belgian malinois Archives - Protection Dogs Plus

Some of our Protection Dog Training Obstacles

Protection Dogs Plus on April 21, 2014

Drago, a Belgian Malinois protection dog, leaps onto a roof during training.

Our clients demand the best possible training for their protection dogs so that they will be prepared for whatever situation they may find themselves in. Emergency situations are unpredictable and can change from second to second. That’s why our protection training system incorporates a broad range of challenges that equip our dogs to adapt to new situations and stand up to extreme pressure. Below are just some of the challenges our dogs take on.
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Turning On Against a “Passive Threat”
Dogs are keen at reading body language and recognizing threatening behavior, but what happens when a threat is standing perfectly still with a concealed weapon? If the threat tells you that they are going to harm or kill you without making any overt gestures, you need your protection dog to be able to come to your aid.

We take this preparation to the extreme; our dogs can be directed to bark at or bite a person even if they are sitting perfectly still. This is something they only do on command, and it is something that should only ever be done if you feel that the person genuinely intends to harm or kill you.

Building Searches
Building searches are one of the best ways to train protection dogs to overcome pressure and follow their noses to the bad guy. Believe it or not, most dogs don’t search with their noses by default. It takes careful training to give them the ability bite without relying on their eyes. A dog’s nose is 10,000 to 100,000 times more sensitive than a humans. That gives them a massive advantage against any home invader trying to avoid detection.

Going Over (and Through) Obstacles
We use many different pieces of training equipment to simulate realistic obstacles that our protection dogs might encounter. Our German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois practice jumping into and out of moving vehicles, diving through small windows with precision, jumping onto high platforms (such as roofs) and more.

Fighting Against Armed Attackers
The two things we value most is your safety and the safety of our dogs. We prepare our protection dogs to face off against armed attackers in a way that is as realistic as possible while still being safe. Training with simulated gunfire and other weapons is performed to ensure that dogs will not back down from any pressure in a critical situation. You can see examples of this in our protection dog training videos.

Muzzle Attacks
Asking a protection dog to go after an attacker without using his or her mouth is like asking a police officer to arrest someone with their hands tied. By placing a sturdy, padded leather muzzle on our dogs, we can then send them for a bite against a trainer wearing no equipment. This exercise encourages tenacity and boldness. By the time we offer any of our fully-trained protection dogs for sale, they have demonstrated not just their willingness to go forward without the benefit of their teeth, but to compensate by tackling and wrestling with the threat using their whole bodies.

We Offer Obedience Training, Too!

Protection Dogs Plus on April 3, 2014

You probably know by now that we offer protection training for German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois—both with our fully trained protection dogs for sale as well as the training we offer for dogs that pass our evaluation. What you might not know is that we also offer separate obedience training services for anyone trying to achieve the same high level off-leash control that you see in this video.

See PDP’s obedience training in action!In fact, we’ve had dogs sent to us from across the globe just for our obedience training! That’s because for many of our clients, their protection dog isn’t the only dog in the house. When you send your pet dog off for obedience training with us, you’re able to accomplish two things:

Your new protection dog will be trained and socialized right alongside your existing pet, ensuring that they will interact in the best way possible.
When it comes time for delivery, you’ll feel like your pet is coming back as a new dog! You can enjoy your life with him or her free of frustrating behavior issues.

People seek out our training because they want peace of mind, and they have seen for themselves the kind of safety and convenience our training can offer them. Our obedience training is based on the proven methods of our sister company, First Choice Canine. First Choice Canine trains every breed and every size—from Norwich Terriers to Great Danes! Click here to see a client talk about her experience with our advanced on & off-leash obedience training.

To get started, contact us today and request obedience training for your current dog.

Protection Dog Trick Training

Protection Dogs Plus on February 5, 2014

Just one of the many ‘pluses’ clients can request from Protection Dogs Plus is trick training!

Why would I want my personal protection dog to know tricks?

Our personal protection dogs are one of the best layers of security you can rely on. They have the ability to detect and defuse a dangerous situation before it escalates. We’re realistic about the fact that 99% of the time, the dogs we offer for sale will be working as trusty sidekicks and not baring their teeth at bad guys. Our priority is making sure that should the day ever come when you are in a dangerous situation, that you have a trained bodyguard at your side at every possible moment. How do we do that? By making it a daily joy to have a personal protection dog!

The cornerstone of that effort is our advanced off-leash obedience training, powered by First Choice Canine’s proven obedience training system. Once your dog is walking by your side and hanging off your every word, you won’t think twice about bringing your dog with you on trips into town, vacations, or anywhere else you might be.

Tricks are the cherry on top: trick training is a great opportunity for your family to have fun bonding time with your dog while reinforcing his or her obedience. If someone is intimidated by the sight of a well built German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois protection dog and you don’t want them to be—in the case of a nervous friend, for example—you can help set their mind at ease by running through a trick routine. This will illustrate that your personal protection dog is highly trained and good natured, not something that any honest person needs to fear.

What kind of tricks are possible?

Lots of them! Some examples include speak, roll, spin, walk backwards, and “fetch a beer.”

Recently, we delivered protection dogs to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including a pair of Belgian Malinois who can be seen here showing off at their new home outside of Dubai (Abu Dhabi).

Which of your protection dogs for sale know tricks?

Trick training depends completely on the natural ability of the dog, and keep in mind we’re talking about a completely different skill set than personal protection. Just as you wouldn’t expect every Secret Service agent to be able to play classical guitar, don’t expect that each dog is capable of the same tricks. If you see a dog that interests you and want to know where he or she stands with trick training, send us a message today. You can even request special tricks and we’ll let you know if it’s possible or not.

Already have one of our trained protection dogs and want to add some tricks to his or her arsenal? Get in touch with us about additional training.

Our 3 Levels for Protection Dog Training Explained

Protection Dogs Plus on December 17, 2013

We train Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd dogs for home protection in three different levels: Protector, Guardian and Guardian Plus. All of these dogs are given the same thorough off-leash obedience training, so your personal protection dog can easily stay by your side all day long.The difference between the training levels is the protection exercises that are involved. You can see a visualization of included exercises at our training levels comparison chart, or continue reading for an overview.

We will often train and list a dog for a lower training level than he or she is capable of completing. We do this in the interest of offering more variety in our selection. If you are considering one of our protection dogs for sale but would prefer him/her to have a higher level of training, please contact us to see if the dog you have selected is eligible or currently undergoing further training.

Protector Level
Our personal protection dogs trained at this level represent a tremendous value: total off-leash obedience and great on-leash protection.

On your command, these dogs are capable of turning on aggressively toward a threat, turning off, biting and releasing.

Guardian and Guardian Plus
Our Guardian and Guardian Plus protection dogs take functional protection off-leash. This has some huge key benefits. For example:

You can call your dog to protect you from another room.
Your dog is trained in defending against weapons and fighting a threat with his/her entire body.
Your family can make a safe retreat while your dog remains engaged with the threat.
Your dog can be left in charge of guarding your car or home.
Your dog can be sent at an attacker over a great distance and be recalled at any moment.

The advantage of the Guardian Plus training level is that it includes our most advanced exercises.

Multiple Attackers: In a situation with 2 or more attackers, you can direct your dog to the most prominent threat.
Stealth Mode: There are times when your gut tells you that a situation is unsafe even when there are no visible causes for concern. In this situation, you can switch your protection dog into a state of silent, heightened preparedness. Without showing aggression overtly, your dog will be ready for anything.
Guard Specific Area: Even without the physical boundaries of a car or a room, you can direct your protection dog to watch over a specific object or area (such as the bottom of the stairs).

Tricks
Depending on the natural ability of the dog, you can also request that tricks be added to any of our training levels. Examples of tricks you can request are: Spin, Roll Over, Beg, Bow, Stand, Walk Backwards, Weave Between Legs and Fetch a Beer.

Training Personal Protection Dogs for Texas Life

Protection Dogs Plus on September 9, 2013

Some of the best graduates of Protection Dogs Plus’ training program are keeping families safe in Texas. See Klaus, one of our Guardian level protection dogs, being delivered to his Houston, TX in this video. A key component of preparing personal protection dogs for life in Texas is getting them accustomed to working not just under high stress, but in high temperatures. This summer has given us plenty of opportunities to do that, with MA and NH experiencing several heat weaves in the past month alone. Daily outdoor protection training sessions in a all different temperatures mean that the German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois we train for protection don’t need much pampering. Even when the heat index is high, they still display amazing feats of speed and strength.

Believe it or not, German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois with thicker coats are not a bad fit for hot climates. Their fur acts as an insulator to keep their bodies both from getting too cold and from overheating. Despite their low maintenance qualities, when we deliver personal protection dogs to Texas homes, we stress the importance of providing plenty of shade, airflow and water to any outside guard dogs.

A Texas protection dog is much more likely to find himself tackling a threat in the great outdoors than a protection dog in New York. This is another place where our outdoor work proves its worth. We get the dogs used to covering all kinds of terrain, going over natural obstacles and searching for a threat in thick wooded areas. The dogs are conditioned to track movements with their eyes, ears and noses.

This protection dog training video shows a variety of outdoor situations, including bitework in the woods, tree climbing and jumping over obstacles. In one example, Eteo, a Belgian Malinois trained for protection, jumps over a stream in the woods that would take a human significantly more time and effort to cross. In another, he scales a steep ledge with ease, proving yet again that a fully trained protection dog can run circles around a human criminal! A protection dog’s speed, paired with his sharp sense, means that he can cover and guard the kind of expansive properties that our clients in Texas tend to have.

Snakes are a fact of life in Texas, and creatures like the Texas Coral Snake, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Southern Copperhead and Western Coppermouth pose a grave danger to humans and dogs alike. One training exercise we recommend to owners of protection dogs in TX, FL, NC, GA and other southern states is snake alert and avoidance. Using docile, non-venemous snakes, we are able to teach our personal protection dogs to identify and avoid snakes to keep them safe from harm.

See more of our training exercises in our protection dog videos, and read about what some of our more advanced commands mean here.

Step by Step: Buying One of Our Protection Dogs for Sale

Protection Dogs Plus on August 8, 2013

Hicks and Aden during a socialization training session in Brentwood, NH

If our guide to raising a puppy for protection sounds too involved for your lifestyle, you might want to consider purchasing a fully trained Belgian Malinois or German Shepherd dog for protection. With this option, you know you’re getting a dog that has already been thoroughly evaluated and prepared for home defense, eliminating the risk of ending up with a dog not suited for home defense or companionship. From the time our dogs are puppies, they are handled by experienced professionals who know how to nurture their working drives and social nature. Once selected for our program and imported to the U.S.A, the dogs are given the most advanced obedience and protection training possible. The heavy lifting has already been done and the dogs are completely ready to keep your home safe.

You may be wondering if you can bond with an adult dog as well as you could with a puppy, and the answer is yes. Dogs have earned their reputation “man’s best friend” because of how readily they offer their unconditional affection. Even though we are training working dogs to be professional and precise, at the end of the day they are still loving dogs who would like nothing more than to protect and bond with their master. During the delivery process (shown here), our dogs are already forming a deep bond with their new family.

If this approach sounds like the one for you, let this post walk you through the process of selection, customization, purchase and delivery.

The first step is to figure out what qualities you want in a home protection dog. Start by browsing our current selection of protection dogs for sale. We also recommend taking a look at our Recently Sold page. These pages feature a variety of protection dog breeds, sexes, and training levels, but understand that any dog that we list on our website is healthy and fully socialized.

Choosing between protection dog breeds and appearance is simply a matter of personal preference. Click here to read our discussion on Belgian Malinois vs. German Shepherds for protection. The bigger decision is picking the right training level for your needs. An explanation of our training levels can be found here.

Once you have narrowed your search to a few of our protection dogs for sale, it’s time to fill out our short questionnaire. Clients in the U.S.A. should use this form, while we have a separate form for international clients. This form will let us better understand your lifestyle so that we can help you in your decision making process. After the questionnaire is submitted, we will follow up with a phone call within 24 hours. This is a great time to have any lingering questions answered and to learn more about the purchase and delivery process.

Our focus is on selecting, training and delivering the best protection dogs possible. We’re very careful about which dogs we select—we accept fewer than 5% of the dogs we evaluate in Europe. If none of our protection dogs we currently offer for sale seem like a good fit for you, contact us to let us know what you’re looking for. We often have dogs at our facility that have not yet been listed for sale. If none of the dogs in our inventory are just what you want, we’ll take your “wish list” on our next buying trip and bring you back a custom European import.

As soon as you have decided on the dog for you, we’ll begin modifying the dog’s existing training to suit your needs. If you selected a protection dog that was already listed for sale on the website, the training would already be mostly complete and simply needs to be customized to the client’s preferences. The amount of time needed for these finishing touches varies based on what is requested, but generally takes just a few weeks. Training a custom import from start to finish, on the other hand, may take up to 6 months. Once the training is finished, we will make the delivery.

Our protection dog deliveries are coordinated far in advance so that you can allocate time for learning how to handle your dog. The delivery takes just a few days, and by the end of it, you and your family members (or friends, hired help etc.) will have a full working knowledge of the training principles such that you can use and maintain the dog’s training every day.

Ready to get started? Click here to see our fully trained protection dogs for sale.

When Two Protection Dogs Are Better Than One

Protection Dogs Plus on July 1, 2013

Our personal protection dogs are highly social, and having two in the same home is no problem. The two dogs will follow your off-leash obedience commands without a problem. With the right training, they can work together in a protection scenario, too. Instead of getting confused and hindering each other in the heat of the moment, a pair of dogs with cooperative training can be a huge asset.

Eteo an Kazou are Belgian Malinois protection dogs who have both been trained at our Guardian Plus level. In this video, you can see that they will come to opposite sides of their handler on command. They do this in perfect unison, and as shown in the video, they will even run past the decoy to form this protective barrier instead of becoming distracted and taking a bite before they were commanded to. This fierce duo doesn’t just take to separate sides of the handler— they also target different parts of the attacker so that they can cooperatively overtake the threat instead of getting in each others’ way.

Rex, a black German Shepherd, is one of our Guardian level protection dogs. Falco is a sable German Shepherd with Guardian Plus training. While these two dogs differ in final training level and appearance, they come together with precision in functional training scenarios. Rex and Falco have been sold to a client in Nigeria who will have a variety of options when it comes to home integration. For instance, having two dogs means that one could take watch over the backyard while the other patrols in the interior of the house. It also means that neither handler nor home will be left unattended when it’s time to travel. Each member of the family receives training on obedience and protection handling, so this client’s wife and children can remain under the protection of one dog while another follows its master on trips.

A similar situation is that of Curtis and Zira, a male and female German Shepherd pair who have been trained to work together. These two muscular dogs deliver a one-two punch that easily tackle even our largest decoy trainers. Keep an eye out for a new video featuring this pairing, coming soon to our video page.

Personal Protection Dogs are Perfect Companions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, UAE

Protection Dogs Plus on June 17, 2013

Here are 3 personal protection dogs we delivered to clients in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Breathtaking construction projects have turned Abu Dhabi and Dubai, UAE into major tourist destinations.

The upscale resorts and attractions of the UAE draw visitors of substantial means, and there is a high concentration of wealth among the area’s locals. A high profile necessitates having the best security possible, and Protection Dogs Plus is delivering several more protection dogs to the UAE in the coming months.

At Protection Dogs Plus, we’re familiar with the process of training and exporting dogs to the United Arab Emirates. We give our personal protection dogs a very strong command of off-leash obedience so that travelers and residents can feel comfortable keeping a guardian by their side at all times. Features of our Guardian Plus protection dogs make this training level ideal for defending against street crime. Our Guardian Plus level German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois are trained with the ability to handle multiple attackers, so you can send your dog between a number of threats in a situation where you are outnumbered. We also train these dogs in “stealth mode,” which allows you to put your protection dog on a state of heightened alert without escalating a situation. For example, if you found yourself walking in a dark corridor at night with potential dangers, your dog can discreetly be told to prepare for trouble.

We offer fully trained personal protection dogs and training for your current dog.

Click here to see dogs we currently have for sale.

Click here to return to the home page.

Personal Protection Dogs in the Bahamas

Protection Dogs Plus on March 31, 2013

By Khaled Behisy

If you’re wondering what personal protection dogs have to do with the Bahamas, it’s probably because the island is more often portrayed for its white sand and luxury than for its crime rate. But as a region, the UN says that Caribbean Islands like the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands have the highest murder rate in the world, and criminal activity is increasingly spilling into the tourist sections of these islands. Jamaica has the highest crime rate of the islands, but assaults are rampant throughout the region and the Bahamas are reported to have the highest incidence of rape.

We offer protection dogs for sale and deliver to international clients. For residents and travelers who would rather strap on their sandals than a gun holster, personal protection dogs are an excellent security choice. Our dogs will easily follow your lead, staying right by your side (with or without a leash) and intently waiting for your next command or any signs of danger. Unlike typical guard dogs, all of our trained protection dogs for sale have friendly personalities and impeccable manners. Instead of leaving them at home, you can enjoy taking them for a run on the beach or a dip in the water.

The best personal protection dogs are capable not only of physically stopping an attacker, they’re able to deter a crime from even being attempted. Criminals prefer easy targets, and the speed and power of a personal protection dog is much greater than that of a human. The physical presence of a German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois will make a would-be criminal think twice, and their hair-raising bark can itself be enough to trigger a flight response. Of course, when push comes to shove, you know that your personal protection dog is capable of backing up that bark up (click here to see videos of our dogs in action).

Click here to see our trained protection dogs for sale, and here to fill out our questionnaire for international clients.

The Perfect Fit for Apartment Life

Protection Dogs Plus on February 7, 2013

You might not think that a protection K9 would be a good fit for life in an apartment or condo. These buildings can be on the smaller side, after all, and most complexes are heavily trafficked by people and other dogs. Some landlords seem like they’re just waiting for a chance to hand their tenants a leash violation. So are you asking for trouble by bringing a dog into your rental for security? If your building allows dogs and your companion has the right training, absolutely not! The size of your home, apartment, or condo isn’t important because your protection dog will be selected and adjusted to fit your lifestyle.

While clients in the countryside often request that their dogs alert them whenever someone is at the door, this would cause many false alarms in a building with narrow corridors and thin walls. In this environment, custom trained personal protection dogs will easily top guard dogs that don’t have the same advanced training or control. Your dog will only bark on command. When you’re in common areas you won’t have to worry about unpredictable behavior around other tenants, their children or their dogs. When you’re in your room, you can feel prepared for a forced entry situation, and you’ll be able to enjoy the loving company of the most hassle-free apartment dog possible.

During the matching process, we’ll find a German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois that will not just fulfill your protection needs, but match your energy level as well. There is a misconception that a working line dog will be hectic and high energy in a smaller space, but our dogs offer energy on demand. Even though they are fast and powerful in dangerous situations, they move with grace and care around the apartment.

Each of our dogs are trained thoroughly in off-leash obedience, so you won’t be pulled down the stairs and your neighbors will see that you have a friendly dog with perfect manners. The usefulness of off-leash exercises extends to your own living spaces, too. The “place” command will keep your dog exactly where you want him or her, which is great when you’re cleaning up or when you have company coming over. Your dog will stay off the furniture and away from unattended food. Our training is designed to put your mind at ease, from worry-free daily life to knowing that you’re secure at home.

Do you want to find out how our training can be personalized for your apartment or condo? Send us a message to tell us what your needs are.