We’ve all seen even tiny dogs straining at the end of the leash, bodies close to the ground,, breathing with a loud, choking rasp. The same instinct is at work. The trick is to teach your dog how to walk nicely on a lead from the very beginning. You don’t have to expect him to walk perfectly on heel, but he should be able to stay with you without pulling, and he should make all the starts, stops, and turns that you do. any time the dog begins to pull, give a quick snap and release on the lead and tell him, “Heel” or (whichever word you choose, be consistent). When he backs off, praise him. Book a training session with us and we can help you deal your problems before they get out of hand

In fact, even though jumping up can be solicitous, friendly behaviour, it is more often a training issue. Especially in adult dogs, . So the excited, shot-from-a-cannon greeting that makes you feel good may actually be your dog saying, “You came back! Okay. Just remember I’m the top dog here.” You can respond on two fronts: Teach your dog that spontaneous jumping up is not acceptable, and make sure training him to jump up on command when you say it’s okay.

Protection dog training has a minimum stay of 3 weeks, with one weeks fee payable upon booking and the balance upon commencement of the stay. During this week your dog will be worked with, assessed and a decision will be made.

After your dogs stay, a decision will be made. If they don’t quite have what it takes, this is in no way an insult to your dog. As mentioned, most dogs do not have what it takes with only a very select few having the perfect traits.
Regardless, your dog will have had 3 weeks intense training, working on their basic obedience and there will without doubt be a noticeable difference in your dogs behaviour, obedience and habits. Even if being a protection dog is not for them, they’ll still experience a huge learning curve during their stay.

The initial assessment and training support for a protective dog would usually be no less than two hours. Followed by further dog training sessions lasting around 90 minutes.

How long does it take to train a dog to be protective, but manageable?

It varies according to each animal’s personality and inherent behaviours. GD Dog Trainer always provides an honest evaluation of the timescale needed to get the balance right with a guard dog.


Our effective one-to-one sessions to teach dogs protection skills are provided at our purpose-created dog training facilities in Chelmsford, Essex. However, if you prefer, we can come to your home or workplace to provide specialist guard dog training.

We also take dogs on a residential basis, for intensive protection training. This is ideal if are not local to Essex, and want your protection dog trained by the best.

GD Dog Trainer would be pleased to provide free advice on buying a dog for protection, and the best way to train them for their role. Then, you can book specialist 1-2-1 or residential training services for your animal.

As a general rule of thumb, the best dog breeds for protective purposes are larger and more confident ones, such as German Shepherd, Belgian Shepherd, Rottweiler, Doberman, Dutch Herder, American Bully and Giant Schnauzer.
Residential training £1000 per week minimum 3week stay.
1-2-1 at our facilities £125 per hour.