Anyone here purchased a Personal Protection Dog?

[tradewind]

Most people do not have the need or where withall to properly select, manage etc a PPD. Most insurances companies will not insure your home or property with one. Most working/herding, quite frankly, any dog will understand and will step in when real danger is present. A mini daschund that I know of, when her elderly owner was being robbed absolutely shredded the dude. I would think long and hard before getting one. It is like having a perpetually loaded gun, or a powder keg of dynamite that you have to constantly manage, train, and vet. In addition the scam companies surrounding the selling of these dogs is an absolute nightmare. I would rather have a well trained dog and a loaded gun...Much easier and much less liability.

[ManyDogs]

DH bought me a doberman years ago when we lived in Alaska. We shipped him (and his trainer) up from California.
Baron was trained to grab and hold. If the person didn't struggle, Baron held his arm. I know, because he did it to me....
We were visiting friends and going snow machining. I didn't have the best coat, etc. so I put a down jacket and ski mask that belonged to a family member. Without thinking, I reached in the car to get my boots and Baron growled and clamped down on my forearm. No pain, just held. I then realized what had happened and spoke to him. He released me right away. He was a very nice dog. If we were going out, he would get his leash off of the doorknob in the hall and bring it to us so he could go.
To give an idea of his temperment, he had a comforter he dragged around the house and was also very protective of our cat.

[sunridge1]

Agree with all the others. You really need to be a expert handler for a PPD. My sister purchased a GSD from a reputable breeder, (they should never have sold her one). Even though she was a life long owner of GSD's (as am I) she was not equipped to handle a dog of this nature. He rapidly became too aggressive, the last straw was when he growled and offered to bite her grand daughter, he wasn't even a year old yet! She returned the dog which I'm sure was PTS.

[maybedog]

[QUOTE=cowboymom;6285464]"Boxer Mix" is code for "pit bull mix but we don't want to say pit bull"... Given her behavior I'd think more pit than boxer but certainly keep calling her a boxer mix so she doesn't get the stigma. Maybe you saw the boxer parent and yours really is but I always laugh at how many "boxer mixes" there are in shelters...

maybedog: Your dog looks like a Lab/Boxer mix...not a pit bull mix (Not that there's anything wrong with pitties, but they're not known as a protection/guardian breed.)

Mom was boxer & dad was black lab. Alot of people think she's a pitty. Because of her boxer bite she has lost 4 front bottom teeth killing groundhogs and we are now dealing with a "boxer ulcer".

[ljcfoh]

I had to giggle because I did the exact same thing with my GSDx. She had this huge ferocious bark, even as a puppy, so I taught her hand signals to bark on command. It's pretty terrifying if you don't know her.

One day I had her in the cab of the truck with me and I got out to put gas in. Some guy started toward me to ask a question and I was stunned by the ferociousness my dog (Princess Penelope is her pet name...lol, actually Princess Penelope Peanuthead) hit the window with. If she could have gotten out, I think she would have eaten that guy alive. She has never been aggressive in the truck or with people approaching it, but someone approaching me outside the truck is apparently not ok in her books.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-G...7/DSC_0058.JPG

Wow! She looks like a wolf! She'd be VERY impressive coming at an intruder...

[HydroPHILE]

Agree with all the others. You really need to be a expert handler for a PPD. My sister purchased a GSD from a reputable breeder, (they should never have sold her one). Even though she was a life long owner of GSD's (as am I) she was not equipped to handle a dog of this nature. He rapidly became too aggressive, the last straw was when he growled and offered to bite her grand daughter, he wasn't even a year old yet! She returned the dog which I'm sure was PTS.

PTS as it should have been. There is a difference between a high drive working dog with a solid temperament and a high drive working dog with a shaky temperament.

A dog with a solid temperament should not be growling at and trying to bite a human just because it does not like them.

[Alagirl]

PTS as it should have been. There is a difference between a high drive working dog with a solid temperament and a high drive working dog with a shaky temperament.

A dog with a solid temperament should not be growling at and trying to bite a human just because it does not like them.

While I am in agreement, I think the above story illustrates though why those high drive animals are a bad match for the average household.
I don't even think the dog was bad, but he was in the wrong situation. The energy has to go somewhere.

[Whitfield Farm Hanoverians]

Well while I agree that having a PPD is having another loaded gun in the house I also think that with the correct temperment they are an absolute wonderful security system. I already have dogs, big & little but am thinking of getting into learning about the training of these dogs. I've always found it fascinating.
The people I've seen that actually own a well trained PPD love it. Wonderful dogs with calm attitudes that are bred to handle the pressure. Of course these are very high $$$ dogs.
The prices I've seen are between $65k - $85K on one site & others in the $40K ranges.

[Whitfield Farm Hanoverians]

Does anyone here actually own one & live with one?

[LexInVA]

Does anyone here actually own one & live with one?

Not exactly. My dog only tries to protect me from food that he thinks I should not be eating.

[wendy]

I have a malinois "dropout" from a training program and he would never fit into a regular pet home. He needs immense amounts of exercise and daily work- I provide this by doing SAR, and competitive obedience/agility work, and lots of jogging and frisbee tossing. Most households have trouble dealing with breeds like say labs, which are laid back and have rather low exercise needs; an intense, sensitive, high-drive dog of the breeds they select for PPD training would be a total disaster in most households, even after completing the training. These aren't dogs who are content to laze in the backyard, or go for a 20 minute leash walk.

edited to add: I would think that the only person who could properly own one of these dogs is someone who would get involved in a local schutzhund/french ring club and work the dog regularly.

[dressagetraks]

My dressage trainer has had one in the past. She was also involved in dog training for years clear up the levels, which fascinates me and which I would be interested in exploring at some point, definitely if I ever really think about heading this direction. But her tales of hers - which I never knew - are 100% sterling. She had a few stories where the dog definitely saved her bacon. And one great story of a years-ago ex who found her. Dog did not hurt him but made her and the dog's opinion crystal clear when he made an unannounced visit and barged in drunk one night. Had him totally pinned and scared him sober.

[Alagirl]

I have a malinois "dropout" from a training program and he would never fit into a regular pet home. He needs immense amounts of exercise and daily work- I provide this by doing SAR, and competitive obedience/agility work, and lots of jogging and frisbee tossing. Most households have trouble dealing with breeds like say labs, which are laid back and have rather low exercise needs; an intense, sensitive, high-drive dog of the breeds they select for PPD training would be a total disaster in most households, even after completing the training. These aren't dogs who are content to laze in the backyard, or go for a 20 minute leash walk.

edited to add: I would think that the only person who could properly own one of these dogs is someone who would get involved in a local schutzhund/french ring club and work the dog regularly.

I guess that sums it up nicely.

you have to get into dog training like most of us are into the horse thing.
I don't think it is fair to a dog of this caliber to be 'among other' kind of item on the daily chore list.

[tradewind]

You don't just start training these dogs because you find it fascinating...Years of serious dog work go into the making of a person truly albe to properly evaluate, train, and place correctly a dog of this type. They are wholy unsuited for the average person who thinks they want one. You also must be heavily insured. What I see from the OP is a fascination with the end price not the massive amounts of knowledge, time etc that has to accrue in order to get there.

[dressagetraks]

I wasn't deciding to start to train these dogs because I find it fascinating, nor did I think being fascinated by it would qualify me to own a PPD. I did say "eventually" in my original reply. Let me define something. For me, at least, to "explore" something means:

1. Seek out experts in the appropriate area, references checked.
2. Do EXTENSIVE research as available.
3. Start out by watching the activity done by the experts.
4. Start lessons myself from the experts from the beginning.
5. Gradually increase the scale and level of lessons, and yes, fully aware that we are talking YEARS.
6. When I have achieved my personal level of top competence at it, which is assumed it won't be up to the top experts, evaluate what that level is.
7. Work diligently to maintain said level.

Of course, at any of the above steps, I can decide that this isn't quite for me and back off. But I never just jump off the deep end into something. I adore the long, drawn-out, years and years commitment to learning a subject. That's why dressage is so much fun for me.

It is PRECISELY the years and years required and the fact that that must be maintained that makes it fascinating to me. Easy stuff gets boring quickly. My dressage trainer, who worked and trained Schutzhund for years and had a full PPD, has never once advocated this for anybody who wants it just as a "cool pet" or downplayed the responsibility or commitment required, nor has she ever advised GSD, her favorite breed (if well selected, not the messed-up by breeders ones) for everybody and his cousin who thinks they look neat.

If I do eventually get a PPD, it would be around step 6 or so on the above series. It would not be my current dog or my next dog or until I have a lot more of those years behind me and still wish one.

So back to the original poster's question, is there anybody out there with experience of them, which stories I would also be interested in, as I said, since I EVENTUALLY might possibly wind up getting one myself.

[cowboymom]

[QUOTE=maybedog;6286512]

"Boxer Mix" is code for "pit bull mix but we don't want to say pit bull"... Given her behavior I'd think more pit than boxer but certainly keep calling her a boxer mix so she doesn't get the stigma. Maybe you saw the boxer parent and yours really is but I always laugh at how many "boxer mixes" there are in shelters...



Mom was boxer & dad was black lab. Alot of people think she's a pitty. Because of her boxer bite she has lost 4 front bottom teeth killing groundhogs and we are now dealing with a "boxer ulcer".

I sort of went on a tangent there, sorry! Poor pup with the ulcer too-I've seen that firsthand and it's a bad deal! My older BMC looks pitty and I have to always explain she's a papered BMC!

[HydroPHILE]

I had a PPD : Doberman Pinscher.

I would not get one again. When I got her from her breeder when she was eight years old. She was trained by a trainer who was also the head of the K-9 unit for the city from which I got her. He had a solid reputation. What I found, even with my experience, was a very sharp Doberman Pinscher who could terrify people based on her looks alone (even with being quiet.) She, however, was trained to be a reactive PPD (one that would attack if presented with a threat versus one trained on command.) I spent a month with the trainer learning her ins and outs and potential problems (reactive trained) and also learned how to manage those potential problems (crating her when there was a large gathering of people, etc.)

That lovely training method lead to her attacking one of our distant family members who thought it would be a GREAT idea to approach her (after we had put her in her crate because she had not been introduced to this person, he "felt bad" and let her out of her crate when we were outside at the pool, and he went into the house to use the restroom) , squatted/leaned down quickly where she was sitting, put his arm over her head/body, and tried to kiss her on the head. She misread that as a threat to herself and very quickly dispatched three bites on his face before he knew what hit him. After he backed away (read: fell backwards from shock) she went right back to the position where she was (sitting on the ground outside of her crate.) That family member quickly admitted it was his fault, etc. She was already registered as a PPD with the local sheriff's department (as was required for that county,) and he decided not to seek medical attention (as he did not require stitches.) Yes, this next part is 100% wrong, but we did not report the bite, and neither did he.

Although I owned her for ten months, it wasn't a month or two later that she had to be euthanized because the owner/breeder that had her before me had forged her Veterinary records, she became very ill, and it was discovered that she had advanced cancer in her mammary glands, a failing liver, and advanced HW.

I think the information in this thread should help with your interest in learning about them including some things to consider: various breeds - each breed has their own quirks and their various temperament flaws/benefits, homeowner's insurance, etc.

For what it's worth, I have never seen a legitimate trainer charge $65K+ for a PPD. Executive level PPDs generally average out around $30K...at least from legitimate and proven trainers and handlers in this area.

Purchasing a PPD is quite a bit different than wanting to learn how to train them, etc.

If you are interested in working with one (learning how to handle and train them) prior to purchase, I would recommend finding a Schutzhund group in your area as there is bound to be at least one person/trainer there that has a PPD that can assist you with what you want to do. If they cannot assist you, then I would contact the closest PD that has a K-9 Unit, and ask them from whom they get their dogs, training, etc.

[Burbank]

not much in the way of experience but as a child my neighbors had a trained Doberman, I think he was guard not a full PPD but let me say that no one would want to try to go against this dog, he was great with us kids when invited over and he was sweet and had a great recall/back response but you did not run from this dog

his owners did say that they did the training through a class and were instructed on how to handle him and all his comands were in German

my BIL is a cop and is looking at doing the K9 unit and is taking his GSP puppy there for training, we will see how that goes

[cowboymom]

The only K9 cop I ever met was a total freak. He was a good police dog supposedly but an absolute freak in every other way. Probably not a good representative of the genre but he sure stands out in my mind!

[Burbank]

eh our county is getting another one b/c one of the K9s is un reliable and has directly disobeyed the handler