cant get dog to bark at strangers or noises

Question
i have a 7 year old mixed dog and he has just become a house dog for aproximately a month. My question is 'HOW" do i get him to bark when someone comes to the door and or the driveway, or ring the doorbell. He sometimes get up when he hears the door and the car pull up but other than that, NOTHING..he wont bark when someone aproaches the house. He sleeps anywhere he wants but mainly in my girls room at night. He is somewhat territorial of the backyard to SOME PEOPLE, but not all. Mainly barks at other animals. What do i do before i get rid of him. I expected him to be somewhat of a watch dog inside the house at least. He sleeps more sound than i do and he snores at night when he sleeps. You can actually sneak up on him and he wont know you are there...HELP!!!!THANKS...Tony...rigged2@yahoo.com

Answer
Hey, Tony,

It strikes me that two things may be going on with your dog.

First, many dogs go into a state of shock when they're put into a new environment. They sleep a lot when they're indoors, and are uncertain as to how to respond to normal household situations, so they don't do anything to rock the boat. Depending on your dog's past situation, this could last for several more months before he starts to act normally. I can't say for certain that your he's in this condition, but from what little data you've given me, that's my impression.

The second part is that in order for a dog to act protective of his pack, he has to feel like you and he really ARE a pack; he has to have an emotional connection to you, based on his hunting instincts, which are usually expressed in dogs through playing games like fetch and tug. The more you play with him, the more he'll feel like he belongs to a real pack. That's when he'll start to feel more protective.

Dogs are descended from wolves, and in wolves the pack (or social) instinct only exists to enable wolves to hunt large prey by working together as a cooperative unit. The more wolves hunt together, the more of a pack they are. (Wolves who settler near a garbage dump don't form packs, for instance.)

In dogs the best way to establish the feeling of being part of a pack is to play games like fetch and tug, since they stimulate feelings related to the wolf's hunting instinct. If your dog won't play with you, it means he doesn't feel comfortable enough about expressing his hunting instincts in a social setting.

One quick way to get a dog to have more of a pack feeling with you is to hand feed him all his meals, preferably outdoors, especially if you use the pushing exercise while feeding him. (This is only recommended if the dog doesn't get protective over his food.)

PUSHING EXERCISE
Hold the food in one hand, and put the other hand against the dog's chest. If he pulls away, or doesn't eat, you need to go a little slower. If he doesn't show any uncertainty or hesitancy about eating from your hand while the other hand is against his chest then as he eats, slowly pull the hand with the food away from him slightly while holding the other hand steady against his chest, which will cause him to push into while he eats. Over time you'll want to make him push into as hard as he can while he's eating. This will make him feel really connected to you. It also helps if you talk to him as he eats, telling him "Good boy! You really want to eat, don't you!" That sort of thing. He won't understand the words, but it will help him feel more connected to you emotionally.

Since he may be in shock for a few months, and since he doesn't yet feel emotionally connected to you (at least not enough to alert you to "danger"), it may take a few weeks or more for him to start barking at strange noises, and becoming a "guard dog." Remember, though: some people go through a lot of training with their dogs to make them into actual guard dogs. It's not automatic.

Once you've established more of an emotional connection with your dog, through play and the pushing exercise, and if he still isn't acting more like a guard dog, please let me know and I'll be happy to give more input on how to get him to bark when you want him to. But in my opinion, you have to establish the right kind of emotional connection first.

I hope this is helpful!
LCK