Go for guard dogs only if you have the passion

Margaret Nakayiiwa, 48, a resident of Mpererwe, a Kampala suburb is a mother of four who has reared dogs for nearly 10 years. She says she was never a fan of dogs but developed a love for them after thieves constantly ravaged her home area.

“I often woke up to find one or two things missing from the compound; the wheelbarrow, a spade or jerry cans. I decided to acquire dogs,’’ Nakayiiwa narrates.

She bought two male puppies, each at sh20,000. She says she feeds them at night when they are let out of their kennel and by 7:00 am in the morning they are returned to their cages. She says her investment has since paid off because thieves no longer jump over her fence like before.

Lately, many households have replaced security guards (askaris) with guard dogs.

Conrad Luguma, a dog expert at C&R Kennels in Kireka says dogs must be trained well to be raised for security purposes. If one intends to rear dogs for security, one should not allow them a lot of time around people because this undermines their toughness.

“When properly trained, security dogs exhibit constant guarding instincts. Homeowners should choose exotic breeds because these can scare away intruders just by someone looking at their size.

He advises owners intending to keep these dogs at their homes to ensure they are properly trained to prevent them from attacking family members and visitors. He also says this can also deter them from eating food items thrown into the compound over the fence.

“To live harmoniously with them they need training. Untrained dogs are difficult to control. They also easily eat foods from outside sources, which puts their lives at risk of being poisoned,’’ he adds.

He, however, warns that one must only go into dog-rearing if they have the passion for it because dogs need dedicated care.

George Lukyamuzi, a dog expert at George K9 in Gayaza says dogs are not usually compromised as is the case with human beings. He says a dog tends to be loyal to its masters.

Costs

Owning a guard dog for security is more cost-effective than hiring security guards. Lukyamuzi says hiring a guard from a security company calls for the payment of an initial fee. Pay them a monthly fee and feed them.

This according to Lukyamuzi is not the case with dogs. He says once purchased from a seller, an owner will only need to feed and treat the dog once it falls sick.

“You can buy a guard dog at say sh2m, and spend about sh2,500 a day on feeds. In comparison, one must pay over sh500,000 to security companies for one security guard and pay monthly salaries,’’ he says.

Lukyamuzi adds that the costs can be even reduced for those who settle for local or cross breeds because their food, like posho and silverfish, is relatively affordable.

“Posho and silverfish are good for local breeds and not the exotic ones because they have a lot of aflatoxins. Still, at abattoirs, a kilo of chicken legs costs about sh3000,’’ he explains.

According to current market trends, a pure-breed puppy ranges from sh800,000 to several million shillings.

Some prefer local breeds for their strong resistance to diseases in addition to being easy to acquire and maintain.

He says although many people tend to minimize them, local breeds are also effective at maintaining security.