[Emrys13]

Hi everyone. Hopefully this is in the right place... I wasn't really sure!

I've lurked around for a bit but haven't made a post because my family hasn't got a dog at the moment nor are we likely to get one soon but I love reading about GSDs so I joined to learn more about them.

In my browsing of various dog communities, I stumbled upon this article about LifeStyle Pets. They're selling protection dogs for at least $85,000! It's obscene. The company website itself talks about hypoallergenic cats and dogs for upwards of $6,000 for a cat and $15,000 for a dog! The commercialization of this is ridiculous. They've even got a purchasing area where you can simply add an animal to a shopping cart and get it delivered to you after a year? What happened to pets being valued members of a family instead of a commercial commodity?

 

[butch33611]

Some people just dont get it like we do.Sarge, my GSD is a major part of my family and gets treated as such and not something I just bought like a pair of shoes or something. They could care less about the animals or who gets them as long as someone wants to pony up the

 

[tracyc]

Hi new member. Glad you've joined us.

Interesting links. I agree, this company has the wrong idea about animal companions. I can *almost* understand the goals of the hypoallergenic ones...but the dogs sold as protection machines are silly. Do they come with a person to control the animal for the rest of its life? I don't think someone who's so unspohisticated about dog ownership that they think this is a good idea is in any way prepared to own one of those dogs.

Anyway--welcome.

 

[DinoBlue]

They are selling Schutzhund trained dogs as protections dogs..

anyway...welcome to board..

 

[lcht2]

yea $120,000 for a dog that is instinctively protective is odd. if u need to pay that much for protection then u need to move to a new town!! either that or be the president of the united states, and he's got secret service, i think i'd rather have the dog than the secret service, u can tell them anything and they wont go telling your secrets haha plus they would die for u rather than complain about there salary.....

 

[GunnerJones]

for 120 grand I could hire the county sheriff to protect me 24/7

 

[mastercabman]

interesting!
i would like to know,when you have a shutzhund/protecting dog,do you have to keep up with training?
i would think that you would need to work with the dog so that he does not forget what he suppose to do.
for $80.000 are they going to help training you so that you can keep up with the dog?
why not get a gsd and pay a good trainer to train your dog?
and,also,for you to learn the training.
those dogs are for people who has nothing better to do than spending money so that they can have a top dog.
maybe the same people who goes out and buy a hummer!!!

 

[Helly]

$120,000 better give me a dog that protects my family, washes the car and runs the vacuum cleaner.

 

[butch33611]

Dogs for people who have more money then sence. There are those who will buy the dog just so they say they have one, not really caring about the dog or his welfare. Im sure they will pay someone to do that. But riding in the back of the hummer could be cool.

 

[DianaM]

They capitalize on this and this only: "A fool and his money are soon parted."

However, VA German showline dogs, often those winning siegers, can and do fetch six figures.

KimberlyQ, if your new to the breed or at least new to all its many facets, be forewarned that there are all too many people willing to do whatever it takes to grab your money and RUN. If you see a site selling "Executive protection dogs" or "excellent," "select," and "choice" puppies, kinda like grades of steak, most likely run as well. Nice videos of dogs hitting sleeves does not mean your dog will protect AND stay in the fight against a group of bouncer-sized men high on meth bent on robbing/raping/killing. Of course, most people think "dog hits sleeve" = "dog will naturally bite the arm holding the gun, put down the baddie, dial 911, then be the 'neighborhood Lab' and love everyone who is good because he can tell the difference between good people and bad people 100% of the time without fail."

I have heard of a malinois sell for around that range from one of those sites. I think a 45k mal? For a malinois, that's insanity. Pure comedy gold. For that money, it had better be trained to wash the dishes and do the laundry. And also hold down its own job to help pay for itself!

 

[Barb E]

my HOUSE was $126,000.00

 

[SunCzarina]

Originally Posted By: Helly$120,000 better give me a dog that protects my family, washes the car and runs the vacuum cleaner.

If he's going to work for me, he needs to do all of the above plus LAUNDRY.

 

[big_dog7777]

Originally Posted By: oliver annieinteresting!
i would like to know,when you have a shutzhund/protecting dog,do you have to keep up with training?
i would think that you would need to work with the dog so that he does not forget what he suppose to do.
for $80.000 are they going to help training you so that you can keep up with the dog?
why not get a gsd and pay a good trainer to train your dog?
and,also,for you to learn the training.
those dogs are for people who has nothing better to do than spending money so that they can have a top dog.
maybe the same people who goes out and buy a hummer!!!

This is the entire issue. First, SchH titles do not equate to a protection dog. If the dog has it in him, it can be a great foundation to build off of while transitioning to PSD or PPD training but none of that is mentioned in the web site. Ongoing and additional training is definitely required. Only SchH, and in Germany. Gee, with a minimum of 80K on the line I wonder if any of these dogs get titled for real, or if they are shown at midnight. You could spend a fraction of that and get a real protection dog by finding the right trainer and have him/her select a young dog to develop.

 

[Liesje]

Originally Posted By: ZeusGSD
This is the entire issue. First, SchH titles do not equate to a protection dog. If the dog has it in him, it can be a great foundation to build off of while transitioning to PSD or PPD training but none of that is mentioned in the web site.

Right. A while back I was on a site that sold protection and estate dogs. The cost was much lower than $120K, but the training they listed was very different than SchH. When you buy the dog, a trainer comes along for a certain period of time to make sure the dog adjusts and the new family knows how to USE the dog's training and keep up.

And yeah, SchH is NOT protection. I see SchH as an overall test of the dog. A protection/estate dog SHOULD be able to excel at SchH, but the protection work goes way above and beyond that and is specifically tailored to the needs of the family/estate/police.

 

[sklippstein]

Originally Posted By: Helly$120,000 better give me a dog that protects my family, washes the car and runs the vacuum cleaner.

 

[lcht2]

Originally Posted By: Helly$120,000 better give me a dog that protects my family, washes the car and runs the vacuum cleaner.

and cook dinner!!