We have received many messages regarding dog training for protection work. Many questions asked, many people confused about what is true and what is not and dog owners from all over the world sending videos of their dogs training asking for my opinion on their work.
We will explain what is true and what is not regarding protection trained dogs. I never judge the work of others so I will give you as much information as possible for you to judge on your own whether work has properly been done and whether the trainer you are thinking about working with is the right one.
Let me start by saying that not all dogs are suitable for the purpose. For example, the fact that my dog is a Rottweiler – a working breed with protection skills – does not necessarily make him suitable for protection work training.
“The dog will bite a family member, the friends we meet with are in danger, the dog may attack the kids in the neighbourhood” etc. Can all the above mentioned happen if a dog is trained for protection ? I wish I could say no. But where there's smoke there's fire. And reason these rumours exist is because things like that can and have happened.
But how and why have they happened? Because irresponsible and ignorant trainers with nothing but profit in their minds have taken up the responsibility to train dogs that should never have been trained for protection. Either because the dog is unsuitable for such training or the handler is incapable of handling the dog.
The dog that is to be trained for protection work has to be very well socialized and perfectly trained in obedience training. The owner has to be a balanced self- controlled person , at all times in control of his dog. Dog owners that cannot control their own temper, have a criminal record, have no control over their dog and do not realize/comprehend the severity of this type of training are to be regarded as unsuitable and should not be accepted for protection training.
Therefore, training will not turn the dog into a killer or a public danger. Wrong training and irresponsible trainers and owners will do so.
With proper training and responsible guidance you can have a dog trained in protection duties as a family member , just as you would any other dog. A dog safe to be around within the family and the community.
“ I am not in danger, I do not need to train my dog for protection, I am a quiet person, I am a good neighbour, I live in a good neighbourhood, I'm not rich , there is nothing to steal from me, it won't happen to me..” etc.
Let me address the aforementioned with an extract from an article published on Krav Maga Science page by Krav Maga expert Vasilis Petridis.
“ Our goal should always be to keep crime as far away as possible. There are only two ways to do that. One, to realize that in crime there is no discrimination and two, to understand that in crime there is a timeline of violence”.
On training the dog and the owner there is one fundamental mistake I see happening very often.
Training is 90% about training the dog and only 10% about training the owner/handler.
The dog will learn how to bite, where to bite, release on command, function under stress and respond to multiple stimuli/scenarios. With one decoy, two, being shouted at, watered, screamed at , going through difficult terrains etc. The dog owner learns 2-3 commands, how to hold the leash and how to have the dog release – the “out” command. First command is “watch out” to aggressively bark, second is “ attack” to bite and the third is “out” to release the bite. These three commands in this exact order will be used in 9 out of 10 scenarios.
The dog responds perfectly! Barks to drive the decoy off, bites if barking is not enough , will not back down regardless the physical and psychological pressure and outs on command. Job done! The dog bites and outs on command. The owner and his family are safe.
BIG mistake. Nobody is safe. Since the dog owner has no basic self defence training and has no way to recognize potential danger and how to avoid it , only half the work is done. The reason to train a dog for protection is to protect ourselves and our families. The first rule of self defence is to avoid engagement. Engagement should be the last resort.
Again I quote an extract from Krav Maga Science page by expert Vasilis Petridis.
“We live in an organized state with laws , not in a war zone in some country of upheaval and chaos. All citizens regardless of age , gender and nationality have a constitutional right to safety. Just as they have – under conditions – the right to defend themselves, their family and property.
The work of self defence trainers is primarily to inform their trainees of the relevant legislation. To make sure they absolutely understand when a situation is considered self- defence and when it is considered engagement. When a reaction is regarded as a means of survival and when it is regarded as self- redress. When to use their maximum potential and when the minimum. A trainer that arbitrarily teaches common citizens the imprudent use of violence as the only solution , is both committing a crime and exposes his trainees in imminent danger.”
Practically , this means that if a dog trainer has taught somebody only how to give his dog the command to bite without information on when and under what circumstances to use the command , then things are left for the dog owner to decide, entirely on the dog owner's judgement. Judgement that can be poor due to inexperience and along with the legal implications that ensue from it.
When accepting to train a dog for protection , a trainer also accepts the responsibility for his client's safety. When you chose a trainer to train your dog for protection, you entrust in him the safety of yourself and your family – be aware of that and choose wisely.
So, other than teaching a dog how to effectively perform his task we need to give the dog owner some basic self defence advice. “Basic” is the key- word here because it is not a dog trainer's job to teach self defence. A self defence trainer should take up from where the dog trainer ends and even better work together with a self defence trainer to make the dog- owner pair as effective as possible.
Always within the boundaries of the law. Always chose distancing and de-escalation over engagement. Never let your ego blur your judgment. Engagement should be your last resort.
There is a long list of the things dog trainers could do differently to improve the quality of the services rendered. We have already mentioned some and will mention some more but like I said, the list is long.
There is no point in teaching citizen dogs to free attack. If the “criminal” is not in a distance that can harm one's body integrity then we are not talking about self defence , we are talking about self redress.
The two- bad -guys- scenario in which the dog first bites the one that poses the bigger threat and when the second one attacks his owner ,leaves the first one and goes for the second one is impressive. As far as training is concerned. To show the work and upload a good video.
The two- bad -guys- scenario has no practical worth whatsoever. The dog as strong as he can be , is no superhero. Sorry to spoil it for you, but it is the truth. The dog bit the first guy and they fight. The truth is nobody will just stay there to take the bite and do nothing about it, they get bitten they will react. The dog will get bitten, kicked, hit. Meaning the dog will most likely not be able to come to his owner's rescue even if he wanted to he has to stay engage it in the fight. The second guy goes for the owner , the owner calls his dog.. meanwhile – and before if at all the dog makes it to his owner – the dog owner is stabbed in the heart and dead in a few seconds. That is the harsh reality of violence. Chaos and tension prevail and compared to you and I , criminals think and react in a very different way.
In a different scenario, the dog would attack the first “criminal” and as soon as the owner sees the second one and calls the dog, the dog attacks the second one too. In that case the first criminal would attack the dog owner with the same devastating results. This scenario can go wrong in infinite ways.
In a better version the dog owner would have seen the probability of something going wrong and would have avoided engagement. If that were possible. The dog attacks the first bad guy and before the second one makes his move the dog owner intervenes. Thus having much better chance of making it out of this alive.
During protection work training, all pressure weighs on the dog so he learns to function under severe stress. Fine up to here. But what about the dog owner? Will the dog owner be able to function when his stress levels soar during a confrontation out on the street? NO. Because he has not learned to function under battle stress.
Let's see what happens to the human body during what is called the “fight or flight” response.
“The fight or flight response, or stress response, is triggered by a release of hormones either prompting us to stay and fight or run away and flee,” explains psychologist Carolyn Fisher, PhD. “During the response, all bodily systems are working to keep us alive in what we’ve perceived as a dangerous situation.”
Without you even telling it what to do, your body is assessing what’s going on around you and determining your options on how you most likely could survive the event. Here’s what can happen during the stress response: Your heart rate and blood pressure increases. This means you’re probably breathing more quickly and heavily, which is helping to move nutrients and oxygen out to your major muscle groups. You’re pale or have flushed skin. Your blood flow is being redirected so you might experience feeling cool or like your hands and feet are cold and clammy. Your face might also appear flushed as blood and hormones circulate throughout your body.
Blunt pain response is compromised. If your sympathetic nervous system is triggered by combat or a collusion, it’s not uncommon to only feel your injuries once you’ve returned to safety and have had time to calm down. This is one reason that people in car accidents don’t typically feel pain from their injuries until afterwards. Dilated pupils. Your pupils will dilate to take in more light so that you can see better. You’re on edge. You're more aware and observant and in response you’re looking and listening for things that could be dangerous. Your senses are heightened and you’re keenly aware of what’s going on around you.
Memories can be affected. Sometimes during stressful experiences your memories of the event can be altered. Your memories can be very clear or vivid or they can be blacked out. You’re tense or trembling. Stress hormones are circulating throughout your body, so you might feel tense or twitchy, like your muscles are about to move at any given moment. Your bladder might be affected. It's not uncommon to lose voluntary control of your bladder or bowels in a truly stressful or dangerous situation.
Under conditions so highly unusual ,it is most likely that no matter how well the dog is trained, the dog owner will make several mistakes than can even cost lives. Therefore the dog trainer has to create stressful conditions not only for the dog but also for the dog owner. How this can be done safely and effectively is a different chapter.
In the most simple scenario where one finds themselves in a situation that the only choice is to give the dog the command to bite, the dog owner must know hot to protect their back, to avoid being hit in the back. We refer to things that can happen anytime, anyplace under conditions we have no control over. Meaning we cannot rule out the possibility of a second assailant waiting to hit when we do not expect it. Instead of yelling and encouraging the dog to bite , call for help in the hope that somebody will listen and come to help or call the police.
Always have a good escape plan. Never linger to enjoy your victory. This is not a ring, there are no rules and referees. What seems to be over in your advantage can turn around in seconds if someone pulls a gun he did not have the chance to pull until now, or if the assailant has friends who heard the noise come to help him.
Clatter sticks, yelling, sudden moves, threatening posture etc are all useful in the beginning. It is however very important that the dog learns to function in the absence of all these too. Anyone who thinks an assailant will come out on the street yelling, with a threatening posture along with all the other signs the dog needs to recognize is making a big mistake. It is possible that somebody moves threateningly yelling your way ,but dangerous as he may be, he has already given enough signs about his intentions.
There is this other case where somebody nonchalantly approaches and asks the time. And use that one second your attention is distracted to attack or pull a knife to threaten your life. Criminals do not have a standard method of attacking or a specific way of action.
Prevention and alertness save lives. As dog trainers we need to study violence and it's ways of action and adjust our training methods according to that and not according to what makes an impressive video.
This was a long long post! I know I got you tired. Imagine I only wrote some of the things I had to say on the matter. But not to waste. Now, you have some reference points to help you better assess the videos you see online and the services you are offered.
Be prepared, Stay alert, stay safe!
The Working Bull Terriers Kennel Team
Comentários