Interesting that they would allow your BIL to “bring his own dog”.
The LE agency I volunteer for sends the deputy who has been accepted into the program to the company we get our K9s from who matchs the handler and the dog. The dog has already had a good basis in training before a handler is included in the dog’s training.
Not all GSDs are suitable for LE K9 work.
[QUOTE=wendy;6287483]
Most households have trouble dealing with breeds like say labs, which are laid back and have rather low exercise needs;[/QUOTE]
Unless you have, like my cousin, a field-bred lab. Her dog is competing/being trained (so far) in obedience, agility, rally obedience, carting, tracking, and water rescue. I think weight pulling is next on his venue. He is DEFINITELY one Lab that MUST be KEPT BUSY. :yes:
wheresmywhite, my hubby and I were both a bit surprised by that as well, I am not sure if they will actually train his pup for K9 or if they are watching to see how he trains/interacts with his personal dog or what, then again getting info out of this man is well like getting water from stone
My father was a k9 officer and trainer for the department. His dogs lived with us and had great temperaments. But even with that experience he went through 9 dogs before finding one that would work and be appropriate to live in a family with kids. All the dogs lived at home with their handlers when off duty but that was a long time ago before all the liability issues, not sure that is so common today. I do know a few people who have PPD that work well in a family, both got them as drop outs from a K9 program , they were not sharp enough, would not bite or were reluctant to bite. Both would bite if provoked enough, just not eager to do so. That type may work well.
I enjoy training my dogs but would not train one in bite work and would be very selective taking one in that was. You have to be in charge of this type of dog, it has to obey, no wiggle room, and I just don’t want to be that tough on my dogs. And IMO if you can’t train it you probably shouldn’t own it.
I don’t have the time or energy to give details right now, but about 20 years ago we were involved in a large TB training center (part owners and the only residents). The farm was robbed 15 times over a short period of time…big hauls ($50k of tack and equipment) to single items (air compressors, carry outs). The final straw for us was when our own, 2 mo. old mini donk was stolen out of the stall/from it’s mother, in our show horse barn where there were 11 horses. An “inside job” since there was no public knowledge of the foal. LSH - a trained PP, imported GSD was bought by the farm and came to live with us. The owner/trainer brought him 4 hours to our farm and introduced him to us/family pets/horses/barn cats as part of the deal. THAT dog cost less than $5k, 20 years ago.
I will only say that for the next 12.5 years we were NEVER robbed or even threatened, I could take him anywhere, off leash if so desired and the dog, Argo, NEVER made a wrong move, mistaken agression or so much as a nip!! I never felt safer when traveling alone or at night. He was an AWESOME looking dog with a helatious bark, but when he didn’t like the “vibes” he felt from a stranger…he alerted by pressing against my leg. He never once jumped at anyone. Side note: I had him at a jumper show once and the famous MIKE PLUMB walked up, scrubbed the sides of Argo’s head, said “Hi” and kept walking. The dog did nothing!! I don’t recommend a PP for just anyone, but that’s MY story!!
I have a GSD/Basset Hound mix (no. I’m not kidding) that I rescued from a shelter in Denver. I’ve had both breeds all my life and have found them to be beautifully loyal breeds. When I got my little guy he had been HORRIBLY abused but took right to me (even at a year old). I’ve had him for almost a year now and he is VERY protective of me. When I first brought my boyfriend around Roz would stay right by me/between me and the bf to make sure of him. To this day if bf and I get in a pretend fight and wrestle he WILL go after bf, not aggressively but he definitely lets bf know that it’s not okay to make me scream. (will gently place his jaws around bfs arm and growl) I make sure people know that he is very protective but a very friendly guy if approached correctly. I have him trained as a service dog and when we are in public he will stand between me and anyone he doesn’t know. If he finds them suspicious (and in my area of Colorado they abound!) he will growl lightly, but listens when I tell him to back off. I have NO doubt in my mind that if I acted scared or gave him the "go"command he wouldn’t hesitate to attack.
My advice if you are concerned is to get a breed who is very loyal as a puppy and train them as a companion for yourself. (but make sure they are very socialized!) you don’t want them to attack anyone who comes nearby, just someone who shouldn’t be there. Trust me, Roz is smart enough it’s not hard for him to tell the difference at all 
Also since I’m a goofy dog mom, here’s a few pics. You wouldn’t think those breeds would work but it’s created one of the happiest, loyal, and smart dogs I’ve ever known!
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/308844_1924387683592_1659148196_1503873_138603623_n.jpg
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/379459_2218043864813_1659148196_1660378_72982774_n.jpg
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/551520_2711294515771_1659148196_1862169_683123135_n.jpg
As an owner of a PPD I have to make one thing very clear, if you are thinking about getting this type of animal remember it is no where near a pet. People make that mistake way too often.
My black lab? He’s a pet. My 130lb white german shepherd? He is most definitely NOT a pet. He is trained in German and I got to see his training in action last year when 3 guys busted into the house where my roommate and I live alone. Our homeowner’s insurance is more costly because of him. We must have a padlock on our fence’s gate along with a Beware of Dog AND a Guard Dog on Duty sign on our fence. Also, he is not allowed to be unattended in the yard. I love him to death and trust him with my life, but he is not a dog to play around with. People come over to hang out? That’s fine. He goes in my room and everyone knows not to go in there.
I feel like the issue of a PPD is a decision people make without really thinking it through. We got mine because my father was one of the VPs for Shell Oil and over the years we lived in different countries that were not entirely safe for my mom and I to be in alone while my dad was on a business trip. He protected both of us, but bonded with me and became my dog. When I left Texas (Houston) for Mississippi and college, he came with me. He’s 8 years old today and would still defend me to his death. He is great and loving to my roommates and I and our friends he knows best along with family members, but he does not tolerate others he does not know.
It’s definitely something I would research thoroughly before you make your decision
Oh, forgot to mention…my guy is a pure white shepherd from tan and black parents which technically makes him an albino. Ergo, he was denied papers. We also rescued him from a GSD rescue in Texas before moving to Saudi Arabia when he was 10 months old. It only cost us $75. He had already had PP training from his former owner (who has gotten arrested for drugs…imagine that!) and we built upon those. Add in his devotion and love for his cause and it made a pretty cheap PPD for us
And I gotta say, I know I’m biased, but he is pretty freaking awesome
[QUOTE=Burbank;6288032]
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[/QUOTE]
GSP = German Shorthaired Pointer
GSD = German Shepherd Dog
I have a friend that is a Georgia State Trooper who brought his personal German Shepherd Dog up to training at a K-9 training facility in North Georgia that solely trains the local police K-9s. Of course, he did not run her through training for apprehension or PPD. She had a great working drive and a great nose. He trained her to sniff out explosives, people, just not narcotics. He did it solely to give her a “job” to do whether a fake one or not.
He got her from me when I pulled her from MAS in Memphis, TN. My sole reason for getting her was to get her spayed, vaccinated, etc. and find her a proper working home.
Her owners had dumped her at one year of age because she was “nuts.” She wasn’t nuts. She just had a fantastic and super high working drive. She was only labeled “nuts” because they probably didn’t know how to handle a working dog. She would do ANYTHING for a ball/fetch time and would fetch ANYTHING that was thrown. He re-routed her energy to tracking/trailing/and detection (the explosives detection was done solely at the training facility under the supervision and guidance of the head trainer.)
[QUOTE=tec890;6289235]My 130 lb white German Shepherd?
Oh, forgot to mention…my guy is a pure white shepherd from tan and black parents which technically makes him an albino. Ergo, he was denied papers. [/QUOTE]
130 lbs???
No, he’s not an albino. He’s a white German Shepherd. Albinism is a genetic issue. Being a white German Shepherd is just against the breed standard with the registries.
[QUOTE=tec890;6289235]
Oh, forgot to mention…my guy is a pure white shepherd from tan and black parents which technically makes him an albino. Ergo, he was denied papers. [/QUOTE]
No, he’s not an albino. He’s a white German Shepherd. Albinism is a genetic issue. Being a white German Shepherd is just against the breed standard with the registries.
130 lbs???
No, he’s not an albino. He’s a white German Shepherd. Albinism is a genetic issue. Being a white German Shepherd is just against the breed standard with the registries.
He used to only be 120 but his arthritis has been acting up in his old age so he is not as active as he used to be. I think his sire and damn were both 120 and 125 respectively. They were big.
Also, I didn’t clarify but he is indeed an albino. Pink eyes and pink nose, completely white. The various vets he have been too have confirmed it many times. My family has 3 GSD’s besides mine, one of the others being a true white german shepherd, so yes, i know there is a difference I should have explained that better
One more random thought. One of the trainers my working dog group works with (he is across the country, but the more hardcore members go train with him a few times a year) has trained and sold personal protection dogs. I don’t think he has any in the pipeline currently. He’s more into ringsport these days.
Anyway, he was commenting on the industry, and said a lot of the dogs sold as PPD are big fakers and will do the bark and hold, or do take bites on the trainer’s decoys (i.e. the decoy is the intruder in this case) but in reality they would chicken out if it was a stranger and push came to shove and they had an escape avenue. Keep in mind that a good decoy can make a working dog look really good.
I think it would be hard to weed out the fakes from the real ones without having a very trusted advisor. I’m not saying you can’t, but I think your friend you mentioned might be a good resource or know people who can give you the dirt on various trainers.
But regardless, like I said, most people will back down from a barking, scary-looking dog anyway.
tec890–120-130lb GSD! Ugh. My dobes are right around 70lbs and they are just too big for house dogs I’ve decided. I can’t imagine having a 120-130lb GSD!!
lol hydro, my mistake, I have the GSP, they have the GSD stupid acronym confusion
all I can say for sure is that he is interested in K9, he is a cop they have a German Shepard and he is training the dog, like I said getting info out of him is like getting water out of a stone, he and his wife rolling eyes its just them
Just a note re: a couple of comments: Schutzhund and personal-protection work are nnnnnnnnot the same thing. Roughly-speaking, the Schutzhund dogs are playing an elaborate, stylized game. There is bitework, yes, andyou may get some overlap in people and in suitable dogs, but if you’re really interested in a PPD, going to Schutzhund club to investigate further is probably not the tree up which you want to bark.
My ex-farrier is now a K9 officer and he was the black dog that was in the movie Contraband. I haven’t met this dog, but I have another friend who was a K9 officer and had a Malinois. She was a great dog and you would never know her training if you never saw her in action, so incredibly sweet and would give kisses on her own.
I’ve been doing loads of research into the different types of PPD & Schutzhund training & I agree that they are different.
I’ve been very interested in this work for many many years but haven’t had the time to act on it. I’m going to try to find some great trainers but like with horses that takes a while to do.
I need to see lots of dogs in action. I’ve already seen the ones that are supposed to be PPD but back away when cornered as well as those with fried brains that can’t take the intense training it takes to be reliable.
I know that there is a big difference between the bloodlines for show/conformation & protection/work. I’ve heard that a combination of both can be very good as the show dogs put better bone & front ends on them. Also want one that works off of it’s toes instead of it’s hocks. Will be a very long, slow search but will be fun fun fun! Just love watching dogs work.
I’ve taken care of a few police dogs many years ago via the vets I used to work with & found them to be very complex characters that you had to handle with care.
I think that if I had a great dog with great training that I’d be slow to sell him even for the $85K prices I’ve been seeing.
RedxHandedxJill,
He’s adorabulicious!!!
The owner of one of the barns I boarded at had one. I believe he was straight from Germany actually.
I have never in my life, ever been scared of any dog I’ve met. This dog scared the crap out of me. I was waiting for the day when he just leapt over the 3’ tall deck railing and decided he wanted a snack, though. :lol:
Personally, my black Great Dane is enough for me. Shes big, black, and has a really scary bark. I think I’d bet a good amount of money that she’d attack anyone that was threatening me, but she’s a complete sweetheart normally.
I’m actually tending toward a black Great Dane as my next dog. Like I said, any PPD-ish dog is still years of research and experience away. But I have been thinking of what the next dog might be lately. My BMD suddenly seems like she’s aging the last few months, and I looked up her papers. She’s 7. Note to the track record setters in jumping to conclusions: I am NOT saying I’m thinking of tossing this dog, “replacing” her, throwing out an aging dog, etc. But as BMDs are notoriously short-lived - 7ish was pretty average per sites - I have been considering lately what might be next in line after her. Black Great Dane heading the list so far. Whatever, it will probably be big, black, with a BARK. I like those kind of dogs.
[QUOTE=RacetrackReject;6290064]
My ex-farrier is now a K9 officer and he was the black dog that was in the movie Contraband.[/QUOTE]
Personally, I’m pretty impressed that your farrier is a dog 
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