Some of my dogs

[dainerra]

I'm just saying be VERY careful on who you work with. There are a lot of people (some of them even train for police departments!) that shouldn't be allowed to work with a goldfish, let alone a large powerful dog. Also, keep in mind that many places will want $10,000 or more for a protection-trained dog. And you will have to go back regularly throughout the dog's life to keep his training focused.
Yes, if your protection trained dog attacked a random person, you would be even more liable than a "regular" dog attack. Depending on the attorney the victim hired, they could argue that your dog is a dangerous weapon and that you assaulted them. http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/dog-as-a-deadly-or-dangerous-weapon.html

Lots of criminals do carry guns, for exactly that reason. That is why a lot of GSD (german shepherd dog) will tell you that they consider their dog to be a warning system, not a protection system. The dog alerts and the owner backs up the dog with a weapon.

If protection is something you are interested in, look into Schutzhund clubs in your area. IPO is also gaining popularity in some areas. The first step towards ANY protection training is a high level of obedience and a stable dog.

 

[PoultryPower]

Thank you for all the information. I have a lot of time to feel all this out, just wanted to get a head start.
I definitely want to start training dogs, basic obedience, problem behavior correcting and stuff like that.
I'll probably just stick to the average dog training.

 

[dainerra]

I've heard of a girl being kidnapped as she walked her two huge Alaskan Malamutes.
It seems like most criminals would know that the average dog isn't usually all that big of a threat.
The training videos of the dogs I've seen seem like it would take a gun to take out the dog.
Do you guys disrespect protection dog trainers? Are they looked down upon in the dog world?
I would love to learn how to become one and work with a reputable company.
I don't want to start "training" protection dogs and have them attack someone randomly.
I would definitely make sure that I was being mentored by a real professional.
Is there a lot of liability in training protection dogs? If one of the dogs you trained does attack someone randomly, is that the owner's fault?

forgot to add. the thing that deters most criminals isn't that the dog is a "threat" They don't want the attention and noise that a barking dog will attract. A criminal who doesn't worry about attracting attention is one who already has a plan in place - often a gun or other weapon. He plans to move quickly and be away from the scene before help can arrive.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Very nice looking dogs!
Are they Belgian Malinois?

 

[wyoDreamer]

A note about the Protection Dog training: this is very specialized training, and it takes a very specific temperment of dog to take this training and do good at it.
It is alot of money to have a properly trained dog, but even more important - it is alot of time! and requires a commitment of time for the rest of the dogs life.
This training is not a one shot deal, the dog must be worked on the commands consistently and frequently to maintain the high levels of obedience that this training requires.
You don't get the dog trained, then take it home and let it have the run of the house with no rules and just doing tricks for treats. They must constantly practice the skills that they were taught.

I second the advice on the Shutzhund Clubs. Meet people who do this training and get involved. Go to the meets and see them in action.

Start with basic obedience and work up from there.

 

[SillyChicken]

I agree with most of what was posted, Be very careful who you work with to train including qualified decoys. Though it's not cheap, I've never run across 10k in costs unless you mean for the life of the dog.. then it could be more than that!! lol!

I trained and competed with my Cane Corsos for almost 10 years.

I prefer to say you train the dog to protect you, not attack people. I never refer to it as attack training, because there is bad enough press about doing pp work in the first place. Saying attack training, makes it sound like the dog will attack people all willy nilly and that is NOT what it's all about. It's about protecting yourself.
All PP training is, is obedience excercsizes... telling the dog to bite or guard, is no different than telling them to sit (you just need someone willing to take the bite). They need to only understand what you're asking of them.

Your dogs temperment is key to whether they will be a good PP dog or not. Training a dog in high drive, but very sharp temperment (more defensive) is not as stable a dog as one with a more even temperd dog. One that doesn't seem to be phased by anything. Too forgiving and you have a dog that will seek protection behind your legs and not serve his purpose.

I so miss my boy. He was so dedicated and serious about me to the point where he was a perfect PP dog. His obedience was fantastic. His devotion to me meant he would protect me no matter what. He was a good boy and I miss him terribly. I still don't feel anywhere near as safe without him at my side... One of those dogs you never really get over when you lose them.

I miss the hours training him with the working group. Every saturday, and at home, every day we spent a few min on ob. PP training is a lot of work and dedication. Yes, it is a life long committment of training, I think in part because of the time you spend with the dog and other like minded people. I never recommend sending a dog away for training because having someone else train your dog could leave the dog more inclined to not obey you, if you train him yourself, he will be more responsive and tuned in to you, and you can read your dog. It's a team effort.

I would love to get another dog to do PP work with some day... I miss it.

 

[SillyChicken]

oops! dbl post!

 

[dainerra]

I agree with most of what was posted, Be very careful who you work with to train including qualified decoys. Though it's not cheap, I've never run across 10k in costs unless you mean for the life of the dog.. then it could be more than that!! lol!

I was thinking of the people who sell "protection trained dogs" I've seen a ton of ads asking $5000+ for an 8 week old puppy and then you can bring it back at 6 months old (how crazy is that?) and they will have the dog trained for you for another $6000.

 

[CluckyLady]

I think that if you run with a Doberman, you'll be fine and I a pretty sure that the Doberman will attack if someone tries to hurt you. There are always stories about people .......... you can't live your life in fear of what 'might' happen but usually never does. Owning a protection trained dog is not easy because they are just that: protection dogs - they are NOT pets. Most dogs that have a bit of guarding instinct will attack and have a good sense of 'danger' which is all you need. I do not disrespect dog trainers at all. As with every trade, there are good ones and not so good ones.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

You have some nice dogs!!