guard dog training

Question
QUESTION: i have a 7 month old golden retriever female that i would like to put in guard dog school. would her breed be good for that kind of training or would it ruin her because it goes against her nature?

ANSWER: Hi, Crystal,

No, generally speaking, golden retrievers do not make good guard dogs because, as you point out, their nature is to be friendly and outgoing.  It would be a great shame to ruin the good disposition and temperament of a sweet, friendly dog by trying to make it a guard do.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: is there anything i can do to boost her cofidence so she is less afraid of the unknown? she is so afraid of everything and everyone but our family.

Answer
Some dogs are just naturally more timid than others; she may have been the shyest one in her litter.

Puppy and obedience classes are good confidence boosters, as long as she doesn't receive harsh corrections for mistakes or not understanding.  You need to keep it light-hearted and fun; instructors who insist she be disciplined or corrected should be avoided.

I'm including a bunch of documents that may give you some ideas on how to help her.  By 7 months, she's past the "window" of time when it's best to introduce dogs to new things, but if you proceed cautiously and don't rush her, she can still become more relaxed and self-assured.  

Take her to pet stores, sit outside grocery stores, or places where there are a lot of people but she still has a good buffer zone between her and them.  Feed her yummy treats so she associates good things with what's going on around her.  Watch her body language and if you see her getting nervous or stressed, move back even further from what's scaring her.  Don't allow other people or dogs to crowd her before she's ready.

http://www.uvhs.org/behavioral_docs/the_puppys_rules_of_twelve.pdf
http://www.berkeleyhumane.org/PDFs/Training/Critical_Fear_Periods_in_Puppies.pdf
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/educated-dog.pdf
http://www.marinhumanesociety.org/Behavior/Handouts/DesensitizationMethods.pdf
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/fearful-dog.pdf
http://www.hsmo.org/m_obedience/documents/FearfulDogPacket.pdf