| First of all, never be afraid of sounding "dumb", you're just uneducated, and so was I and everyone else that does protection training at one point...we all had to learn from somewhere. That's what these forums are for is so we can share and benefit from one another's experiences.
If this is something you are considering, great, but I want to caution you to find a competent trainer. There are a lot of incompetent hacks out there who claim to teach personal protection who do nothing more than stress the dog out to the point that it is an unmanageably nervous and terrified ball of fear who may look extremely menacing on the end of a leash, but is so terrified that it is more likely to wet itself than actually protect you in a true threatening situation. This type of "training" is terrible for you and is cruel, inhumane, and just plain unfair for the dog. The worst part is, sometimes the damage that is done to a dog in this manner can be near impossible to reverse. Anyone can buy a whip, and a bite sleeve, and a pair of scratch pants for under $1000. Putting them on does not make them a dog trainer.
What area do you live in ? I'm sure there are some other schutzhund people on here who can recommend some decent training clubs around your area. |