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Archive for September, 2009
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
 There are lot of ways which one can train their protection dog for food refusal. One of the many training methods for food refusal that we use at Command Control K9 is, first to make sure that every time you feed your dog whether it’s dog food, or a bone, it is always presented in a bowl. Second, always make sure that your scent is the only scent that is on the bowl and food. It is important that you always clean your hands with hot water and soap before massaging the food. To prove the food refusal we also use a special substance that we pour on the food. This helps as a deterrent for our protection dogs to not take the food. All of our Level III Elite Executive Protection dogs are all trained for food refusal.
When using these methods to train for food refusal it is a lot easier to start when still a puppy. With that in mind, if we have a litter of German Shepherd puppies, Belgian Malinois puppies, 0r Dutch Shepherd puppies, and if we know that one or two out of a litter have the genetics to be trained up to a Level III, we will start them early. This makes it 100% Guarantee for food refusal.
The method that we use is very effective unlike what you will see in the sporting world where the dog is in a down stay on a groomed field and the decoy presents the food. This may look impressive, but this is not real food refusal. To train your protection dog for food refusal is not easy, it requires communication, patience, consistency, discipline.
Tags: Belgian Malinois, dog training, Dutch Shepherd, food refusal, German Shepherd, Protection Dog
Posted in Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherd, German Shepherd, Training | No Comments »
Monday, September 28th, 2009
 Working dogs have been used by police forces for over a century. In the late 1800′s, Belgian police officers were under frequent attack during their nightly urban patrols. The unlucky officers demanded that additional forces be hired and trained to assist them. Unfortunately, lack of funding made this impossible. The Belgian government’s solution was to, instead, train working shepherd dogs to assist with patrols. To the Belgian police, this was hardly an ideal solution. The intimidating size and ferocity of the dogs was effective in deterring attacks against the police officers, but there were often cases of the dogs attacking the officers themselves. However, through persistent training, the Belgian police were soon able to mold these working dogs into loyal, obedient, and highly effective protection dogs. The use of working dogs by police forces soon spread through Europe into Germany, Austria, France and The Netherlands. Today, police dogs are in use all over the world.
The roles of police dogs have changed considerably since their early use as a criminal deterrent. Protecting police officers is still top priority for police dogs, but aggressive attacks against police officers is an increasingly rare phenomenon. Often, these dogs are released to pursue and detain suspected criminals who are attempting to flee from police. Due to their size, intelligence and loyalty, the German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherd are the most common breeds used for this purpose. While these breeds are fully trained and capable of sniffing and tracking, certain situations sometimes require the use of other breeds by police. For example, Beagles are sometimes used to sniff baggage in airports, due to their friendly appearance. While a properly trained German Shepherd is no less dangerous than a Beagle in reality, the smaller Beagle is used to avoid unnecessarily worrying airline customers who may have a fear of large dogs. Bloodhounds are also sometimes used due to their reputation as exceptional trackers, especially in missing persons cases where police are in search of a body. It is important to note, however, that these smaller breeds should only be used in situations where there is no possibility of confrontation with a dangerous criminal.
In the past century, police dogs have played an integral role in helping to maintain law and order in society. So valued are police dogs for their bravery and loyalty, that many are sworn in as official officers, and even given full police funerals in the event that they are killed in the line of duty. For the work they have done and the lives they have saved, police dogs have truly earned that honor.
Tags: Canine, K9, Patrol Unit, Police, Protection
Posted in Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherd, German Shepherd, K9 Patrol Unit, Protection Dogs | No Comments »
Friday, September 25th, 2009
 The German Pinscher is a lean, muscular dog of medium size. It has a short coat that is most commonly black with tan markings, although red, blue and fawn varieties exist. The breed is thought to be a descendant of early European herding and guard dogs, and shares a common lineage with other Pinscher types breeds such as the Doberman. Also, common to Pinscher breeds, is the practise of cropping the dog’s ears and docking its tail. The resulting pointed ears and stubby tail are supposed to improve the dog’s localized hearing, and prevent the tail from interfering with the dog’s work. However, the discomfort caused by such procedures has caused these practises to be banned in some countries. Dogs with cropped ears or a docked tail are also sometimes barred from participating in dog shows.
Traditionally, the breed’s primary working role was to hunt rats and vermin on German farms. Some German Pinschers are still kept as ratters today, but most are simply house pets. Owners keeping them as house pets should keep in mind that they retain the instinct to hunt vermin, and will attempt to do so if left off-lead. German Pinschers are also very watchful and somewhat territorial. They often make good watch dogs. However, their temperament and size prevent them from becoming effective protection dogs or security dogs.
The German Pinscher was a rare breed outside of Europe. Following the Second World War, the breed nearly vanished as many German dogs succumbed to famine in the years following the war. In the 1950s, Werner Jung, the supervisor of the Pinscher and Schnauzer Club in Germany, revived the breed from its few remaining survivors. Unfortunately, due to the limited gene pool from which the breed was revived, many German Pinschers suffer from a variety of hereditary diseases such as cataracts, hip and elbow displaysia, and cardiac disease. Today, the breed is uncommon in North America, but is slowly gaining in popularity. Many German Pinschers are now bred in Australia, and exported to kennels around the world.
Tags: Dog Breeds, German Pinscher, Guard Dogs, Security Dogs
Posted in Dog Breeds, Guard Dogs, history of dogs | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
 The first thing most people notice about German Shepherds and other intimidating looking dogs are the canine teeth, the four large teeth in the front. You don’t have to be bitten to know that contact between those teeth and any part of your body would hurt. A lot. Take my word for it. Anyway, dogs use these teeth for several reasons including grabbing, puncturing and shredding their prey. They also naturally use them for defense. Your personal protection dog, if trained correctly, also uses them for YOUR defense
So here’s the problem: the majority of protection and guard dog trainers don’t train their dogs to use these teeth. Instead, their dogs are conditioned to make use of the back molars, with the full mouth, in an attempt to deliver “bone crushing” bites. Police dogs use their back molars when apprehending a suspect. Once the dog has taken a bite, he or she hangs on (there are countless police dog training videos on YouTube that show this). This is called “bite-and-hold”. It’s not safe for the handler and it’s not safe for the dog either. Instead, dogs should bite with their canine teeth, multiple times after targeting the weapon hand. Ideally, they should deliver 7 or 8 shredding, devastating bites in a matter of seconds to different areas of the body until commanded to stop. The scene is quite frenzied. In theory, full mouth bites result in fewer injuries to the suspect and, I guess, less lawsuits for the police. In practice, the severity of injuries is just localized to one area of the body. The drawback is that the life of the dog is endangered as is the life of the K9 handler.
After biting and hanging on, the suspect is given an extended opportunity to stab or strangle the dog. It seems unlikely that anyone would be able to muster the courage to do this but add in the use of pain numbing controlled substances and we have a recipe for disaster. Adrenaline and the strong desire to evade arrest are also strong motivators. Once the dog has been killed, the officer is left to deal with situation. Training a protection dog for personal use to utilize a full mouth bite when deployed can lead to disastrous results. There’s no question. So don’t be fooled when a trainer recommends a dog that is trained to bite with its back molars
Mother Nature dictates that dogs defend with their canines; there’s really no need for improvement.
Tags: bite and hold, biting, canine teeth, Guard Dog, Protection Dog
Posted in Bite Technique, CCK9 Policy, Guard Dogs, Protection Dogs, Training | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
 On July 29/09 My Father passed away, at 84, with cancer. After cleaning up his personal belongings, I found an old photo of my youngest sister, Wendy, and my first German Shepherd dog named Terry. Wendy will be celebrating her 50th Birthday on October 11/09.
As I stared at the photo, I thought to my self; Where has all the time gone? The German Shepherds today don’t represent the German Shepherds of yesterday. Terry was a solid black German Shepherd who was very strong in nerves, social, and loved children. He never had any formal training, yet somehow he always knew who was welcome on our property and who was not. We never walked him on a lead on busy streets, yet he always knew to stay by our side. At night he roamed the busy streets, looking for whatever, but always returned home in the morning, waiting patiently for his breakfast. In today’s world, it is getting harder and harder to find a good German Shepherd puppy. That is why we, at Command Control K9, do a lot of our own breeding and training.
Tags: Breeding, Family, German Shepherd, Puppy, Training
Posted in CCK9 Policy, German Shepherd, German Shepherd Puppies | No Comments »
Monday, September 21st, 2009
 The Koninklijke Nederlandse Politiehond Vereniging, abbreviated as K.N.P.V. literally means “Royal Dutch Police Dog Organization”. The dog sport K.N.P.V. is among one of the most prestigious dog sports in Europe. In fact, the only place one can get their dog title is in Holland, and there are only, 800 to 1000 dogs that receive the K.N.P.V. PH1 title each year. Out of that 1000, only 1% are German Shepherds. The majority of K.N.P.V. dogs are of the Belgian Malinois breed.
This sport originated in Holland as a way to train and test dogs for police service work. However, while K.N.P.V title dogs are certainly impressive, they are hardly fit for police or protection service today. While the exercises closely resemble those required for true protection work, they can hardly compare to real world experience.
K.N.P.V. is only a sport. A sporting dog will not protect you and your family, whether it is French ring title, Schutzund title, or K.N.P.V. title, even if one were to cross train to true protection.
Tags: Dog Sport, K.N.P.V., Protection Dogs, Sporting Dogs, Title Dogs
Posted in Belgian Malinois, CCK9 Policy, Dutch Shepherd, K.N.P.V., Sporting Dogs | No Comments »
Thursday, September 17th, 2009
 The sport of Schutzhund originated with the introduction of the German Shepherd into the German police forces during the early 1900s. Prior to this, the only working role for a dog was to guard or herd livestock in rural areas. In urban areas, dogs were treated as pests, and regarded as being both unclean, and unwelcome. As the role of the shepherd dog became obsolete in an increasingly industrialised society, and bigger urban centers saw an increase in violent crime and attacks against police officers, German Shepherd breeders saw an opportunity to introduce the German Shepherd as an aid to police officers. Unfortunately, due to the social stigma of being accompanied by what was then seen as a “filthy” and “vicious” animal, even police officers themselves were reluctant to bring working dogs into urban society. The sport of Schutzhund was arranged as a way to prove a dog’s worth, loyalty and obedience. It also provided a means through which they could uphold breeding standards. Only dogs who performed admirably in Schutzhund were permitted to breed.
The term Schutzhund itself means “Protection Dog” in German. While many of the activities are no longer relevant to protection work today, all of the activities can be divided into either tracking, obedience, or protection-related. Protection exercises involve the use of a decoy. Unlike other dog sports, where the decoy outfit covers the entire body, the decoy in Schutzhund only wears heavy padding on one arm, with the rest of the body being protected only by loose and durable clothing. While this ensures that the mobility of the decoy is not impaired, it creates an unrealistic scenario in that the dogs can only be trained to bite one arm.
Although I have respect for the sport Schutzhund, it is only a sport. There are too many companies that are selling Schutzhund title dogs, and selling them as protection dogs. A Schutzhund title dog, working on a groomed field, biting on a sleeve, is not a true protection dog. If one wants a true protection dog, then one must purchase a dog that has been working in the real world. We at Command Control K9 train all of our protection dogs in the real world. We not only get our dogs to bite on a bite suit, we have them do building searches, vehicle hijacking, targeting the weapon hand, food refusal, guarding surrounding premises, man scent tracking, bite on elevation and muzzle work. The Dogs not only know how to bite, but also know how to fight.
The bottom line is a sporting dog will not protect you and your family, whether it is Schutzhund title dog, French Ring title dog, or K.N.P.V title dog, even if one were to cross train.
Tags: Family Protection, German Shepherd, Protection Dog, Schutzhund, Sporting Dog
Posted in CCK9 Policy, German Shepherd, Schutzhund, Sporting Dogs | No Comments »
Monday, September 14th, 2009
 After herding, the guard dog is perhaps one of the oldest canine professions. Traditionally, guard dogs were bred to watch over livestock, and chase down predators in the area. These dogs had to be fast, intelligent and strong. Molosser and Mastiff type breeds are broad terms which refer to large dogs bred by the ancient Greeks, Romans and Celts for the purposes of guarding territory and livestock. Many of today’s most effective guard dogs share a common ancestry in the Molosser and Mastiff, and retain their strong build, intelligence, and territorial instincts. It is important to consider that while many smaller dogs have strong territorial characteristics, they often make better watch dogs than guard dogs in that they might bark, but lack the strength and skill to effectively stop an intruder. A true guard dog can be trained to know when and how to attack and disarm an opponent.
The ways in which dog breeds find their way into guarding roles is perhaps as varied as the breeds themselves. Some ancient breeds, such as the Rottweiler, were originally bred for herding, but adapted into guarding roles through the need to protect livestock. Others, such as the Tibetan Mastiff, were bred and trained to guard sacred religious locations for as long as history has recorded them. More modern breeds, such as the Doberman Pinscher, have been bred exclusively as guard dogs in the past century. Amazingly, other modern breeds who were bred as herding dogs, such as the German Shepherd, have adapted into a wide variety of other roles, including that of a guard dog, in only a few decades. Other breeds commonly used as guard dogs today include the Belgian Malinois, the American Bulldog, the Pit Bull Terrier, and the Bullmastiff.
Tags: German Shepherd, Guard Dog, Mastiff, Molossan, Security Dog
Posted in Belgian Malinois, Dog Breeds, German Shepherd, Guard Dogs | No Comments »
Friday, September 11th, 2009
 We’re just after getting back from a very busy schedule. Latterly, travel from coast to coast doing deliveries from California, Texas, Phoenix, Florida, Michigan, New York, Delaware, Boston and our last stop Brampton Ontario, where we delivered Jack. Jack is a Czech line import DDR German Shepherd Level II Executive Personal Protection Dog that not only looks the part, but has exceptionally strong nerves. Jack would not think twice to protect his new family.
Our clients are extremely pleased with their newest family member and we are pleased to have provided a dog of this caliber. It’s deliveries like these that make my job so rewarding . I’ve always said, “If I won the lottery tomorrow I would still be doing the same thing; delivering top quality protection dogs to families with needs.”
Posted in Announcement, CCK9, Family Safety, German Shepherd, Protection Dogs | No Comments »
Thursday, September 10th, 2009
 The Rottweil Metzgerhund (butcher’s dog of Rottweil), known commonly today as the Rottweiler, is a stout, sturdy dog, bred for its exceptional strength. It has a short, black coat with patches of tan around the muzzle and paws. The Rottweiler has a long history as a working dog, and it’s name reflects this. The breed is descended from the working dogs of the ancient roman empire who herded cattle and pulled carts filled with meat and produce along common trade routes. One such route led to the town of Rottweil in South-Western Germany. The breed worked to both drive and protect cattle in the Rottweil area for centuries until the establishment of the industrial age and the rise of locomotives rendered them obsolete for this purpose. However, the strength and versatility of the Rottweiler made it ideal for other jobs and were one of the few herding breeds, alongside the German Shepherd, who found work with police forces and as guard dogs.
The Rottweiler has the unfortunate reputation of being a vicious breed. The stout, muscular appearance of the dog is probably a factor in their negative portrayal by the media, but studies have also ranked Rottweilers as being second most likely to be named in fatal attacks against humans, just short of the Pitbull. However, as with all dogs, acts of aggression towards humans are often the fault of the owner, and the breed’s appearance may play a part in attracting less responsible owners who might prefer a vicious or frightening pet. A well trained Rottweiler with a responsible owner should be loyal, obedient and alert.
Posted in Dog Breeds, Guard Dogs | No Comments »
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