How to Give Your Dog Attack Training

A dog can serve as a family pet or be trained as an attack dog to protect his owner. Some breeds, such as German Shepherds, are more trainable in the area of attack and protection than other breeds. Attack training traditionally includes a combination of verbal commands and hand/body cues, which the dog is expected to learn. Hand and gesture cues are just as important as verbal commands, because they serve as a backup in case the dog's master is unable to cry out for help in an emergency. Start preparing your dog for attack training as a puppy.

Things You'll Need

  • Training collar
  • Participant
  • Bite suit
  • Leash
  • Props
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Instructions

    • 1

      Put the training collar on your dog. Only allow your dog to wear the training collar when you are doing training exercises with him, so that he knows he is working. Chain collars and chain prong collars are effective for training since they can be tightened when you need to get your dog's attention.

    • 2

      Practice basic commands with your dog to warm him up. Make sure your dog has mastered obedience instructions, such as "sit," "stay," "lie down" and "heel" through both verbal cues and hand gestures before you advance to attack training. A disobedient dog that learns attack commands can become a liability risk.

    • 3

      Dress the participant in the bite suit, and attach the leash to the training collar. Begin with the dog sitting by your side. The participant in the suit will grab a prop, such as a stick or bone, and taunt the dog with it. This represents a weapon, and teaches the dog to target obscure objects. The dog will react by mouthing at the prop or the participant's arm.

    • 4

      Provoke your dog. You want to encourage him to keep up the mouthing, which eventually -- after more training -- will graduate into a bite. He will become antsy and his natural reaction will be to chase the participant with the prop. Let go of the leash so that the dog can chase the participant around the yard.

    • 5

      Pick a short and simple command for attack. Some owners prefer to use code words that only the dog will understand, that way there will not be any confusion if you use the word "attack" in a conversation that the dog overhears. Say the word over and over as the dog chases the participant and the prop.

    • 6

      Allow the dog to grab the participant by the arm. To do this, the participant should wave the prop with one hand while extending his other arm towards the dog's mouth. Similarly, moving the prop down towards the legs will focus the dog's attention to the lower limbs.

    • 7

      Have the participant give into the dog's bite by pretending to pull away. This activity teaches the dog to hold on, which is what he would need to do during a real attack situation.

    • 8

      Give the command to stop. For training purposes you should make an unusual noise to get the dog's attention, such as blowing a whistle. Change your temperament from intense to relaxed. Smile at your dog and offer him a treat to let him know that the aggressive exercise is over. If your dog does not listen to your command to stop, pull the chain of his collar and put him in a submissive position on the floor. Wait until he is calm to let him get up.

    • 9

      Continue the exercises daily. You will eventually advance from taunting the dog with props to staging an event where the participant pretends to choke you, and the dog must be trained to react when he senses you are in danger. You will give verbal cues to the dog and then, for the most advanced training level, teach your dog to respond with hand gestures.