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| Shown above, the military are training a protection dog for military use. On the right shows the attacker, while the handlers holds the leash and give the command to attack. |
The philosophy behind training a protection dog is to fist inspire a dog's behavior with motivation. Then to see that is it's done correctly, you need to use the right amount of conditioning and repetition so it is done reliably, and precisely with as much motivation as you can give your dog.
Training a protection dog should be done only by trained professionals. There are many different dog breeds that make a qualified canine protection dog. Some of these dog breeds include German Shepherds (One of the most common), Bulldogs, American Pit Bull Terriers (Highly trainable and athletic), as well as Italian mastiffs to name a few.
Dog training should start at a very young age. Some of the methods you use at first are basic. Making sure your dog is used to loud noises such as lawn mowers, weed whackers, banging on garbage cans, and any other noise that they may encounter in the public as well as in their home. Any time you see a dog with their tail down, you never want to pet them. Let them deal with the situation on their own until they are comfortable. This may happen when they are exploring new territory, in a new environment, or reacting to noises, people, or objects. Any time their tail is down, you want to completely ignore them.
Some of the ways trainers train a protection dog is by using a bite suit. This is sometimes referred to as the dog sport schutzhund. They will first antagonize the dog with a stick or whip while the owner has the dog on a leash. After the dog starts to show aggression, they will then walk towards the dog and give them a sleeve to bite while the owner says their own personal command. They then tell the dog to release, then praise the dog. Some dogs pick this up very naturally, while others don't. If a dog doesn't pick this up naturally, it's most likely hopeless to peruse additional training. As with all training it is done by praising the dog for positive behavior and correcting them for negative behavior. Correcting them means firmly saying "No", or by ignoring unwanted behavior completely. At no time should you ever strike a dog. This will have an overwhelmingly negative effect on the dog's temperament, behavior, ability to train, and over all well being. Some of the best guard dogs are highly trained in this type of work.
After the basic commands of attack, release, watch 'em, are tot to the dog, more advanced techniques are then tot. One of the main things that dog trainers take into consideration when training a protection dog, is to make sure the dog can process real threats. The dog needs to be able to distinguish the difference between a mail man, friend, family member, and an actual threat or potential threat.
A great deal of training is required in dog protection training, sometimes hundreds of hours. Some of the more advanced techniques used for training is to have the dog off of the owners leash and use the same commands. Also, a number of different scenarios are presented to both the handler and protection dog. For instance, the attacker can be holding a weapon and the dog will have to go for the arm that the weapon is in. Also, scenarios are presented when the attacker is in a group of people and the dog as to distinguish who the attacker is.
Dog obedience training
No matter what level that protection dog is at, all basic dog obedience training commands must be tot first. Basic dog obedience training must be the first step before your dog can advance into more sophisticated training regiments. When training these dogs you have to start from the ground up. It would be wise to contact a protection dog trainer that has a great deal of experience and go from there. This type of training takes years of experience to master and should only be done by the trainers who have that experience. This isn't something that you can pick up over night. People who attempt to train protection dogs with little or no knowledge are creating a dangerous and potential life threatening situation. With that said, as long as protection training for dogs is done by professionals in the right environment, it can be an awesome sport that both the dog and owner can enjoy.
