One of the most
important parts
of training a
protection dog is
pairing it with the
right owner. Don’t
assume your dog
will respect you
if your training
and behavior is
inconsistent.a good reputation, and a track record of quality. Like survival
training, dog training is very unregulated and anybody
can be a professional dog trainer. Look for someone who’s
certified as a dog trainer with reputable entities, such as
government agencies, and ensure their company is licensed
with the city. Call their references and the organizations that
they’re certified by to vet them thoroughly.
In general, expect to spend two to three days with a train-
er and the new dog, with some follow-up training once every
month for up to a year and at least a quarterly maintenance
update as a minimum. Buy from someone who breeds dogs
specifically for protection, not just someone who breeds
dogs that are commonly used in protection. Select the right
job for the dog, not the dog for the job. Breeders can often
recommend trainers if they don’t offer training.
Of course, with all animal training, especially a dog’s, the
owner’s personality and desire to do the work is priceless.
When I have dog owners with passion, determination, and
the willingness to give 100 percent to making themselves a
great dog team (dog and handler), I see great potential for
success. Protection dog owners who get this type of dog
because of a kneejerk reaction, who think it’s cool because
the SEALs have Malinois, or who say, “My family needs this
when I’m not at home, but I don’t need the training,” are
typically putting themselves in a difficult situation.
Fact: I spend 75 percent of my effort working with
humans, as the dog training comes fairly easily most of the
time. Dogs, including police, military, and protection dogs,
are all considered less-than-lethal. When a bite happens out-
side the home environment, one must be able to articulate
a level of fear that’d justify the need for a trained protection
dog to attack. Properly trained protection dogs should have
training records that clearly show that the dogs understand
certain levels of threat and how to respond with or without
command. Also, the ability to turn a properly trained dog on
and off is a must. I also like to do a certification that’s tested
at least yearly, with paperwork and a video just for the worst-
case scenario that we end up with a legal issue.
Conclusion
Then there’s the million-dollar, often emotional question
of whether or not to send, put, or allow your dog into a
potentially life-threating situation. The answer is tough and,
with so many variables, can never really be answered until
the moment of truth. Fortunately, in the personal-protection
world, this doesn’t arise often. The emotions and investment
of time and money will all certainly be a factor. However,
life-threatening situations that put your protection dog at
risk happen very quickly. Ideally, with training, you should be
prepared long before they happen so your responses as a
team are sharp. For me, I would need to see a clear picture
that the dog has a high probability to save a human life or
prevent an abduction before I’d utilize the asset — I have in
the past, and would again if need be. To be clear, rarely will a
dog do much good in a gunfight. You don’t need a high-end
bullet catcher.
Protection dogs are best utilized as a deterrent. It’s hard to
beat a good protection dog, as most criminals would much
rather pick a home or fight without a dog involved. When
they need to do the work, you should be clear on your level
of expectation compared to the skill set of the dog. It’s likely
if you’re in the market for a personal protection dog that
you’ll need a professional to help in the process. It’s nearly
impossible to learn how to be a qualified owner and handler
from a book, article, or YouTube video. As with the dogs,
there are probably more unqualified candidates than quali-
fied. Carefully evaluating your own budget, lifestyle, and time
to commit to ongoing training are paramount.DOGS FOR
DEFENSESOURCES
Cobra Canine
> cobracanine.comCobra Canine’s
dogs have been
used by law
enforcement
agencies and
military units
around the world.OFFGRIDWEB.COM 043