This post is the last in the Protection Work series, and we’ve covered all the basics from two month old puppies all the way to amateur protection dogs in-training. If you haven’t been following the series I recommend that you go back and read the first 3 articles HERE.
Now that you’re all caught up, it’s time for the fun part: watching people get bit.
Alline Globule, nicknamed Allie, was Dennis’s award-winning German Shepherd Dog. She was raised and trained in Germany, and is featured on several websites. The Trzcinski family bought her when she was several years old, and she quickly fit herself into their family. They described her as great with their kids and other dogs, cuddly, but always alert to any danger. She raised multiple litters, with many of the puppies showing as much bitework potential as she had. Unfortunately, she became ill and passed away in early 2014, much to everyone's shock. We will always miss her, but she left behind a great legacy!
Those of us that worked at Pet U were lucky enough to catch Dennis training with Allie. It was incredible to see the amount of excitement she had for her work, along with her immediate response to Dennis’s commands. Her tail never stopped wagging, but she sounded truly vicious while she barked. Fully trained protection dogs like Allie are able to turn their work drive on and off in a split second. They are lovable, friendly, goofy and calm but if they sense a threat they wouldn't hesitate to give their life for their family.
While a protection dog's bite is important, more important than the attack aspect of training is the bond that is built and the obedience training that is done. The dog with the strongest, fiercest bite isn't worth a dime if their obedience work isn't up to par.
As with most working German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs), Allie was trained in German. She responded to 3 separate commands for heel: fuss (left heel), heel (in between the legs), and enohey (right heel, spelling is incorrect). She knew sitz (sit), platz (down), bleib (stay), hiere (come), aus (drop it) and more.
Upon Dennis’s command, Allie would sit and bark ferociously at an attacker, and then after a separate command, she would race and bite the attacker. After biting she only released her hold when Dennis told her to, even if the attacker fell down, and tried his hardest to throw her off. Protection dogs are trained to not release the attacker no matter what, until the release command is given by their trainer. The entire attack sequence is very carefully planned out, and designed to instill maximum fear.
Video: In the beginning Allie shows off her obedience training with heeling practice. Each time Dennis says fuss he is asking her to heel on his left side, and once he says 'heel' she is supposed to stay between his legs. At the end of the video Dennis releases her and gives her the bite command. The stick that the decoy uses is designed to make a lot of noise and movement, but it never actually touches Allie. Notice how her tail never stops wagging, and that she keeps up her energy and excitement the whole time!
Alline was the real deal; she was a lovable family pet, as well as a powerhouse protection dog, and we all miss her. Several of her puppies have shown great potential, and will be shown at this year's Service Dogs of America trials this July. Broc has been training since he was two months old, and will turn two years old this August. Pepper is 1 1/2 years old, and has been training for the last year. They were featured in the last post, focusing on their different stages in training.
If this type of training interests you at all, please stop out and visit us at the Service Dogs of America trials, held July 5, 2014 from 9am - 5pm. The trials will take place just south of Milwaukee, at 3002 4 Mile Rd, Racine, WI 53404.
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