Protection Dogs
Good protection dogs: what breeds and character traits make good trained protection dogs?
When it comes to owners analyzing the potential of their pet dogs as protection dog prospects, it is absolutely true that many pet owners believe their dog have what it takes to be a good family protection dog. To some extent, this may be true – for some dogs in some breed categories. But to what extent is this true? Which breeds tend to make better protection dogs? Why might a family choose one breed over another as a prospect for protection dog training?
In this article, we’re going to look at the character traits that make a good protection dog. We will then cover some of the reasons why your dog may or may not a great candidate— even if your dog come from breeds normally considered go to breeds for people looking for protection dogs.
First, which traits ought to be considered essential in protection dogs?
- Inherited Genetics – Great protection dogs invariably are dogs with great protection genetics. In just a few moments we’ll talk more about what some of these core traits and what to look for. Without a doubt, the value of starting with a dog possessing strong protection genetics can hardly be overstated. The issue at hand is not primarily breed specific character traits, but rather, is there sufficient evidence to suggest a particular dog or line of dogs is a likely candidate for protection dog training? Starting with a common protection breed (such as a German Shepherd or Doberman Pincher) is not what we’re getting at. Many show line dogs are so many generations removed from any kind of examination work that apart from the fact that a particular dog is from a working line breed, neither breeder nor owner would have any idea whether that dog is likely to possess the character traits essential to protection dogs. And so, we begin our discussion on considering and evaluating protection dog candidates, starting with proven genetics from dogs with a long history of proven capacity will go a long ways towards helping narrow down the search to which dogs might make great protection dogs. Let’s be honest, great protection dogs don’t just appear. They don’t happen by accident. It generally takes many hundreds to thousands of hours of work to develop protection dogs from the green stage to safe, reliable trained protection dogs. With this much time and work involved in the training process, it only makes sense to start with dogs whose pedigrees prove this genetic capacity.
- Titled Dogs Prove Inherited Genetics– Here at Czech Working Line we only train protection dogs whose pedigrees have been proven by means of dogs that have passed police dog training exams as well as Schutzhund and IGP protection exams. By only using dogs whose pedigrees are nearly full of dogs that have passed protection exams, we are further narrowing breed specific candidates to those dogs whose pedigree demonstrates this line of dogs has over and over again proved safe and reliable protection dog candidates.
- Biddable – Biddable dogs are those dogs that are easy to train. They are responsive to training. It is absolutely essential for protection dogs to possess a high affinity for obedience and protection work. Biddability is generally considered an inherited trait. Biddable dogs tend to be super easy to train. They respond quickly to training. They are the kind of dogs where the training is the reward. These are dogs that find protection training rewarding in itself. Key to the process of finding great protection dogs is the realization that choosing a protection oriented breed is not the same as choosing a dog with proven potential by means of pedigree. Starting with dogs from proven pedigrees will go a long ways to getting a good protection dog candidate the first time.
- Courage and confidence – Good protection dog candidates exude courage. Courageous dogs will run towards a threat, as opposed to nervous or anxious dogs that tuck tail and run. Nervous and fearful dog do not make a good protection dog candidate, and fear aggression is not confident controlled aggression.
- Attentive and alert nature – Protection dogs must be able to detect any danger before their human counterpart. Such an ability requires a dog naturally be an alert dog that is consciously aware of its surroundings at all times.
- Controlled aggression – While drive is absolutely important, it is essential that this drive can be channeled in manner that leads to protection dogs being safe around their handler and especially in a family or home context. To often, a macho attitude wrongly considers an aggressive dog as a good candidate for protection work. “Look, he wants to bite.” This is not controlled aggression and is not what we want to see in a good or great protection dog candidate— not without a calm demeanor demonstrating controlled aggression.
- Loyalty – The nature of protection work requires protection dog candidates must clearly demonstrate loyalty. Good protection dogs are not the kind of dog where the handler or owner is worried that they just might get bit.
- Contextual awareness – While some trainers might suggest contextual awareness is something is mostly accomplished through the training process, we disagree. Great protection dogs tend to naturally possess a degree of contextual awareness that simply cannot be taught. This is why, in our opinion here at Czech Working Line, there is such value in starting with proven genetics. It is vitally important the dog has sufficient intelligence to understand contextual shifts in training such that the dog doesn’t repeatedly activate protection behaviors in unwarranted situations. Contextual awareness means the dog is able to understand when a protection response is and is not warranted.
- Stable Temperament – When it comes to character, a protection dog must be calm, stable and confident. An overly aggressive, is typically a fearful dog and will rarely make a good protection dog. Great protection dogs a calm dogs presenting with situational awareness.
- Significant physical ability – Protection dogs must be strong dogs, able to most fast, and agile. This is one of the reasons why we at Czech Working Line prefer the Czech and DDR German Shepherds (East German Lines). Powerful dogs, these athletic dogs were required by their respective militaries to scale 6 foot vertical walls rather than angle walls or lower walls.
Which dog breeds make the best protection dogs?
Thinking of the qualities outlined above, certain dog breeds are more likely to thrive in protection dog training. High-drive dogs who can be trained to direct that energy towards protecting owners and property are more suited to this line of work. There’s a rather large list of dogs who are typically selected for protection work; here are some breeds, to name just a few. Here at Czech Working Line, we have chosen to exclusively focus on working line German Shepherds. In just a few moments, we will discuss why. But for now, here is a list of breeds historically considered possible prospects as protection dogs.
- Akita
- Belgian Malinois
- Bullmastiff
- Boxer
- Cane Corso
- Doberman Pinscher
- German Shepherd
- Giant Schnauzer
- Rottweiler
By no means is this exhaustive. And, as we have mentioned above several times, just because you have a dog from one of these breeds above, it is by no means an indication that they will do well as a protection dog. In fact, in recent years, as many of these breeds have focused on breeding for the show ring. In so doing, many of these dog breeds have moved farther and father away from the attributes that make for good protection dogs. If you are interested in reading more on why it might make sense to choose a working line dog over a show line, see here. Starting with a breed with some capacity for protection work is by no means a guarantee your dog will be a good protection dog, it’s ought to be viewed more in terms of a starting point.
So you already have a dog; some reasons why your existing dog might make a good protection dog.
Perhaps you’ve read this far through the article and think your dog is undoubtedly a great candidate to be a protection dog. Here are some additional traits you should look for when assessing their suitability.
- Strong proven pedigree – your dog’s pedigree is filled with parentage where a majority of dogs in 3-5 generation were tested and proven through obedience and protection exams.
- Demonstrated propensity for guarding – If your dog naturally possessive of your home and your family. If so, this may be an indication of protection instincts. With that said, this may also be a sign of an aggressive dog, not a sign your dog is displaying controlled aggression. So it’s a mixed bag. More data would be need to be certain.
- Territorial actions – Does your dog naturally protect your property? Do you see him/her watching out the the window when strangers walk past? This territorial tendency may means your dog could be displaying contextual awareness and may be alert to potential danger.
- Has a good off switch – Good family protection dogs need a good off-switch. By this we mean they are able and content to just “be with the family” during everyday life. This necessarily includes calm and safe behavior around young children.
- Physically fit – A good protection dog must be able agile and able to move quickly in the face of danger. Is your dog physically fit?
- Biddable – Does your dog present as the kind of dog that regularly seems naturally smart and easy to train. Protection training requires significant obedience before even getting to the protection side of training. A smart dog that learns easily will make this process move more quickly. If your dog responds quickly to obedience training cues, this will be a huge benefit. Biddable dogs are easy to train. How biddable is your dog?
Notice how frequently the word “may” has been used in the above article. Just because your dog comes from one of the protection breeds listed above, or even if your dog comes from working lines, it’s no guarantee your dog will excel in protection training.
It isn’t a given that just because you think your dog exhibits these traits even if its from a great pedigree from proven working lines
Reasons why we here at Czech Working Line focus exclusively on working line German Shepherds.
Time and space require our family choose a focus. Belgian Malinois are far more than make sense with our family context. It’s our strong conviction that most Malinois simply won’t get enough attention in most family homes. Life is just too busy. Further, the higher drive Malinois with protective instincts can be more inclined to self-mutilate. This “extra” in their personality is simply more than we consider reasonable for both our family as well as most other families. Our focus here at Czech Working Line is producing good dual purpose protection dogs that work well in both law enforcement as well as family contexts. From the list above of breeds commonly used for protection dogs, the two most common are the Belgian Malinois and the German Shepherd. The other breeds such as German Pincher or Rottweiler tend to have character traits that limit the scope of their use in protection training.
Working Line German Shepherds: the ideal all round tracking and protection dog.
With the end of goal of producing good family protection dogs in addition to puppies with capacity to excel as trained protection protection dogs, the working line German Shepherd was the obvious choice. Because we are narrowly focused on dogs with Schutzhund/ IGP capability, with focus on protection work, we never include show lines in our breeding. All our working line German Shepherd puppies for sale are whelped from litters that are from some of the top scoring lines across the globe. If you are searching for German Shepherd puppies for sale with the goal of developing a good family protection dog, let us know. All our puppies are AKC registered. If you see something we have available now we’d be happy to discuss current litters. If not, we may have something coming up soon that might be a good fit.