Demystifying the Protection Dog

Many people ask: what exactly is a “protection dog”?

A Protection Dog when properly trained will protect his owner from threat or physical danger. The properly trained protection dog protects as a direct result of his genetics and training not from insecurity or fear.

A properly trained protection dog should be social, confident or even indifferent towards strangers, but react reliably in a protective manner when faced with an obvious threat or when called upon to display that behavior by their owner/handler.

On the contrary, an unsuitable or poorly trained protection dog may react with inappropriate or insufficient protection behaviors.

At CVC, we believe the best protection dog starts before birth - with the genetics of the parents. We carefully balance our breeding in order to emphasize the very best character traits in both the sire and the dam. We also check for issues with hips, elbows and orthopedics as well as vision.

In addition to the right genetics, the correct training methods bring the finishing touch. IPO or Schutzhund training while great for obedience and conditioning, don’t exactly prepare a dog for the “real world” scenarios that they most likely will encounter. Anything from crowds, variable and extreme noise (including gunfire), stairwells, open stairs and dark hallways are implemented to expose the dog to as much visual and aural stimulus as possible. All of this must be done methodically and with care that the dog is not “over faced” or pushed beyond what he is ready for mentally and physically. 

We are aware that not all dogs will make good protection dogs and certainly that not all environments or homes will be the right place for a protection dog. That being said, there are different levels of protection that can be achieved with the right dog and the correct training. These are all things that we would cover in evaluating the dog and the owner. 

If you’d like to book an evaluation, we’d love to see you. Please inquire here.