By David Harris, Founder & Master Trainer, Protection Dog Sales
When people begin searching for a personal protection dog, one of the first questions they ask is:
“Will this dog protect my family?”
After nearly four decades of breeding, raising, training, and placing personal protection dogs, I believe there is an even more important question:
“Will this dog be safe living with my family?”
Because those are two very different things.
A dog can have tremendous courage, powerful protection instincts, and impressive training and still not be the right dog to live with children, welcome guests into the home, travel with the family, or become part of everyday family life.
At Protection Dog Sales, we believe the ultimate family protection dog must be a family dog first and a protection dog when needed.
That's why we don't breed and develop police dogs and then try to turn them into family dogs.
We develop dogs specifically for families from the beginning.
Genetics Matters
If you want to know whether a protection dog is likely to be safe in a family environment, don't start by watching the dog bite.
Start with genetics.
Training matters tremendously, but training doesn't manufacture the fundamental dog.
Every puppy comes into this world with a genetic blueprint that influences how that dog responds to stress, excitement, frustration, pressure, physical contact, unfamiliar people, new environments, and unexpected events.
I refer to much of this as the dog's nervous structure.
For a family personal protection dog, I want a dog with what I call a long fuse.
I want a dog capable of experiencing excitement without immediately escalating.
I want a dog that can be startled and recover.
I want a dog that can encounter something unfamiliar, evaluate it, and remain confident.
I want a dog capable of becoming highly stimulated during protection training and then coming right back down.
That ability to regulate himself is incredibly important in a family environment.
Some dogs are naturally more suspicious, reactive, environmentally sensitive, or quick to escalate.
That doesn't necessarily make them bad dogs.
But it may make them the wrong dogs for a family.
Genetics Matters.
And no amount of impressive training should cause you to overlook that fact.
Protective and Aggressive Are Not the Same Thing
One of the biggest misconceptions about protection dogs is that a more aggressive dog is somehow a better protection dog.
I don't believe that at all.
I don't want a family protection dog walking through life looking for somebody to bite.
I want a dog that is comfortable in the world.
A properly developed family protection dog should be capable of going places with you. The dog should be able to encounter appropriate strangers, children, other animals, traffic, crowds, unusual environments, and everyday distractions without treating everything as a threat.
The dog should understand that most of the world is normal.
Then, if a legitimate threat develops—or when the dog is appropriately directed—the genetics, confidence, instinct, and training are there.
Sometimes the most impressive protection dog isn't the dog that reacts the fastest.
It's the dog confident enough not to react when reaction isn't necessary.
Don't Just Watch the Dog Work. Watch the Dog Live.
Anybody can put together an impressive protection demonstration.
That's not enough.
If I were evaluating a protection dog for my own family, I'd want to watch that dog live.
How does he behave in the house?
How does he respond when someone comes through the door?
Can he relax when nothing is happening?
How does he react when someone accidentally bumps into him?
What happens when a child runs past?
How does he handle frustration?
What happens around strange noises, unusual objects, slick floors, stairs, traffic, crowds, vehicles, wheelchairs, other animals, and unfamiliar people?
And here's an especially important question:
How quickly does the dog recover when something surprises him?
Family life isn't a controlled training field.
It's unpredictable.
Kids run. Doors slam. Things fall. Guests arrive. People laugh and yell. Vacations happen. Friends bring their children over.
Your protection dog needs the nervous structure and life experience necessary to deal with the real world.
Can the Dog Turn It Off?
People love watching a protection dog turn on.
I'm equally interested in watching the dog turn off.
Can the dog become highly stimulated during protection work and then return to normal?
Can he release when commanded?
Can he immediately transition back into obedience?
Can he walk calmly beside his handler afterward?
Can he settle down in the house?
Can he continue thinking while he's excited?
Those things tell me a tremendous amount about the dog.
Remember something important:
Your personal protection dog may spend less than one percent of his life actually protecting you.
He'll spend the overwhelming majority of his life being your dog.
Living in your house.
Riding in your vehicle.
Playing with your children.
Going on walks.
Traveling.
Sleeping beside the couch.
Meeting friends and family.
That's why we put so much emphasis on the other 99 percent.
Children Raise the Standard
If children are going to be around the dog, the standard needs to be even higher.
Children don't behave like professional dog trainers.
They run.
They yell.
They fall.
They make sudden movements.
They have friends over.
They leave doors open.
They drop things.
They sometimes do things adults would never anticipate.
That doesn't mean children should be permitted to mistreat a dog, and it certainly doesn't eliminate the need for responsible parental supervision.
Dogs are animals, and no dog is 100 percent predictable.
No responsible breeder or trainer should promise otherwise.
Our job is to stack the odds in the family's favor through genetics, selection, development, socialization, training, testing, proper matching, and responsible ownership.
Ask How the Dog Was Raised
Here's a question I believe every protection dog buyer should ask:
“Where did this dog actually grow up?”
There is an enormous difference between a dog that has spent most of its developmental life in a kennel and one that has actually learned how to live in a home.
You cannot completely recreate family life on a training field.
This is one of the reasons Protection Dog Sales has placed such a tremendous emphasis on our Home Raised / Family Trained philosophy.
Our dogs experience real life during their development.
They experience household noises, doors, visitors, vehicles, different environments, everyday distractions, family routines, quiet time, excitement, and all the little things that come with living around people.
We're not simply teaching a dog commands.
We're teaching the dog how to live successfully with a family.
Ask to See the Dog's Development
Don't just ask a company to tell you about the dog.
Ask them to show you.
A polished five-minute demonstration tells you what that dog did for five minutes.
What happened during the previous year?
Who raised the dog?
Where did he live?
What did he look like as a puppy?
How did he respond to new environments?
How was he socialized?
How did his obedience develop?
When did protection development begin?
How did his temperament change as he matured?
At Protection Dog Sales, we've documented the development of our dogs for years.
It's part of a philosophy I've talked about throughout my career:
The Proof Is in the Pudding.
We don't expect you simply to believe what we tell you about a dog.
Whenever possible, we want you to be able to see it for yourself.
Obedience Is Part of the Safety System
Sit, down, stay, heel, and come are important.
But obedience means more to me than a dog performing a series of exercises.
I want to know:
Does the dog accept leadership?
Will he respond the first time?
Does he recognize the handler's voice?
Can unwanted behavior be interrupted?
Can the dog maintain control around distractions?
Can he remain obedient when he's excited?
A dog performing perfectly in a quiet training environment isn't necessarily the same dog you'll see when the environment becomes exciting.
Reliable communication and obedience are important components of family safety.
D.I.G.S. — Don't Ignore Great Signs
I've taught clients for years about something I call D.I.G.S.
It stands for:
Don't Ignore Great Signs.
People will occasionally tell me:
“David, I never saw it coming.”
But many times, there were signs.
They simply looked too small to matter.
Maybe the dog starts requiring two commands instead of one.
Maybe he pushes through the door ahead of you.
Maybe he begins ignoring boundaries.
Maybe he starts controlling space.
Maybe he becomes possessive.
Maybe his reactions toward people or other animals begin changing.
These individual behaviors can appear insignificant.
But little things add up.
Don't wait for a major problem before paying attention to the small changes in your dog's behavior.
Was the Dog Actually Developed for a Family?
I have tremendous respect for police dogs, military dogs, sport dogs, and the people who train and handle them.
But those dogs are developed for different jobs.
And different jobs require different qualities.
The characteristics that make an outstanding police or competition dog aren't automatically the characteristics I want in a dog living with my children or grandchildren.
So ask the seller:
“What was this dog originally bred, raised, and trained to become?”
Was the dog intentionally developed to become a family personal protection dog?
Or was he originally developed for another purpose and later sold into the family protection market?
At Protection Dog Sales, we believe you should start with the destination in mind.
The family shouldn't become the dog's second career.
The family should be the purpose from the beginning.
Three Questions Every Protection Dog Buyer Should Ask
If you're considering purchasing a personal protection dog, I encourage you to investigate three things before making your decision.
1. How Was the Dog Bred?
Learn about the genetics, parents, temperament, nervous structure, bloodline, and consistency behind the dog.
2. How Was the Dog Raised?
Find out where the dog actually lived and what experiences the dog had throughout the critical stages of development.
3. How Was the Dog Trained?
Determine whether the dog's training was specifically designed around family life or whether you're purchasing a working dog that has been adapted to become a family protection dog.
Bred. Raised. Trained.
You need to understand all three.
Family Safety Is a System
There is no single test that can guarantee that any dog will always be safe.
Dogs are living animals.
That's why responsible family protection dog development isn't based on one thing.
It's a system.
Genetics + Nervous Structure + Early Development + Socialization + Life Experience + Training + Testing + Proper Matching + Responsible Ownership
Every layer matters.
The goal is to stack as many factors as reasonably possible in favor of the family.
That's how you create something very special:
A dog capable of protecting your family who is also trustworthy enough to become part of your family.
A Family Dog First. A Protection Dog When Needed.
After nearly four decades in this business, I don't judge a family protection dog primarily by how hard he bites or how intimidating he looks.
I ask a much bigger question:
Can this dog successfully live in your world?
Can he relax in your home?
Can he play appropriately with your children?
Can he travel with you?
Can he accept appropriate strangers?
Can he remain calm when nothing is happening?
Can he listen when he's excited?
Can he distinguish normal everyday life from a legitimate threat?
And if the day ever comes when your family genuinely needs him, does he have the genetics, courage, confidence, and training to step forward and protect them?
That's the dog we're trying to develop.
Not a police dog living in a family home.
Not an aggressive dog that needs to be constantly managed.
Not a protection demonstration with four legs.
A Home Raised / Family Trained dog that is a trusted member of your family—and has the ability to protect that family when needed.
That's the difference.
That's the David Harris Way.
