Home/Family Protection Dog vs Police/Military Dog - Page 1

My opinion is there should be little to no difference - meaning a dog bred or tempered for police/military work should also have the basic attributes for family/home protection duties: stable, structurally sound, loyal, versatile, confident, smart and courageous.

My pup is from Czech W/L (advertised as suitable for LE work) yet I bought him specifically for family/property protection and companionship. At 6 months, he is already territorial yet is playful, athletic and an all around nice dog. As he matures, I intend to indoor/outdoor/vehicle protection train and test him, but nothing involving titles. I predict he will excel at all tasks I present to him.

So far I am pleased with the pup's traits and adaptability to his home/family. I believe this is at least in part due to his breeding along proven working lines suitable for LE/mil. 

First you need to understand the role and function of each, then you would see the differences.  Breeding and genetics are obviously one part of the equation.  The major difference would be the amount of training required, the multitude of tasks a Police K-9 must perform and the ability to perform them all well.  Finding dogs that are suitable to be Police K-9's is not all that easy.  

Yes, there are differences, a few of them actually. A PPD is strictly a defensive animal, meaning it is NOT supposed to chase anyone down the street, hence, it does not need prey drives as high as a police dog that is expected to chase.
A PPD does not need hunt drives as developed as a police dog since its not hunting for a criminal at 2:00AM in a wooded area. 
A police dog is "supposed" to have zero environmental sensitivities as it will need to function in multitude of areas. I can go on and on, but, I am sure you get the point. Better nerves, more stability, etc, are required of a police dog, but, I will agree with Slumdunk, they are NOT easy to find anymore.

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Up unto the past 10 or so years the military and police often procurred their dogs from home or private ownership. Same dog.....just different things asked of the dog in the work environment than working. If it is a good solid German Shepherd, their is no reason one can't turn into the other with proper training. Now if the breeding is specialized........all bets off!...LOL

Actually, the police and militaries the world over have been getting their dogs through brokers in Europe, and some in the USA, that have acquired their dogs in Europe, through brokers over there again. There is no way that a private home can come even close to supplying the demand the military places on orders of 200-300 dogs.
Single or small multiple dogs can come from Holland, for example, after the KNPV trials are over and the dog gets titled..they can be purchased on the spot, but, its a myth to think that these police dog candidates come through private/pet homes.
Good, solid, any breed does not udually live as a pet in a house doing nothing and if its a good sport dog, they are not usually for sale.
While genetics indeed play the BIGGEST role when selecting a police dog condidate, it is wrong to think that these dogs live in homes or are treated as pets while waiting to be sold. As far as GSD...well, most agencies are now using the Malinois, its become very had to find a decent GSD for a good price an agency can actually afford.

on the spot there hired dogs good GSD are too expensive so are not even offered to these brokers , so its malis and crossings they have, but also a police or military dog comes in different shapes and forms , for detection you need another dog than for crowd control or nightpatrol , so (small) huntingdogs are wanted more and more

I think hired dog his first post makes a lot of sense but many people really dont see it that way , a lower prey. high defencive protective dog is not recognized as a good dog by most today , but I have some and I love them  

Good answers from everyone. I agree with GK1 there should not be any or at least little difference. But as Gustav, who I rarely disagree with said when specialized breeding comes in to play all bets are off. Jim I agree that there are a lot of hours involved in training K9 dogs, and good ones are hard to find. But the way I look at it is, each dog is a individual, some are always going to be better than others and that all comes into play with mating, selection, training, handling. But for what ever degree of success the dog has there will be someone that will think it is the best ever or the worst ever.

I've seen so many opinions of what a police k9 or personal protection dog should be that it is no wonder, people can't evaluate what they want.

Right now I have 4 protection dogs . All different, all good, and not for sale. Each of these dogs if they were to be sold would be sold for different environments. They could all work well in any, but would work at a totally different level in the right place. They are not bred that different, but they are individuals, and they do have things that make them excell in certain things. The most important thing a person has to do is define what he wants in a dog, instead of buying one and seeing what he has to offer, then saying the dog is good or bad.

Duke just keep doing what you're doing.

hank

Thanks Hank I will , I had a bit of bad news yesterday however , A male of my breeding that I want to use for future breedings , and from which the buyer said he will not sell him , will be sold after certifying for his KNPV  PH1 , I guess money makes the world go round but screws up some plans of mine