Do you think we should protection train our dog in Schutzhund or through a professional trainer - or do we need to at all?

Do you think we should protection train our dog in Schutzhund or through a professional trainer - or do we need to at all? What are your recommendations?

I think that anyone who trains a dog to bite human beings (outside of law enforcement officers) is just asking for trouble. Once you train a dog that it's "OK" to take a full mouth bite on someone, you have crossed the line of pets and bonded companions and entered a world of almost constant and vigilant training requirement. The reason is that now this dog "MUST" without hesitation do everything you ask as soon as you ask it. That means working him in obedience/ protection work at least once a week for several "formal hours" involving other serious minded persons and you can never stop keeping him proficient in his discipline. He must constantly be reminded that this "new learned behavior" is only to be exercised on your command and "never" otherwise. If you do not do this, then there is the real possibility that because he has not been kept proficient, that he might miscue and mistake an argument or simple "clowning around" or even a spirited "pushing wrestling match" as a reason to inflict a bite.

I can recall seeing a less than proficient Schutzhund 3, male (Schutzhund means protection trained) several years ago, miscue on a 4 year old boy who happened to slip on the ice and fall in the direction of this "always looking for the bad guy to jump out" mental case of a poorly trained German dog. Luckily the toddler's mother had double clothing on him to keep him warm or he would have a mangled arm today instead of just teeth marks.

My feeling is this: if you live in an area where you feel you need to have a dog protection trained, then you should first deeply consider moving!

I am not a legal expert, but common sense tells me that, if you own a dog that is certified as a protection dog or titled in "Schutzhund" (protection trained) and your dog bites a child or someone on a miscue, you have a serious legal problem on your hands. I can just see your response when the Prosecuting Attorney asks you if "you actually trained this dog to bite human beings on purpose?" In Germany, this kind of Sport bite training is accepted and encouraged, but most Americans do not have that same "enjoyable sense" of dogs that are trained to bite people. Like Dorothy said in the Wizard of OZ: "We are just not in Germany anymore, TOTO..."

A German Shepherd who has been bred for high bonding instincts does not need to be taught to bite people and should be discouraged from doing so, even in play. They will react naturally and appropriately, just like you would, when someone in your family is seriously threaten. They will try to stop the invader of their family by barking (yelling) and placing themselves in between their family member and the threat. In most cases that is all that they will ever need to do. They will do what you would do in the same situation to protect a family member. They are highly bonded to their family just like you and I are. They should be well trained in obedience, but not to bite people... Their awesome presence in most cases will cause all but the seriously drugged out PCP addict to find someone else to hassle.