Dutch Shepherd Forum

Hey there,
1 > I am looking to find a good protection dog trainer in California.
2 > I am looking for a place that lets you "customize" / choose the training the dog will receive.
I have only found a few and they are not really transparent about what exactly they train for.
I found that most places either do not train the dog that intensively or they train the dog for a TON of things that I do not need in my dog.
For example I am only looking for alert on command, attack on command, home protection, food refusal, and guard (person or place). Thats basically it. It seems like the majority of these programs require you to buy a package with a bunch of unneeded training- like holding prisoners, searching an environment for intruders, or training for a sport it will never compete in.

Does anyone have any suggestions as where to find a good protection trainer that does not charge insane amounts of money?

PS - Ideally in California, but I am willing to travel if there is a really good program.

Thanks in Advance!

I Trained Ring Sport for many years and that covers what you are talking about. But for home protection, be more specific. DS by nature are protective, that is their job. The training hones the skill. For the guard, there is a lot that goes into that and may I ask why you need guard? They will guard their human also by nature and you can just hone that skill. Steve may chime in but I did ring sport and with my trainer, even though I did the whole shibang, and trialed, he was cool about just training what you needed and didnt have to trial.

You need to find someone that can put a solid foundation in the way the dog barks and grips and handles pressure and get control over the dog in protection then all that stuff is easily taught after that.... so many people skip that foundation and it really makes the training suffer and can create a hectic not so clear dog... for what you need you need a very clear headed dog with good foundation to keep him clear and u understands what biting and barking and co ntrol means! If you skip that phase you'll end up regretting the results....

I was thinking along the same lines as Steve. A lot of the training is a building block for the next level.

Have you looked into any of the IPO or Shutzhund clubs in your area? You might be able to get some good information on training and trainers.