A new home can be a huge investment. It's for this reason that you would want to keep it safe. Today, there is more emphasis than ever on home security. You could be living in a gated community, a high rise apartment, or in a very remote area of the country, but all of these scenarios don't exactly prevent you from the dangers of unwanted home intrusions. In fact, many of the higher end economic neighborhoods are often targets for theft. Yet, while home security is important for maintaining comfort and safety in life, sometimes all of the steps towards improving home security can feel over exaggerated and pricey. Some home alarm systems prove to be very reliable but they can be expensive, or you may want to hire neighborhood security that patrol your neighborhood to prevent interested thieves from surveying your property. In either case you're going to have to pay a good amount for the service. But there is another more simple, fun, and cheaper way to improve your home security while adding to your family core by buying a good guard dog.

What's a good guard dog?

Many people have bad conceptions of guard dogs because they imagine the raging Pit Bull or Rottweiler that could tear you to shreds. Well in some cases these wild raging dogs do exist and give the common person a sense of fear just by their looks. However, a good guard dog could be anything from a German Sheppard, to a Doberman Retriever, or even a Black Lab. The main issue at hand is the dogs training. Essentially you want a dog that you can easily control, but also a dog that can be territorial about your property.

Start Early

The best time to potentially train a good guard dog is at an early age. It is better that they become professionally trained or you can train them yourself. In general the best time for a dog to be professionally trained is within the age range of 6 to 12 months old. A good guard dog can be male or female, it doesn't matter so much the gender as the training. It is important that they receive the basic obedience training which includes hand signals, voice recognition, and the ability to obey you with or without a leash. The next step in training your guard dog is the common Controlled Aggression Training. This training really depends on the intensity of the guard dog you want to own. Because once your puppy finishes training it is important to remember that having a professionally trained guard dog is just like having a weapon.

If you prefer a reliable dog to warn off strangers and to provide basic home security, it may be just as useful to expose them to their surroundings. Take them around the neighborhood so they can interact with other people and dogs, and become accustomed to noises and commotion from the neighborhood. In the end, the most enjoyable part of a guard dog is that you get to enjoy their company and have constructive interaction. They will be able to serve as a loving part of the family and as a living home alarm system.