I understand that one can't each his own dog to be a protection dog. I found someone to help - does this sound reasonable to you?

Question

Hi Mr. Frawley,

I have ordered and watched some of your video training DVDs and enjoyed them very much. The information is very straight forward and easy to understand. I'll be buying more as time goes on and my 9 week old puppy starts to mature. I have looked on your web site and read many articles you have written. I understand from one article that one can't each his own dog to be a protection dog. You can't be the good guy and bad guy for the dog. While my dog is far from the time when he will need to go to a pro-trainer I have already been doing some research to find one who can help. The problem is that somebody in my position really has no idea on who to hire. A search online reveals many web sites that train their own dogs for sale. But, finding someone to test and possibly train my dog in protection work is very hard. This week I spoke to a person in Kentucky who has 28 years of experience in K-9 training. He sounded really competent has many certifications. He said he would need to see the dog at about 10 months of age to test him for bite work. He asked that the dog be trained in basic skills and commands at that time. If the dog is ready and if he is a dog who could do this work he says the training is 8-12 weeks at about $200 per week. Does this sound reasonable to you? Do you have a video that will help me learn to choose the right trainer and if so which one is it? Do you know any top trainers in the Southeast that I could call on? I think I have a good prospect in this dog and I don't want to goof up when I choose a trainer to take it up a notch. I know you have probably heard this same line of questions a million times, but any help or answers would be great and truly appreciated.

Thanks,
Michael
Tennessee

p.s. I love your posting on You Tube about the living situation for our military people on bases. It is really is a shame that we ask so much of them and can't provide a decent place to live. I'll be writing some letters and hope others will also to see if we can help fix this mess. Thanks for caring and thanks to your son for a great job in helping us stay free.

Accepted Answer

Michael, I often compare raising a dog to raising a child. You can teach your son the foundation of fighting. The only thing you can’t do is fight your son in a manner where he feels like he is in a real fight where he can get seriously hurt. That he has to learn is a real fight if he is attacked. You can and should teach your dog the foundation of protection work. This is all done in prey drive. You cannot work your dog in defense – where he feels seriously threatened. Your job in finding a good trainer is to first educate yourself on the process so you know enough to separate the skilled honest trainers from the unskilled – or worse – con artists. With this said you can learn much through my dvd’s Here is the list I would recommend you study . Notice I said study and not watch. No one can watch these dvds and come away and say they are not ready to make a decision. Building Drive and Focus
Preparing Your Dog for the Helper
The First Steps of Bite Work
The First Steps of Defense

The last two are not DVDs that you can do yourself.I also recommend that you read the eBook on my web site about my philosophy of dog training. In it you will see that I NEVER recommend sending your dog off for training. Not ever. It’s a terrible idea. Think about this from the standpoint of your dog. He loses his pack leader, he loses his family pack. He has no idea if he will ever see you again. They he is pushed into defense where he feels like he is fighting for his life.The good dogs can survive this but most do not come out a better dog. They come out a mental wreck. I don’t know who this trainer is – but if he were worth his salt he would have talked to you about this.The way to do this is to find a trainer that will allow you to come to his facility and he will work your dog while you handler the dog. You will then be an important part of the process. By studying the dvds you will also know enough to recognize correct training . You will be able to discuss the work that is going to be done before it’s done and then determine if the work is good or bad.Be very careful here. You tread on thin ice where the mental health of your dog is in the balance.In the end you should add these dvd’s to your list:

Basic Dog Obedience
Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Dog
Remote Collar Training for the Pet Owner

Kind Regards,
Ed Frawley