Quality of Dog
The trained protection dog does not occur by accident. The reality is that very few dogs are capable of being trained to be an executive level protection dog. The quality of dog chosen for the Protege K9 protection dog program is one critical area that sets us apart from the competition. Our relationships with European trainers and breeders allows us to find literally some of the finest dogs in the world. Our dogs are tested in numerous areas before they are deemed worthy to enter our training programs:
Prey Drive
Prey drive is the dog’s desire to chase, grab, and hold and object. Prey drive is what makes a dog want to chase a rabbit or a ball. It is integral for teaching a protection dog the necessary skills required to apprehend and take down a bad guy or potential threat if necessary. Too much prey drive, however, often leads a dog to be too high in energy and difficult to manage by the average dog owner. One can find many working canines in law enforcement and military applications with prey drive that is ‘off the charts’. These dogs can operate with such a high prey drive because they aren’t required to live with a family, instead their quarters are the kennel until it is time to go to work. Unfortunately, many trainers today come with a background in law enforcement or sport training and that has led them to look for dogs whose prey drive is ‘off the charts’. We’ve worked with many client’s dogs, obtained from competitors, who would have been better served working with a police officer day in and day out and not watching over a family.
Your Protege K9 is selected to have very pronounced prey drive to enable him or her to be an exemplary worker, but not too much prey drive so as to render him ‘unlivable’.
Defense Drive
Defense drive is a dog’s desire to defend himself and his owners. Defense drive is critical for a trained protection dog. Our training program harnesses the dog’s natural defense drive to instruct him when and how it is appropriate to use force as a means of stopping a threat.
As with prey drive it is important that the dogs selected for our programs possess the right levels of defense drive. Too much defense drive and the dog will see every day situations as threatening and will be tempted to ‘protect’ their owners from falsely perceived threats such as a friendly pat on the back from a neighbor, an approaching cyclist, or other benign situation.
If a dog possesses too little defense drive he is also rejected for our protection dog programs. A dog too low on defense drive will be too hesitant to ward off threats.
We know of many training companies who focus primarily on this aspect of the training and end up with a dog who is peering around every corner, waiting for the next threat, feeling somewhat paranoid.
Dogs selected for Protege K9 are able to be balanced and level headed with regards to defense drive.
Nervous System
The strength, or lack thereof, of the nervous system is what determines a dog’s ability to deal with stressful situations. A Protege K9 is selected for strength of nervous system in order to deal with the normal stresses of every day life and the elevated stress levels required to protect and guard both home and family.
As an example, we see every day people with varying degrees of nervous system strength. There are those who barely escape a car wreck and are so mentally spent that they can’t function for the rest of the day. Then there are those in the police profession who routinely face dangerous criminals and physical harm and are able to jump back in the next day. The canine equivalent of the latter example is the type of dog selected for our Protege K9 training programs. The dog that can take the stress of the taunting toddler and the violent criminal is who we bring into our training programs.
Train-ability
There is no such thing as an exceptional protection dog that doesn’t possess a high level of train-ability. All of our Protege K9’s come to our training center with a foundation in obedience and protection and it is only through their high levels of train-ability that we are able to graduate them through our protection and obedience programs.
Our dog’s level of train-ability is what also makes it possible to ensure a smooth transition from our trainers to your home. It is imperative that each dog possesses the intelligence and desire to please so that during the hand off to your household that the dog will quickly become a valued member of the family.
Character and Personality
Even though your Protege K9 is selected and trained to protect you from harmful situations the reality is that his #1 every day job is that of companion and best friend. Every dog has a unique personality and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We do, however, look for dogs that are fun and playful. An ideal canine is affectionate with his owners and can count devoted amongst his attributes. During the interview process with each new client we take into account the personality and character of each dog before recommending them to the new owner.
We’re careful with the lines from where we get our dogs. Many dogs that come from lines known primarily for police work or military work, for example, can have an ‘annoying’ personality that can grate on dog owners.
Along with how a dog relates with his owners it is important to note the character of the dog in general. We search for dogs that are confident, bold, and make their presence known.
Appearance
It is said that form follows function and we believe that to be the case with our protection trained dogs. Each of our dogs is chosen as a working and companion dog and for their outstanding skills in protection work. We believe that beauty and working ability don’t have to be mutually exclusive, rather a dog built for work is a ‘head turning’ specimen that will be the envy of the neighborhood.
While the beauty of each individual dog is in the eye of the beholder we look for dogs that are noticeably impressive in aspect.
Because of our screening process you are ensured that your Protege K9 truly represents the best that the canine world has to offer.