Are Huskies good guard dogs? If you’re deciding on a breed of dog for a pet, there are a lot of things to take into consideration. One may want a playful dog that can join the family with ease, while others are seeking a strong dog that can guard the home and family at all times. If you’re looking for a guard dog, one breed that probably comes to mind is a Husky. Does a Husky’s temperament make him a good guard dog?
So, are Huskies good guard dogs? No. While the Husky has a wolf-like appearance that is somewhat intimidating, unfortunately, it is not in their nature to be an aggressive guard dog. They do, however, make wonderful watchdogs that can alert you to suspicious situations; but that is as far as they go.
It can sound a little surprising that a Husky wouldn’t be a great guard dog, considering they seem to be highly energetic and look like they are one chromosome away from being a wolf. Knowing more about the Husky’s temperament and why they’re better off as watchdogs instead of guard dogs will give you a better understanding.
Why Does the Husky Breed Not Make a Good Guard Dog?
There are a lot of different traits and characteristics that make up a Husky. These traits make it better for a Husky to become a watchdog rather than a guard dog, and we will explain why.
1. Huskies are Naturally Very Energetic
When you’re deciding on a Husky, you need to be well aware that they are highly energetic and will need a lot of playtime and outdoor exercise with their owner and family.
This is great news for the family that wants to spend most of their day outside playing with their pet, but for others, it’s not such great news.
The extreme energy of a Husky would make it seem like they would become excellent guard dogs. However, the Husky is not territorial or aggressive, making this energy more useful for watching instead of guarding.
2. They Are Also Quite Curious
Again, this would seem like a great trait to have if you’re looking for a guard dog- and that’s true! But once again we’re posed with the problem of the Husky not being aggressive.
However, with their curious nature, Huskies can become excellent watchdogs as they will sniff and investigate anything out of the ordinary.
3. They’re Very Friendly
Friendliness is perhaps the biggest problem when it comes to trying to train a Siberian Husky to become a guard dog.
Huskies are incredibly friendly, meaning they will walk up to just about anyone and be readily trusting and ready to play. This is clearly not a valuable trait for the guard dog who is supposed to be alerting and guarding the home.
Huskies are a friendly breed with little to no aggression qualities, making them invaluable as a guard dog.
However, they can still be trained to be excellent watchdogs. The only problem with that is the Husky will be able to alert the owner of something going on, but they won’t be able or want to strike when trouble arises.
Can You Train a Husky to be a Guard Dog?
The fact that the Huskies are energetic and playful means they are more difficult to train than other dog breeds.
A Husky’s bite force is strong enough for a guard dog. And while they might look imposing with all that fur, Huskies actually aren’t very big.
These characteristics in combination with a friendly and not aggressive personality make training a Husky nearly impossible to train to be a guard dog.
There have been a few success stories, but those are few and far between.
The Husky is naturally a friendly and fun breed that won’t have aggression on its mind. He is not a territorial or protective breed, so trying to infuse these characteristics into a Husky is somewhat pointless.
What About Training a Husky to be a Watchdog?
Again, the Huskies are one of the more difficult breeds to train because of their personalities; but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is a Husky needs obedience training and plenty of socialization during his younger years to keep him amicable to training s a watchdog later in life.
Huskies can make wonderful watchdogs as they are energetic and curious.
If a Husky is properly trained to watch over the home, he can do a great job alerting the owners of anyone suspicious or something strange happening outside.
It’s important to remember, though, that a Husky that is trained to be a watchdog is going to do just that: watch. If anything troublesome occurs, the Husky is likely to run and hide instead of striking and protecting his home and family.
How to Train Your Husky to be a Watchdog
Training a Husky to be a watchdog isn’t too difficult, surprisingly.
Just make sure that your dog has gone through proper obedience training and knows basic commands like sit and stay. He should also be taught to bark or be silent on command.
Once your Husky has shown the ability to train and listens to commands, you can begin training your Husky to be a watchdog. You will essentially be having people come on to your property, and telling your Husky to bark once they enter. It may take a little bit of time and effort but with the right amount of training, your Husky will learn to bark at anyone who steps foot on the property.
The Husky will need plenty of positive reinforcement while he trains to be a watchdog. The Husky loves to be showered with affection and love from people, so ensuring you’re giving him ample amounts of love and positive reinforcement during training will help him to succeed.
You also want to stay away from punishing your Husky for not doing what he is supposed to. Remember that it’s not in his nature to be aggressive, but too much punishment can actually have an adverse effect on your Husky.
He will either not want to train any further or become somewhat aggressive or destructive in a negative way.
Final Thoughts
To put it simply:
If you want a guard dog, you should not choose a Siberian Husky.
Their playful, loving, and caring nature will not allow them to be aggressive towards strangers. However, these characteristics do make it possible for the Husky to be an excellent watchdog for the home and family with proper training.
Related Questions
There are the top 7 breeds to consider when you’re looking for an actual guard dog instead of a watchdog, like the Husky: Boxer, Bullmastiff, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Rottweiler
Huskies have a bad reputation when it comes to loyalty because of their friendly personalities. They are likely to be outgoing and run up to complete strangers, which one would assume meant they are not able to be loyal to one owner.
However, Huskies are very loving of their families and are loyal to their owners. It’s simply in their nature to be outgoing and fun, which makes them loyal but not able to protect their loved ones. This is why Huskies are better off being family dogs rather than watchdogs or guard dogs, although they can train to be watchdogs.
