April 2013 - Protection Dogs Plus

Protection Bite Work Gets the Blood Going (& Sometimes Flowing)

Protection Dogs Plus on April 25, 2013

The aftermath of yesterday’s training sessions.

The great thing about working with undercover training equipment is that you can cover it with clothing the dogs have never seen before. They don’t rely on seeing any equipment to turn on aggressively, protect their handler off-leash or go for the bite. Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and this picture does a good job of showing what our protection dog trainers’ arms can look like on any given day.

The thin materials we use prevent most punctures and help to distribute the power of the dog’s jaw more evenly, but there’s no avoiding the crushing and pinching that comes along with bite work. It can certainly hurt (especially toward the end of a hard week of training when even your bruises are getting bruises), but it’s the best way to train personal protection dogs. We got into this business because we’re passionate about family security and dogs, so we accept the fact that we don’t have the luxury of wearing bulky equipment or face masks. When we do “accessorize,” it’s so that we can expose the dogs to weapons, masks, and other potential variables they might encounter. As you can see in our videos, we attempt to emulate different responses that a threat might have to being bitten- from intense yelling to a more passive “play dead” approach.

Surprise attacks are one of the biggest tools that criminals have in their arsenal, but we take that advantage away by training each dog to go from 0-60 without any “warm up” period needed. When our dogs are least expect it, a decoy threat will appear out of nowhere. It’s amazing how quickly they go from fetching a ball to forcing away a threat.

Update 4/25/2013: Here’s a bruise from last week (left) vs. this week (right). Ouch.

If you have a question about our protection dog training, don’t hesitate to send us a message.

Warso Goes to Tennessee

Protection Dogs Plus on April 5, 2013

Warso is getting star treatment at his new home in Tennessee!

A couple of weeks ago we had the pleasure of delivering Warso, a German Shepherd we imported from Germany and trained as a home protection dog, to his new family in Tennessee. While the thought of traveling to new places for deliveries may seem daunting, to us it’s one of the best parts of the job. We have spent countless hours with each dog training them in protection and obedience, so naturally we become very attached to them. With deliveries, we are able to transfer this bond to a new family. Dogs like Warso are more than the best protection available to a home, they quickly become best friends with their new families. Our clients take their dogs to work with them on a daily basis. They visit family and friends and go on vacations and outings. It’s easy to bring these dogs anywhere because you know they’ll listen to your ever command and get along with everyone they meet. Even though we know we’ll miss each dog we deliver, we also know that our dogs are going to have a

So what exactly happens during a delivery? While our delivery is explained as the phase where we personally deliver your new dog to your home and show you their training and how to handle them, that only begins to describe what we really do. Our goal during the delivery phase is to make sure that by the time we leave you have the same level of control with your dog that we do as their trainers. With the extensive training and various handlers our dogs have had, adjusting to someone new is no problem. Our dogs arrive fully trained and we’ve already done extensive customized training for individual situations. The actual focus of the delivery is more on training our clients. We show them how their dog responds, and we cover every area— including basic care, obedience and protection commands. We visit family and friends, second homes, workplaces and anywhere a client plans to bring their dog. We acclimate them to car rides and living with any other pets you might have.

Our clients all have unique situations and we’re happy to tailor the delivery to them. If you want friends and family members to be able to handle your dog, we’ll show them the training principles during the delivery. We’ll practice obedience commands and simulate protection scenarios, including break-ins, assaults and carjackings. We even have clients who ask us to unexpectedly “break in” to their homes just to test out their dogs. By the time we leave, you and your dog will be ready to handle any situation you might come across. Most importantly, you’ll be able to maintain the training and apply our techniques to new situations.

Once our dogs have started to bond with their new families, they have a new life ahead of them and are eager to please. We’re always available for our clients after the delivery. We don’t see the delivery phase as the end of the process. Instead, we keep in touch with our clients long after delivery to see how everything is going. Our clients become part of our family and we receive pictures, videos, holiday cards and other updates. For us, there is no better feeling than delivery a well-trained companion who will become part of the family.

Update from Warso’s owner:

Warso is doing GREAT! He is a supermodel! He ran 3.2 miles (29 mins) with me this morning. It’s amazing how many people stop to talk. We couldn’t be happier with Warso! I doubt you’ve had a better match of the right dog/family! Loving him!

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