterion of the capacity of anyone who aspires to train dogs is the attitude his own dogs adopt towards strangers. The dog which barks at every footstep is an intolerable nuisance and liable to involve his owner in trouble if neighbours see fit !to complain. On the other hand, the I dog which goes comparatively mute all his days and wags his tail as vigorlously for a. suspicious character as for master is of little use as a guard. The happy medium is a dog which is trained to distinguish friend and foe, and to realise that his master’s guests do not approach the premises furtively or at hours when respectable citizens are asleep. The worst method of setting out to train a watchdog is to chain him up. He cannot translate a. vocal warning into action if the necessity arises. He is probably offered a piece of poisoned meat, and that, is the end of him. In any case, there is no surer way to make an animal thoroughly savage with all comers than to restrict his liberty day in day out. It is much better, by taking him on frequent tours of inspection of the house and outbuildings, to bring him to an understanding of what is required. The performance will become a kind of routine which the dog will soon begin to carry out on his own, and since he is gifted with hearing far more acute than a man’s, he will soon come naturally to distinguish between the footsteps of members of tlie household and unauthorised persons.

If he is invariably taken on a fina round of the doors and windows ai night, his natural intelligence wil prompt him to give a vociferous wel come to anyone approaching aftei that hour.

Nothing makes a greater impression on a dog than the offer of some personal belonging of his master’s. For instance, watch the pride with which a puppy will carry an old glove. This instinct may be turned to good account in training a watchdog. Give him a. coat or stick; make him sit beside it on the word “On Guard”; stand over him for a while, and if he moves away put him back into the same position. Then repeat this lesson at a distance, rebuking him gently every time ho moves, and make him understand that the treasure may not. be delivered to anyone except yourself. At first give him five or ten minutes of this kind of drill, gradually increasing the time on guard, and rewarding him with a tit-bit according to merit. After a short time you will begin to hold his interest, and eventually he will beg to be allowed something to look after whenever you leave him" on his own.

While toy dogs may be just as effective in giving the alarm as the larger breeds, big dogs are the best protection for those who live in lonely places, because their presence keeps intruders away. Chow-Chows, Alsatians, Airedales, and Kerry Blues are all highly intelligent and easy to train. The Irish terrier will tackle anything, but is rather too excitable to be always discriminating. The sporting breeds, as a rule, are too naturally “polite” or affectionate to make good guards, but bull terriers combine good sense and tenacity, and although, properly trained, they are docile enough with

strangers, (he undesirable character will usually think again before he risks an encounter.—London "Daily Telegraph”