Define "Protection" in Service Dog

An interesting topic was brought up on one of the service dog groups today. Can a service dog be trained for “protection work?” This is a complex kind of thing, because “protection dogs” aren’t defined by specific features that are relatively universal. All that’s outlined is the dog is trained in practices that are accepted as being able to “protect” the owner.

So what do most people think when someone says their dog is trained for “protection work?” Most people seem to assume that their dog is trained to growl or bite on command, physically protecting the owner. They also think guard dogs that are trained to attack any person that enters the property, or anyone who attempts to interfere with their owner.

While these dogs once were a “popular” security system, they’re now defined as “dangerous animals” under U.S. law, and as a result, the dogs may be euthanized for the safety of anyone around them, even if they are under good control by their owner. These dogs could result in negligence suits against their owners at best, or at worst, negligent homicide or murder 2 (murder in the second degree). These owners can then face jail time and pay out massive amounts for the damages their dog has done. This means owning these dogs is no longer just a risk for the safety of those around them, but also a huge liability. As a result, people aren’t willing to take the risk for legal charges against them and are choosing to go with easier to control, more predictable physical and technological security measures. With alarms and cameras it’s a lot less necessary to have a dog on the property, because these security measures can equally prevent theft without the risks associated with an unpredictable animal, or without the attention gained by a barking dog that might be claimed by animal control as a nuisance animal at best.

When you do a search to purchase or seek training for a “protection dog” the most common training standards that come up are IPO. These are the same training standards that “military attack dogs” use, as well as police dogs. The dog is trained to run at the target, bite at the arm, and stop and detain the person on command. They do not maul or kill. They are not trained to go for parts of the body that will result in typical disfigurement. In most cases these dogs are never trained to the level where they will go for anything but the bite sleeve, basically the target they aim for, no different than any other target, like sending them for a ball or a disk. The exception of dogs who will engage even without the sleeve are military and police dogs, and even then, they have to document why their dog engaged the target. It’s not like they just sic dogs on people all willy-nilly. However, civilian owned dogs have no need for that kind of training, since having your dog attack a target, no matter what the justification, will be asking for a lawsuit against you over a dog bite in the best case scenario.

So then comes the question, can a service dog be trained for “protection?” Well, let’s start at what everyone thinks of. Can a service dog be trained to growl at people on command, or to bite people who attempt to engage or harass the handler in any way. No, a dog cannot do that for any reason. Even police and military dogs aren’t trained to growl, snap, or bite for intimidation. They engage on command to perform a very specific task. Legally dogs that growl, snap, or bite for intimidation or “protective” purposes are considered dangerous dogs, and we’ve already talked about that. The law never takes the side of a dangerous dog, so that basically puts an end to that right there. In the U.S. no one is legally allowed to have a dog like that, the end, have a nice day.

But what about IPO dogs? Or retired police or military dogs? Legally there is no restriction on those dogs becoming service dogs. The restriction is any dog that can be considered a weapon (by means of attacking on command) can be refused entry to places where weapons are not allowed, such as courthouses and schools. An example of this in practice for other purposes were the sword-canes. Typically a cane is a perfectly acceptable accommodation, and while it can be used as a weapon, that isn’t its purpose, so it is allowed. However, if that cane has a concealed sword, it is now considered a weapon. Due to its status as a weapon, it is not allowed, even though it could otherwise be accepted as an accommodation. Weapon trumps accommodation, and that’s where the line falls. However, as long as the accommodation doesn’t break any laws to have (sword-canes, for example, are illegal in some states, and in other swords are not illegal to have, but are illegal to carry), it can be used as an accommodation. Therefore a dog trained for IPO, police work, or military work can legally be a service dog. There’s currently no laws to prevent it.

That being said, there are risks with your dog being trained for “protection.” There are plenty of trainers that don’t recommend an IPO trained dog live with a family, especially if they have small children in the house. There have been documented cases of trained dogs mauling or killing small children. While this isn’t an indication that the training creates aggressive dogs that will hurt people, most trainers don’t want to take the risk that the dog will turn, for whatever reason, and hurt someone. Chances are it wasn’t the training, but you know it will reflect badly on the trainer if it does happen. From what I’ve heard it tends to be other factors, like trauma that may have happened to the dog, or the dog being sick or in pain and no one is aware. Sadly, some dogs don’t communicate when they’re sick or injured until it’s pretty serious. It could also be that the dog is being mistreated, not that anyone would own to mistreating their dog. However rare it may be, trainers don’t want to feel guilty if a dog they trained “goes bad” and seriously hurts someone. That’s just assuming it’s something the dog does that causes trouble. Neighbors could falsify claims if they know you have a “protection dog”. If the police are aware of your dog’s training they may be more inclined to shoot your dog for their own safety upon entering the property (though, ideally, you wouldn’t be doing anything that would cause the police to raid your house, but you never know…) It just communicates a lot of things to the world, including the question as to why you need a protection dog in the first place.

So by the definition that seems accepted as a “protection dog” in the current training standards, there’s nothing to prevent a service dog from being a protection dog, as long as the handler is aware they can be legally asked not to bring their dog certain places because of their training. However, dogs that are vicious, aggressive, and used as an intimidation tactic are not actually “protection dogs” and will likely eventually be faced with being taken away for legally defensible reasons, if not because the dog actually hurt someone.

What can be taken from this? While a dog can be a protection dog and a service dog, is it really worth it in most cases? And why do you need the dog to be able to perform both tasks? It’s been made very clear to me that the definition of “protection dog” in the U.S. has come to define a highly trained sporting dog and not a dog that will take aggressive actions to defend their owner on command. Is it just like any other secondary purpose of the dog, like a showing, competition agility, or other sporting tasks, or is it for the purpose of defending the owner in the case of someone bothering them.

The reality is there are people out there who are easily intimidated, incredibly anxious, or have some specific reason to be afraid of other people (like PTSD). I get that. I’m the same way. I can’t leave alone at the best of times, and there are times I have a panic attack just thinking about leaving my front door at night. And I understand the appeal of having a dog growl or even snap to scare people off, because it can be super intimidating to have someone confront you at night. Just having a dog can make you feel safe, but knowing that dog can do something to physically protect you, that’s an added bonus. Unfortunately, that’s not okay, and it can mean all the money, time, and effort that went into getting that dog could all be lost when the dog gets put down for being aggressive and dangerous.

Looking at this logically, just having a dog is enough to intimidate would-be attackers. It’s one thing for an attacker to target a woman walking alone, especially one that doesn’t look strong, particularly fit, or at all a threat. It’s another factor to attack someone with a dog. The dog could get nervous and bite. The dog could bark and draw attention. The dog could otherwise alert the owner to the potential attack. It’s just one more thing that makes the target no longer an easy target. And all of this is pretty common knowledge because houses with dogs are statistically less likely to be robbed.

For that matter, service dogs are sometimes tasked to “protect” their handler when they’re incapacitated due to things like a seizure or fainting spell. The dog can’t take any action to harm anyone, but they can sit with their owner and block people from rifling through their bag or picking through their pockets. The dog can’t do much as a deterrent, but sometimes its physical presence and it placing its body in the way is enough to get the message across. So to a certain extent, protection can be a task for the dog, just without any component of physical aggression or intimidating behavior, after all, a dog that growls or snaps at people who are trying to approach their incapacitated handler could impact the ability of medical personnel to do their job and care for their handler.

But the reality of having that dog? Well, lets be real for a minute. Yes, a dog is more likely to prevent a potential attack, but having a dog is going to get you a lot more attention, at least here in the U.S. Everyone has a story about some dog they once knew that your dog reminds them of, and sometimes it’s wild things (“Oh! Your dog has a blue leash! I used to have a blue leash for my dog, though it was completely different in every way, and my dog wasn’t even the same color, gender, breed, or even size as your dog, but I have to tell you because we both had blue leashes!” You think I’m kidding…) Apparently the dead dog thing is big (“Yours reminds me of the dog I used to have, but he died a few years back…”) Then, having a GSD, I’ve got all the stories of all the GSDs they’ve ever known, especially if they knew one that was a police dog. I’m also surprised at just how many people used to own them, once upon a time. There are the people who whip out their phone and want to show you a picture of their dog. People love to tell you how they know your dog is a real service dog, because they saw this fake service dog once, and then launch into the full story. And we haven’t even gotten to the topic of people asking to pet the dogs, or worse, the drive-by-pet! Simply having a dog with you everywhere you go sparks up a lot of conversations. And while I do understand the attraction to having the dog growl every time someone tries to strike up those chats so you just don’t have to deal with it, the reality is it’s not acceptable behavior. It’s better that the handler be hostile and nasty than the dog (but please don’t be hostile and nasty. It makes us all look like royal jerks…)

At the end of the day it comes down to two basic realities. The first reality, aggressive dogs just aren’t allowed in society anymore because they’re potentially dangerous. Because they’re potentially dangerous, they’re policed by animal control at the best, but at the worst someone could make a fuss and you could lose your dog. The second reality, there’s no restriction against what a dog can be trained to do as far as “protection work,” so long as the dog is not aggressive and not a threat to the people around you. If the dog is trained for “protection work” and can be defined by their trainer as a “protection dog,” it would be advised if you exclude your dog from places that have a no-weapons policy. There’s no hard and fast rule that you disclose it and exclude your dog, but just to cover your own behind, it’s advised. And before you even consider that training, think real hard about what purpose it serves for your service dog, and why you want to have that training. Is it really worth it in the end?