Can a trained personal protection dog can be an effective deterrent for a serious stalker?

Question

I am writing to seek your opinion about whether, in your experience, a properly trained and handled personal protection dog can be an effective deterrent against an aggressive stalker.

    First, let me say that I don't want to impose on your professional time. I would be happy to pay you for a formal consultation over the phone. I am contacting you because you have consistently been suggested as a knowledgeable resource by trainers and law enforcement officers in my area. Also, I have received your video catalog in the past and been very impressed with its quality.

    Here is the background to my question: In 1997 I was aggressively stalked by a man I had formerly dated. I pursued all appropriate actions through my local police and through the courts (restraining order) at that time. My local police (Berkeley, California) were extremely helpful but very frank about the limits of their ability to protect me. I was surprise-attacked by the stalker on my property, fended him off, and at that point I left the area for a period of time on the advice of the police. The assailant disappeared from the area and his whereabouts remained unknown until a week ago. He has surprise-approached me once, and though he has made no physical or verbal threats at this point, I am taking the situation very seriously, as are my local police.

    The Berkeley Police Department has no canine unit, but one of the officers has had some experience with protection dogs during his military career. He suggested that a properly trained "defensive or deterrent" dog might be an option to consider. I contacted a trainer in the area who specializes in training protection dogs and he was skeptical - his opinion was that any dog, including a retired hunter or herder, would be as much of a deterrent as a trained protection dog.

    I have more than 32 years experience working pastoral and hunting dogs, but I know nothing about working with a dog for personal protection.

    I would not take this step lightly, as I would consider any dog enlisted for this purpose to be a working partner, a companion, and a lifetime commitment - as I would any working canine. Also, I expect that I would need substantial training in order to handle the dog properly, and I wonder what length of time that might take.

    Any advice you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Again, if this request merits a paid consultation, please let me know how to best contact you by telephone and we can proceed on that basis.

    Thank you.

Accepted Answer

I do not agree with your local trainer. My gut feeling is that this individual is not as good a trainer as he would lead people to believe. He probably realizes that you really do need a dog that will work and does not like the responsibility that goes with your needs.

    I do think that a well trained dog could become part of a security plan. It should not be the entire program. I would suggest a dog, a gun and pepper gas.

    I would talk to the police about a concealed carry permit and then find a police officer that is a certified law enforcement trainer to teach you how to shoot. You also need training in deadly force (when you can and cannot shoot). This is important. Some very good advice if you ever have to shoot (because you fear for your life) would be to shoot until the threat is gone (he is dead). Being able to verbalize your perception of a threat on your life is an important issue after a shooting. This is not to be taken lightly.

    The lower level of force is the dog and pepper spray.

    A stalker is going to quickly realize that you have a dog. The dog will only be effective when it is with you. So there are going to be times when this is not possible. A serious stalker is going to pick a time when the dog is not there or he is going to challenge the dog because he does not believe the dog will actually bite. Hence you need a well trained dog.

    The problem here is there are a lot of people out there who claim to be selling personal protection dogs – when in fact the animals they sell are nothing more than sport (Schutzhund ) dogs that will bite a sleeve. You need more than that. Many dogs bite sleeves but would NEVER bite a human without a sleeve. In fact a lot of police dogs fall into this category. The same goes for military dogs (the military has a miserable reputation for dog work).

    I cannot tell you how much training you would need. That all depends on your skill as a handler, the temperament of the dog and the training on the dog. These are all variables. But it could range from a week at the minimum to several weeks.

    Dogs like this are also not going to be cheap. I would caution you that there is an old saying “You don’t get anything for nothing.” This is especially true in the dog business. If a dog is a good dog it can be sold as a selection tested police dog. And a selection tested police dog (one without training but one that has the temperament for the work and one that has been x-rayed and checked by a vet) is going to cost $3500 to $4500. So one with training is going to be considerably more than that. Training takes time and time costs money. If money is an issue for you, then you would have to settle with a dog that is only for looks (it will not bite). These dogs are cheap ($200.00 to $1000.00). In which case you will have to rely on the gas and a gun for a real threat.

    My gut feel is that you may be better off to go with an older more mature dog (4 to 7 years old) . While these older dogs will not have the life expectancy of a 2 year old – they are often more stable and there is a lot to be said about maturity. My thinking would be that you need a two or three year fix right now. An older dog can fit the bill and teach you a lot about handling a dog.

    I hope this helps.