Tell us about yourself: I have a Chocolate Labrador named Gunner. He is 8 and 90 lbs of LAZY! I also have three kitties Angel, Sophie, and Daisy our newest addition to our family!
A protection dog is a protection dog. It doesn't matter the pedigree they came from, as each dog is different. I've seen many sport dogs who will bite for real, and many who are only about equipment. Training prices vary from trainer to trainer. I personally charge $300 for 6 lessons of protection training. When we arrive to the clients goal, then we are done. That make take 5 months, or it may take 3 years. It all depends on what your goals are and how quickly the dog is able to move along. How close are you to Jacksonville or Atlanta? Also, how old and what pedigree is your dog from?
Tell us about yourself: I have a Chocolate Labrador named Gunner. He is 8 and 90 lbs of LAZY! I also have three kitties Angel, Sophie, and Daisy our newest addition to our family!
Jason Davis wrote:A protection dog is a protection dog. It doesn't matter the pedigree they came from, as each dog is different. I've seen many sport dogs who will bite for real, and many who are only about equipment. Training prices vary from trainer to trainer. I personally charge $300 for 6 lessons of protection training. When we arrive to the clients goal, then we are done. That make take 5 months, or it may take 3 years. It all depends on what your goals are and how quickly the dog is able to move along. How close are you to Jacksonville or Atlanta? Also, how old and what pedigree is your dog from?
Thank You for clarifing that..
Do you do suit or sleeve or both? I would like to teach mine suit. I also do not have a dog yet. I am only 16 and am just trying to narrow down breeders and other things before I purchase a dog in the future. I think DS's are the best dog for me but I think It would be smart to get some experience handling working dogs so I have to decided to get a Dogo Argentino or Work line GSD first then move onto a DS. Obviously a good GSD has proven they can do this but there are a couple videos of Dogo's doing protetion and one Dogo police k9 I know of. I am 30 minutes away from ATL and Jacksonville wouldn't be too much of a problem either.
I personally have both Schutzhund clients and FR clients, so I do both suit and sleeve work. When I do protection work (true pp work) I use hidden sleeves when the dog is mature enough and far enough along with training. I also won't do actual pp with most people. My clients have to have an actual need for one, (asult victims, home invasion, stalker, etc..) because most of the time there is no need to have a dog trained to bite out of a sport venue. It's a huge liability and when not done properly can be dangerous. In most cases, I teach the dogs to bark, which is a HUGE detourant, and will stop most in their tracks.
I'm from Ct, but know a really good trainer in both the Atlanta area and Jacksonville.
Being a first time handler, I would make sure you find the proper trainer to work with before purchasing a dog. If you have the right team, then don't worry about a starter breed before purchasing a DS. Typically I would tell anybody that is looking to get a DS (and getting the true version of what a DS is supposed to be) to find another breed unless you have the proper team to work with. The breed is a working breed and should be bred to do so. It saddens me that people are now doing confirmation with these dogs and so breeders are now breeding to fit the confirmation standards vs breeding them for true working performance. With the proper training and outlet, they can be GREAT family dogs, but a true representation of the breed will be a nightmare without the combination of those things. Also there is a reason there is only 1 dogo police k9 that you know of;-) Stick with a good GSD, DS or Mali but FIRST, find a trainer. Joey Leigh is in the Atlanta area and in my opinion, one of the best sport and psd trainers in GA. Look him up, go visit on a club day and see if he's someone who you would like to work with and also if you're someone he would work with. Then he can give you guidance through the dog picking process.
Just my .02 Good luck!!
Tell us about yourself: I have a Chocolate Labrador named Gunner. He is 8 and 90 lbs of LAZY! I also have three kitties Angel, Sophie, and Daisy our newest addition to our family!
What is FR and PSD are those the Abreviations? I understand the liability on having a dog trained to bite. I am a big dog researcher/lover and a future Hiker, Camper, Mountain Biker, Runner, who was already going to get a active dog but decided it would make feel safer having a dog who is active and can protect me in bad situations whether it be a Coyote or a Bad person. Even if I had a PP trained dog I would have A gun, knife, pepper spray and hope that my dogs growl/bark would be a good enough deterant. If the situation ever arises and the person is crazy enough to keep coming I would want my dog to know what to do instead of just running back to me.
My B-Day is in March and I was going to visit a Working GSD breeder/Trainer in ATL so I could see if I liked the dogs and everything. I would love to visit the Trainer in ATL instead if you really recommend him and see some working dogs. I am also one who thinks all breeds should be kept Working and nothing less. Showing is unecesarry and does not mentally or physically show that the dog can work. Another person on here who had owned Working Dobermans said the first DS she got was a nightmare and had to send her away for 30 days to a professional trainer. After hearing this and only owning a Lazy/No drive Male Lab and Pug I was kind of freaked out by that and decided to get something a little bit more forgiving if I happened to mess up on something. BUT I will find out if I can handle a DS, GSD, or Dogo once I visit some trainers and working Breeders. Oh and a I meant to say there is only one Dogo k9 I know of in the US but they are very popular police k9's in Argentina, their country of origin.
The problem I am having is that I am not staying in GA when I become an Adult. I am moving to Nrthrn. Idaho and doubt there are any groups/trainers up there beacause it is pretty rural. So I was planning on getting my dog, train it PP, wait for him to get past his pushy teen stage, then move. I was thinking it would take 1.5 years before we get to Idaho. But I have heard that it may take 3 years to train a dog PP! In that case I would be better off finding a trainer anywhere in Idaho!
If you can get to Joey who Jason mentioned, do it! He would be a fantastic person for you to talk to and meet in persona and you could see some of the dogs in his club in person. Meet the dogs and get to know as much about them as you can before you even start to decide on what breed you want based on what you read or watch in videos. Don't pass over a Dutchie or a Malie, with the right support as Jason mentioned they could be very good options for you and would be ideal for the type of training you want to do. I also would not be looking for a Dogo, but to each his own. These dogs were bred for hunting, not any sort of protection work, so with any PP training you would be essentially trying to change instead of enhance their internal hard wired nature. Are they being used for police work in their country because they are best for the job (in which case why are they not more popular every where else) or because that's what's most readily available there?
FR stands for French Ring (a protection sport) and PSD is police services dog (or something close enough).
Tell us about yourself: I have a Chocolate Labrador named Gunner. He is 8 and 90 lbs of LAZY! I also have three kitties Angel, Sophie, and Daisy our newest addition to our family!
Choochi wrote:If you can get to Joey who Jason mentioned, do it! He would be a fantastic person for you to talk to and meet in persona and you could see some of the dogs in his club in person. Meet the dogs and get to know as much about them as you can before you even start to decide on what breed you want based on what you read or watch in videos. Don't pass over a Dutchie or a Malie, with the right support as Jason mentioned they could be very good options for you and would be ideal for the type of training you want to do. I also would not be looking for a Dogo, but to each his own. These dogs were bred for hunting, not any sort of protection work, so with any PP training you would be essentially trying to change instead of enhance their internal hard wired nature. Are they being used for police work in their country because they are best for the job (in which case why are they not more popular every where else) or because that's what's most readily available there?
FR stands for French Ring (a protection sport) and PSD is police services dog (or something close enough).
Thanks I will ask for his contact info. I will only choose my breed once I have seen these dogs in person. I plan to camp/hike, and other dog avtivies, as I get older and wanted a 80-95 lb dog that had a good bite/large head, could do Mushing, very few health problems, athletic, and could be trained personal protection. After researching every single breed out there I only came up with a handful of breeds and only liked a fraction of them. Beauceron, Dutch Shep, Working-Straight Back-Walk on toes not hawks German Shep, and a Dogo Argentino. I have fallen in love with all of these breeds and had a hard time picking the best options and personal favorites. But for a couple reasons picked out the Dutch Shep for their cat like agility, intelligence, and good bite. And the Dogo for its Brute strength (for mushing), big head, and personality. I need a dog that will be able to hold his own against a crazy wild animal or a crazy wild person.
I know the Dogo is NOT on the same level of Protection as a Dutch but they are good. They are not used as much because simply put a Dutch Shep is better when specifically talking about protection. I also think Argentina has alot of pride about having their own national dog and that is why they use them. Here are some videos of Dogo's doing PP. I do not know why the guy takes his jacket off in the first video but the Dogo seems to be good:
Tell us about yourself: I am from Long Island NY. I Currently have two dogs, a 6 year old Female Doberman and a 10 week old female Dutch Shepherd. My dutch is a mix of Van Leeuwen and LeDobry bloodlines. She is a pistol putting it lightly, she is actually "slightly flammable" and has been since we got her at 8 weeks old. She already shows tons of prey drive, Active Aggression and Social Aggression. Never have I had a pup with nearly as much spirit as her she is going to be a very serious dog.
You sound extremely mature for 16 years old! Best wishes to you picking out your first working dog. I recommend the Dutchie. I have had German Shepherds, Dobermans and Dutchies. Hands down these days the dutch shepherds have the least health issues and "most" of the breeders are still breeding for working abilities overall. If you get a really nice dog and consistently train in any of the "protection" sports then chances are you will never have to worry or second guess yourself whether or not your dog will protect you against a "real" bad guy. Every true dutchie I have seen has developed a good suspicion level against people outside their pack by the time they have reached 2 years old...some sooner some a little later. Personal Protection training in k9's is an awesome thing, but I can tell you as someone working in law enforcement that if a "real bad guy" is willing to take his chances against any large breed dog that is showing any sign of aggression...then he is probably also willing to shoot or stab the dog. Its a horrible thing but sadly true. Again good luck with your dog!
Tell us about yourself: I have a Chocolate Labrador named Gunner. He is 8 and 90 lbs of LAZY! I also have three kitties Angel, Sophie, and Daisy our newest addition to our family!
tedge007 wrote:You sound extremely mature for 16 years old! Best wishes to you picking out your first working dog. I recommend the Dutchie. I have had German Shepherds, Dobermans and Dutchies. Hands down these days the dutch shepherds have the least health issues and "most" of the breeders are still breeding for working abilities overall. If you get a really nice dog and consistently train in any of the "protection" sports then chances are you will never have to worry or second guess yourself whether or not your dog will protect you against a "real" bad guy. Every true dutchie I have seen has developed a good suspicion level against people outside their pack by the time they have reached 2 years old...some sooner some a little later. Personal Protection training in k9's is an awesome thing, but I can tell you as someone working in law enforcement that if a "real bad guy" is willing to take his chances against any large breed dog that is showing any sign of aggression...then he is probably also willing to shoot or stab the dog. Its a horrible thing but sadly true. Again good luck with your dog!
Thank You. I try and spend time searching for Working Breeders every Week or Month. I am concerned though because I see a lot of line/inbreeding in working DS lines becasue they are striving for good drives and strong nerves. That also means the health problems in those lines will be increased in offspring, and health is VERY important to me.
It would be great to not second guess myself when I am home alone with my protective Labrador, don't laugh it's true Lol. We had this WEIRD-like-on-drugs-weird repairman come to our house one day and Gunner sniffed him and went bizerk, the guy left pretty quick. We also had two guys wanting people to give money to a fake College for books and Gunner did not like them either. Another time my neighbor came over after drinking some beers and watching football and Gunner walked right up to the guy, touching him, and did an AMAZING bark and hold. I knew what he was doing and only wished I could have video taped it but I had to get Gunner to stop. Actually I might make a Thread about This and hear other people stories...
I wouldn't send my dog on a bad guy if he had any weapons and didn't show any fear of the dog. Maybe if it was some Loser then I would tell my dog to bark and give him a warning . But It would feel comforting to know my dog will have my back instead of tucking his tail. BUT there are plenty of stories of non-trained dogs protecting just fine. So I will just have to visit these trainer/breeders and see if this is something that I really want or would be better off training the dog to bark/growl really scary like someone suggested.
Tell us about yourself: I am a mom of 6 life forces - 2 kids and 3 dogs 1 hamster. I live in Ct. I have trained Ringsport and Agility and have 2 DS, one 15 and 7 and a Basset Hound Cookie who is 2
The bark and Hold is great to teach a dog, or search and hold. I have had a few people come up to my old house and having Thalie literally sent one running down the street. If i have a repair person come I will tell them that the are protection trained, just so they dont get any ideas of coming back on their own.
Tell us about yourself: My name is Katrina, I have 1 dutch shepherd name Merlin. He is a handful and keeps things in our house very interesting and fun :)
Gunner is a good pup. My mom was a Lab breeder for a couple of years and we had a female that was very!!! protective. We used to camp alot and would take her with us. If someone from the campsite wondered close to my little sister, who was a baby at the time, she would become very aggressive. Just mother instinct I guess. She even chased a pack of about 4 coyote out of our yard one day. She was a very good dog, we had her for 13 years...amazing friend.
kchristy wrote:Gunner is a good pup. My mom was a Lab breeder for a couple of years and we had a female that was very!!! protective. We used to camp alot and would take her with us. If someone from the campsite wondered close to my little sister, who was a baby at the time, she would become very aggressive. Just mother instinct I guess. She even chased a pack of about 4 coyote out of our yard one day. She was a very good dog, we had her for 13 years...amazing friend.
People tend to underestimate Labs. The two black Labs I have/had saved my butt on more than one occasion. Sweet as they can be but if you are up to no good, watch out the sweet black Lab will kick your a..
Tell us about yourself: My name is Katrina, I have 1 dutch shepherd name Merlin. He is a handful and keeps things in our house very interesting and fun :)
Yes they will I had a female when I was in college, that I was walking around in the woods of Louisiana. She walked in front of me and sat down and wouldn't let me pass. She walked very well and always came when I told her to, but this time she wouldn't budge. Anyway, I forced her to come forward with me and almost stepped on a copperhead! Always good to have a dog that loves you and to trust what they are trying to tell you Merlin is good and warning me of things too
Tell us about yourself: I have a Chocolate Labrador named Gunner. He is 8 and 90 lbs of LAZY! I also have three kitties Angel, Sophie, and Daisy our newest addition to our family!
Dutchringgirl wrote:The bark and Hold is great to teach a dog, or search and hold. I have had a few people come up to my old house and having Thalie literally sent one running down the street. If I have a repair person come I will tell them that the are protection trained, just so they dont get any ideas of coming back on their own.
Is it possible to train Bark and hold or Search and Hold and Barking/Growling on command without actually doing any bitework? Or would you have to do all three together? I feel bad for your Repairmen though, Having to try and work with two Dutch Shepherds watching their every move
I imagine they were scared of your dogs before they even knew they were Protection trained! I have people terrified of my Lab simply because he is big and a dark color. And what hapened with Thalie and that person she chased, were they trying to rob you?!
Tell us about yourself: I have a Chocolate Labrador named Gunner. He is 8 and 90 lbs of LAZY! I also have three kitties Angel, Sophie, and Daisy our newest addition to our family!
kchristy wrote:Gunner is a good pup. My mom was a Lab breeder for a couple of years and we had a female that was very!!! protective. We used to camp alot and would take her with us. If someone from the campsite wondered close to my little sister, who was a baby at the time, she would become very aggressive. Just mother instinct I guess. She even chased a pack of about 4 coyote out of our yard one day. She was a very good dog, we had her for 13 years...amazing friend.
Lol he is even though he is almost too old to Hike and Run with me anymore. That is a good Lab you guys used to have too. I think I would be laughing hysterically just seeing Gunner and his old butt try and keep up with a pack of Coyotes LOL! Course they would be looking at him like a pot bellied pig, then I would have to go and save the old man Haha. I hope Gunner lives to be 13... He is already 8 and has grey on his paws and most of his face . That old man has got to last a little longer because my parents said NO MORE dogs until I move out and get my own!
Tell us about yourself: I have a Chocolate Labrador named Gunner. He is 8 and 90 lbs of LAZY! I also have three kitties Angel, Sophie, and Daisy our newest addition to our family!
kchristy wrote:Gunner is a good pup. My mom was a Lab breeder for a couple of years and we had a female that was very!!! protective. We used to camp alot and would take her with us. If someone from the campsite wondered close to my little sister, who was a baby at the time, she would become very aggressive. Just mother instinct I guess. She even chased a pack of about 4 coyote out of our yard one day. She was a very good dog, we had her for 13 years...amazing friend.
People tend to underestimate Labs. The two black Labs I have/had saved my butt on more than one occasion. Sweet as they can be but if you are up to no good, watch out the sweet black Lab will kick your a..
Gunner is a big lover boy but you better count your lucky stars if you make it out of our house alive LOL jk, He is pretty much the same as your Black Labs.
Tell us about yourself: I have a Chocolate Labrador named Gunner. He is 8 and 90 lbs of LAZY! I also have three kitties Angel, Sophie, and Daisy our newest addition to our family!
kchristy wrote:Yes they will I had a female when I was in college, that I was walking around in the woods of Louisiana. She walked in front of me and sat down and wouldn't let me pass. She walked very well and always came when I told her to, but this time she wouldn't budge. Anyway, I forced her to come forward with me and almost stepped on a copperhead! Always good to have a dog that loves you and to trust what they are trying to tell you Merlin is good and warning me of things too
Wow! We had a Copperhead in our yard a couple years back and Gunner never noticed it. My mom was raking and picked up a pile of leaves almost getting bit by it! I always listen to Gunner when he says something is up, becasue most of the time He is right! How is Merlin by the way? He looks super cute in your picture .
Tell us about yourself: My name is Katrina, I have 1 dutch shepherd name Merlin. He is a handful and keeps things in our house very interesting and fun :)
Thank you and sorry its been so long since I have been on!!! Merlin is doing great, listening well and learning fast. I keep seeing all these pics of puppies and realize how big he is getting. He will be 6 months old soon. I will post some pictures of him soon so that everyone can see how much he is changing. Silly pup
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. But It would feel comforting to know my dog will have my back instead of tucking his tail. BUT there are plenty of stories of non-trained dogs protecting just fine. So I will just have to visit these trainer/breeders and see if this is something that I really want or would be better off training the dog to bark/growl really scary like someone suggested.
I had a female when I was in college, that I was walking around in the woods of Louisiana. She walked in front of me and sat down and wouldn't let me pass. She walked very well and always came when I told her to, but this time she wouldn't budge. Anyway, I forced her to come forward with me and almost stepped on a copperhead! Always good to have a dog that loves you and to trust what they are trying to tell you 
. That old man has got to last a little longer because my parents said NO MORE dogs until I move out and get my own!