wanted GSD for family protection, must be house broken and already trained, i am disable and cannot train a dog my self, i have children that are ages 7 and 4. i have searched the internet til my fingers are sore, please help and remember i am on a fixed income. thanks ken

Hmm, let's see now... I understand that you don't feel secure at the moment and I do agree that you're not just entitled, but obliged to find ways of rectifying that. However, to my mind, protection consists of what actually helps you *be* safer, not what you imagine will make you *feel* safer. Just thinking of how suitable a protection trained dog would be for you, the first thoughts that come to my mind are:

You don't want to train a dog or think you can't train a dog on account of your disability. This also means that you're unwilling or unable to teach the dog to obey you and subsume itself to your authority, that you cannot maintain the standard of training it has and adapt what it knows to your particular needs and that you will not be able to control it. And an uncontrolled biting dog is a far bigger liability, heck, make that a far bigger direct danger to you and your family, than most crooks.

Do you enjoy and understand dogs? Are you willing to work with them? Dogs are above all, living, breathing animals which do make demands on you. I've seen quite a few people who aren't really fond of dogs but keep some anyway for their supposed security value. It generally doesn't work too well. People who do enjoy dogs and who do wish to take time and effort to work with them generally end up with much more useful dogs, even if they're not spending huge amounts of time on day-to-day training.

Do you have an idea of what kind of protection dog you'd want? Since you mentioned a GSD off the bat, I'm getting the impression that you have in mind a Rin-Tin-Tin like dog that would take on crooks effortlessly. In reality, there's a wide range of applications for dogs in the business of making us safer. I've seen excellent dogs who'd silently bring the existence of anything unusual to the attention of their owner (do not underestimate how useful this can be). I've seen excellent dogs that would make nearly any thief alive sorry to have wound up in striking range. And I've seen excellent dogs in between. They're all excellent dogs because in each case, their owners gave thought to exactly what it was that they wanted and needed, then selected and trained the dogs for that purpose.

So the questions are: are you absolutely clear in your mind as to what you expect a 'family protection' dog to be able to do? Are those expectations self-consistent and realistic? Do they meet your needs?

Fixed income. While this is not in itself a disqualifier, it says to me that you'd easily find yourself in trouble with a dog. A good dog has its price and this isn't a product of greedy breeders and sellers: it reflects the considerable cost of selecting, raising and training and the more involved its training, the higher the cost. While cost isn't everything, a cut-price 'protection' dog is nearly-guaranteed disaster.

And once you've purchased a large, energetic dog, what of its needs? Are you genuinely able to meet the cost of housing it properly, feeding it high quality food, vet bills (including emergency ones)? No? Don't get a dog.

Believe me, the alternatives of various alarms, more secure windows, good lighting, etc help considerably. You can find some pretty good books on considerations for personal security in just about any local library -- a free and excellent resource. Or else order one from Amazon.com. Even if it's as 'simple' as a padlock, all security systems require some expenditure of time, effort and money to put in place, due diligence to apply and maintain and require an appreciation of their limitations. A realistic, non-emotional assessment of your risk also helps. Putting in place a system that you cannot properly apply for whatever reason is often worse than none at all.

It's not about what worked for Mr. Brown in the other town or about the stories of amazing derring-do. It's about what will work for you. I'd seriously reconsider the dog if I were you.

Sincerely,

Dei.

Naa-Dei thanks for your post, all the things you said are true, but me and my family meaning my kids ( 18,7 and 4) and my wife have had and have still got one GSD that stays outside where he runs in an acre that is fenced in and has under ground fence. i just want another for in house family protection if ever needed. thanks again

I can completely understand your situation Ken. I think many of the breeders often times worry with lawsuits, they want to know their customers first hand and get a general feel for things.

The worst part about the situation is a dog in the league your looking for would probably cost $3-$5k. The sky is the limit on what one could spend for a fully trained dog. The dog will be very aggressive, especially from the lines that many breeders on this board have. You would have to be very careful with this. I assume though if you wanted to pay for initial cost and you provided everything the dog would need then that would be alright. The breeder many times from the small amount I've learned has to make quite a decision, for your security and their own.

There can be problems with the adaption of the new dog and the one you have already getting along, your children will be a concern. I don't think you could leave your children alone with this dog for any reason. You don't want to take chances. Some of the dogs you might end up with could be extremely intense. I would study the board, others as well, take notes, for several months to prepare for this if this is your decision. Get on a first name basis with a breeder you like as well. I'm sure many people can add more tips.

I don't think the total care for your dog will be a financial hardship with the shots, and health are done correctly as much as some people might think. My grandfather is blind has been for many years so I understand your situation alittle better with the fixed income, and other inconveniences involved. The dog in general though will be very pricy to get.

Also, what sex is your other GSD, and do you have a kennel? You may have to be ready for many things while expecting the two dogs to get along. You might want to consider preparing awhile before purchasing one to build up some of the proper equipment.

On Tom Rose's website, I noticed there was a man who was disabled and involved with training. He might also be able to assist. His name is David Trexler, I don't know him but I've seen him listed as one of their graduates.

http://www.tomrose.com/graduates.htm

How did I miss this thread??

Dei, are you in the business of assuming? All that was posted was disabled and looking, did you bother to ask any questions about this? No. . .

I did, and the situation is not anything like the one you seem to have assumed is the case. I hate it when people go off bitching and moaning about how difficult it is to own a dog, it just takes a little work. After some inquiry I have no doubt that this person will have no trouble with it.

Lets not get to high on ourselves here guys. . .

This is the looking for dog area, there are plenty of other places to post about what it takes to own a dog. How about not jumping on every person that posts looking for a dog. I am sure there is something out there for this guy.

Have you considered adopting a retired Police Dog?

I Believe Joy form Destertthunder kennels places them. she is on the list, too.

Bryan Colletti
President of K-9 CRIME STOPPERS INC

Thanks, Bryan. However, Police Dog Rescue, Inc. only adopts out to experienced K9 or sport trainers. This is absolutely an unbreakable rule for any bite trained dog, prospective adopters must demonstrate experience and competence in K9 or sport. We actually prefer not to adopt out a straight narc dog into a pet home b/c even in old age these dogs can be too drivey for most folks to tolerate.

Also, by the time these dogs get to us, they are often in terrible shape and need lots of vet care. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Thought this would be a good time to clarify adoption policies. PDR is going thru a lot of changes right now.

Also, by the time these dogs get to us, they are often in terrible shape and need lots of vet care. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Why are these dogs in terrible shape? What, are they being run into the ground or something? Please explain.

Thanks,

Kitty S.

Originally posted by DesertThunderK9:
Too many folks want a *police dog* for the wrong reasons. I wish this was only true of poilce dogs...

Too many people want a German Shepherd/Rott/Dobe/pitbull for the wrong reasons...

Good point, Deanna. Add the police training and, do they ever come out of the woodwork. That's why PDR is set up as it is, contact info about available dogs goes only to a select group of well known trainers nationwide. We make sure we know with whom we are dealing before we release contact info.