What defines a good protection dog?

[bss2t]

Hello all!

I am getting a GSD puppy here in about two weeks. He comes from good Schutzhund lines, so I am hopeful that he could possibly do some protection work.

My fiance and I are 23, she is a kindergarten teacher. I'm self employed and have a lot of flexibility with my schedule.

With our situation (dog must be child friendly etc) I am wondering what would define a good protection dog? We certainly want a friendly animal that is happy, but a dog that will be protective of my fiance if we need it. Can protection work make a dog more dangerous?

[Raziel]

My dog was not trained in bitework etc becasue of how much people traffic we get through our home.
I know he would keep me safe if I was in danger...but I also have a weapon as well.
He barks when someone is at my door, then its up to me to keep me and my dog safe.

[onyx'girl]

When you are training in Schutzhund obedience is very important.
The bitework is a game in the dogs head and it won't cause a dog to be more aggressive, but more self controlled. If you have a local club, start visiting and you will see what I am talking about. The temperament of the dog and what you do with him as a pup will determine his social skills.
I wanted to make sure my puppy I bought to do SchH with was good w/ everyone and I could trust him. And he is, because of great breeding and the socialization I gave him while he was younger.
My other two are not SchH dogs, and both have questionable temperaments are not totally trustworthy with strangers.
If a dog is trained/titled in SchH(by proper trialing) I would rather have a SchH dog than not, it shows they are mentally stable, IMO.
This doesn't say they are all social, though!
GSD's by nature are protective, but Angel R is right, we are the protectors.
The dogs bark will act as a deterrant.

[Raziel]

I really dont agree with that.
My dog is NOT trained in SchH and no one can say he does not have a stable temperment. (Not saying that to you!)
I chose not to do it for the reason my dog is around strangers 24/7.
And I dont really know why people do bite training...(just for fun?
excersise?)
In my opinion I would not encourge my my dog to bite.



He is VERY well socialized and has a wonderful temperment.
If danger is near....he knows..I dont have to teach him that.

[doggiedad]

Protection Dog: i've trained a dog for protection work. the dog i have now is trained not to bark at the door. he thinks anyone entering the house is a friend. my GF has clients that come to our house so she wanted our dog trained not to bark at the door. i wanted him to be more protective but i didn't know how to train
him to bark at some and not the others. my dog is super friendly with people and other animals. i like it this way. when we're out on the trails he doesn't bark at or charge horses, squrriels, chip monks,
joggers, deer or whatever. when we're having dinner at his favorite restaurants he just lays whereever we place so nice and quietly.
when other dogs pass by (nose to nose) he just lays there.

in the house my dog is comfortable on the sofa or in bed with us. when someone knocks on the door he walks over to the door and sits in front of it waiting to say hello or we tell him to go his bed and he waits there for further commands. if it's the mail person at the door or in the driveway he'll go and take the mail from them and bring it to us. if my GF is home from shopping he'll go outside
and carry a bag inside for her.

so when it comes to protection we protect our dog. when he was a puppy he wasn't allowed to play with all dogs. he went to puppy classes and then we invited his doggie friends over for a visit
during the week. our dog is our well taken care of friend/pet.

if i wanted a dog for protection i would definitely have professionally
trained and custom trained to my needs. some dogs have a built
in protection mode. they know when to be protective and when not to be with no special training.

my dog comes from a line of dogs that both parents are Schutzhund
trained going back 5 generations. Schutzhund is a sport. will a Schutzhund trained dog go after something other than that protective sleeve the helper wears. i don't know but i think a Schutzhund trained dog is different from Protection trained dog.

good luck in whatever training you do.
sleeve

[Raziel]

Originally Posted By: doggiedad





if i wanted a dog for protection i would definitely have professionally
trained and custom trained to my needs. some dogs have a built
in protection mode. they know when to be protective and when not to be with no special training.

my dog comes from a line of dogs that both parents are Schutzhund
trained going back 5 generations. Schutzhund is a sport. will a Schutzhund trained dog go after something other than that protective sleeve the helper wears. i don't know but i think a Schutzhund trained dog is different from Protection trained dog.
sleeve

I agree with this 100 per cent.
My dogs father is some super working dog...(i dont know the titles)
and I am sure he would do some damage if someone was comming in to hurt us.
He knows when something is up.

[bss2t]

Very interesting.

I want to do Schutzhund first to make sure that the dog is stable enough to do protection work, although based on the parents he should be.

Ideally I would like to have a friendly, happy dog, that has a command to act aggressive, and another to bite. But at the end of the day, I do not want to teach any of this unless it is very stable, strong training.

[Raziel]

Why do you want him to bite?
If your dog isnt a police dog....?
I mean if an intruder comes in to hurt you and your family,what if he has a gun? And kills your dog because your dog was running over to bite him?
Then what?
What if the intruder has a steak or some food?
Throws it on the floor and your dog just sits there and eats it??
I would have MY OWN form of protection and it wouldnt be my dog!!

[JKlatsky]

If it's big and it barks.

Really though. I know people who sell protection dogs to people who actually have valid needs, like jewelers and business people who have been robbed etc. The whole purpose of a protection dog is as a deterrrent and to BUY YOU TIME.

1. As a deterrent because there are easier targets than someone with a big noisy dog that will draw attention to the crime.

2. And as a distraction to the bad guy that gives you enough time to either get somewhere safer or pull your own weapon (at which point the dog is on it's own). If the deterrent alone isn't enough, and the dog has to actually engage there is a good chance that the dog is going to get hurt and that isn't really a situation I would want for my dog. I prefer to use them as deterrents and have the ability to back them up with my own weapons.

As to whether or not bitework makes dogs unsafe...well I think it depends on how it's trained. Many straight up protection dogs that I have seen have to be taught a high level of suspicion. They go through phases of learning and not usually really safe until they are completely trained and are very clear about their commands and even then you have to watch for "triggers". I have 3 SchH trained dogs that are all very safe with people, but are just now starting to grow into their more "protective" attitude. So 2 years before I started seeing a dog that took a more critical look at people.

Ultimately you want a stable, confident dog. You don't want a puppy that barks it's head off at every "suspicious" thing. I think people make the mistake of thinking that is "protective" behavior. It's not. It's fear and can be very undesirable in an adult dog. You also have to be aware that it's just individual personality too...sometimes they have to grow up and mature before you can expect protective behavior. They need to be socialized so they learn what is normal and what is not.

[gagsd]

The reasons why someone would train their dog to bite???

---It is part of the breed test (not just a sport) to learn more about your dog and his/her abilities and strengths. Would you think a police or military dog that will not bite would be helpful to an officer? Where do those police dogs come from? From breeders who test their dogs.
If you do not want to train your dog to bite, absolutely do not. However, you really need to understand the reasoning and theory, and perhaps visit a club or trial before making statements on the topic. There are many very nice, talented dogs not being trained and that is okay. Enjoy your dog, love your dog.
But please do not make statments about something you do not understand.

As to protectiveness in the dog, and how training will affect your dog... it really depends on the dog. Some dogs are naturally more friendly and approachable while others are not. This is not something just caused by training, and it is not just how the dog is raised. They are different. Just like humans
Some of us are sweet tempered and friendly and others are perpetually having a bad day!