Guard dog

Question
We lived in North Idaho in a small town for five years where having a guard dog was never a thought in my mind, Now we live in Dallas. High crime rate. And even though we live in a gated community with a low crime rate compared to outside the gates, a neighbor's house was recently broken into. Nothing was stolen as their burglar alarm scared away the robber. We have two good sized dogs; a Whippet and a Border Collie. Both dogs are very sweet natured, although the Border Collie looks scary to someone who doesn't know him, he is more like a fainting goat and will play dead without having to be asked. And I doubt he would attack an intruder. The Whippet makes a lot of noise when we come home, mostly singing, but very little reaction when someone comes to the front door. How can I train them to be more vocal when someone comes to the house? I want them to be able to at least scare away potential burglars with loud barking. Is there a way to teach them to bark incessantly until given an "everything is safe" command?

Answer
Here are some links to assist you in teaching your dogs to bark at the door. Hope these help. If not, let me know and we can figure out what would be the best plan for your dogs.

Good Luck!

http://leerburg.com/bark.htm Teaching your dog to bark at the door. (This had lots of information.)

http://www.ehow.com/how_14237_train-dog-bark.html