Huskies are tough and are going to be great guard dogs for your home, you think? Take a look below and find out just how well your husky ranks on the guard dog scale.
Huskies do not make good guard dogs! They were initially bred as companion dogs, so they have a good-natured personality and love to be around people. They are also tough to train; training your husky to be a guard dog, even though they aren’t naturally aggressive, will be next to impossible!
Below, we’ll go into that in more detail and how you can address it.
Will Siberian huskies protect their owners?
Typically, no. If someone breaks into your home or starts to attack you, huskies will not be your best choice for stepping in and helping. They aren’t aggressive, so they’ll look at you instead. Basically, figuring out what you’re doing and then copying it.
If you’ve ever noticed your husky zooming in to interrupt when you are hanging out with another person or pet, that’s because they’re very possessive. They will get upset when you start spending “too much” time with other animals and people, which can sometimes be mistaken for protectiveness.
There are rare cases, however, where a husky will bond with his human and will actually act out if their human is showing signs of distress. It just isn’t common enough to consider a husky as a guard dog. It’s more of an individualized thing between Husky and human.
Why aren’t huskies protective?
Huskies can be pretty intimidating dogs, especially when it comes to the idea of their overall size and love of watching every move you make. However, these guys are “all fluff and no bite.” They look intimidating and menacing — sort of like wolves — but they aren’t aggressive. The most substantial part of them, in that way, would be their strong prey drive.
Protective dogs have aggression in them. It’s part of their “lizard brain,” and it’s hard-wired into their DNA. Huskies are not aggressive in most situations, nor will they ever be. While there are always exceptions, of course, this is pretty standard for husky parents!
Will a husky attack an intruder?
While there are exceptions, the general rule is that a husky will not attack an intruder unless the intruder takes something that the Husky feels protective over. His favorite toy or blanket, for instance. In many cases, this would also include his food since they have a strong connection to their food.
In most cases, an intruder would end up leaving with a brand new best friend instead of dealing with a vicious guard dog.
Good qualities in huskies as guard dogs
If you’re asking this in exasperation, that’s okay. Typically, huskies aren’t your top choice. But, they do have some great qualities that can make them great shepherding dogs for your family!
The difference would just be that they keep an eye on what’s happening rather than having to act on it.
Huskies are intelligent
Easily amongst some of the smartest dogs, huskies are excellent watchdogs because they are so good at applying that intelligence to all sorts of situations.
They can figure out what behavior is normal and what is abnormal. It could apply to your kids or your behavior, or it could be other pets or even strangers. They love to understand new people and figure out what’s going on.
Hang out with the herd
Another excellent quality for huskies as shepherding dogs is that they just love being where you are! They enjoy being around and watching what’s going on at all times.
So, if you want a dog that will be all about hanging out with you and the kids at all times of the day, a husky is one of the most curious dogs that will just simply be there for it all.
Don’t bark often
It seems strange, but it makes sense. If you have a dog that’s looking out for everyone and barks, you know to pay attention. If your dog just barks at everything possible, you’ll start to ignore it. It makes it ineffective. Huskies do love to howl in most situations. When they bark, you’ll know that it’s because they’ve got something going on that you should know about.
The bottom line with these kinds of traits is that you can’t rely on huskies to be guard dogs because it’s not really in their DNA, but they can be great companions and watchdogs. In many cases, this is an excellent option for dog owners who want to have a dog that pays attention and still is good with kids.
How do I make my husky a guard dog?
Since huskies are very smart, you can train them to work for you as guard dogs, but you’ll need to be careful.
Firstly, asking a dog to do something that overrides his natural tendencies and personality can be 50% effective at the most. When you have a serious need for a guard dog, 50% effectiveness isn’t going to give you the kind of trust you need.
Also, asking a dog to do something that goes against his nature can stress him, leading to poor quality of life, emotionally speaking. Always put your Husky’s needs first. If he doesn’t want to train to be a guard dog, you shouldn’t make him!
If your Husky seems willing, however, there are a few commands that you can teach him as part of your obedience training to help give him a bit more power as a guard dog. For example:
- “Bark”
- “Attack”
- “Get help”
You can pair these commands with different activities that he’d learn to associate with the words, of course. Remember that huskies need an alpha for training, so you’ll have to work very hard with them and their stubborn natures. It will take time and patience to train your husky to serve as a guard dog properly!
Tips for training your husky to be a guard dog
Suppose your focus is on the idea of training your husky and hoping that his guard tendencies do come out. In that case, there are some essential pointers to keep in mind for everyone’s safety and comfort.
Start young and stay in charge
Huskies are stubborn at any age, so the younger that you start them in on their training routine, the better they will be able to adapt to it. They’ll simply see it as part of their routine.
Follow the standard rules for dog training, including consistency and organization, so that you’re helping your dog learn what you need him to.
Fight back against stubbornness
Frustrating to the point of tears, a husky’s stubbornness will be even stronger than average with guard dog training.
They act this way because they won’t feel in tune with guard dog commands or actions. Their confusion or lack of interest comes out in — yup, you guessed it — more stubbornness. Some husky parents even report their dogs “complaining” when they are told to do the commands!
Be prepared to adapt training as needed
There might be specific commands that work better as far as actions. If so, work with that and help grow more commands that will be fun for your husky to do. From there, you can slowly branch out to the ones that you want your dog to learn. The goal is to show first just how much fun it is to learn the commands, after all!
Have them practice with their family
Nothing like a bit of motivation to get you going! Help your husky understand that their job is to protect your children or the other pets, etc. If your Husky feels attached to them, it can help them to know why those commands are essential. Have someone sneak up on your husky and family and use the command.
Even if your husky sees it as a game, it’s still better to know that he’ll at least do something at the moment, right? Huskies love games.
So, don’t be afraid to do it that way if it holds his attention and his obedience better than the more traditional, serious training sessions. Again, it’s all about what works best for your stubborn and personality-rich Husky!
In summary
Huskies are not good guard dogs because they are very kind, compassionate, and people-oriented. They can be hard to train as guard dogs, too, because they are so stubborn.
Huskies may not be your best choice for a guard dog for the above reasons, but they can be trained to help out in other, family-focused ways. Know someone who will enjoy these? Share it!
