Expert Protection Dog Trainer in Waco, TX
At Species K9, we excel in protection dog training, crafting reliable personal protection dogs. Our expert dog trainers offer personalized programs, prioritizing safety and security while strengthening the bond between you and your loyal protector.
Understanding Protection Dog Training
Misconceptions in Protection Dog Training Waco
Protection Training, making your dog a part of your first line of defense. The misconceptions about protection dog training come from TV shows and people seeing police K9s and military working dogs (MWD). All dogs who go through our protection training have to go through all 3 phases of training first. Command and control of a dog that is being trained to bite is paramount. Not having verbal control over a dog in a high-stress, fight situation is a recipe for a lawsuit. It is true that if you have a selectively bred dog like a German Shepard, Belgian Malinois, or Dutch Shepard it will be easy to train them in protection work. However, under the right circumstances, the vast majority of dogs will show some signs of instinct to protect a family member.
The Protection Dog Training Process
This is due to the dog’s instinct to protect a family member. We build the dog up to teach it that its bark has meaning, its challenge has weight and its bites protect. Then we build on that to strengthen the dog’s mindset and confidence. Every protection training in done in a controlled environment, with safety being the number 1 priority, and to the dog it is real. They do not know it’s a stage event. In the dog’s mind, the events that are unfolding are real and it must react to the threat.
Protection Dog vs. Police K9
The difference between a protection dog and a police K9 is the drive they work in. A personal protection dog is working in Defense and Fight Drive. The instinct to protect its pack members. Police K9s and MWD are working in Prey and Fight Drive. They sense the fear of someone, see them running with the instinct to chase (prey drive) they chase them. The drive to chase is so great they will run virtually forever to bite their prey. There are a lot of trainers out there who claim to train “protection” dogs, in reality, these dogs are in play drive it’s not real. If the aggressor were to challenge the dog in any way, such as running at the dog the dog would get confused in most cases run away. From the dog’s perspective that is now how the game is played. At Species K9 we have a foundation we build upon so the dog has more confidence each protection training session. So when the day comes and it is real the dog knows what to do to end the threat.
The Importance of Control
A true protection dog is used for defense only and you have full control of the dog. If you are attacked, you do not want your dog chasing the person to the end of the block to bite them. You want to get your dog back and get out of there. There are criminal and civil liabilities if your dog goes “too far” with the bite. Once the threat is retreating, it’s over. Anything beyond that you are now the attacker.
Our Services
If you are looking for a protection dog we would be happy to help you and recommend some breeders. If you have a dog that you would like to train in protection work, we are happy to discuss the process and evaluate your dog.