When it comes to protection dogs, timing is everything. Starting their specialized training too early or too late can undermine their ability to protect effectively as adults.
While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, there are some general guidelines that professional dog trainers follow when deciding what age to start a dog’s protection training. These are based on the dog’s breed, individual maturity level, and training program.
Understanding Protection Training
Protection training is an essential aspect of dog training that involves teaching dogs how to protect their owners, family members, and property. This type of training is not for all dogs and requires careful consideration before starting.
At the same time, it is important to understand that protection training is not the same as aggression training. Protection training seeks to bring out and enhance an instinct that to some degree is present in almost all dogs.
Aggression training seeks to remove an unwanted behavior, which is the tendency of some dogs to see everything as a threat and immediately go into aggressive mode.
Protection training involves teaching dogs to recognize and respond to threats in a controlled and disciplined manner. It is essential to ensure that the dog is well-trained and can differentiate between a real threat and a non-threatening situation.
This training requires a lot of time, patience, and consistency from the trainer. It also requires focus and a willingness to learn from the dog.
Given the demanding nature of protection training, it’s important to start it at the proper time. Starting too early or too late can have negative consequences for both you and your dog.
In summary, protection training is an important aspect of dog training that should be approached with care and consideration. It is essential to ensure that the dog is well-trained, and that the trainer has the necessary knowledge and experience to teach the dog in a controlled and disciplined manner. Starting at the right time is also crucial to ensure that the dog is properly trained and able to differentiate between real threats and non-threatening situations.
The Most Important Considerations
Bear in mind that most protection dogs are large breeds, which mature slower than smaller breeds.
Two key factors must be weighed when determining the optimal age to begin protection training:
- Beginning too early is not good for the dog. Potential protection dogs must be mature enough physically and mentally to start intense obedience and control exercises involved in protection work.
This ensures they can handle the demands without risk of injury or emotional distress.
- Beginning too late can make it harder for dogs to develop the disciplined temperament required for being a working guard dog. Their natural instincts start to solidify after adolescence.
This can be a serious problem for giant breeds such as Cane Corsos and Caucasian Shepherds. They have extremely intense, naturally protective instincts. Unless they are channeled in the right direction early, they can end up being uncontrollably protective.
For the large breed dogs commonly used as protection animals, such as German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, Rottweilers, and Belgian Malinois, this means starting training somewhere between 12-18 months of age. Anything younger than 12 months old is too early, while older than 18 months may be too late.
The most successful working dogs are the product of genetics, proper socialization, early obedience, and timely introduction to protection work.
Physical Maturity Should Be Considered
All puppies, regardless of breed, require time for their bodies to mature before partaking in any activity that could stress their developing joints, bones, and ligaments. Protection training places intense physical demands on dogs, so starting before full growth could increase their risk of orthopedic injuries.
The large, and especially the giant, breeds are particularly vulnerable because they grow more slowly. For example, a Mastiff reaches full adult size at around 3 years old. Beginning intense training with them any earlier than 18-20 months would be detrimental.
Conversely, most large breeds like German Shepherds and Doberman Pinschers finish growing by 12-15 months old, making this a sensible age range for them to start.
Mental Maturity Is Also Important
Physical maturity alone does not mean a dog is ready for protection work. Their mental maturity is equally important in determining their readiness.
A dog must first have sufficient obedience training and impulse control. They must be able to think clearly and respond appropriately to commands during the stress of protection scenarios.
Large-breed puppies typically do not achieve the necessary mental maturity for training until at least 12 months old. Some breeds renowned for their working abilities, like German Shepherds and Malinois, may demonstrate enough mental acuity by 10 months old. However, it’s ideal to wait until 12 months or older before beginning protection exercises.
Starting Too Early Can Backfire
Although protective instincts can appear in puppies as young as four or five months of age, they won’t fully develop until many months later.
Beginning protection training before a dog has reached adequate physical and mental maturity can result in unintended consequences. If put through stress and discipline prematurely may be detrimental to a dog’s development. It can cause behavioral issues such as fear, aggression, and anxiety.
Ideally, dogs identified for protection work should spend their first year focusing on basic obedience, socialization, and building confidence. This ensures they have a solid temperament and foundation skill set before adding in protection-specific training.
But So Can Starting Too Late
Just as starting too young can backfire, waiting too long to begin protection training can also be a problem. Dogs’ natural tendencies become ingrained when they mature.
The key socialization and obedience period is up to 18 months for most breeds.
After 18 months, their temperament and behavior patterns start to solidify. It becomes progressively harder to instill the discipline and control required in a working protection dog. They need to learn how to think clearly and respond properly to threats based on commands, not just instinct.
This can be particularly dangerous with the so-called “guardian” dogs. Some of these are giant breeds whose natural instincts are to instinctively and immediately neutralize a perceived threat. They need intensive training to recognize a perceived threat from an actual threat.
For the giant breeds, beginning protection training at 18-24 months of age provides enough time for them to fully mature. Protection training can then refine those naturally protective instincts to produce an optimal guardian.
Setting Puppies Up for Success
The early months of a potential protection dog’s life should focus on consistency, socialization, and teaching core obedience cues like heel, sit, stay, and recall. This prevents problem behaviors and builds their confidence.
Once they reach adequate physical and mental maturity between 12-18 months, they will be ready to take on the more rigorous and complex skillset involved in protection training. Starting at this age range sets them up for success as working protection dogs.
The Exact Age Depends on the Dog
While these general guidelines provide a useful framework, the exact recommended age for beginning protection training depends on each individual dog. Their rate of physical and mental development can vary depending on breed, lineage, environment, and natural ability.
To determine if your dog is ready to start protection training, experts recommend first consulting with your veterinarian and a professional dog trainer. They can conduct temperament tests and evaluate if your dog is ready emotionally and has sufficient obedience training.
If so, it’s best to begin protection training gradually. The intensive nature of this type of training is best when introduced slowly. This will increase your odds of success and help avoid risking your dog’s well-being.
With the right breeding, socialization, basic training, and maturity, protection dogs started between 12-18 months of age are primed for success. Their natural abilities can be refined into specialized, life-saving skills.