A protection dog - IGP is a domestic dog that has undergone protection dog training and successfully completed a series of tests. In principle, dogs of all breeds can complete protection dog training and the subsequent tests. The situation is somewhat different for service dogs.
Sport
The International Utility Dog Test Regulations (IGP) is a dog sport that consists of three sections: Tracking, Obedience and Protection. The protection section is the highest level of the IGP and consists of five exercises.
- Travelling after the helper
- Picking up and barking
- Prevention of an escape attempt by the helper
- Defence against an attack from the guarding phase
- Attacking the dog on the move
The protection division is a demanding discipline that requires close co-operation between the dog and its handler.
Dog training should begin at a young age. This is where the dog is trained so that it later sees the protective sleeve as prey and can be trained using its prey behaviour. It is difficult to teach the dog obedience in this situation. In order to learn the necessary commands as well as barking and other skills, it is not necessary to calm the dog down, as is usual in basic obedience training.
In sport, the main aim is to train the dog to be an obedient companion, even in extreme situations. Today, animals are increasingly being trained primarily through motivation and play without any significant pressure. In sport, the dog does not learn to bite a person, it rather captures the protective sleeve or the dog cushion.
Service dogs
A service dog used as a guard dog undergoes similar training, but this is much more complicated and usually has to be carried out more quickly than a dog used for sport. Police dog training is not about playing with the helper for the prey sleeve as in sport, but actually about being able to apprehend a perpetrator in an emergency: In the police dog sector, the dog is trained to target people, to attack them in an emergency (civilian sharpness) and to release them again without hesitation on the handler's command. In Germany as well as in Austria and Switzerland, there are legal regulations that govern the use of dogs against people and their training. It is often either generally reserved for the authorities or requires a licence, for example in the security industry.
The training of service dogs is an important part of the work of the police, the Bundeswehr and other security authorities. The Bundeswehr School for Service Dogs is one of the most important institutions in Germany dedicated to the training of service dogs. The training of service dogs includes the breeding, preliminary training, training and care of the dogs right through to retirement. The training of service dogs in the police usually takes 2.5 to 3 years and includes the training of both the dog and the dog handler.
