How many people really think anyone can do "Personal Protection" Training in dogs?

Huh. The 'average' pet owner barely knows which end of the leash to use if they use one at all.

No. No one but a professional licensed in this field. Period. No arguments, no exceptions.

What I am starting to find disturbing is the videos you can access. Many of them are 'home made' and the so called 'trainer' hasn't a clue in hell what he(she) is doing. People look at them and think

"Well, I can do that!" Even with the videos that are obviously done by professionals it is still disturbing.

People are wanting dogs to 'protect' them. To 'protect' their home. Protect their children.

It is not the animal's job to protect. It is our job as the owners of these dogs to protect them, our home and children.

Unfortunately, I do believe Launi is very capable of coming to my assistance if she felt I was being threatened. It is unfortunate because she would be in my line of fire.

And I am very sorry to tell everyone this but a PP dog, no matter how deadly, is no match for a firearm.

Humans have a distinct advantage over dogs in the respect that they can reason, understand and learn with a much higher rate of intelligence than any dog.

I think anyone can provided they have the right temperament, personality and dedication to do so. If they were to be taught by someone more experienced in PP training, learned under their guidance and most importantly were WILLING to learn and be taught, then i think anyone could.

The problem is finding all those characteristics in most people who do want to train their dogs for PP. How many can you say have them? Hardly any.. and that is what i believe makes the difference.

Lets face it, the average person who decides to train their dog to be a guard or 'attack' dog will confine the dog to their property, encourage the dog to bark and display aggressive behaviours towards any approaching person or animal and will generally agitate the dog into such a state that it will be seen as ''very protective'' instead of a nervous wreck.

Getting the right dog to be trained for PP is paramount and not something that can be found in the local shelter. I doubt the people who do their own 'protection training' have put much consideration into the background of the dog they purchase. They will go to a shelter or byb'r and pick out/buy the biggest, meanest and toughest dog.

I do not believe the average canine will be successful in PP even if training was attempted, i am not talking about sports, but, actual protection when push came to shove. There is a reason why those dogs are so expensive, why breeding selection is done carefully and why people invest so much time and money into them. They are not breeding for pets but for dogs that may potentially save lives one day.

Here, where owning a firearm is illegal then i definitely see a use for PP dogs. If i had a reason to question my safety then i would definitely be looking into getting one, but right now, i am happy with the social, friendly, playful, furry butted creature i have..

Well, you know me beth, and you know that "I" certainly don't believe that anyone should train a dog. however I do believe anyone 'can' train a dog. its a complex issue, but basically, if you wish to train your dog, you 'can' but that doesn't mean you 'should'.

as far as training personal protection dogs, I disagree with your stipulation, period, no question about it. However, details for my stance are necessary to insure that you understand why I say this.

#1. I am a believer that freedom is a must, and all people have the right to train their dogs as they see fit, so long as it does not bring harm to an innocent person/people, or ANY dog/animal (with the exception of hunting game)

#2. most people would state that a family dog is the only dog for PP (personal protection) otherwise you have an attack dog, and there is a big difference between a PP dog, and and attack dog. A personal protection dog is one that has a family which it loves, and has been trained all basic commands. it can be trained to do just about anything, but the main lessons it has received are based around how to treat strangers ( they should be trained not to be aggressive, or overly friendly) in other words, they should be quiet, and reserved with strangers.

a PP dog is not taught to 'attack' he is taught to defend. some people teach their dogs to attack on command, this is both impractical, and detrimental to a dogs psyche (which is something reserved for a different time.)

#3. a person willing to put the time and effort into learning how to appropriately train their dog should have the right to do so, they should not have to spend all the time and money on books (which they should read plenty of) and lessons (how they receive these lessons is irrelevant) and then have to go through some government agency to get 'permission' to train their dogs.

also, not all breeds are good for PP, anyone smart enough to train their dog right, knows this to be fact.

I'm not saying that you are doing anything wrong, as you didn't specify exactly how it works. I am just saying that you need to be careful, creating laws is a messy business, just be sure your not taking away a persons right to their property. some people will spend years learning about how to train their dogs, and I can tell you, many of them will not/would not, ever think to ask uncle same if its "okay" to train their dog this way.

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://bitly.im/aMm67

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Technically speaking, anyone COULD provided they have the knowledge, the resources, the right dog and the ability to properly handle a dog without being abusive or too soft. But how many people out there have all that? Most people don't even know how to get the right dog, let alone the knowledge and the dog handling skills. I know I could do it if I really wanted to. I know the right people to go to to help me find the right dog and develop the skills, but until I do those things then no, I can't do it.

So yes, anyone COULD but not just anyone WILL. That's the problem with saying "anyone can" is that the average person out there thinks "That means ME!" and will rush right out and do it without stopping to think that there are proper steps to take to training a personal protection dog. That's why most people end up with an aggressive mess instead of a well trained, reliable dog.

So I'm with you, I don't say anyone can do it, I say if you plan on doing it then take the proper avenues and that's where it's going to cut 99% of people out of the running because they just don't have the motivation to do it the right way.

You're right a majority of dog owners who did the training their self would just make their dog aggressive, which is in no way protection. People do not realize there is a difference between aggression and protection. My very good friend has been training dogs for 15 years and has a protection trained German Shepherd, nicest dog you have ever met and is even a therapy dog...But if a command is given he will do what is told, he does not react on his own unless a real threat is encountered, just like a protection dog should..No protection dog should go around growling and trying to bite anything that moves, that is a poorly trained dog that should more than likely just be euthanized for it's safety and others.

No I do not think that the average person should try to train their dog to attack or for personal protection. You should pay a professional for this & I also feel that only certain breeds can be trained in personal protection, such as the Doberman.

I think people who need protection should go with a gun or alarm system, if an intruder breaks in my house, I'm CERTAINLY not going to count on my Chihuahua's to save me or any dog for that matter, I would rather have a gun to blow the head off the guy.

If a dog does protect his family in a sticky situation, then more power to that dog, because that dog, obviously knew the difference, but I still feel a dog should not be trained to do so by the average person. That's why there are certain breeds being trained correctly by professionals who know what they are doing.

I do feel that anyone is capable of basic training & obedience, however when it comes to a dog being used for protection, people need to be aware that not all dogs can be trained to provide protection & certainly cannot be trained by just anybody.

If I wanted a dog for personal protection, I would get the right dog from the right person. I would not want a potentially unstable dog around my family or child.

I think it all depends on the trainer and the dog. Not every dog has the drive or desire to be a personal protection dog and there is nothing wrong with that. My dobermans were awesome at their job and that was keeping the couch from walking off. They had no desire to do anything more. They knew basic commands and loved going places with me but they had no drive for "anything bigger and better". If you have a dog who want to do something, who is really responsive to training, etc they have the ability to do anything you want to teach them whether it's agility or personal protection. Here is an example of a dog who has the desire and is being trained to do more than just retrieve: http://www.advantagek9.us/chesapeakes.html

As far as the trainer, I think most people who are actively involved with personal protection training have some sort of mentor or are involved with a training group. There are many seminars held dealing with how to properly train your dog and I think in the end the owner/trainer is the one training the dog, but the mentor is the one training the trainer. I do not think you can read a book or watch a you tube video and learn everything you need to know to effectively train a dog. The other thing to remember is obedience training is the most important part of personal protection training.

add: replace everywhere I wrote trainer with handler and mentor with trainer/mentor

No, For one thing, you will need an experienced (and good) agitator.to train properly. Training a good protection dog is not a one man job. Many dogs have been ruined by the wrong training. There are a few protection trainers who are regulars. They can give you more details.

Anybody can train a dog to do anything. The only limitations are time, money, the will to train and the dog's genetics. Just because you CAN doesn't always mean you SHOULD. Protection training isn't for everybody. If you're the type of person who halfway does things, or thinks they can do an "at home" job...then protection training is NOT for you.

On a side note. 90% of training is done at home...a lot of people don't put their Schutzhund dogs on a decoy until the dog is 1+ years old and do all the groundwork training themselves. Obviously if you've never trained a dog for the sport in question you have no choice but to attend classes...and they aren't cheap...I'd say about $3,500 on average for 1 year of study.

-edit- Dobiz_Rule is a perfect example of the RIGHT and ONLY way to get involved in sport. She bought herself a quality puppy because she knows that "You get what you pay for" isn't just a sound the wind makes when wise people speak, she joined a Schutzhund club, and picked a trainer who just happens to be one of the best in the World and a several x's Nats competitor. Dog training isn't rocket science, it's common sense. This isn't something you half %$# do.

In many ways I agree with you - there are people who think that a dog attacking someone is 'protection' but do not realise the standard of obedience training that is needed to have a protection dog that is safe.

I think it is wrong to blanket all family pets with the rule of confiscation if they are trained to attack. What about people who have GSDs and attend Schutzhund training? These dogs (not just GSDs) are highly trained not only in protection but tracking and obedience (They have to pass an obedience test before they can even begin training in the three phases) This would mean that these clubs would be banned and dogs confiscated yet these dogs are probably less likely to cause problems than others that have not been trained. SchH is recognised as a test of the nerve and capabilities of the working GSD.

If you were to get a dog of 'strong' character and someone say like me, applied to adopt it and stated that I wanted to train it SchH would I be turned down because of this when the chance is that the dog would love having a job to do and have an excellent home for life.

Rules like these need serious thinking on and the wording of them so as those with a genuine reason for training a protection dog do not get their dog taken away from them.