Hello,
I'm new here & it's a pleasure...I'm getting a personal protection pup prospect later next year & i want a male. I will be doing most of the training. I have a male staffordshire bull terrier that'll be 11 yrs old by then & i don't want to make life miserable in his later years with us. He's been our buddy since 8 weeks & he's been great in spite of my weak attempt to ob train him. It amazes me at how forgiving of humans most dogs can be...I will be ready with crates & videos & leashes & well... you get the picture but since i've never owned or raised a protection dog before i know i'll be calling on this board from time to time.I'm pretty confident that i can make the 2 male situation work given the age difference & submisive nature of perry (the sbt) & the new pup. What are some of your experiences & what are my chances of succeeding? Thank You.
Luis

While I believe your attempting to train a puppy on your own for protection work is an admirable goal, the fact that you haven't done it before concerns me. All dog training requires a talent and skill level that is admireable, and protection dog training is even more so (in my opinion). Especially with the fact that a 'small' mistake can end up with a family member or friend getting bitten, or a dog that is confused and has to spend it's life in the yard or home and can't be trusted in public. I know I go to professional to train in just basic obedience and agility, I have raised 2 dogs to high levels in agility, and guess where I'm going when I get my new puppy? Back to dog classes.

Just figured I'd learn and use the vast knowledge of someone who has worked successfully with hundreds of dogs, have instant feedback to minimize the frustration on my side and confusion for my pup.

Course I haven't trained for protection work with my dogs. And maybe it is alot easier than either obedience or agility.......... just doesn't seem to me that it is.

So if I were you, along with attempting to find a responsible breeder of your next dog Click here for info on finding a breeder I'd also be looking for a school/club/training facility that looks like it would fit the bill for the training you are interested in.

Luis, you should probably reconsider training this dog for protection work on your own. In your post you said that your attempt to train your staffordshire was "weak". As a starting point, you should be totally confident in your ability to OB train a dog before undertaking protection training. After all (genetics of the dog aside), protection work is VERY complicated OB training, with zero margin for error if you want an actual PPD.

If you know you won't be getting the dog until next year, you have a great opportunity to start looking for trainers and a club to work with in advance. They may even help you screen potential pups in an effort to steer you to the dog most suited for you and the work you want to do.

In any case, videos and a leash won't cut it. You should get some professional guidance. There are LOTS of people on this board with many years of OB training experience who still take their dogs to the pros for bitework and the like.

Thanks for the replies...I've been reading the Leerburg site quite a bit, have spoken to several pro trainers in my town, have spoken to breeders around the country & have been to sport trials & i still have months of research before i get a pup. I take dog ownership very seriously. The Leerburg videos along with this forum & the breeder will be my guide starting with the Bite training for pups video that i just ordered.I fully understand that a pro trainer is a must for pp training but in the end i think most of the early training for any task is done by the owner imo. By the time i get the pup everything including a trainer will be in place.Finding the right trainer will be the biggest challenge for me but i'll be well educated & i hope that won't be a problem.I'll visit them & watch them work...ask a lot of questions & go from there. Again, thanks for the replies & i hope to gain a lot from you guys.
Luis