How Much Does a Protection Dog Cost?

A fully developed protection dog from my program costs €50,000 for the dog in development now, and €70,000 for dogs from the next litter onwards. That is the whole price for the dog, its development to the program standard, handler training and ongoing support. Transport to you is arranged separately.

Across the industry the range is far wider, and this guide explains why.

What protection dogs sell for in 2026

Published prices I’ve checked on sellers’ own websites, as of October 2026:

United States: established companies publish prices from about $50,000 to $65,000 at the lower end, $100,000 to $125,000 as a common starting point, and $150,000 to $230,000 at the top.
United Kingdom: published tiers run from roughly £8,000 for entry-level dogs to £30,000 for “elite” dogs and £35,000 to £120,000 for the most demanding placements.
Germany: sellers publish €7,800 to €16,000, usually for a dog bought in young, trained for four to fifteen months, and handed over at two to three years old.

So the same words, “trained protection dog”, cover a €8,000 dog and a €230,000 dog. The price tells you very little until you know what is behind it.

Why the range is so wide

Five things explain most of the difference:

Who bred the dog, and where. Several well-known US companies say on their own websites that their dogs are born in Europe, bought there, and finished in the US. The buyer pays for the dog, the import, the US facility and the sales team.
How long the dog was in development. A dog started as a puppy and developed for 18 to 24 months costs more to produce than a dog bought in at one or two years old and trained for a few months.
How the dog was tested. A dog that only performs on its own training field is cheaper to make than one proven under layered, unfamiliar pressure in public places and vehicles.
What the handler gets. Some prices include days of handler training and support afterwards; some include a handover and a phone number.
The size of the business. A large operation with staff, a facility and marketing has to price all of that in.

What my price includes

Every dog in my program goes through the same development system. There are no packages and no training tiers. What differs between one dog and the next is the breeding behind it, so the price for a particular dog is confirmed once I know which dog it is.

Included in the placement price:

Continued development to the program standard, through to handover at 18 to 24 months.
Final handler integration and training, so you can maintain the work.
Environmental and public-space proofing.
Vehicle and travel preparation.
Individual preparation for your circumstances once a dog is matched with you.
Ongoing support after placement.

Not included: international transport. It is not part of the price, and it is discussed with you individually before reservation.

How payment works

Dogs here are usually reserved during development and paid for across that period. That isn’t a special arrangement; it’s how the program works. I take on one or two dogs at a time, someone commits to one, and their payments carry the work while I do it.

An agreed staged monthly payment schedule can be arranged across the remaining development period rather than one payment at handover. Payments are made by card through the private client portal, where invoices, completed payments and the remaining schedule stay visible. Card payments are processed by Stripe; I never see or store card details.

Why a dog from me costs less than a US import

It isn’t a cheaper dog. It’s a shorter chain. I bred the dog, I raised it, I trained it, and I’m the person you talk to, from first message to years after handover. There is no importer, no second facility and no sales layer, so there is nothing to mark up.

The trade-off is honest too: I develop one or two dogs at a time, so I can’t offer a choice of twenty dogs this month, and a dog is often reserved before it’s finished.

Ongoing costs to plan for

Like any large working dog, a protection dog needs good food, veterinary care, insurance where your country requires it, and your time. Training has to be maintained; a dog that is never worked loses the edge you paid for. If you’d like to know what my own dogs eat and how I feed them, that’s on the dog food page.

Questions to ask about any price

Who bred this dog, and who trained it? Are they the same person?
How old is the dog, and how long has it been in development?
Can I see it work somewhere other than your own field, under pressure it hasn’t seen before?
What handler training is included, and what support comes after?
What exactly is in the price, and what is extra?

If a seller can’t answer these plainly, the price isn’t the problem.