What’s it like living with a family protection dog?
First of all it’s a lot of fun. You’ll have a dog that is highly obedient to the point your neighbors will totally envy you. While they are getting nose burns being dragged down the street on their face by their chainstore trained “little monsters” you’ll be be filing your nails and talking on your cell phone as you stroll down the street with your dog off leash (if that’s allowed where you live). You won’t be worried a bit because your dog listens.
When your dog arrives, that will mark the beginning of the bonding period. You’ll be letting your dog know who’s boss and we’ll teach you how to accelerate that process too. The dog will get to know that all his / her needs are met by you and your family. Our goal is to get your dog used to you as quickly as possible so he / she “wants” to protect you. It’s ridiculous to think a dog will lay it’s life on the line for you if he doesn’t even know you.
The first few days may have you wondering, “Will this dog really protect me? He seems so nervous.” Any dog moving to a new environment may show signs of nervousness for the first few days. Everything is new to him. There are all kinds of new sights, sounds and especially smells to get used to. There are new people to get to know. There may be little ones around that want to pull on his ears and tail. You’d be nervous too. This is perfectly normal and may not even occur. Just don’t worry if it does.
Within the first week you’ll most likely have settled in to a routine that fits both you and the dog. We highly recommend keeping the dog in a crate in the beginning. You may have read that dogs are pack animals and they actually feel comfortable in crates. Your dog will already be used to crates when he arrives so you won’t have to be the first one to introduce him to one.
Each day that goes by will deepen the bond your dog has with you and your family. Before you know it, your dog will be a totally integrated member of the family who is willing to “take a bullet” for you.
Preparing for your personal protection dog’s arrival
You will have some responsibilities that we will help you with when we deliver your new personal protection dog. If you are local to our facility, you will have gone through our handler training program right here in Virginia. If you aren’t local, we will be prepping you through phone, Skype, and email so you’ll be totally ready to get your onsite handler’s training when we arrive at your home.
That will be lots of fun too. It’s almost like getting ready for a new baby. We’ll be advising you on bowls, leashes, collars, harnesses, along with feeding, exercise and travel tips. Our professional trainer will teach you what commands to use both verbally and silently. You’ll learn how to handle your dog in and around your vehicles. You’ll learn great ways to exercise your dog and keep him / her mentally stimulated even when the weather is bad.
We highly encourage you to be prepared to record your training sessions on video so you can review them after we leave. It’s also a great learning experience to watch yourself in action handling an elite canine.
Maintaining your training
You take your car in for oil changes don’t you? If you live in the city and don’t drive, you still update your computer software right? Your dog is not a mechanical robot. To keep his skills sharp he will need refresher training. Basic obedience should hold up because those skills are practiced every day. But what about the dog’s carjacking protection skills? What about your dog’s home invasion and surprise attack skills? Hopefully you never have to deal with these violent acts. Ongoing training will make sure your dog is ready if you do.
Included in the price of your personal protection dog is a schedule of refresher trainings held at our location in Virginia. If you prefer we come to you, we have reasonably priced maintenance packages where one or more of our professional trainers will come to your home and work with you and your family to make sure your dog’s skills are sharp.
What level protection dog do I need?