Like the staff of the USCCA, you all are dog people too!
You’ve shared pictures of your awesome dogs (Security and noise makers),
do you train them for home defense or to defend you? If so, how to do you train them? (Video and informational links are always welcome.)
We have 2 chow chows I’d hate to walk in our house in the middle of the night and disturb their sleep lol. They are very protective of us and their home but we dont train them for defense it is bred in them though!
When I was 13 in 1974 our neibor was training dobermans to do all sorts of aggressive things. That was the decade with The Doberman Gang movies. My dad walked to the side of the back fence, called guy over and proceeded to inform him what he’d do if those dogs ever hurt one of the kids in the neighborhood. Dad was holding one of his long guns. The guy turned white and obviously scared. Dad was a big man and didn’t need a weapon to make an impression.
He’s a Belgian Malinois so his protector instinct is built in. He’s a gentle as can be, loves everyone until the work harness goes on, then he’s all business. First time he barked at the tweakers hiding in the bushes late at night I near soiled myself. Needless to say they haven’t been back.
Unfortunately I can’t link you to the guy that trained our last GSD for security work, he passed away. He used to train a majority of police departments in our area so I’d suggest asking your local police or sheriff’s department for a recommendation if they use outside trainers.
That shepherd would go crazy at the ring of the door bell but would stop barking on command and we’d place her just to the right of our front door when we answered it. After a long day, my wife didn’t realize that it had gotten dark out side and answered the door. A guy saying he was a salesman decided to stick his foot in the door when my wife started to close it. Our shepherd went into action and tore the “salesman’s” ankle up. He fled and the cops never found him but I think to this day our pup saved my wife from a home invasion or worse.
While I recommend people that are interested in getting their dogs trained to do it, I also recommend they find the highest quality trainer they can afford. Our dog was sweet until she heard the command to alert, then she was all business. 
We’ve trained our German Shepherd and Pitbull for general discipline. They’re both more likely to lick someone to death unless they think we’re seriously threatened.
@BrophE we boarded our draft horses at a big horse ranch for a while when we were in San Diego… the owner had black malinois… those dogs were NUTS. Came out one day to see that all 8 of my horses had been bitten, legs, shoulders, one on the face too. She swore she had no idea what happened but other folks on the ranch said her dogs were out overnight. Between the rabid foam-slinging barking, attacking the fence as you walked by and the attack on my horses, it soured me on the whole breed. Glad you got a good one.
We have LGDs -great pyrenees, anatolian shepherd, kangal… they’re wired for guarding, but are super low key dogs. Vigilant, watchful, and 100% tuned to our feelings about a situation. They’re bred to watch over and protect livestock but include their people in that as well.
We don’t train them, per se, but we do need to show them if we like a person or not once they enter our property. They step in the gap between us and the other person. If we’re tense they alert or hackle up and growl. If we’re friendly, they’re friendly.
A lot of folks don’t understand that Malinois are working dogs, they need direction. They not pets nor free roaming on a farm type dog.
He’s a big lover, but we train several times a day even if just for 5 mins. Like pit bulls they’re not a breed everyone should own. Believe it or not the Malinois bite has stronger bit psi wise than a pit. The damage from a pit bite comes from their locking jaws and people trying to pull away from the dog. I will never own a pit, not the dog for me.
This is Bear. He’s a 75lb English Sheppard. An imposing figure when you first see him. But as far as defensive purposes go, the worst he would do is knock you over and lick you to death. 
I’ve been training dogs as a hobby and professionally since I was a kid.
Training them for defense can be really easy with most breeds and it’s ridiculously simple.
Dogs read our emotions. Every time you get a knock or doorbell ring put yourself on alert and start growling as you go to the door.
Keep the screen/security door closed and keep up the low growl as strangers explain themselves and if you can don’t open the door at all, have packages etc left on the stoop.
If it’s a welcomed party, immediately relax and using your “friendly voice” welcome them in.
The dog will pick up on it very quickly.
Please don’t consider this advertising, just showing off my kids.
http://www.wildrosegsp.com/photos/dog-photos-1/
We’ve got dogs on Six continents hunting everything you can imagine hunting with a dog and keeping families safe and entertained the world over.
This is one of our pup’s in S. Africa. The family runs an exotic animal rescue and they put this up on youtube for fun and it went viral overnight then news crews from German, UK, and Holland did pieces on them and it turned into the biggest fund raiser they could have ever imagined.
Beautiful!!!
Michele wants a German Shepherd, but we rent, and cannot have a dog! Michele is my fiance for all of you that don’t know.
Do you find that with a lot of people about a variety of dogs? My GSD needs so much exercise and a job - but so does my pit. They’re very different and want different jobs. When they haven’t worked enough, they don’t let us sleep at night 
I thought that too, until I met Harley. She’s a love - a little louder than I’d like, but she lets us know when she’s excited. 
Every dog is so different, even dogs of the same breed.
We all love showing off our fur babies! 
My pit’s purpose it to make sure we all know how loved we are by showering us with kisses.
And to guard as we play fetch in the front yard with our german shepherd. My pit won’t fetch. She’d rather lay in the sun and watch everything to make sure we’re all behaving.
My husband and I have watched a LOT of dog training videos, but we have done all the work ourselves (so far) with our almost-2-year-old (110-pound) GSD, Sunny. (And it is a LOT of work!!!) Sunny is intimidating by looks, alone, so in that respect, he is serving a great purpose! But he has done some “protection” work, as well!
He’s adorable! I’ll admit, I’ve seen the fun pictures of him too, so I know what a sweetheart he can be. He does look intimidating here.
Oh geez, jobs? Let me tell you about jobs. Bella, our 4lb Yorkshire Terrier, is the protector and “enforcer” of the house. Baxter, her 8 pound full blooded brother from a later litter, has the job of hiding rawhide treats around the house in case SHTF, I assume. Both can be told to “LISTEN” and they go into full alert mode. They stop what they’re doing and patrol the house, Bella with a low growl the whole time. It’s kind of funny, but they like being busy. This Saturday we’ll be picking up their two new brothers, Baron and Bob. They are two GSD’s from a breeder who is a friend of the family. I’ll be using the Yorkies to help train the pups when they arrive. We have plenty of jobs left for our new additions.
You know just a loudly played recording of a big dog barking aggressively has been shown to be a very good deterrent.
They can actually be rigged into vibration sensors attached to your doors and windows to pick up someone trying to break in or banging aggressively on them.
