We take protection training very seriously. I have trained and certified many police dogs, and their combat training has saved my life multiple times. We compete in K9 sports, but we don’t train for K9 sports. Our goal is to develop each protection dog into a serious, stable soldier capable of doing his job, which is simply to protect his owner from harm.

My experience as a K9 officer in urban terrain taught me the importance of responding correctly to spontaneous, unrehearsed situations. This type of environment challenges many dogs and handlers that train in an open field. Few people worry about being attacked in an open field. We train in real-life scenarios, so our dogs and their handlers know how to respond if the need ever arises. 

Before a dog/handler team ever begin protection training, they must display a strong foundation of obedience and control. What good is a tough protection dog that’s too unstable to go places with you? We don’t train a dog to be mean; we train the dog to do his job. Sometimes this job requires aggression, but it always requires control.