What courses are needed to train a guard dog?

My dog is a bull mastiff x german shepherd, I am a first time dog owner so I have no idea what courses are needed. Do you need to do obedience training first and take it from there or do you just start guard dog training straight away? Is there a special type of course my dog needs to take?

Your dog does not need any guard dog training. His inbred instincts are enough. You work on housebreaking him and teaching him basic obedience; I recommend joining a dog training club. You'll learn a lot.

not all dogs are "guard dog" material. Temperament is generally evaluated first. Yes obedience is your first step because you will want your dog to listen to you very well. Google guard dog training and you should find some helpful stuff to feed your curious mind. Good luck!

Work on the basics first, guarding will come naturally. Once you get your dog through training, which should take about 6 months min. as you want to ensure your dog never fails to obey a command, then you can look into more aggressive training. Never use shock collars as a training tool, only positive enforcement. Be prepared that your dog may not have the right temperament or drive to actually pass proper "guard" dog training.

I have seen mastiffs and the ones I have observed are NOT guard dog material.you cannot train a dog to be protective, this comes naturally in his genetics.does he permit strangers to enter your home? and then ONLY because you held your dog back?if this is the case, YOU have guard dog material, he is a natural. good for you!!!!

If your dogs lives in the house he won't need any training, he will warn you of all outside activity and protect you. When a dog lives outside, would be intruders come armed to silence your dog, consequently even a trained guard dog will have a very short life.

You didn't mention your dog age, the best training will start on age of 4-5 months.you need to lean him the basic thing like yes, no, come, sit, go, stay, lay downthese basic trainings will lead you to the higher training levels.

You do not need to train your dog to be a guard. But, obedience classes are a good idea for all dogs.

Your a first time dog owner and you want to train your dog as a guard dog!!!!!Don`t go down that road until you have vastly much more experience of how to train and handle large dogs.Obedience training is a must for all dogs especially large breeds like yours. Enrol in a good dog club and teach your dog all the basic obedience commands. This will also establish your role as your dogs leader and create a strong bond between you both.Your dog will automatically be a good watchdog (different from a fully trained guard dog) and will bark to warn you if strangers are about.Professional guard dog training is very expensive and dogs have to have an impeccable temperament and lots of confident defence drive to be a suitable candidate for this type of work. They must be under full control at all times. Its not just a case of winding a dog up to bite all and sundry that approach the dogs territory. This sort of training is dangerous and irresponsible and not fair on the dog as it could end up being put down if it bites indiscriminately.

As a first time dog owner you are in no position to train a guard dog. It's dangerous even for an experienced dog trainer. Please read this article before going any further;http://www.dogtrainingbasics.com/GuardDog.html

yes take to a professional trainer

Proper guard dog training is quite expensive. I suggest you get an alarm system- it's cheaper. You would need to enroll in regular obedience classes with a qualified trainer first. Avoid any commercial training centers like Petsmart. As you progress through the advanced levels consult with your trainer about specialty trainers in our area. You may want to start with something like Schutzhund or another form of similar training. It will take a couple of years and thousands of dollars to get a reliably trained "guard" dog.