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Can I train my German Shepherd to protect me?

Personal protection training for your GSD

If you are interested in protection training for your German Shepherd, here’s what you need to know before you start.

Know your GSD’s temperament

If you are purchasing a puppy, question the breeder carefully about protection titles in the pedigree, whether the breeder personally knows any of the dogs holding those titles, or has seen those dogs perform in person.

The best thing to do is contact a few breeders of German Shepherds who do protection work, and get an idea of what they usually have available.

Breeders can also keep you on a waiting list for a younger adult, if you are OK skipping the puppy stage and cost isn’t as much of an issue.

Thinking of protection training your German Shepherd?

If you already have a German Shepherd, and are interested in training your dog for protection work, you can still start your research by looking at your dog’s pedigree for information. Does your dog have many relatives with Schutzhund/IPO or other protection sport titles? If not, having your dog evaluated by a professional dog trainer who is experienced in protection work is a must.

Dog protection training involves bite training and agitation. Here are some points to keep in mind:

  1. Schutzhund, or any kind of protection training requires a dog with a generally friendly, outgoing and stable attitude to avoid teaching or triggering unwanted aggression;
  2. Protection training must be started carefully, to avoid teaching or triggering unwanted aggressive behavior;
  3. All protection training introduces more liability for the dog’s owner.

What’s involved in protection training GSDs   

Before you begin

First, get your dog’s veterinarian’s OK, as well as a professional dog trainer’s opinion on your German Shepherd’s suitability for protection work. Second, sign up for obedience training classes. See our online basic manners course. Or, visit apdt.com to locate a professional dog trainer near you.

Time

Make sure you have time in your schedule to add training to your dog care regimen. A fully trained personal protection German Shepherd Dog can cost upwards of $5,000. The high price tag is the result of hours that have gone into that dog’s training. Unless you are planning to purchase a fully trained adult German Shepherd, plan on putting in the hours needed to create a solid protection partner.

Taking care of your dog

While you should always strive to provide a healthy, comfortable life for your German Shepherd, this is even more important for a dog you expect to remain alert and athletic. A personal protection-trained German Shepherd needs to be free from disease, illness, or parasites. She shouldn’t have poor nutrition or grooming problems that might keep her from protecting you in an emergency.

Liability (a.k.a. understanding people’s expectations of your GSD)      

The general public will expect your protection-trained German Shepherd to be friendly with everyone who wants to pet him. Your dog’s attitude must be friendly enough to handle even the strangest-looking stranger, unless you tell him otherwise.

You will need to make sure that your German Shepherd is appropriately confined. I once witnessed a protection-trained German Shepherd get loose in a neighborhood, and attack a woman in a wheelchair. This situation is not only unacceptable from a public safety standpoint, but could open you up to tremendous liability, if that was your dog.

Dog sports with a personal protection training element

Find qualified help

If you are protection training your German Shepherd, the first step is to find a training club with experienced people to help you. You not only need an experienced trainer — you will need good helpers as well.

What’s a helper? A helper (or decoy) is the guy in the “bite suit” (helpers are often, but not always, men) who is ready to “catch” your dog as your dog learns the proper technique for biting the “bad guy.”

Dave Kroyer gives you the rundown on what a good helper/decoy actually does, and why they’re so important.

Controlling your protection dog

“Drive” is a word protection dog trainers often use to describe a dog’s preferred activity level, and responsiveness to a handler’s cues. The simplest way to explain it is that your German Shepherd needs a lot of exercise and mental stimulation.

Playing fetch and tug are terrific activities for your GSD. (Read how to play tug the right way in Jean Donaldson’s book, “The Culture Clash.”) Also, using a flirt pole/toy combo is great way to exercise your German Shepherd. Any of these games can be used to help teach her self-control. Another helpful activity is clicker training. You can use a clicker to teach your GSD to climb agility obstacles will keep her mind and body in great shape.

Your German Shepherd should have basic obedience training before beginning any personal protection work.

Before hiring a protection dog trainer

Many personal protection dog trainers still use tools designed to hurt your dog, to get the dog to release the helper after a bite. This can include, but is not limited to, shock collars, “stim” collars, electronic collars (e-collars), prong collars, slip collars, and more. Sometimes trainers will tell you that it is impossible to train the dog to release following a bite, without hurting him.

The truth is that such trainers don’t yet know how to train the dog another way. Choose a trainer who is skilled using humane methods to teach a release. This requires work on your part.

Ask questions about how specifically the trainer will teach the dog to “out” after a bite. If the trainer uses any of the tools listed above, ask what happens to the dog if he refuses to let go after the first small shock or leash tug.

Read more about Training Police Dogs and Military Dogs Using Positive Methods, from Whole Dog Journal.

Resources to get a protection-trained German Shepherd

Web sites

Posidog.org
Fenzidogtrainingacademy.com
PSAk9.org

Books

Der Schutzhund – The Protection Dog, Helmut Raiser
K9 Aggression Control: Teaching the “Out”, Stephen A. Mackenzie
K9 Schutzhund Training, Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak
Purely Positive Dog Training, Sheila Booth
Schutzhund Obedience – Training in Drive, Sheila Booth
Dog Sports Skills Series, 1-4, Denise Fenzi and Deb Jones

Teach your German Shepherd how to jump

Whether for agility, obedience, rally, dock diving, search and rescue, Schutzhund, IPO, hiking or for fun, teaching your German Shepherd to jump is an important part of his foundational training.

You can start training your German Shepherd the basics of jumping as a young puppy, using poles on the ground, or uprights with no poles. German Shepherds should not jump higher than six inches until at least 18 months of age. Check with your dog’s breeder or veterinarian for the go-ahead to jump higher.

Once your German Shepherd’s growth is complete, you can start him on jumps. Start off low — set the bar an inch or two off the ground.

I prefer to teach my dogs to jump without using a leash. I find the leash causes the handler to get in the dog’s way, or is used to drag the dog over the jump. At best, you risk the leash getting caught in the jump and knocking it down. At worst, the leash gets caught in the jump and pops your dog’s collar, or drags the jump, which could scare her.

Your dog will need to know two skills before learning to jump without a leash: Leave it and Stay.

You will practice Leave it and Stay with your dog every time you do jump training, so don’t worry if she doesn’t do them well at first!

Keep your first several jumping sessions short and fun, using low jumps. You will gradually raise the height of the jumps as your dog becomes more confident.

I use an oxer (two-bar spread) jump like the one featured in the video. I place a toy or bowl of treats a few feet after the jump, to teach the dog to jump round, quickly and straight. If you don’t have enough equipment to create an oxer, a single jump with a pole on the ground will do. You may use guide poles to help keep the dog straight. Or, a fence or wall to one side with whatever artificial barrier you can create on the other, will also work.

I always reward my GSD for looking straight over the jump before releasing or rewarding him. This is a technique from Susan Garrett’s fantastic agility training DVD, Success With One Jump.

Place the treat or toy a few feet after the jump, and tell your dog to “Leave it.” Be sure the reward is centered as you look at the jump. You don’t want your dog to jump crooked trying to get to the toy! Bring your dog a few feet in front of the jump and ask  him to stay. I like to feed these stays almost every time, to get the dog accustomed to waiting until I release him to jump.  You may stay with your dog after you ask him stay, or walk a few feet away, then release.

Practice sometimes returning to your dog to feed him a treat, instead of releasing. This will prevent him from anticipating your release. You will need to adjust the dog’s distance before the jump, as well as the reward’s distance after the jump, for higher jumps or multiple jumps in a row.

If your dog is doesn’t want to go over a jump, go back to using a pole on the ground, or use two uprights with no pole. Practice asking your dog to stay, and then release him through the uprights to the treats or toy. You may need to move the bowl of treats between the uprights at first, and put your dog close to the jump, so he can be successful.

Encourage your GSD with lots play between jumps, and an excited tone of voice. As your dog progresses, try different jump configurations and distances. See Agility Nerd’s List of One-Jump Drills and Susan Salo’s Jumping Grid Workbook for ideas.

 

When should I start training my German Shepherd puppy?

“How old does my puppy have to be before I can begin training?”

This is a question I am asked often. The German Shepherd puppy in this video is 10 weeks old; but you don’t even have to wait that long! “Training” starts the day you bring your new dog or puppy home to live with you — GSDs are learning all the time. This is why it is easier to prevent problems and bad habits than to solve them later.

But what most people mean when they ask this question is, “How soon can I expect my German Shepherd puppy to start performing tricks and basic obedience behaviors?” Happily, the answer is the same — immediately. Clicker training is an easy and fun way to accomplish this.

Is Your Dog Ready For Agility Training?

Agility training is a wonderful, energy-burning and mind-challenging sport for German Shepherds and their handlers. Even German Shepherds not registered with the AKC can participate in agility competition, thanks to a plethora of agility registries such as the United States Dog Agility Association and the North American Dog Agility Council. Finding a good agility class or trainer can take some time, but is a fairly simple process. But how do you know when your dog is ready to start training for agility?

HMKC 02/24/2007 Fun Match

Health Check

Before you being any new training or sport regimen with your dog, take note of his or her current physical shape. Is he the correct weight and eating a high-quality diet? Are his vaccinations current? Does he have any health problems that might interfere with running, or jumping? When in doubt, it is best to have your dog checked by your veterinarian before you begin.

Keep in mind that puppies, especially large breed puppies, shouldn’t do any serious jumping until their growth plates have closed — usually between 12 and 18 months. Again, ask your veterinarian if in doubt.

Reality Check

While agility is often great fun for dogs and handlers alike, there is no question that it requires a higher level of training than does say, hiking, or a game of fetch. If your dog has never taken a training class of any kind, you may want to complete a basic obedience course before attempting agility. Some agility instructors will accept dogs with no training whatsoever, but most recommend the dog at least know how to sit or lie down on command and come when called (at least some of the time)!

If you’re feeling confident you can train your dog to a basic level without a class, some of the resources listed below may be helpful.

Agility Prep Resources

Want to know a little more about teaching your dog to jump safely, quickly and accurately? Jumping from A to Z: Teach Your Dog to Soar is a good introduction to any dog sport that requires a lot of jumping, and agility is no exception.

Puppy owners can get the most out of their future agility star with the video Sirius Puppy Training, or the book Positive Puppy Training Works (good for puppies of all ages)!

Don’t worry if your dog isn’t quite ready, or isn’t able to compete in agility trials. There is plenty of time to prepare a young dog for his or her first trial. And older or less mobile dogs can still compete in agility for fun — ask your vet, trainer or club members about agility fun classes and matches. Happy running!