frequently asked questions

For our particular home protection training services, we firmly believe that German Shepherds or Belgian Malinois are the most suitable breeds. Most dogs carry a natural instinct that is triggered if their home feels threatened; with this, you are relying on instinct alone which often isn’t enough. We have over 15 years of experience working with German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, and we feel these breeds are best suited to a family protection role. This is due to their lovely temperaments and great aptitude for training. At Link K9, our trainers are also well equipped to work with other protection dog breeds, such as Dobermans, Cane Corsos and Rottweilers.

As we mentioned above, we feel German Shepherds, and Belgian Malinois have great temperaments and are easily handled by their owners providing they are from the correct dog bloodline. Therefore, the best guard dogs for kids would be one of these breeds.

Our protection dogs are either breed by ourselves, so we know the temperaments of the parents, or we purchase from trusted partners throughout the UK and Europe. We start our training programs at a very young age which ensures that we are fully aware of the dog’s history, personality, and capabilities, which includes their behaviour around our children as we make sure our fully trained dogs are sociable with every family member within our home.

For safe and effective personal protection, we firmly believe in professional training. Our protection dogs are raised by us, ensuring their training is ingrained from a young age.

Good training is vital for full control of your dog, only once our dogs have reached a certain age and protection capability, are they ready to be taken home to protect you and your family. Training a personal protection dog takes a lot of experience and knowledge; therefore, the trainers at link k9 can provide you with an exceptional protection dog. Not every dog regardless of the breed should be trained to be a protection dog.

Our fully trained, protection dogs vary in price, this depends on the level of training and a number of other factors. Please contact Link K9 today for further information.

If you have a disobedient dog or puppy that needs help learning and understanding commands, Link K9 can provide a selection of services to help. Our dog obedience services include:

• Residential dog obedience training
• Daily collection of dog obedience training
• One-to-one training
• Puppy training
• Advance dog training
• Protection dog training
• Agility dog training
• Home dog training
• Training Walks

For more information, please visit our dog training service page.

All of our protection dogs start their training from a very young age; this is part of our fundamental family values, as it means there is no uncertainty about the dog’s background/history. Being raised by us as a puppy as part of our selected breeding program adds an extra element of safety to all of our dogs.

Our many years of experience allow us to recognise the best characteristics within a dog, which will give you the confidence that your protection dog will be capable of performing well if the need ever arises.

Absolutely yes!!! At Link K9, we raise each of our protection dogs as a part of our family, which includes our young daughter. We understand everything about each dog, down to its personality and protection capabilities. Because of this, our protection dogs become part of your family, trained to protect your family while still being a loving pet and enjoying day-to-day pet activities, e.g. walks down the beach, throwing a ball, and watching tv.

If you received your protection dog from another trainer, and are worried about its current behaviour, Link K9 can carry out a full assessment. When the background of the dog isn’t known, this can present many problems, such as poor obedience and unpredictable behaviour around your family. Unlike our dogs, which are reared from puppies, some protection dogs are shipped in from other countries, where there is no way to have a full understanding of the dog’s temperament. 

We also have a list of many clients who have purchased dogs from elsewhere only to find their dogs did not respond in real-life situations. It is always better to find out in rehearsal than in real life where you and your family could be in danger. To book a consultation, please get in touch.

Our fully trained family protection dogs are raised from a young age with other dogs around. We spend a lot of the foundation training having our dogs play and socialising with dogs of all breeds. Most of our clients who purchase protection dogs already have dogs in the household. It is essential to match the right protection dog with the family this includes taking into consideration other dogs you may already have.

Although protection dogs are generally big dogs, they get on well with all other breeds both big and small. Protection dogs are trained to guard you when you are under threat but have calm temperaments without commands or triggers to warn off any risks. Many of our clients usually have a dog such as pugs, Labradors, and terriers, and all the dogs integrate well together.

Once your chosen dog has completed its full training program, it will be time for you to take your new protection dog and family pet home. However, this will only happen at a pace that is right for you and your family. We encourage you to visit the dog multiple times before you take your dog home to ensure you feel comfortable and have mastered the commands and have built up a bond with the dog, feeling confident in aspects of dog training.

The dogs know what to do, it’s you that needs the training. The best place to do the majority of the protection training is in your home as most likely this is when your dog would be called upon if a situation may arise. We can simulate real-life experiences, so you know what to expect from your new dogs.