What age to start protection training - Page 1

What is about the correct age to start protection training with a GSD? I don't want to start earlier than I should. The trainer I'm going to use said to wait for a few months before the dogs are tested, they were both born September 2011.

Start when the dog is mentally mature enough to be started. 

How do you know when they are mentally mature?

Puppies should be trained to build prey drives, BY A HELPER. You need to have a good helper that you trust. Let him do his thing, and he/she should know how to work the dog, and when to move onto the next step. Good luck

born September 2011

If you've been doing obedience training and tug-o-war games, I'm thinking its time to find a good helper and see what he/she thinks.

I started my bulldog puppy at 5 months, 1 month after finishing her puppy obedience class. And we started with bare bones basics. Foundation work, drive and tracking. Because i want a well rounded sports dog i do agility, obedience and the Schn training. We go about 3 nights a week and track on saturday mornings. At home we work on little bits of stuff to try and produce the "Finished" looks we are working for.
My Schn trainer starts his own pups from just about out of the box. And they start coming to group classes at 4 months when they are in new homes. I personally can't imagine wasting the most impressionable times in my pup's life by waiting until the dog is "mature" Because my breed isn't considered mature until sometime between 3 and 4 years of age.
Start now, start with the basics and have fun.

The age at which you start your dog/puppy in Protection Work is all determined by the Trainer and the Dog/Puppy...

By the Trainer I mean what techniques are used and how they teach...

By the Dog/Puppy...As said before...The dog's/puppy's personality/temperament must be able to accept the training...

A good trainer should be able to develop a dog's/puppy's own Natural ability...

EXPERIENCE...Experience...experience is always the key...!

I am a firm believer in early imprinting and my pup's been on the field since he was 9 weeks old.

Either your trainer doesn´t have a clue or your dogs have major problems and the trainer saw this.
Are you in a club or are we talking about a " personal trainer " ?
Prey drive can be developed as soon as the dog is able to move, defense depends on the dog, but both is important!
Waiting that long and training in defense only often produces fear biters, nothing else.
There are a lot of people out there stating they are trainers...
Proper training for almost all dogs - the earlier, the better!

Hi Susie
I live out in the country and they don't have clubs here. I will need to use a private trainer that is quite a ways from me so the dog will have to be sent off for training. He does the training for the sheriff dept here and for most of the south east of the state. The dogs will be tested and then I'll go from that point
forward. He looked at Akeemi when she was 7 months, he thought around 1 1/2 would be a good time to have her tested for PP training.