Personal Protection Dogs

[=Josh=]

I have a 10-month-old GSD that I plan to do personal protection training with when he gets older. Is there anyone else here into dog training, Schutzhund or the like?

 

[bocefus78]

I enjoy training my lab, but not protection training. Anywho, I cant recommend this place enough. They don't even have this listed on their webpage, but if you google them by name with protection training, it comes up.
He (Bruce McNabb, owner) is a wicked good trainer (I think he even won Nationals at one time) and been involved in the Schutzhund scene for ever.

Home/Personal Protection

http://www.firstfriendk9.com/

 

[Tactically Fat]

I have a 10-month-old GSD that I plan to do personal protection training with when he gets older. Is there anyone else here into dog training, Schutzhund or the like?

what "line" is your dog from? A show line? A working line? That in and of itself may not be a non-starter from the beginning - but if your dog is from a long line of show dogs - then genes will probably be working against you.

How's your dog's "prey drive"? Will it dang-near do anything to retrieve a thrown tennis ball?

 

[bocefus78]

what "line" is your dog from? A show line? A working line? That in and of itself may not be a non-starter from the beginning - but if your dog is from a long line of show dogs - then genes will probably be working against you.

How's your dog's "prey drive"? Will it dang-near do anything to retrieve a thrown tennis ball?

x2 I totally agree. A pro trainer can evaluate the dog and determine it's capabilities and limitations. It's step 1 with the people I linked above.

 

[=Josh=]

what "line" is your dog from? A show line? A working line? That in and of itself may not be a non-starter from the beginning - but if your dog is from a long line of show dogs - then genes will probably be working against you.

How's your dog's "prey drive"? Will it dang-near do anything to retrieve a thrown tennis ball?

He's from working bloodlines. Plenty of Scha3 and IPO3 titles on both sides. I'll link his geneology later. He has tons of prey drive, too. He's about 95lbs and my wife isn't a fan because he's still very much a puppy and likes to be rambunctious like a typical puppy.

 

[HoughMade]

Carry concealed. If you open carry, you're just looking for attention, but in this​ case at least it doesn't make you a target.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Carry concealed. If you open carry, you're just looking for attention, but in this​ case at least it doesn't make you a target.

He can OC the GSD and keep a chihuahua in his pocket for a BUD (Back Up Dog).

 

[MadMan66]

He can OC the GSD and keep a chihuahua in his pocket for a BUD (Back Up Dog).

The Chihuahua doesn't pack much of a punch... but it does make a lot of noise. I don't know if I would want to rely on a psychological stop though.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

The Chihuahua doesn't pack much of a punch... but it does make a lot of noise. I don't know if I would want to rely on a psychological stop though.

True that the Chihuahua may not be an ideal choice, but as the saying goes, a Chihuahua in your pocket is better than a Rottweiler at home in the kennel. Er, something like that...

 

[=Josh=]

Here are the pedigrees for my dog's parents:
Sire
Dame

 

[pack-indy]

Whatever you do, make sure you know how to turn the safety off.





First Friend in Noblesville is a great place to start.

 

[=Josh=]

I'm actually doing the initial training myself. I've been working with him since I brought him home at 8-weeks-old. I've been training with German commands and his electric collar was the best investment I've ever made. I hoping to get him a leg guard soon so that I can start doing some preliminary bite work with him. He loves to train and is incredibly intelligent, as you would expect a GSD to be. He's an intact male, so sometimes he gets a little squirrelly. If he does well and I end up getting him titled, I may offer him up for stud service. No reason I can't profit off of my hard work, right?

 

[edporch]

Good luck.
Hope the dog doesn't end up attacking somebody who isn't a threat.

 

[=Josh=]

Hope the dog doesn't end up attacking somebody who isn't a threat.

You could say that about any dog, really. That's the whole point of training, though. I don't want a liability on my hands. He won't start his real training until he is more mature--around 2 years old.

 

[edporch]

You could say that about any dog, really. That's the whole point of training, though. I don't want a liability on my hands. He won't start his real training until he is more mature--around 2 years old.

Yes, you could say that about any dog.
But an aggressive dog that's been trained to attack people is more of liability than an asset in my opinion.
I'd rather have a dog that's friendly but barks to alert me when people come around.
Then I can be the one who decides if deadly force is needed.

I've had friends through the years that had aggressive dogs they justified having as "protection".
I warn them that I will shoot it if it threatens me.

Most of the time these dogs NEVER protected them from anybody.
They usually just ended up being aggressive to people who were no threat to anybody.

The last example is a friend who about a year ago, finally got rid of a dog like this as he realized it was more a liability and a lawsuit waiting to happen.

But AGAIN, I say good luck, and I hope your trained attack dog doesn't attack an innocent person.

 

[=Josh=]

But an aggressive dog that's been trained to attack people is more of liability than an asset in my opinion.

I agree, but I don't have an aggressive dog. An aggressive dog is (typically) a weak nerved dog that lashes out in fear. My dog has very solid nerves. A properly trained dog is taught to be "on-guard" on command and attack only when the appropriate command is given or they perceive a situational threat. Yes, there is still a risk of an accident happening much like there is with having any dog. A properly trained dog is a much lower risk, but higher liability. Trust me when I say that I've done my homework on this and I have selected a suitable dog and I will be making sure that he is properly trained. A good personal protection dog is a good companion first. I'm not training a junk yard dog to bite anything that moves.

 

[Dirtebiker]

I agree, but I don't have an aggressive dog. An aggressive dog is (typically) a weak nerved dog that lashes out in fear. My dog has very solid nerves. A properly trained dog is taught to be "on-guard" on command and attack only when the appropriate command is given or they perceive a situational threat. Yes, there is still a risk of an accident happening much like there is with having any dog. A properly trained dog is a much lower risk, but higher liability. Trust me when I say that I've done my homework on this and I have selected a suitable dog and I will be making sure that he is properly trained. A good personal protection dog is a good companion first. I'm not training a junk yard dog to bite anything that moves.

I understand all that, but if your dog does attack someone and they find out you've trained your dog to attack, you might face more of a challenge when you're sued.

 

[Mike Elzinga]

I don't know a lot about anything, but I would have thought that the thousands of dogs currently working in police and military service would be suffice enough to show the value of a trained protective dog. Anything one does to prepare themselves for a fight, can at some point in time present some level of liability. Carrying a gun, owning any breed of dog, having a swimming pool in your yard and driving a car, all present some level of liability. Its up to us as responsible owners of all these items to be responsible with them to the point that the benefit is greater than the liability. Best of luck on your endeavor, Im jealous and wish my skills as a trainer would be sufficient to do the same project with my dog.

 

[Bfish]

I understand all that, but if your dog does attack someone and they find out you've trained your dog to attack, you might face more of a challenge when you're sued.

This is true...

OP, I would contact a professional sooner than later... I have known a guy since I was younger who does training like this professionally, and having someone like that in your corner would be a huge asset. Also, you may already be aware of this, but it's not necessary to do his commands in German just so you are aware. The reason officers here use German is because many of the dogs are trained in German and it's easier for a handler to learn German commands than it is to teach the trained dog new English commands.

Don't be afraid to get yourself some training too. You need to be the tool, not just with a firearm, but in all seriousness many times the handler ends up needing more training than the dog in the professional realm.

 

[bocefus78]

This is true...

OP, I would contact a professional sooner than later...

Don't be afraid to get yourself some training too. You need to be the tool, not just with a firearm, but in all seriousness many times the handler ends up needing more training than the dog in the professional realm.

This is the key. The trainer I used said on day 1....."I'm not here to train your dog. I'm here to train you." Contact a pro before you teach your dog bad habits that will take longer to break.