CPI Dog Training for Your Dog

Ian Gresh doing decoy work in French Ring Sport

European Sport Training

When we first began to have clients send us their dogs from Europe, it was somewhat surreal; Americans training European dogs for Europeans. As we began to understand why, it made perfect sense. Most training centers in North America and Europe all use the same approach, dog sport training.

There are centers that outright sell Schutzhund and Ring Sport training as "protection training". There are others that attempt to make sport training look "real-life", but clearly it's still sport. Naturally, sport training in either scenario prepares a dog for just that, dog sports. The obedience may be precise but sport dogs are trained to perform for short periods in a controlled environment. The protection training is done solely with a decoy wearing training equipment (bite suit or sleeve), making very specific gestures. A scenario unlikely to be replicated by any potential threat.

We do want to make very clear that in our opinion there is nothing wrong with dog sports. We have had, and continue to have, members of our staff involved with them. At the same time we aware that sport training is sport training, functional training is functional training. It is possible to cross train some dogs for both, but usually at the expense of performance in either area.

 

Four Belgian Malinois. All four are males.
One of which was very dog aggressive with other males.
All four prepared to learn, and behave themselves!

The CPI Difference

What it really comes down to can be summed up in two words: functional results. You could call it our "mantra". The functional results begin with impeccable manners and complete off-leash control and end with skills within protection that are essential in protecting home and family. Those skills include advanced biting skills, advanced fighting skills and advanced handler protection exercises.

Seven Training Programs

We offer seven training programs ranging from our Obedience Complete by CPI and Protection Dog Basics I, II and III to advanced training such as our Executive Protection Dog, Elite Family Guardians by CPI and Elite Family and Estate Protection Dog programs. All of the programs include personal instruction at your home with our training staff. We offer handling instruction to clients both within the United States and abroad.

We consider our Executive Protection Dog Program to be the baseline for viable protection, and our Elite Family and Estate Protection Dog Program to be optimal.

The Protection Dog Basics I, II and III are just that, basic. While they are offered as stand alone programs, and provide useful skills, they're limited in scope. Ideally they serve as stepping stones to the next program. It enables training to be done in stages. When advancing from one program to the next, only the difference in price between the previous program and the new one is paid.

We will be happy to arrange for your dog's transportation to CPI.

Evaluations

While all dogs are capable of going through our Obedience Complete by CPI program (regardless of breed or age), not all dogs are capable of functional protection training. We offer an evaluation at no charge to clients who bring their dogs to us at our facility just outside of Boston in Methuen, Massachusetts.

For dogs shipped to us there is a $500.00 charge for the time involved with pick-up and delivery to the airport. If your dog is accepted into any one of our programs, including obedience, the $500.00 charge is credited towards the price of the program.

Our office staff will be happy to make the necessary arrangements for air transportation. We offer ground transportation for pets located within New England, New York and New Jersey.

Specific Information on Training Programs

Each training program has its own page with a description of that specific program. In some cases there is additional information as to the background of the program and the value or importance of the training. As we also sell fully trained dogs there is also information on the possibility of purchasing a fully-trained dog for clients who don't already own dogs.

We also have a Training Program Comparison page that lists each program along with the details of what is included in the program. This is a very important part of understanding training.

Comparing Apples to Apples

The name of the program is only a marketing tool. A label to distinguish between one program and another. What's important is not the name of the program but what does the program include for actual training or exercises. As there are no uniform standards within our field you can not compare one training center's "Executive Protection Dog" or elite program with another.

Likewise the same can be true of names of exercises. We have received emails and phone calls alerting us to the fact that other companies have begun using the names of our advanced exercises (of course not reputable ones!), but applying them to sport exercises. Deceiving, but unfortunately true. The term used for the exercise is also marketing, or a type of label. It's not what's important. Look to the description of the exercise. That is the training your dog will be receiving.