There are many questions often asked about personal protection dogs, such questions consist of;
1. What is a personal protection dog?
2. Are personal protection dogs dangerous?
3. Are personal protection dogs safe around children?
4. Are personal protection dogs safe around other animals?
5. Will my personal protection dog attack my friend when they visit?
6. I have big dog who will protect me anyway do I really need a personal protection dog?
7. What dog breed makes the best personal protection dog?
These are all great questions which are continuously asked and are based on common misconceptions. In this blog post I will try to answer these questions and any other common questions people may have.
Firstly, a personal protection dog (PPD for short) is a dog that is trained to provide a reliable protection service whether that is to an individual, a family or an object. Personal protection dogs are often bred through proven bloodlines and go through a monitoring/screening process before being approved to undertake the vigorous training schedule to become a personal protection dog. The reason they are screened first is so the trainer can be sure the dog has the correct temperament to become a PPD, this includes but is not limited to being; sociable, calm, controllable, intelligent and fearless. Another preferred trait is for the dog to have a high prey drive.
Following the screening process if the trainer is satisfied the dog is capable of becoming a personal protection dog they can begin the training program which normally consists of 3 or 4 different levels, with the price of the dog increasing as it works it’s way through each level. Dogs are trained to make decisions in order to protect their owner(s) and either respond to any threat instinctively or on command. Dogs will not just see any stranger as a threat and therefore if your neighbour of friend visits, the dog will not just attack them and the dog can be walked in public without any worries. Dogs go through real-life scenario training to make sure they will respond to a threat when they are re-homed with their new family, such scenarios can be a burglary in the family home, an owner being attacked a cashpoint, an owner being attacked in a vehicle or an owner being attacked in a public place. The training usually includes the dogs being acclimated to a family life, living in a home with children and other animals.
Thanks to the quality training a personal protection dog goes through they are not dangerous (except to somebody attacking you or your family) and are completely safe around children and other pets. In fact, it is more likely for an untrained family pet to attack an innocent child than for a professionally trained personal protection dog who has be trained how to deal with different situations to attack an innocent child.
A common misconception is for owners of large dogs such as Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers and German Shepherd Dogs to believe their dog will instinctively protect them and their family without any training. In 99% of cases this is completely wrong, whilst the presence of dog may act as a deterrent, should you, your dog or a family member come under attack the chances are the dog will either run away, do nothing or simply bark at the attacker. The personal protection training teaches the dog how to deal with these situations, not to run away and the best way to protect their handler. Dogs can be trained to go for the attacker’s arm that is holding the weapon or if there are multiple attackers attack the person posing the biggest threat, should another attacker then become the bigger threat the dog’s attention can be diverted to them.
So now you know a bit about personal protection dogs, the question on your mind is, what breed of dog makes the best personal protection dog? Well, there isn’t a specific breed that is the “best”, instead there are a few breeds which all make great personal protection dogs. The most common breeds are; German Shepherd Dogs, Rottweilers, Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers and Cane Corsos, with each of these breeds continuously providing why they make such fantastic personal protection dogs.
When you are ready to purchase a personal protection dog head over to our main site K9Sale.com which is designed for all highly trained dogs to be advertised for sale. If you have any further questions or would like more advice then simply ask in our forums where we encourage advice to be shared by professionals and enthusiasts.