There are working dogs and then there are working dogs.
This is to all those wanting protection dogs after seeing dogs that usually have to bite when doing their jobs or in movies.
Now, before everyone jumps on the bandwagon with the “this and that”, let me be clear, THIS IS MY OPINION as a dog trainer!!!
There are so many breeds in the protection working groups. Also like there are differences between a breeder that breeds working dogs “in the name” and one that breeds dogs that work. There are protection dogs by name only and then those that work.
I believe that biting sports are a great way of testing the traits and workability of protection dogs, but I will not go into which of those sports is the best as I don’t believe that is important at this time. Let me say this, you will gravitate to the sport/training that meets your preference/needs, or one that you have access to unless you do private training. I like Schutzhund (IGP). Because of this, I like dogs that can do that work.
Not all people want to go on a training field, but all people owning such a dog should want to train and get to levels of control and understanding. Such a dog should be a part of the family.
Side note; don’t go out and get a breed of dog that physically cannot do a type of sport and expect it to excel.
Now, if you want a dog that bites, there are some requirements I strongly believe you and the dog must learn/have and understand. • You should have a level head • You need to listen (sometimes, pick sense from nonsense) • The dog should always be under control and obedient • The dog should be SAFE around people and not attack for no reason. • The dog should have a GREAT recall.!!! For those that want personal protection dogs, you should research the dogs before getting one, and, if you do get one for this purpose, invest the time it takes to train and understand what you have, and how to handle it. MAKE THE TIME!
I can’t stress this enough. There are lots of people selling “so-called” protection breeds/dogs out there, so be careful!
I get asked all the time, can you train my dog to protect my family and around my property?
Let me say this, dogs that do this kind of work are not born with a “programmed chip”, they do lots of training at some time in their lives. Most of them come from working lineage, but, all of them have the willingness to work.
Now, although there are the few that will do the job, you must understand that dog is now like a weapon and will have to be respected as such, with great responsibility. As for protecting the house, if you spend all that time and money training a dog to protect your family, why are you going to leaving it outside to protect something around the house that can be replaced?
The dog is a part of your family, so, you need to protect it.
Finally, not all trainers understand this type of training and you need to not going to them with the puppy that you have for this purpose. They may “curb” all the good traits needed for protection. The protection trainer may then have to bring out the same behaviors that you were told had to be fixed.
It is not cheap to raise, train, and have a protection dog!
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