Are Labradoodles Protective? Can You Train Them to Guard?

Labradoodles are known for being one of the cutest and sweetest dog breeds, not just because of their incredibly adorable features but also their goofy, playful, and loving character.

It’s hard to think of them in any other way than this cute being that can brighten anyone’s day, but one of the most important things for most dog owners is that they want a dog that can be protective and guard them if there is any threat.

So can this fluff ball protect you if there is ever an intruder or scary stranger that is following you? That’s a good question, but you may not like the answer.

So, are Labradoodles Protective? No, Labradoodles are not protective dogs; they’re friendly and gentle. Labradoodles are loyal and love their owners, but their guarding instincts aren’t as high as in guarding dogs, and they are friendly with everyone, even strangers. However, you can train them to be more protective

If you want to know if Labradoodles can make guard dogs or not, how to train them to become better guard dogs, and if a Labradoodle will attack an intruder, just keep on reading as I’ll answer all of these questions and some more…

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Are Labradoodles Protective?

It is not in the Labradoodle’s nature to be protective, they are bred to be many things, but guard dogs ain’t one of them.

Labradoodles can make ideal family pets, they are caring, affectionate, and loyal, and they are great with kids and can play with them all day long without complaining, but they are not the best guard dogs; in fact, they are not guard dogs at all.

If you are looking for a dog to guard and protect your home and family, stand up for you if there is any threat, and be as fierce as a lion, maybe you should consider another breed because Labradoodles aren’t it.

Can Labradoodles Make Good Guard Dogs?

Labradoodles can’t make good guard dogs, they are just not bred to be guard dogs, but they can make decent watchdogs because Labradoodles are observant and can alarm their owners when there is something off.

However, guard dogs require strength, courage, and a little bit of aggression, and Labradoodles don’t have any of these things because Labradoodles, simply, are not aggressive.

Also, toy or Miniature Labradoodles are small, and, even if they are a bit more aggressive than standard Labradoodles, they still won’t have enough strength to protect anyone, and since they were bred to be friendly and good family dogs, they don’t have an instinct for protecting or guarding.

3 Reasons Why Labradoodles are not such good guard dogs.

Here is a list of why Labradoodles are not such good dogs.

Too friendly
No aggressive bone in their body
Not in their nature

Too Friendly

Labradoodles are too friendly. I mean, one of their parent breeds is one the friendliest breeds on the planet; labradors are America’s sweethearts, and they are loving and caring, and they are friends with everyone they meet. Well, it’s the same thing with Labradoodles as well.

Labradoodles are not likely to sense a threat or danger from a stranger.

All they see in that new face is a potential best friend, so if there is ever an intruder who broke into your house, your Labradoodle will bring them a ball so they can play fetch.

No Aggressive Bone In Their Body

It’s true, Labradoodles do not have an aggressive bone in their entire body because both of the parent breeds are not aggressive as well, Labradors are too friendly and playful to be aggressive, and Poodles are just too elegant and sophisticated to be aggressive.

However, Labradoodles may get a little aggressive if they were mistreated in the past or if they weren’t socialized and trained properly. It’s all about the owner and how you train them and not the dog.

Not In Their Nature

Labradoodles were not bred to hunt, work, guard, or fight, they were literally bred for people with allergies, and that’s it, and it would be unnatural for Labradoodles to be aggressive and fight or attack someone.

They were bred to be hypoallergenic, playful, friendly, and gentle with kids, and none of these traits can be used in a guard dog, but they all make for a pretty incredible family dog.

How To Train Your Labradoodle To Become A Better Guard Dog?

Even though Labradoodles are not the best guard dog, you can make your Labradoodle better at the whole guarding and protecting part with the right training.

You can train them to be more alert and protective of you and your family, they don’t have to attack anyone, but at least they can try to scare someone off by barking and showing some teeth.

So here are some tips you can try to help your Labradoodle become a better guard dog.

Socialize your Labradoodle
Teach them the basic commands
Train them to bark on your command
Train them to defend you
Teach them to stop

Socialize Your Labradoodle

Socializing your Labradoodle is crucial because it teaches them not to be scared of anything that is new to them or unfamiliar.

It would be best if you could socialize them before they are 16 weeks, you can either take them to a professional to socialize them, or you can do it yourself.

You can start by taking them on daily walks and start to notice everything in your surrounding that is making your pup nervous then slowly, let her approach that thing, and allow her to smell it or do whatever she wants to discover what is that until she is no longer anxious or worried, then you can finally move on, and repeat.

During that time, introduce your pup to all sorts of new things, and let her meet new people, objects, and animals so they can be comfortable around new things and find it thrilling and not frightening.

Teach Them The Basic Commands

You should teach your Labradoodle the basic obedience commands such as sit, come, lie down, and leave it or stop.

You should make sure that your pup responds to you all of the time and without hesitating before moving on to the next training.

Train Them To Bark On Your Command

The next training is to train them to bark on your command, and here is how you can do it.

Make sure that your Labradoodle is standing and not sitting.
Hold their favorite toy in front of their nose but not too close (out of their reach)
In a firm voice, command them to “bark” or “speak.”
Wait till they finally give you a bark.
When they do, give them the toy and praise them in a cheerful tone.
Change the toy and repeat.
When they finally master it, you can try it on people.

Then bring a friend or a family member that they don’t know, and command your Labradoodle to bark whenever that person approaches you.

However, if your Labradoodle didn’t respond to the bark command in the first place, then maybe you should get another dog for guarding and protection because not every dog can be trained to be a guard dog.

Train Them To Defend You

This one will be more challenging, especially if your Labradoodle didn’t respond to any of the previous steps.

You can ask the same person that helped in the barking part, or you can find someone new; it’s totally up to you. Ask them to approach you again and give your pup the command, and when they bark at them, that person should act scared and turns around or run.

It’s not the best idea to train your dog to attack someone, so as long as your dog knows how and when to stand up for you, it’s more than enough because dogs that are trained to attack people can become more aggressive with time and will not be safe in the household.

Teach Them To Stop

The most important step of them all is to teach your Labradoodle when to stop barking, and you can use the same command in the first step, “leave it,” and if they stop, then give them a treat and praise them.

Will A Labradoodle Attack An Intruder?

No, Labradoodles won’t attack intruders or anyone. It’s literally not in their genetics. However, if your Labradoodle does attack people, then you should take them to obedience training or a professional trainer because that’s not normal for them.

The furthest the Labradoodle can go if there is an intruder is that they will bark at them or to let you know that there is an intruder, and that’s enough because in some cases, if you are home, a dog that barks will scare the intruder off for a little while.