Self Defense Techniques

Personal protection is on everyone's mind these days. Police and sheriff departments are under budgetary pressures like never before. This means less police on the streets, and early release for some criminals. Personal protection is becoming more personal, especially for those of us whose idea of personal protection extends to protecting our families. Family or not, many people are now considering a personal protection dog as a part of their overall safety strategy.

Trained personal protection dogs are specifically bred and taught for their purpose. In general this is true for all dogs. Some dogs are bred and trained for hunting. Others are lap dogs. While personal protection dogs are bread and trained for protection, they certainly able to be great companions.  

Dogs for protection sometimes have a bad reputation as being very temperamental and ready to attack anyone at a moment's notice. While this may be a popular media image, it is not a trait that is either bred for or trained for. Good breeding and training ensures that the dog can fit in well with their owner and family, and also to be called off should they have to make a protective or defensive move.

The first step in considering a dog for protection is the breed. You are not looking for an attack dog, or a military guard dog. You want a dog that you will be comfortable with in your home, around your friends and family. As you start to look at breeders and personal protection dogs for sale, this is the primary consideration. The dog must have the breeding and temperament to be a faithful and obedient companion. Figure out the breed first, and then evaluate breeders. Ask for references, and talk to them. Visit their dogs, if possible, to assess how well the dogs are socialized.

Once you get a dog for personal protection, training now becomes a paramount consideration. Personal protection dog training is a big business, and you should apply the same level of care and consideration in selecting a trainer. Get references. Visit with dogs. Observe how well they behave, both against potential threats and regular old people. Is the dog easily called off from an attack, or does it fight on to the bitter end? Make an effort to find dogs that have recently graduated from their training. This will be a better indicator of the school's effectiveness than a dog that completed training a long time ago.

Breeding is the starting point for selecting a dog. Training definitely improves on breeding, and can make for a serviceable protection dog. However, ultimately it falls to the dog's owner to maintain a dog's protection skills. The best breeding and most effective training cannot compensate for an owner that does not continue to work with the dog. Ultimately, the right dog for personal protection is the one with an owner that is dedicated to maintaining the dog's skills. This is the most important consideration when selecting a dog.