The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Trained dogs -- can you defend yourself?

Byron Quick · January 5, 1999, 03:54 AM

Spectre, weight classes don't count for much when comparing humans to animals. The structure of the muscle fibers and the connections are different. This makes a VERY LARGE DIFFERENCE!!

I have raised Dobermans and Rottweilers commercially. I have been involved in Schutzund training. I also used to check out the competition's rent a dogs.

I know how Dobermans move. One on one they are not a problem to me. But this is based on intimate knowledge of the breed. The post about the guy who raised them and only gave himself a 70% chance puzzles me. I wonder if he fought with his much?

Rottweilers are another story. Love them. Don't want to mess with even a small female. I once grabbed an eighty pound female in a bear hug and fell on top of her. She got up and walked off with me holding her (I weigh about 260).

Packs? Gimme shelter. Large capacity magazines. If all else fails...smash the alpha quickly with maximum brutality(best of all possible worlds in a very poor situation).

The various breeds have very different reaction patterns, reaction times, grit, and musculature. Studying at first hand helps a lot. A Schutzhund trained dog will release you once you are down and not resisting. However, some people have trained dogs to other standards. I once had a command trained Doberman that would all out attack a pine tree if you pointed and gave the command. (I rescued her from the people who did this to her) Downside of command training is that one of these dogs will often watch its master beat to death while waiting for the command. Schutzhund type situational training is best in my opinion.

Many of these dogs work every day with no reward from their handlers and are dying for human attention. I have taken old tennis balls up to the fearsome attack dogs' domain and in a few minutes have them fetching the ball back to the gate for more fun. Think the place was very secure? If you use a guard dog...play with it regularly and DON'T let it play with anyone else. Train it not to. Also, a word about gender. Males are usually heavier, more muscular, and more aggressive. They can all be neutralized with one little bitch in heat. Females can't and are also more easily trained in my experience.

It is easy to decoy guard dogs in a fenced area. Get the attention of one and the others come. While the bad guys go in the other side. An easy solution for this is to pen a small loud barker where he can't be seen from the fence. Then when all the guard dogs gather at the disturbance...there will be one dog out of sight and raising hell. Make the BG's pause and wonder.

January 5, 1999, 03:54 AM	#31
Byron Quick Staff In Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Waynesboro, Georgia, USA Posts: 2,361	Spectre, weight classes don't count for much when comparing humans to animals. The structure of the muscle fibers and the connections are different. This makes a VERY LARGE DIFFERENCE!! I have raised Dobermans and Rottweilers commercially. I have been involved in Schutzund training. I also used to check out the competition's rent a dogs. I know how Dobermans move. One on one they are not a problem to me. But this is based on intimate knowledge of the breed. The post about the guy who raised them and only gave himself a 70% chance puzzles me. I wonder if he fought with his much? Rottweilers are another story. Love them. Don't want to mess with even a small female. I once grabbed an eighty pound female in a bear hug and fell on top of her. She got up and walked off with me holding her (I weigh about 260). Packs? Gimme shelter. Large capacity magazines. If all else fails...smash the alpha quickly with maximum brutality(best of all possible worlds in a very poor situation). The various breeds have very different reaction patterns, reaction times, grit, and musculature. Studying at first hand helps a lot. A Schutzhund trained dog will release you once you are down and not resisting. However, some people have trained dogs to other standards. I once had a command trained Doberman that would all out attack a pine tree if you pointed and gave the command. (I rescued her from the people who did this to her) Downside of command training is that one of these dogs will often watch its master beat to death while waiting for the command. Schutzhund type situational training is best in my opinion. Many of these dogs work every day with no reward from their handlers and are dying for human attention. I have taken old tennis balls up to the fearsome attack dogs' domain and in a few minutes have them fetching the ball back to the gate for more fun. Think the place was very secure? If you use a guard dog...play with it regularly and DON'T let it play with anyone else. Train it not to. Also, a word about gender. Males are usually heavier, more muscular, and more aggressive. They can all be neutralized with one little bitch in heat. Females can't and are also more easily trained in my experience. It is easy to decoy guard dogs in a fenced area. Get the attention of one and the others come. While the bad guys go in the other side. An easy solution for this is to pen a small loud barker where he can't be seen from the fence. Then when all the guard dogs gather at the disturbance...there will be one dog out of sight and raising hell. Make the BG's pause and wonder.