Home protection dog? What are we really watching? Hunting, or fighting?

Hunting and guarding…
…Are not the same skills.

The general public has a huge misconception concerning “Protection dogs.” We often see videos of people who spend thousands of dollars for “trained protection dogs” that will not protect them. People watch a dog biting a sleeve on a YouTube video and automatically assume they are watching a dog doing serious protection. More often than not, what they are seeing are dogs that are hunting rather than fighting, dogs that are far more interested in getting a bite on the sleeve than driving off a serious threat.

Many people are deceived into thinking that a dog in predatory drive with predatory training somehow constitutes a protection dog. The job and training of a home guarding dog centers around having control of our dogs while they are in DEFENCE drive, not PREY drive. The job of the home guardian dog is to defend, repel, and disarm a potential bad guy – guardian skills. The job of a hog dog and a police dog is to chase, apprehend, and detain – hunting skills.

Once you see what I’m talking about, you’ll be able to recognize a man-stopper with serious aggression from a pig-hunting dog! Hog dogs are NOT home-guardian dogs!

This YouTube channel offers many examples of doges with crazy prey and hunting drive, but no man-stopper defence drive. The dog plays with the sleeve. What we don’t see: We don’t see an on-command threat display. We don’t see any display or examples of even the most basic obedience in this dog. We don’t see any display of having a solid off switch. And, we don’t see the dog in defense drive. The dog is hunting!

Also, notice that the dog’s owner says this is the dog’s second day of agitation. This dog has never been allowed to develop the defense drive needed for guardian work. The dog has been given satisfaction with the bite before any true aggression has been created. If you are familiar with the Koehler method of guard dog training you will know that the dog is antagonized for many sessions before it ever gets relief with a bite. This is more of a sport-biting or hog-hunting dog than a true guardian dog.

Watch the video on YouTube! (not protection training!)

A few more observations:

Here is another example of a sleeve-happy dog hunting rather than fighting. Listen to my educational commentary as you watch the video. WATCH ON YOUTUBE

More info on the results of this type of training: Police dog fails

All play and NO fight!

A Sentinel is a guard who stands watch. The video below provides examples of dogs that don’t live up to the name.

Here is yet another example of a YouTube “protection” dog that has absolutely no interest in the person. There is virtually no defense drive left in this poor dog. All the defense drive has been borne out of the dog. The more you breed for prey drive, the less defense drive you will have, and vice versa. When you give a real man-stopper home protection dog its “go” word, it shouldn’t stand there and wag its tail.

This is an embarrassing example of a home guardian dog.  Watch the video on YouTube 

Here are two of our dogs you wouldn’t want on you!

Gertie’s first session.

This is an awesome video showing what I’m talking about. People pay BIG money for doges and training that just will not protect the home.