If you or someone in your family has a dog allergy, Poodles are a good breed to consider due to their hypoallergenic coats. However, if you have a family, you may want a dog that can also serve as a guard dog to protect you and your family. Before deciding on a Poodle, you may want to consider other hypoallergenic breeds that would make the perfect fit for your home.
Are Poodles good guard dogs? Poodles are not usually good guard dogs. Although Poodles are sensitive to the sounds and other triggers around them, they often lack the aggressiveness needed to be effective. However, with the proper training and temperament, some poodles are able to do the job well.
A Poodle can be an amazing companion and a great family dog, but they aren’t as good at guarding and protecting you and your home. However, that doesn’t mean that they won’t do well with you or your family. Like all dogs, Poodles can be very loyal, and they can be great with other pets and young kids.
Qualities of a Good Guard Dog
If you want a good guard dog to protect your home and your family, there are a few traits to look for. While many breeds make great family dogs, not all of them make natural guard dogs.
You don’t need to choose a breed with all these qualities, but the more a breed has, the better suited they would be as a guard dog. Some qualities of a good guard dog include:
- Loyalty – The most important trait in a guard dog is loyalty. Your dog has to know who his people are and who are strangers. That way, he can protect the right people when necessary.
- Strength – Another trait that good guard dogs have is physical strength. If someone attacks you, you need your guard dog to be strong enough to intervene and stop the attack.
- Confidence and courageousness – These dogs also make good guard dogs because they know when to step in and help their owners.
- An Energetic Temperament – You should also choose an active breed. As cute as a lazy dog might be, they may not be able to respond as quickly as a more active breed.
- Aggressiveness – While a guard shouldn’t be aggressive all the time, they should have an aggressive side that they can bring out to show their dominance.
While Poodles may be loyal, active, and confident, they aren’t the best guarding dogs. They aren’t as aggressive as some other breeds, and they don’t always know how to use their size and strength to intimidate. If you’re set on a Poodle as a guard dog, you may be able to train your dog to protect you and your family, but it might take more work than more common guard dog breeds.
Common Guard Dog Breeds
While you could arguably train almost any dog to work as a guard dog, some breeds have natural characteristics that help them. Because of that, some breeds are simply more common as guard dogs than other breeds, and that’s okay. Still, knowing some common guard dog breeds and their traits can help you train a Poodle to be a guard dog potentially.
Dogs like Australian Shepherds and Boxers made great guard dogs. The Australian Shepherd is a medium-sized dog that’s very good at herding just about any human or animal. They’re also more alert than the average dog, which can come in handy when they need to guard you.
A Boxer is a very loyal dog, and these dogs are also alert and courageous. They’re very outgoing and easy to train, which can help you train them to be guard dogs. These dogs can also make great family pets.
German Shepherds are another popular guard dog breed. They are smart, confident, and courageous, which makes them perfect for the job of knowing when to spring into action. These dogs love to please their owners, and they’re somewhat easy to train.
While these aren’t the only common guard dog breeds, they all have some important traits. Of course, individual dogs within these breeds might be better as guard dogs than others.
If you want to learn more, the American Kennel Club has an extensive list of dog breeds that can work as guard dogs.
You could also view the video below to see the top 10 guard dog breeds.
Poodle Qualities That Can Aid in Guard Dog Training
Now that you have an idea of what to look for in a guard dog, you can compare those traits to common features of the Poodle. Poodles can be very loyal, and they’re also very athletic and active. They’re typically medium or large, which makes them better than a smaller dog when it comes to being a guard dog. Some Qualities that help poodles in guard dog training are:
- Attentiveness – Poodles are very good at paying close attention to their surroundings, in fact, they’re one of the most attentive breeds in the dog kingdom. This means they know what’s going on around them at all times.
- Plays Nice With Others – Poodles work well with other pets and animals, and they aren’t aggressive around strangers, which can be nice if you have frequent visitors.
- Energetic – A Poodle needs a lot of exercise, and they like to move around a lot.
- High-Strung – Poodles tend to bark, and they can be nervous when exposed to loud sounds when in a stressful situation.
- Easily Trainable – One of the best traits that you find in Poodles is that they’re easy to train. This can be advantageous whether you want a guard dog or not.
Before you get a Poodle, understanding their common traits can help you prepare for your new pet. If you decide that you don’t need a guard dog, a Poodle is a great fit in many households. However, you may be able to train a Poodle to be a guard dog.
With the right training, a Poodle could learn just about any skill. You may have to be persistent, but it’s not impossible for a Poodle to be a guard dog.
Training a Poodle to be a Guard Dog
As mentioned, Poodles are very easy to train, which can be a good or a bad thing. If a Poodle isn’t trained well, they can exhibit the same problems as other untrained dogs. However, the right training might give your dog the courage he needs to protect you and your family.
The best time to start training a Poodle to be a guard dog is as early as possible. If you get your Poodle as a puppy, that’s great, but even if you get an older dog, start as soon as you can. You can follow some standard training methods for guard dogs, such as training them on the perimeter of your home or property.
Once they learn what area is their territory, they can associate that with wanting to protect it. Hopefully, they can put their territorial instincts to work whenever harm comes your way.
You Might Need a Watchdog, Not a Guard Dog
Sometimes, you may think you need a guard dog, but a watchdog might be the better choice. Guard dogs can be very aggressive, so they aren’t ideal for homes with young children or other pets. On the other hand, a watchdog can alert you when something is wrong, but they won’t attack in the same way as a guard dog.
The Standard and Miniature Poodle both make excellent watchdogs. Of course, they’re attentive and easy to train, so you can train them to let you know when there’s a problem. Since they aren’t as aggressive, they won’t be as destructive as a guard dog might be.
Final Thoughts
There are many benefits to getting a Poodle, like the fact that they have hypoallergenic fur. However, they aren’t the best breed if you need a guard dog. On the other hand, they make great watchdogs, which might be all the protection you need
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