Personal Protection Dogs

While we can help with training:

Security dogs
Guard dogs
Watch dogs
Sports dogs

We imagine that you are reading this blog because either (i) you have contacted us about training and we have asked you to read this article (to encourage you to think more about your request) or (ii) for some other reason you are interested in Personal Protection Dogs or Protection Training…

So let’s start by asking yourself  “Why?..”

Is it because of the breed you have –if so, then why did really buy this breed?

Is it your Ego?

Do you really need a protection dog?

Are you frightened? If so, do you think a dog will really change this?

Have you considered speaking to the Police about your worries, learning self-defence (we have superb contacts, if you’re interested) or improving the security of your home or business (as a qualified security professional – we have excellent contacts in this field)? 

Do you think that it is ‘cool’ to have a protection dog without having any real reason to actually have one (so arguably you want one to satisfy your larger than life ‘Ego’)?  

Is your argument that it’s a ‘Sport’ you’re interested in (when in all probability it’s your ‘Ego’)?

While there are some ‘Working Dog Sports’ such as Schutzhund / IPO / IGP that have been specifically designed to test whether pedigree working dogs, have the character and carry the right genes to make them a suitable candidate for breeding. As proof of working ability forms one third of the equation for breeding quality dogs: (1) proven breed confirmation (2) Evidence of excellent health and (3) proven working ability.

There are numerous other so called ‘sport activities’ undertaken by people who very often have dubious reasons doing so and partake in such ventures with breeds or types, that are usually not pedigree or registered as such with the Kennel Club. These activities arguably offer no more than a platform to show off that dogs their have been trained to ‘attack’ – so it’s questionable, as to whether such training should be undertaken by civilians, who do it for their ‘Ego’ rather than ‘need or to the benefit the breed’.

Unfortunately, some of the dogs undertaking these pursuits are far from safe when out in public. Many have to be kept away from people just in case someone touches or trips over near to them which could have serious repercussions. Others have dogs with such poor temperaments, that they have to be muzzled or wear e-collars just to try and  keep them under control to prevent ‘accidents’.   

There are so many misnomers in relation to Protection Training – as it’s not necessarily a good thing for the dog or its owner – especially if ‘things’ go wrong and  and it bites an innocent person, as you will be found to be negligent, and will quickly come to realise, that what you thought was ‘Big or Clever’ is no longer so. As in all probability your dog will be put down, and you will face both criminal and civil prosecution – So it raises the question ‘are you really prepared for this?’

There are plenty of activities out there for you and your dog which don’t involve biting. This should be left to the professionals and those seriously interested in dogs sports to benefit their breed. 

A dog that has been trained to bite by definition is no longer a ‘pet’ in the true sense of the word – and you’ll be forever be living on your nerves; having to try to think about all the possibilities – the things that might just go wrong which we call the ‘what ifs?’. Since the value of hindsight is a such poor argument, when you are facing a Judge in the aftermath of a disastrous incident. 

The following are just a few of the things, that you must seriously consider:…

Do you have a good understanding of the Law in relation to the Dangerous Dogs Act, Guard dogs Act, Criminal Law, Tort, Common Law and reasonable force? What’s your knowledge of insurance like – do you seriously think you will be insured if your dog injures someone? The chances are you’ll be found wanting – if your dog has been trained to bite?

Do you have a dog that has been carefully bred – is it the right breed or type and does your dog carry the correct genes that you would hope to find in a proper working dog? Does your dog have a bomb proof character and is it physically and mentally sound, coming from health and character tested parents? Or is your dog simply a poorly bred cross breed or something that comes from a backyard breeder or puppy farm – bred by an individual who doesn’t have a clue as to what they’re breeding, and for what purposes – except for profit of course? 

Do you really know what you are talking about or looking for?

1.  Do you want a dog that looks the part?
2.  Do you want a dog that barks on command?
3.  Do you want your dog to potentially bite someone?

1 and 2 above are relatively safe to train, and the psychological deterrent offered is no different to a dog that has actually been trained to bite. However, once you think about the training for 3, then this really does open up a whole new can of worms for YOU and YOUR DOG – ‘he or she is no longer a pet!

I have personally owned Working Dogs for well over 48 years, and none of my dogs have ever been called upon to bite someone for ‘real’ – so the question we would like to raise – is why do you feel that you have the need for such an animal and what makes your risks so different to mine?

However, unlike most people, throughout my professional career, I’ve been put in some quite tricky and potentially dangerous situations. I’ve experienced people who have pulled knives, and have tried to pull other ‘potential’ weapons (some thankfully were put inside). One such guy later tried to kill innocent soul and fortuitously has spent much of his life behind bars for attempted murder (stabbed someone many times).

So while I‘ve never needed to call upon my dogs to bite someone, so to reiterate the question – ‘why do you?’ I accept, that one or two dogs that I have helped to train have bitten someone for ‘real’ – but these have been in the minority, and they’ve been dogs used for security, not pets. So for most people, training dogs to reach the higher levels of protection work (3 above) is a waste of time, effort and money; but IT WILL EXPOSE you to considerable risk.

Unlike the vast majority of trainers, I have actually researched the subject to some depth, and can vouch that despite what you may think, the vast majority of security dogs in the UK are not trained to bite. The reason for  this is simple – most professional security organisations are very concerned about the reputational risks and of course the financial risks, should a security officer’s dog bite an innocent person. And lets not forget the fact, that there are some individuals out there, who may see you and your dog as a ‘potential pay day’ as they try to ‘bait and goad you’ to a situation, where they can allege that your dog caused them ‘harm or distress’. Whereby they can then run off and seek the services of a Lawyer to ultimately seek financial compensation – after all its far easier than going to work, and the rewards are much greater for the time it takes.

There are countless people within the security industry, who will try and beef up or exaggerate what their dogs may or may not have done (they often telling ‘porkies’) to try and impress, and make their often mundane job sound more exciting. It should however be clearly understood, that the overwhelming majority of security dogs, never see any action as the psychological deterrent of just seeing the dog is more than sufficient to deter most criminals. Thankfully, Police dogs rarely bite anyone – and their exposure to risk is far, far greater that you or I are ever likely to experience, since they are after all directly employed to seek out and detain some of the most violent offenders in our society, as well as dealing with riots, hooligans, civil unrest etc. But remember – ‘You’re not!…’

To give you just a flavour of some the discussions and interviews that I’ve had over the years: One Police officer from a particular force much larger than Norfolk said that on average his dog just had one bite per year (one of his dog’s was shot dead by an armed criminal), so it’s not very often. Another from one of the UK’s very largest Cities with a reputation for serious crime and disorder, said that on average Police dogs in his force have between 6-8 bites a year, but his own dog approached 20. But then again, this officer had very specialist skills, and was called upon to deal with the most dangerous situations – not your average Police Dog Handler. But to give you some of reality for the situation, I can reveal that his own dog had to be destroyed following a very serious attack upon himself, not by the criminal, but by his own dog, when he accidently fell on his dog. Such are the risks you need to appreciate when teaching protection work with some dogs – and unlike so many irresponsible people that dabble with protection work – this officer was indeed a very experienced trainer and handler; not a civilian who thought it was ‘cool’ or had an ‘Ego’ bigger than he could manage. 

It is also worth mentioning that there’s an ever growing number of cases, where Police dogs haven bitten someone during the performance of their duties – only for the Police to be sued for using excessive force. So it is worth remembering, that the indeed Police have the financial backing to pay for such claims – but do you?

You have probably seen on TV, YouTube and in the films amongst other places; where dogs are seen, being let off the lead, flying through the air; jumping through car windows and such like, biting people just about anywhere. To some it might ‘look sexy’ and you might fancy doing it with your dog, but think again – think about the reality of the situation and where and when on earth, do you think that a civilian’s ‘pet’ will be required to perform such stunts? Well its not going to happen is it. But if you are misguided by an idiot, and stupidly train for such things, then accidents can and may indeed occur. Just when you least expect it – as dogs clearly don’t interpret situations in the same way, a rational person or Criminal Law Judge would. The outcome for you, could be the risk of spending a considerable amount time at his Majesty’s Pleasure with a Criminal Record to boot – extinguishing any career prospects you may have and with a Civil Litigation claim just to add icing to the cake.

So many people these days, love fame and worship the social media platforms as they show off their dog biting people on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube etc – so its far from difficult for the Police or insurers to research, what you’ve been up to, should your ‘pet’ bite someone.

Just to make you think a bit deeper still about the risks, protection work posses. A few years ago, when I was on a remote field, all on my own – my dog dislocated my hip during a training accident. I had to wait a very long time for friends and the emergency services to turn up to ‘rescue me’ and take me to A & E. Thankfully, my dog being well very trained with a truly bomb proof character; posed no risk to those trying to help me. Similarly, I was exercising my dog by having him run by the side of my cycle, when I crashed. A very kind gent, quickly stopped his vehicle, got out without a seconds thought helped me to my feet (I was bleeding from a head injury). Once again, my dog posed no threat to this very kind guy. It is pertinent to remember that there are indeed very, very few protection trained dogs that would be safe to other ‘innocent’ people in similar situations. These are just a few of the real life risks you need to think about, when undertaking protection training. But sadly very few people actually ‘teaching’ this type training have the comprehension to think ‘outside of the box’ about these type of risks, as some re not always the brightest or they don’t care. I’ll let you make up your own mind…    

As part of your research – and you really need to do this – if you are an intelligent and logical person – you should seriously think about the training journey you are contemplating on embarking on. So to this end, we would strongly recommend that you read our ‘Guide to buying a dog’ on this site. Then after reading this, please check out our blog ‘Top 10 Challenging breeds’… is the ‘breed’ you’re considering one of these? Do you have the knowledge, experience, strength of body and character to be able to train and mange one of these dogs properly? Or will you end up needing to rehome the animal, once you realise that you’re out of your depth? After reading these, then please read our ‘security dog training section’ followed by our blog ‘What sort of training should I do with my dog?’

I do hope these articles make you think – not once but many times about the prospect of owning or training a Protection Dog. My ambition is that by reading these articles it might just save you from making some very costly mistakes. If however, after reading these articles, you still feel that you need and with good reason – a security, personal protection or ‘sports’ dog at either levels 1,2 or 3 then please let us know. But remember, once a dog has been trained, there is no going back and this is one of the reasons why so many military dogs are put down, once they have been retired. The risks are too high for most civilians.

Please beware that there are countless people out there and on the net, who are most certainly not qualified to give you the sound advice you need to ‘enable you’ to make an informed decision. They’re more interested in their own ‘Ego’ and the money they want to take from you, as you hunger for knowledge or training. Once again, take one last look at Facebook, TikTok, YouTube etc – you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to to work out where these peoples priorities lay.