Family Protection Dog Prices? - Page 1

Educate me about prices.

I am assuming due to this whole CV fiasco it would be an American dog.

Breed, I was thinking GSD, though I am open. Frankly, it does not even have to be purebred. I do not need nor want a high drive dog. Titles are optional.

A VERY social dog. Good with dogs, cats, livestock (horses & cows), even chickens. Good with children. I do not have children, though facts are children do exist in this world.

The dog will be a house potato, though lots of time outside as I have a lot to do outside.

Trust worthy enough I can leave the windows down on the farm truck; though smart enough to jump out & save me if I am being mugged for the ever so coveted rolls of toilet paper I may have just managed to buy.

So, what should one expect to reasonably pay for this type of dog?

Will pay extra if it can walk on water. ;)

Frozen or liquid? ;-)

There are breeders of German and Czech line GSD dogs in the U.S., so even though the dog is from the U.S., the lineage is European.

Prices will depend on how much training the dog has. Do you want the dog fully trained, a temperament-tested puppy, or a temperament-tested basic obedience trained green dog? The last two categories you train yourself (preferably with the help of a trainer, experienced handler, and/or club), or pay someone to do it.

Prices will also depend on what part of the country. Some places prices have gone down because of job losses, another mouth to feed, and/or fear of getting COVID19 from a dog (not true, as far as the *experts* know). Some places prices have gone up because crime and fear are up.

You could call a local PSA, Schutzhund, Ring, etc. or breed club and get an idea about prices and availability in your local market. They might also be able to recommend good local breeders, trainers, etc.  You could get really lucky and get a family protection dog that someone can't afford anymore (most likely less expensive than an equivalent *new* dog).  Make sure you get a knowlegable trainer to check and evaluate the dog because some people mistake their pet dog for a true protection dog simply because it snarled/barked at/bit someone or is intimidating.  A true protection dog is highly trained, and the handler requires training, as well.

GSD need a lot of exercise even if they're not high drive, but I don't have a suggestion for another specific breed(s) to meet your needs. It may be possible that a local trainer could go with you to look at rescues to see if any could be trained to meet your needs. That would help reduce costs, as adoption fees are less than buying a pedigreed dog.
 

a mastiff type breed, they are good protectors and go more in short bursts or could go at a slower pace all day long (like following you around the farm) if you don't mind more slobber.
Alot of dogs, even mixed breed, will do everything you want with less training, as long as they are smart enough to know between a real threat and a normal situation.

I think one trained exclusively for this is very expensive, i'm not endorsing any of these people, as I don't know them(just a random seach engine search), but just an idea of some prices. I'd personally get a gun, or a leash trained nile monitor lizard, before I'd pay 80,000 for a dog with an AKC certificate (CGC is NOT a working title)

https://www.protectiondogsales.com/

https://scottsk9.com/

 

 

 

Check out sigma k9 or arracks home, he has a gsd called Kaj this is a video of the dog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HImK6Gaq9as&t=171s

Most dogs that are happy and well treated with their 'families' will do their best to step up to the mark; mongrels from a Rescue Shelter can turn out as good family guard dogs and property protectors, if you get the right one, and if you look after it and train it right. There are no guarantees that a dog which is supposed to be bred from a line that makes it good at PPE or hundsport, when the right, experienced owners & trainers are in the picture, will actually be that successful in a private home, no matter how much is paid for them. You get lucky; or you don't. Any dog of a respectable size can put off a burglar. But you also, as Nature Dragon implies, need to consider how much you want to put your companion canine 'on the line', and its degree of safety, too.

I would say, the chance in finding such dog fitting that bill, sitting somewhere ready to go is slim, so it would have to be trained for that specific desires, and if done, and offered for sale for 10.000 or less, I would have serious questions with that, so would I have with 25.000 and up

unfortunately most people will fall for a IPO or KNPV reject that had some training and will produce a decent video 

I have seen prices from 10K to 90K. I know that the top people in this field charge and get those prices, the work is hard, if you are doing situational training and you MUST have the right temperament dog to start with which does not come up often.
Having said that, 90K will buy you a house in some parts of this country and 10K is a down payment for a house in any part of this country, therefore, personally, I would never spend that kind of money on any dog, regardless of training.
On the other hand, I would also never depend on some random dog I own to protect me, just because its my dog, unless it has been tested and properly trained and proven to be able to do the job.
Personally, for me, a handgun that is properly suited for the person and the person has been well trained with one is a much better and cheaper option, even if I need to put several thousand rounds through it to practice.

Hired dog, there are dogs that will protect regardless what and where, without any training, but they require responsible and experienced owner

Duke, of course there are, but, I am talking to 99% of average people and those dogs that they can handle. Getting into the type of dogs you are speaking of is a whole other different subject.

most people will look to get a deterrent mostly, and in most cases that will do the job, if however you need serious protection, that will not do