When contacted by clients about personal protection dogs, I am often asked the question “Should we get a puppy or an adult dog?” A number of people are under the impression that they must raise the dog in their home as a puppy in order for it to be well socialized and to fit into their household dynamics. This is absolutely not true. The are many adult dogs that fit in well and adapt quickly in homes after being rescued from a shelter well into their adult years.

Raising protection dogs from puppies is challenging and can often be more of a hassle than it is worth. Puppies are simply a crapshoot and most people who do not train protection dogs, generally do not even know what to look for in a pup. Drive development and socialization is critical as the pup is growing up. Foundation work has to be completed as the dog matures. Puppies with enormous drives can be either “shut down” or turned into fear biters in an instant if the owner does not have the knowledge to channel those drives and complete the foundation work properly. Even when the dog matures and is ready to begin formal protection dog training a great deal of time and cost is involved assuming that all of the foundation training was successfully completed by the owner. The other issue that you have with pups is that you will have to wait a considerable amount of time before you have a functional protection dog.

When purchasing adult “green” dogs or fully trained personal protection dogs you know what the dog is like up front. The dog has matured and you can readily see what his personality is, what type of drive he has for the work and how well his nerves are. A dog with a bad temperament, low drive or weak nerves will never make a good personal protection dog. If adults are properly tested and selected and then properly trained, they can easily be integrated into homes with other dogs, cats and children with no problems at all. These dogs will quickly become a part of the family and will be loyal guardians for years to come.