Most of our clients live in very safe communities with very low risk. Most will never be a victim of a home invasion or violent crime. At the same time somewhere along the line, they discover that while they live without direct exposure to these risks, they still exist. We encourage you to Google the name of your own town plus the term “home invasion”. You too may be surprised. The crime is probably closer, and more common, then you may think. Yet statistically you will probably never see it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared just in case. House fires take place in communities rich and poor. Statistically, you probably will never have to experience one. In spite of that minute risk, you do address the risk through insurance, just in case. Most of our clients view purchasing a protection dog in the very same way. Insurance, just in case.
As you will likely never use your dog for protection what becomes even more important is what are they like to live within everyday life. Most of our clients tell us they would choose to purchase the same dog even if they didn’t care about protection. They are such a joy to live with because of their impeccable manners, complete off-leash control, and loving affectionate personalities.
Our Executive Protection Dogs are trained to an extrmely high level of obedience. This unique approach to obedience produces impeccable manners and complete off-leash control. Literally, you can give a command once in a very pleasant matter-of-fact tone. Your dog will obey instantly regardless of the situation. By regardless of the situation we literally mean anywhere and everywhere, the busiest street where you live, a festival or at your friend’s cook-out.
For clients who have already owned a protection dog, or any dog for that matter, there are some very significant differences in everyday life with our dogs. Forget having to be the “alpha” in the relationship. Being the so-called “alpha” doesn’t have to even be on your radar. You can forget the need to speak with authority (ie. the common dog training adage is “command don’t request”). While exercise is great for dogs to forget having to exercise your dog in order to manage him or her (popular concept promoted by Cesar Milan on his show The Dog Whisperer). These are just a few of the many differences that make owning our dogs a joy from day one.
Our protection training for our Executive Protection Dogs is basic; “turn on”, attack and turn off. We just take those basic exercises and teach them on a very advanced level. We have found over the last 30 years what matters first and foremost in viable protection is the ability to turn your dog “on” in the first place. If he or she has a high level of ability biting will be easy once turned on.
The challenge for most dogs sold for protection is they have been trained solely in Europe for dog sports. They are trained to “turn-on” to equipment with trainers making gestures very unique to dog sports. If you happen to purchase a European import with additional protection training it usually involves some time of artificial role-playing with the trainer handling the dog and the decoy (trainer posing as a threat) exchanging loud aggressive banter back and forth.
In real life, the perpetrator will not be wearing equipment. They will likely be carrying at least a knife, if not gun as well. They will likely have no need to stand there and banter back and forth. As a matter of fact initially, most threats don’t even appear as threats. There’s no yelling. No gesturing whatsoever.
In understanding the anatomy of a threat we find what is most import is training your dog to “turn on” to a passive threat. When we started CPI we use to say “if you can turn your dog on to a bag lady sleeping on the ground 20 feet away, and facing the opposite direction, you can turn your dog on to anyone”. Maybe not very politically correct to say but the point is valid. If your dog can turn on to a passive threat the aggressive threats are easy. Of course, we prepare them for the aggressive ones as well.
We actually encourage our clients to find opportunities to turn their dogs on in everyday life. We want turning your dog “on” to be as second nature as much as possible. Surprisingly there are everyday opportunities (not that you must do it daily or even weekly) that enable you to turn your dog on without looking like you instructed your dog to do anything, nor look like “the crazy neighbor with that dog”! It can be as easy as instructing your dog to do the Secure or Aggressive Alert from inside your house while someone is walking up your walkway. As you become more confident in your ability to turn your dog on and off you can choose to do so with the person just a few feet away.
Our Executive Protection Dogs start at $85,000.