Thank goodness, Gundogs are off the menu, Guard Dogs are in.

Charles Wall from A1K9 joins the team today. From a dog-mad little kid, the “dog boy” many of us once were, to carving out a career with personal protection dogs, his story echoes the journeys of so many dog lovers.From a hobby to a business, from Exchange and Mart to Koehler dog training books to wrapping newspaper around your arm, this is how we grow. Are some of the old books still the best, or are we forever trying to reinvent the wheel?What is a personal protection dog? The martial artist of the dog world?What separates sport dogs, security dogs, and dogs trained specifically for family and home protection?We explore what truly makes a personal protection dog, the importance of breed lines, and whether a Malinois can work as a protection dog in a family home. Surprisingly, yes… but where they originate is critical. Maybe Dutch really is better than Belgian.There is a bit of a rant about how, in the UK, we continue to get things wrong in almost every aspect of dog breeding and training.Who gets a personal protection dog?How is the changing face of crime influencing this? The team delicately swerves the topic of illegal immigration, but it is still a wake-up call.Scary times.Government statistics might suggest crime is declining, but we all know that may not be the case. Prescribed use of force and the wider security industry come into the conversation too.And once again, the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 appears, opening a frightening hornets’ nest of what future legislation might bring.It seems easy to sort out this mess, yet incredibly difficult and exhausting at the same time.
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Lez and Ross have both been in the industry professionally for well over 20 years and each has been involved with dogs for over 40 years.

Whilst sensibly they have stayed away from the ‘limelight’ regarding TV offers, they have regularly been on national and local radio, spoken at national events at NDWA, CFBA, and Kennel Club / Crufts events as well as bespoke speaking engagements for the Dog Safety Education Executive (DogSEE).

Ross wrote for Dogs Monthly Magazine for over 12 years and

Lez was the first lady feature writer for a national Shooting Magazine (both Sporting Gun and Sporting Shooter).

They were also 'study buddies' and were the first in the UK to achieve a Masters Degree (Professional Practice) in Canine Behaviour and Psychology in 2011.

They work well together and apart, support and work with dog rescue organisations and train professional dog trainers and behaviourists.

Different as chalk and cheese, but maybe not as different as they like to think.

Intrigued? want to know more? then check out our websites...www.rossmccarthy.com ~ www.lezgraham.com