How to Buy a Protection Dog: What to Ask and Avoid

Buying a protection dog is closer to choosing a colleague than buying a product. You’re taking on a serious working animal that will live in your home for a decade or more, and the person who developed it matters as much as the dog. This is what I’d ask before paying anyone, including me.

The questions to ask any seller

Who bred the dog, who trained it, and who am I dealing with? In many larger operations those are three different people. Ask which one you’ll be speaking to after the sale.
How old is the dog, and where has it been since birth? A dog raised in one place by one trainer has a history you can actually check.
Can I see the dog work under pressure it hasn’t seen before? Not a polished demonstration on a familiar field: a strange place, a strange person, a real distraction. Ask for recent video of exactly that, and then ask to see it live or on a video call.
What does the dog do when the pressure stops? A protection dog has to commit fully and then return to control when the situation changes. Intensity alone tells you very little.
What health testing was done on the parents? Hip and elbow certification, DNA screening and a veterinary examination are a baseline for the breeding stock. Ask to see the documents.
What handler training is included? A protection dog that arrives without proper handler training is a liability, not an asset. Ask how many days, where, and who does it.
What support comes afterwards? Who do you call in six months when something changes at home?
What happens if the match doesn’t work? Ask, and ask for the answer in writing before you pay anything.
What exactly is included in the price, and what is extra? Transport, documents and travel are usually separate; make sure you know.

Warning signs

Pressure to pay a deposit before you’ve seen the dog work anywhere but the seller’s own field.
A dog described as “trained” that is under a year old.
Promises that a living animal cannot fail.
Fear used as the sales pitch: staged attack videos and war language instead of a calm dog in a normal house.
A choice of many finished dogs available this week. Properly developed dogs don’t accumulate.
Nobody can tell you who bred the dog.

What a serious seller should ask you

If a seller doesn’t ask about your household, children, other animals, your experience with working dogs and what you actually need the dog to do, they’re selling a dog, not placing one. I evaluate each potential client to make sure they understand the commitment a true working dog requires. These are working Malinois with strong drives, not standard family pets, and they need experienced, committed handling.

How a placement with me works

Enquiry. Most people message me on WhatsApp; the contact form reaches me the same way.
Direct conversation. You talk to me, the person who bred and trains the dog. I’ll want to understand your environment, your experience and what you need.
Suitability and match. I decide whether a dog in the program is right for you, and which one. Sometimes the honest answer is that none is.
Reservation, when appropriate. Dogs are usually reserved during development, with an agreed staged monthly payment schedule paid by card through the private client portal.
Development. You follow the dog’s progress in the portal: training updates with photos and video, documents, payments, all in one place.
Handler integration and handover. The last phase of the dog’s development is teaching you to maintain the work. Dogs go home between 18 and 24 months old.
Ongoing support. The relationship doesn’t end at handover.

Buying from outside Greece

I work with clients outside Greece. International transport is not part of the placement price; the practical side depends on the destination and is discussed with you individually before reservation.

Before you decide

Read what a protection dog actually does and how one is trained. If what you read there isn’t what you want, no price makes it right. If it is, the dogs page shows what’s in development now.