"Its bark is worse then its bite," may or may not be applicable to protection dogs. Some are trained to simply bark at and contain a possible intruder, while others are meant to bite someone who might harm his handler or owner. Other protection dogs are trained for more extreme work including police duty, military service, guarding property at all costs, and even competitions to test their skills.
Personal protection dogs are not to be confused with attack or guard dogs. Personal protection dogs are nice to people who are nice to them, but will bite someone threatening their owner or handler. Once the threat has passed, these protection dogs will resume their friendlier state.
So called "hold and bark" dogs are a different version of protection dogs. These dogs are meant to appear to be more threatening than they are. Their mission is to knock down or corner an intruder and, as the name suggests, bark and hold that person until the owner, handler, or police arrives.
Other protection dog categories are progressively more threatening. Dogs can be used to patrol property and attack any intruder, friend or foe. These guard and attack dogs know only one thing: "Keep intruders out!"
Then, there are professional protection dogs, members of K-9 units attached to police departments and the military. These dogs possess a variety of skills.
Whatever category of protection dogs one considers, it is almost certain to consist of some of the larger and stronger working dogs. Some of these dogs are already perceived as fierce. Breeds that are often used as protection dogs include:
- Airedale
- Akita
- American Pit Bull
- Beauceron
- Belgian Malinois
- Belgian Tervuran
- Bouvier Des Flandres
- Boxer
- Bulldog
- Chow Chow
- Doberman Pinscher
- Dogo Argentino
- German Shepherd Dogs
- Fila Brasilerio
- Mastiff
- Komondor
- Puli
- Rhodesian Ridgeback
- Rottweiler
- Schnauzer
Many dogs that are trained for such work never work for a police department or military base. In fact, many are trained just to compete in sports such as Schutzhund, a German competition that essentially tests the skills required by police dogs. Some protection dogs also are entered in Ringsport, another test of protection and obedience skills. Another test is the KNVP, a competitive exam used by the Royal Netherlands Police Dog Association.
Many individuals and organizations do not support these competitions or the use of protection dogs. Still, there are many people who feel they can sleep better if they have a Rottweiler at the foot of their bed, instead of a Chihuahua.
