I wanted to share this note from an expert.

This afternoon, I wanted to share something written by an expert in service dogs that I think you might find interesting. Be sure to check out the links she has included to learn more. ~ Daisy

Protection work, search & rescue, and emotional therapy are all useful roles that a service dog can do come SHTF. The big shocker here that most people don't realize is that it isn't as hard as you would think to own and train a service dog yourself.

Hello, my name is Amy Arthur. I breed, train, and sell, purebred Doberman Pinscher puppies for service work. Our dogs are personality tested and certified under Tackleberry Solutions and recommended for specific work depending upon their individual score results.

Today I wanted to share with you one crucial factor to consider as a prepper when looking for a service dog. My goal is to help you better understand what to look for if you've ever contemplated owning and training one yourself, especially with SHTF in mind.

You have to weed out the fear.

The ultimate factor you should consider in a potential service canine is fear.
How a puppy was bred, raised, and its corresponding personality plays a gigantic role in the fear factor of your canine.

To expound, every dog feels fear. It is the type of fear that matters the most. Because here's the thing, there are TWO types of fear.

The first is what I call the confident fear.

That is to say, the dog is confident in its abilities and what is expected of it. When it reacts, it is not responding out of terror but confidence.

As a result, a confident canine, when exposed to a stressful or fearful situation in which it feels danger towards itself or its owner, will still be able to think clearly. They'll listen to your commands easier and will have better instincts on how to react.

An example of this would be barking or growling to ward off the aggressor vs. effecting a bite to stop the attack.

The second type of fear is the opposite.

This means that you're talking about a dog that is not confident in what it can do and is not sure what is expected of it.

Take people, for example. You've got the coward and the hero. Both certainly feel fear. It is how they handle that fear that defines their nature.

Likewise, a dog whose personality is uncertain and doesn't handle fear very well is going to be unpredictable when faced with a truly terrifying scenario. Just like a person, they're just as likely to react over-aggressively as they are to turn and run.

While neither one of the non-confident fearful traits would be good as a protection dog, a canine with a submissive score could actually function as an excellent family pet or even as a great therapy canine.

To expound, a dog with a submissive, non-confident fear would be overly anxious to please its owner. As a result, they're the kind of dog that would roll onto their back and expose their belly when seeking attention or when facing correction for bad behavior.

Now consider the aggressive non-confident personality. A dog of this nature would actually fail our personality test and would not be recommended for any type of service work.

Usually, dogs like this were abused or had faulty breeding. This is not a personality you would expect to see in a healthy environment.

To expound, a dog with an aggressive, non-confident fear would care more for its own safety than for that of its owner. They're not concerned with pleasing their owner at all and are fully capable of turning on them during times of extreme stress.

In conclusion, when you're looking for a service dog, pay attention to its fear factor.
Things you can ask are:

How does the puppy react to a new environment?
Does it get scared and shaky easily?
Does this puppy growl, bark, or nip unnecessarily?
Is this puppy afraid of new people?

Finally, I'd like to relate this to how vital a service canine can be to a prepper in an SHTF situation.

While a protection dog's uses are obvious, there are some factors to owning one that is often overlooked. Protection service dogs can be trained to not only protect their owner/family but to clear buildings as well.

For example, let's say that you had to leave your home to forage for food during an SHTF scenario. Upon returning, you want to make sure that it is still safe to enter your shelter. You can actually train your protection service dog to clear the area for you.

The first step for this would be to leave a treat in every room and every closet of your home. (I would even consider leaving one behind the bathroom shower.)
Doing this while your dog is outside and then issuing a command when they enter, followed by showing them where all the treats are, begins a solid foundation toward getting your dog in the habit of checking your house.

Another often overlooked factor with service dogs is their sixth sense.

Canines frequently pick up that something is majorly wrong before it happens. Pay attention to your dog's natural behavior. If there comes a day that they are barking more often than usual, showing agitation or jumpy, then you need to be on the alert. Your dog may be picking up on a coming natural disaster (such as an earthquake or hurricane) or attack/ambush.

I want you to feel confident you can choose a good dog.

I hope that after reading this, you'll see the importance of and feel more comfortable about looking for and training your own service dog. Please feel free to contact me if you've got any questions or need clarification on the topic.

And, of course, I encourage you to check out our puppies if you're looking to find that perfect canine partner for your SHTF adventures. Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.