If you are a dog owner, you might be interested in protection dog training. While there are many reasons for getting a dog, including companionship, protection is a very popular reason for many people.
The main purpose of protection dog training is to use the dog as a defensive deterrent. A well trained protection dog is capable of showing aggression on command and turning off on command. It has exceptional levels of obedience training. Many people are skeptical about the purpose of protection dog training and confuse it with other dog training methods that make dogs vicious such as attack dog- an ill trained, anti-social and fearful dog; guard dog– a dog trained to guard a specific area like a warehouse; police patrol dog- a dog that is trained to chase and apprehend suspected lawbreakers. Consequently, protection dog training make the dog friendly and obedient rather than anti-social and vicious.
Protection dog trainers have several methods and styles of training dogs. If you talk to different trainers, you will likely hear about the different styles and methods that they prefer. However, there are two drives that trainers nurture continuously in order to achieve the desired results.
What you need to know about protection dog training
Prey Drive
Nearly all type of dog possesses prey drive. Any dog would naturally chase a rolling ball because of the innate prey drive. Prey drive is dog’s urge to chase and catch a specific fast moving object. A skilled dog trainer will nurture a puppy to chase and capture a piece of cloth. The maturing puppy moves to catching faster moving objects like tugs and dog training bite suit. The training process should be done as a sport and in a friendly manner. As the training continues, the dog should learn to obey his trainer’s command of action.
If you are working with a dog trainer for protection dog training, they will explain prey drive to you and how it works with the training that you are doing. Be sure you work with a trainer that you trust and that you follow the instructions and guidelines closely. The second point that we look at is the defense drive.
Defense Drive
Dogs, like other creatures, apply their defense mechanism when faced by an aggressor. They react by fight, flight and avoidance. The trainers will train the dog to use both its prey drive and defense drive when dealing with a threat. A dog will be taught to obey a command and fight the imminent threat. Prey drive skills are taught only under command and demand maximum safety and control.
In training dogs, not many of them are able to optimally exploit their prey and defense drives. A dog that is able to achieve such standard must be physically strong and confident with its abilities. High degree of confidence is what distinguishes protection dogs from attack dogs. The former are safe and friendly to people. They do not see anyone as a threat unless alerted by a command from their owner.
In conclusion, protection dog training entails instilling confidence and obedience in a dog. The trained dog learns to live like a normal friendly dog but can deploy its prey and defense skills once called to do so by its owner.
