The Benefits of Using a Protection Dog Team

There’s more to owning a dog than playing fetch, going for walks or having something to cuddle up to. It’s overlooked by some that dogs are incredibly strong and protective animals, who are incredibly adept at detecting threatening or illegal behaviour and acting upon it. Protection dog teams are quickly becoming a sought after addition to conventional security teams across the UK. 

Where To Use a Protection Dog 

Protection dog handler teams are able to support or replace conventional security guards in situations where officers on their own, are not sufficient. As you’ll have seen, protection dogs are now being used in a wide array of places including sports stadiums, festivals, concerts, construction sites, power generation plants and airports to help deter the risk of illegal or disruptive behaviour.

Safety

We are often asked if using a dog in a security situation is even safe, a protection dog is an animal after all, and animals can be impulsive and unpredictable. When it comes to professional protection dog teams, all animals and humans alike are trained to the highest of standards by specialist teams. They undergo in-depth skills assessments and stringent character tests before being allowed to work in operational environments, so they are extremely safe and trained only react on command or when they detect danger or a threat to their handler. For added security, muzzles are often used when deemed necessary and dogs are required to work on-lead at all times

It’s important to note that in the UK, there are no legal requirements for security dogs and their handlers, aside from it being compulsory to be in possession of an active SIA license. This essentially means that anybody can take their pet dog and go to work as a security dog handler. This is an extremely dangerous practice though becoming less common. If a dog does not receive the appropriate rigorous training, they can be unpredictable and dangerous. Thankfully, most business clients in the UK will now demand a handler team is in possession of an NASDU (National Association of Security Dog Users), CIDBT (Cambridge Institute of Dog Behaviour and Training) or our own PWDHQ (Professional Working Dog Handler Qualification) before being deployed to their site.  If you are a responsible for managing or buying security services for your company or client, be sure to only go through an ACS approved canine service provider.

The Benefits of Using Dog Protection:

There are many benefits to using security dogs. Their presence is often enough to deter excessive violence and threats at sports stadiums, festivals and other areas of venues of high public circulation. Criminality is significantly reduced when a security dog is introduced to a site or event, which makes for a more enjoyable or more secure environment. Protection dog handler teams are so effective that they can do the job of up to 8 security officers, which can result in thousands of pounds’ worth of savings.

Once the animal has received the correct training and discipline has been instilled, they can serve as an extremely valuable asset to a security team. Therefore, a protection dog team is a great way to strengthen the security posture at a site or event, while potentially reducing the cost of doing so.