all just to get a small paycheck of a toy if they find some-
thing, I can’t force these dogs to do it. If you force them to
do it, there’s no motivation for them to do it.
You mentioned an Akita. I think with some Akitas you
could certainly teach them protection, but it’d be more of
a defensive thing. They’re not an offensive dog geneti-
cally; they don’t want to go searching through large
buildings looking for perpetrators who might be hiding
in there. They’re not genetically made to go out and hunt
for people, but defensively you probably could in some
cases. On a Schipperke, for example, there’s nothing
about their genetics that says they’d want to go out and
search for things for hours or even for 15 minutes and
give me some sort of response on an odor for a reward.
There’s nothing in their genetic background that says
they’d want to do that.
So you take a Labrador, and that’s what they do — they
hunt, retrieve, and get rewarded for doing those things.
So what we’ve done as dog trainers is take breeds that
actually do these things, and we just turn it into a differ-
ent type of game. You can imagine watching a Pointer
out in the field with its nose down on the ground for
hours looking for a bird, right? And when they get to that
bird, guess what they do? They stop and wait. So if you
ever watch a video of a dog outside looking for an explo-
sive odor, it looks like they’re looking for a bird. And then
when they get to it, they stop, and when they’re told, they
get some sort of reward out of it.
It’d be nice if we had dogs that did X, Y, and Z, but long
before me someone said, if we want a dog to do X, Y, and
Z, then this dog would be pretty good for it. For example,
a gentleman back in the early 1900s named Max von Ste-
fanitz was genetically breeding the first German Shepherds.
He was a police officer and was trying to get a dog that was
specifically designed for the type of work he was doing.
It’d make my life a lot easier if we could just go down to the
shelter, pick any dog up, and get them to do these things.
It’s also why the price is so high. These dogs are extremely
expensive because you have to get the right genetics. You
could compare it to a pro athlete. You might wonder why
you can’t just train Jeff Franklin to go guard LeBron James.
Genetically, let’s break that down. I’m not tall enough, fast
enough, strong enough, and a million other things. It’s the
same type of thing with humans. We’re all genetically gifted
at certain things, and other things we’re not.
You know, we’re sort of inadvertently making it
sound like the breeds you mentioned are the world’s
toughest and smartest dogs. What would you say to
someone who is tempted to run right out and get one
for protection or even as a household companion?
JF: The first thing I tell people — and people do ask me
this — is just because I’m telling you what I believe to
be the best working dog doesn’t mean that it’s the best
family dog for every family. It’s similar to going out and
buying a gun for your family. If these dogs are genetically
gifted to do protection, they also need to be trained to a
higher level where they understand how to turn it off.
We’re saying that naturally they’ve been genetically pro-
duced and selected, and know how to protect themself,
their family, and their dwelling, but that also comes with
a great deal of responsibility that says they need to be
able to turn it off. Who’s going to teach them that? Well,
the pack leader is. But what if the pack leader doesn’t? Or
what if there are too many people in the pack and some
of them are consistent, while others are not?
Although they might be one of my favorite types of
dogs, it doesn’t mean that I think everyone who wants
extra protection and has a family or whatever should run
out and get one. There’s nothing wrong with it, but there
needs to be a lot of careful thought about why you’re get-
ting it and what the genetics are like. You need to evalu-
ate the puppy as well because you could take two dogs
and make eight puppies, but it doesn’t mean all those
puppies are the same — they certainly aren’t. I’m also
picky about the parents. If I don’t like the parents, I’m defi-
nitely not going to like the puppies. The short answer is,
don’t just do it because someone like me said these dogs
are smart and protective. I like SIG SAUER and Glock, but
that doesn’t mean everyone should go out and buy one.If you had three wishes to address the homeless dog
crisis we have in
this country, what
would they be?
JF: First is ac-
countability for
the humans. When
people take owner-
ship of a dog they
should be a lot
more accountable.
The other thing is I
wish we could find
a lot more places
to use these dogs.
I’ve tried my entire
career, and am still
open to it, even
though the success
rate is low. We just
went and evaluatedJeff’s EDC
SIG SAUER P938
Galco holster
Emerson Commander
folder
Streamlight Stylus Pro
Rite in the Rain
notebook, Cordura
cover
Tac tical penTHE COMMANDO
WHISPERER