German Shepherds are renowned for their intelligence, loyalty, and protective instincts. Training your German Shepherd to attack on command can harness these natural abilities, transforming your dog into a confident protector. However, this type of training comes with significant responsibility. It’s crucial to ensure your dog is well-socialized, obedient, and mentally stable before starting any attack training.
Is Attack Training Right for Your German Shepherd?
Before diving into the training process, it’s essential to consider whether attack training is suitable for your dog and your lifestyle.
Factors to Consider:
- Temperament: Your German Shepherd should have a stable temperament, be approachable, and display confidence. If your dog is fearful, anxious, or aggressive, attack training is not recommended.
- Obedience: A solid foundation in obedience is crucial. Your dog must reliably respond to commands such as “sit,” “stay,” “come,” and “down” before you begin attack training.
- Socialization: Proper socialization is vital to ensure your dog can distinguish between genuine threats and harmless individuals. Expose your German Shepherd to various people, animals, and environments from a young age.
- Experience: Ideally, you should have experience in dog training, particularly with working breeds. If you’re a novice, consider seeking guidance from a professional dog trainer.
Laying the Foundation: Obedience and Socialization
Before teaching your German Shepherd to attack, focus on building a strong foundation of obedience and socialization.
Obedience Training:
- Enroll in obedience classes or work with a certified dog trainer.
- Teach your dog basic commands: sit, stay, come, down, heel.
- Practice these commands in various environments to ensure reliability.
- Use positive reinforcement techniques such as treats, praise, and toys.
Socialization:
- Expose your dog to different people, including men, women, and children.
- Introduce your dog to various animals, such as other dogs, cats, and livestock.
- Take your dog to different places, such as parks, stores, and crowded streets.
- Ensure all interactions are positive and controlled.
The Develop Defense Skills Method
- Develop Socialization and Obedience: Develop a strong personal bond with your dog, take him with you to different places, exercise and play together, and train him to have a strong response to obedience commands.
- Pair Verbal ‘Attack’ Command: Put on thick dog attack gloves, and tap your German Shepherd on the face until he grabs the mitt. Then, provide the attack command, such as “attack” or another word used for that purpose. Some trainers use a word from a foreign language that someone else is not likely to use either accidentally or on purpose. For example, you can teach your dog to “attack” by saying the word in Russian or Japanese. Reward your dog for responding to the command.
- Pair Verbal Command to Stop: Teach your German Shepherd to break off the attack by providing a word to ‘release’ or ‘stop’. Again, these words can be in a different language, as they should be unique and not something someone else would use. Reinforce your German Shepherd for ceasing attack on command. Practice with a mitt and then a large padded doll or object.
- Have a Protected Assistant Approach: Have an assistant with safety gear and a padded dog attack suit approach you and your dog in a controlled environment. Your assistant should be an experienced dog handler that knows how to use safety equipment and keep himself and the dog safe from injury. Have the assistant enter and act aggressively.
- Provide ‘Attack’ and ‘Stop’ Commands: Provide the ‘attack’ command and allow the dog to grab an arm or padded area. After a few moments, provide the ‘release’ command. Practice repeatedly in different scenarios, always ensuring that the dog learns to obey the command to break off the attack.
Training Techniques
- Positive Reinforcement: Reward desired behaviors with treats, praise, or toys.
- Consistency: Use the same commands and training techniques consistently.
- Short Sessions: Keep training sessions short and focused to maintain your dog’s attention.
- Professional Guidance: Seek the help of an experienced dog trainer specializing in protection work.
Choosing the Right Commands
Select clear, concise commands for attack and release. Consider using words in a foreign language to prevent accidental use by others.
Examples:
- Attack: “Fass” (German), or another unique word.
- Release: “Aus” (German), or another unique word.
Step-by-Step Training Process
- Introduce the Attack Command: Start by associating the attack command with a specific action, such as biting a tug or sleeve. Use positive reinforcement when your dog performs the desired action.
- Controlled Environment: Work in a controlled environment with a trained decoy wearing protective gear.
- Simulate a Threat: Have the decoy act aggressively towards you or your property.
- Issue the Attack Command: Give the attack command and allow your dog to engage the decoy.
- Praise and Reward: Praise your dog for their protective behavior.
- Introduce the Release Command: After a short engagement, issue the release command. Reward your dog when they disengage.
- Repeat and Generalize: Repeat the process in various scenarios and locations to generalize the behavior.
Maintaining Control and Safety
- Always Supervise: Never allow your dog to engage in attack behavior unsupervised.
- Use a Muzzle: Consider using a muzzle during training and in public to prevent accidental bites.
- Public Safety: Be aware of local laws and regulations regarding dog aggression and protection training.
- Liability: Understand your liability if your dog injures someone.
Schutzhund Training
Schutzhund (now known as IGP) is a German dog sport that tests a dog’s tracking, obedience, and protection abilities. It’s a rigorous training program that can help you develop a well-rounded, confident, and controllable protection dog. Schutzhund training emphasizes mental stability, courage, and a willingness to work.
Common Schutzhund Commands:
- Fuss! (Foos): Heel!
- Platz! (Plots): Down!
- Hier! (Heer): Here! Come!
- Aus! (Ows): Out! Drop It! Let Go!
- Bring! (Brring): Fetch!
- Gib Laut! (Gib Lawt): Bark!
The Importance of a “Stop” Command
The “stop” or “release” command is arguably the most critical aspect of attack training. Your dog must reliably disengage on command to prevent unintended harm. Practice the release command frequently and reward your dog handsomely for compliance.
Seek Professional Guidance
Training a German Shepherd to attack on command is a complex and potentially dangerous undertaking. It’s highly recommended to seek guidance from a qualified and experienced dog trainer specializing in protection work. A professional can assess your dog’s suitability for this type of training, develop a tailored training plan, and ensure your dog learns the skills safely and effectively.
Responsible Ownership
Remember, owning a protection dog comes with significant responsibility. You must be committed to ongoing training, socialization, and responsible handling. Your dog’s behavior reflects directly on you, so it’s crucial to ensure they are well-behaved and under control at all times.