When making a home delivery, there's always a lot to talk about. In addition to showing the client how to handle their protection dog I offer advice ranging anywhere from nutrition to bonding to ensuring that you'll get the maximum security benefit from your dog.
One bit of advice that always seems to surprise our clients is that you should not reveal the name of your protection dog to anyone outside of your inner circle. Not many people have heard this. It seems like the most natural thing ever, like introducing a member of the family. However, knowing a dog's name allows someone to exercise control.
My point was proven a few years back when I had a Dutch trainer at my kennel along with a new Belgian malinois. The malinois was in an enclosure and we were standing outside it. I commanded, in Dutch, that the dog 'come here'. The dog looked at me but did not come.
Using the dog's name, I said "Troy, come here". The dog immediately responded and came to me. Knowing his name made the dog feel less defensive. The trainer left having learned a lesson.Protection dogs should be trained not to cue on name but on the handler's vocals only. The handler's voice is as important as the command. We also do not teach our dogs using hand signals (as commands) for the same reason. When we deliver a dog we teach him or her to take command from your vocals instead of ours.
Here at the kennel, we do not use names in our training. We have one name for males and another for females. It's not uncommon for us to train multiple dogs at the same time; during this time we only control the dogs through voice commands and eye contact, not through the use of names. Although all of our dogs have a given pedigree name, they are delivered without knowing their names.
I have several clients who never use their dog's name at all.So next time you are walking your dog and someone asks you what your dog's name is, keep in mind that the truth may not be in your best interest. For security purposes, maybe "Max" will do?
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