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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

When can I stop training my German Shepherd?

You’re helping your German Shepherd learn a few new behaviors, and you’re starting to think of ways to reward your dog for polite behavior. This is great! It means the more new cues and tricks your GSD learns, the more freedom you have to enjoy each other’s company, instead of constantly battling for the responses you each want.

But what about those times you’re not in “training mode”? When can you just be done training?

I’ll answer this question in two parts. First, every interaction you have with your German Shepherd is, in fact, training. Although we can and should set aside a little time each day to work with our dogs, it’s impossible to be with your dog and not be training. Either you are training your dog, or your dog is training you!

Second, this means it’s up to you to maintain your German Shepherd’s training. You can do this by learning to anticipate your dog’s response to a variety of situations. That way, you can plan your response to your German Shepherd’s behavior.

Let’s say you’re about to walk your trained German Shepherd past another house. The house has a dog barking behind a fence. First, anticipate your dog’s response: Will he pull on the lead to get closer to the other dog? Will he bark? Now, plan your response: You could change your walking route, thereby avoiding the other dog; you could cross the street well before you reach that spot and feed your dog as you walk past, to build your dog’s confidence; or you could play a game of tug with your dog as you walk by that spot.

Any of these might be good responses, depending on your dog’s typical reaction in that situation. You can probably think of more solutions to this problem that allow you to anticipate and respond to your dog’s reaction before a reaction occurs. As your dog becomes more comfortable following your lead in even distracting situations, you are ready to lessen your reliance on a plan and replace it with the new habit!

A perfect example of this concept is teaching your dog to walk on a loose leash. Before your next walk with your dog, you can anticipate that your dog will pull. You haven’t trained him not to pull yet! Your plan will be to use a head halter, no-pull harness or similar tool to prevent pulling on everyday walks. We use these tools to manage our dog’s behavior and protect our hard work training our GSDs, in between training sessions.

I’m worried: Is my German Shepherd going to bite me?

Q: My German shepherd has been growling at me when I go to put on his harness. He fusses when I put it on, but lately he’s been more of a handful, and I have to struggle to get it on him. I’m worried he might bite me.

Owning a dog, especially a German shepherd, that you’re afraid might bite you is no fun. You are asking the right question — dogs growl to warn us that if we persist in our behavior, they may bite.

Being afraid of your German shepherd is an emergency.

Besides the fear of injury for yourself or family members (or liability, should your dog bite someone else), when you’re afraid to interact with your dog because you might be bitten, your German shepherd is at risk for physical neglect and worsening behavior.

First things first:

  1. Consult your veterinarian. Unless you cannot physically handle your dog to get him or her to the vet, schedule an appointment to have your dog physically examined. Let the vet and vet techs know the reason for your visit, so they can take appropriate precautions when handling your dog. It is not unusual for pain to cause a dog to behave aggressively, and you should rule this out before pursuing any training program or behavior modification.
  2. Enlist a behavior consultant to help you evaluate your dog’s behavior. A Certified Dog Behavior Consultant can help you determine the seriousness of the problem, and recommend appropriate behavior modification. Avoid dog trainers who suggest you punish or correct your dog — this can make aggressive behavior worse.
  3. Train your dog to wear a muzzle. When your dog is used to wearing a muzzle, he or she can be safely restrained for nail trims, baths, or medical procedures.

Your next job is to learn about dog body language. When you know the signs of a dog who is feeling uncomfortable or on the offensive, you can better protect yourself and others against a bite. There are many resources online, and sites such as Dogwise.com and Tawzerdog.com offer videos and instruction on defensive handling and dog bite safety:

The more you know, the better you will be able to determine whether your German shepherd is a threat to yourself or others, and to take steps to remedy the problem. Maybe your dog has been acting especially rowdy lately, or has growled at you over a bone or a special resting place. Perhaps you have trouble getting your GSD back into his crate, or away from the door when people arrive.

Some areas in which German shepherds sometimes need help and training include:

  • Resource guarding: Not allowing a person near a favorite resting place or object.
  • Body handling: Growling or snapping during grooming, nail clipping, brushing, ear cleaning or bathing.
  • Over-excitement: Displaying aggressive behavior during exciting moments, such as when people come to the door.
  • Fighting with another dog: Intentionally pursuing another dog in the house or neighborhood with the intent to do the other dog harm.

Remember: If you are worried about your German shepherd’s behavior, you are not alone. Talk to your veterinarian, and find a trainer or behavior consultant who can help you sort out your dog’s behavior, before it’s too late.

Q&A: My German Shepherd runs past me when I call

Q: I’m trying to problem solve one of my German Shepherd’s behaviors. It happens at least once and occasionally twice when we are doing off-leash walking. I will call her from a far distance and she will get so revved up in the process of racing towards me that she will zoom past me, turn around and zoom back towards where she came from, zoom towards me again, and eventually be sniffing around near me, or sitting right in front of me. I’m worried that she’ll be hit by a car, or run into another danger, in the time it takes her to get to me.

A: I would build massive value for targeting (your hand, a particular target stick, sitting in front position), then use that as your recall when you suspect she’s in a racing mood. I’d also try to avoid calling her when she’s in zoomies, just turn and walk in the opposite direction and then quietly praise and feed your most high-value treats when she does catch up to you, and tell her to “Go run” again. This will reduce her desire to fly by, as well as put the zoomies on cue.

So — don’t call during high-octane situations, build up an emergency recall for emergencies (which may or may not include targeting, but Leslie Nelson’s DVD “Really Reliable Recall” is the best explanation of how to teach this) and use a targeted recall with a running release as a reward when she seems excited.

You could also start to keep notes of how many off-leash recalls result in the zoomies (location, immediate previous activity, etc). That’s about the only sure way to tell if your training is working and to predict when/where/how she’ll perform the behavior correctly.

Or, easier (and more like what I’d do) is to assume she will go into zoomies 100 percent of the time and work backwards from there. Set the bar low — don’t attempt recalls from 10 feet away, try them at 4, 6, then 8 feet, using a long line where needed to keep her from bolting.

Q&A: How to find a German Shepherd puppy

Q: I am very interested in finding a great big beautiful and healthy GSD, but I keep reading that a good breeder is hard to come by and others say I should just get a rescue dog. I don’t really want a rescue dog. I read that it’s hard to come by rescue puppies, and they’re usually already juveniles or older when they’re adopted. How do I get a nice German Shepherd puppy?

A: You’re not wrong, it is really tough to find a nice puppy without doing a fair bit of research. I recommend joining some of the German Shepherd email lists (check Yahoo Groups) and forums (such as GermanShepherds.com), as well as searching for German Shepherd or working dog Facebook groups, and get involved there. Not only do breeders hang out and advertise nice litters with pedigrees, parents’ photos, and titles, but their puppy buyers do as well — so you can get a fairly comprehensive picture of what the breeder is producing, just by talking to other GSD enthusiasts.

And of course, nothing beats the experience of attending a trial and watching the dogs at work. Look for IPO, Schutzhund, Ringsport and Mondio competitions to attend (you’ll probably have to use Google to find a regional club). Those can be a few — or several! — hours’ drive, but it’s worth it to see the dogs in action and asking their handlers where they’re from.

Best of luck!