One of the most interesting aspects of the work that we do, at least for us, is customized training. As a result of the home invasions and armed robberies in Marbella (Spain), where this dog in the video lives, his owner wanted us to ensure that he was prepared for a variety of situations. This included his owner’s use of a handgun and participating with his dog in subduing the attacker. Our intention is not to be acting, or even role-playing, as much as to gradually expose the dog to what he could potentially encounter. We filmed several training sessions to show his owner some of the “behind the scenes” training which went into preparing his dog.
The handgun used is a starter pistol designed after a .45 caliber 1911. We realize that for some people the act of pointing a gun at someone as we do in the video may be disturbing. We understand that whole-heartedly. At the same time we also respect the very real concerns of our clients. We have an obligation to prepare their dogs to the best of our ability. As disturbing as it is to see a handgun used in this manner, it’s even more disturbing to hear the stories of new clients who call us after a horrific assault within their own homes.
