Learn What Makes the Best Dog for Personal Protection Here!
We are passionate about protection training around here. We boast the best trainers in the country and the quality of the dogs we train back up our claim! We proudly train protection dogs that keep you safe and blend seamlessly to their handpicked environment. We know that every person has different needs and concerns and we meticulously pair each of our clients with their perfect protection dog match. Consequently, some of our dogs are trained in additional skills and to a higher degree in some areas than they would have otherwise. No matter what “extras” some of our dogs boast, all of our dogs have been through the same examinations before being selected for protection work.
What does it take to be a good candidate for protection work?
Though many people might know that not just any dog can be a protection dog, they might not know why that is or what it takes to be a personal protection dog. Besides the obvious factor of size (no chihuahua is going to make the protection dog team no matter how ferocious it thinks it is), other traits such as trainability, temperament, and drive to fearlessly protect their owner are essential in a personal protection dog.
Many dog breeds will run away and will not try to save you in a threatening situation, no matter how much the dog loves you, because of their natural self-preservation instinct. The best protection dogs have to have the drive to protect their owner and fight instead of flight to save themselves. Additionally, if a dog has trouble obeying simple commands such as “sit,” “stay,” or “lie down,” then the advanced commands will be beyond their skill level. Though there are dogs that are very obedient with everyday commands, it does not necessarily qualify them to be a personal protection dog. Likewise, the online courses or trainers who claim to be able to take any dog and make them a personal protection dog are not able to guarantee that your dog will be able to protect you or that they have had the best training possible to keep you and your family safe. Our dogs will protect in situations when others run because of our rigorous temperament qualifications, selection, and training.
Ultimately the best protection dog is one that:
- Comes from healthy and protective bloodlines
- Has been raised in a family setting
- Has excelled in their obedience training
- Has passed temperament testing with flying colors
- Has been expertly trained
- To note: Some people judge a dog off of the titles they have won. While our dogs boast many titles and awards, we view titling as a nice bonus to have on top of the rest of their holistic training. Titling should not detract from their protection training.
So what breeds can become protection dogs?
Here at Integrity K9 Services, we have trained many types of dog breeds that are built for meeting the unique mix of demands on a personal protection dog.
Some of these breeds include:
- American bulldogs
- Belgian Malinois
- Bouvier des Flandres
- Czech Shepherds
- Doberman Pinschers
- German Shepherds
- Rottweilers, and
- Standard Poodles
These protective dog breeds are our picks because of their instinct to protect their owner, loyalty, agility, and ability to be trained. (Check out our lineup of available personal protection dogs.).
Matching you to the right breed for your lifestyle
We take pride in matching each of our clients to the right dog. Each breed and more specifically, each dog has their own temperament, personality, and tendencies. For example, Belgian Malinois are known for their agility, drive, and trainability making them the perfect personal protection dog for a person or family that has an active lifestyle. If you enjoy activities such as running or hiking, your Belgian Malinois will be right there beside you to keep you safe.
Belgian Malinois are incredible dogs, they do not however match every person’s lifestyle. Rottweilers, Cane Corsos, Boerboels, and German Shepherds are active and strong breeds that may be the right fit for you.
Our Standard Poodles and Bouvier des Flandres are more camouflaged, as some people may not expect a finely groomed Poodle to be fully trained in protection. Poodles have been bred and trained for hundreds of years to be working dogs and they boast strong, athletic and hard working bloodlines. These breeds are also hypoallergenic and non-shedding.
Can I train my own dog to be a personal protection dog?
What if you have one of these dog breeds? Can you protection train it on your own? We may not be able to provide the answer you are hoping for. Our answer in most cases is no, you should not attempt to add protection training to your dog on your own. Protection training is an advanced training method. There absolutely is a right and wrong way to train a dog for protection and the stakes are as high as they get. Make a mistake while attempting to protection train and the results may be disastrous. Our trainers have years of training under their belts and have trained hundreds of dogs for protection. Our head trainer, Dr. William Ellinger, has over 30 years of protection training and has devoted his life to training dogs to protect. There are many classes offered around the country that help handlers learn protection commands in a safe and professionally observed environment. These are great spaces to get your dog started with protection commands.
Questions about our training or our dogs? Contact us today to learn more!
