These dogs’ phenomenal physical and behavioral attributes have been employed, admired, and valued for thousands of years in a variety of conditions, and they still are today.

Upbringing

For those early months of your guardian’s life, you would be wise to go out of your way to provide a host of positive experiences for him involving friendly visitors to your home, as well as out and about in the world. That is, if you don’t want him to default to his natural instincts to protect your family from your ninety-year-old grandmother who comes to visit the new baby, leaving you to bravely hold granny at bay at your front door. To keep these kinds of awkward moments from occurring between you and your visiting family and friends for years to come, you’ll want to take every opportunity to raise your big baby to be relaxed and comfortable with the idea of people in your personal space.

In the critical socialization period in the first few months of your guardian’s life, you will have a special opportunity to buffer against the influence of his protective genetic instincts by teaching him how to take a backseat in your social interactions in and outside of the home. While you want to be sure to respect the fact that your pup might not exactly want all of these people to invade his personal space, he can at least become happy about a certain arrangement. Expose him to a wide variety of people doing all the weird people things that might set off the alarm down the road. And give him all his favorite goodies as you teach him how uneventful it can all be. He may be a little reserved and suspicious about potential “threats” to his home and family no matter what you do, but you can minimize his protective instincts by showing him that it’s all good. Do this by doling out the special stash of super snacks and squeakers upon the arrival of potential adversaries like Grandma, the UPS man, and the babysitter.

Interests and Hobbies

Guardian dogs can be pretty discerning when it comes to what will pique their interest. Most are not chomping at the bit to play silly games like fetch, and have little desire for what they perceive as unnecessary drama or a waste of energy. They are generally wired to pay attention to a select number of things, reserving their interest for those really important moments deserving of their participation. At the end of the day, your dog’s agenda is pretty much going to revolve around the fundamental well-being of his social group and territory.