Frequently Asked Questions

AlpinHaus Dogs are best-in-class, high-energy pets that have the world's best Socialization, Obedience and ability to Protect you if needed.

AlpinHaus generally raises our Dogs from the time they are puppies. This is the best way of ensuring that we understand the dog as well as the best way of embedding the performance we create into the Dog. We will work with and develop highly select, older dogs as the right ones can be just as effective. These dogs are rare.

AlpinHaus only works with Shepherds - Dutch, Belgian and German.

Shepherds - particularly Belgian and Dutch - are the highest performance Dogs on earth. They are also the healthiest. There are no Dogs better equipped to perform at virtually anything than these breeds. This is certainly true when it comes to Protection.

AlpinHaus Dutch Shepherds are not dangerous. Other Dutch Shepherds from people working with other genetic lines may or will be. Which Genetics one is working with, as well as the Dog itself in particular, and lastly the training the Dog has received will determine how dangerous (or not) a Dog may be. At AlpinHaus we work with lines that are finely balanced between Family-Compatible and Highest-Performance. All of our Dogs are outstanding with families, depending on the nuances of the family. Some of our Dogs are more relaxed and some more energetic. So in each of the cases one may be more or less appropriate for an individual or family depending on the specific scenario.

Even good trainers very simply don't know how to handle Dutch Shepherds in many cases. So they just shy away from them. At AlpinHaus we understand them and understand them well, which is why we specialize in them. They are incredible Dogs, but you must be both very highly skilled and very highly motivated to work with them to properly unlock their potential whilst avoiding problems and pitfalls along the way. Very few people are so qualified and / or inclined, and we understand.

AlpinHaus Dogs don't randomly attack people like that. Unless specifically trained at a Client's request to perceive and act on threats the Dog believes exists, AlpinHaus Dogs will need to be triggered into Activated Defense Mode before he or she engages in Defense or Attacks. Our dogs are simply not even thinking about things like that unless activated. See our videos for examples of this in detail.

This needs to be and can be trained specifically in the Client's home after the AlpinHaus Dog has been introduced and assimilated into it.

We can train our Dogs for this at your home without problem. Be aware that the more people you may have coming and going when you are not there with the dog the more potentially complex the training.

This is not a problem. Our Dogs will not attack someone just because they walk into your home. They will bark to alert you when someone is outside your home, whether it be friend or foe, but if the person comes in your home they will bark to alert and then they will likely just want to be pet by the person.

Yes. For example, if you are out in public and someone with strange energy is close or walking towards you directly AlpinHaus Dogs will detect this and likely bark at the person. It is important to note that they have been trained NOT to bark at strangers, so if they do this you should pay extra attention, because either they are doing something they should not be (possible but unlikely) or they are alerting you to something that seems out of sorts. In the house or the yard they will bark at passersby they detect outside and/or animals that they detect. If there is someone that is trying to break into your home the AlpinHaus Dog will certainly detect it and bark to notify you. (This is why Burglars never select homes with Dogs as targets).

Yes this is possible and it will take 1-2 years for the AlpinHaus Dog to be developed and ultimately delivered to you as a rule, although in some cases less time.

We are ethically unwilling and unable to release a Dog for sale until we are 100% confident that it will actually defend a client. The way we test this is to conduct a 'Surprise Attack'. A Surprise Attack is a test in a real-life scenario with a brand new person posing as a Threat wearing a hidden suit in a new, public place that our Dog has never defended / attacked anyone in before. Our Dogs must defend against this surprise attack and engage the threat appropriately. This is the Final test we conduct before we are ready to pronounce AlpinHaus Dogs Protection-Capable.

This is a very important question and could be the subject of hours of conversation. The short answer is that Sport Dogs, which we love, are not the same as Protection Dogs and cannot be counted on to Protect you. This is especially true of IGP Dogs, and despite appearances to the contrary, some French Ring and Mondioring Dogs. PSA and Belgian Ring Dogs are quite likely to work as actual Protection Dogs in real life but not necessarily guaranteed. Certified KNPV Dogs should work fine (although they are not intended to be in home environments or as personal protection). But unless a Dog is tested properly you cannot know for sure. Many Sport Dogs are sold as Protection Dogs. This is especially true of IGP Dogs. But - they are not Protection Dogs and cannot be counted on to protect you. If someone tells you differently test the dog in a hidden suit / jacket / sleeve with a Blind Attack and see for yourself.

Every situation is customized based on the individual Client and their requirements. When we discuss your situation we can craft the solution that is optimally tailored to you.

Our Dogs are routinely health-checked throughout their lives and of course vaccinated appropriately and given all scheduled medications that one would expect. Before they are delivered they are formally inspected and will receive a Certificate of Good Health signed off on by a Veterinarian here in France. Upon delivery they will be taken to your Vet for inspection as well and signed off on by your Vet. Prior to delivery we also invite your Vet to speak to ours if there are any questions you would like to address in advance. We have complete confidence in our Dogs' health and we are as transparent about it as possible.

We offer the best Health Guarantee in the industry. We guarantee that your AlpinHaus Dog will be free of genetic maladies up until 5 years of age. If there are any problems we will provide a new Dog at no cost to you except transit costs and expenses. And you do not have to give up or return the original Dog that you will have grown to Love. From 5 years old until it is 8 years old we continue this guarantee and will provide a new Dog if necessary at a 20% price reduction. Again, you do not have to return the initial Dog.

Dutch and Belgian Shepherds are renowned for having great health as a rule. In fact, these are probably the healthiest dogs that exist as a breed. On top of that, the particular FCI Dogs that we deal with, these specific genetic lines, have had their Hips and Elbows and often Shoulders and Spines checked for generations to make sure that the breeding stock involved in carrying the lines forward were highly exceptional. So Hips and Elbows are not a problem. Additionally, we guarantee hips an elbows and related genetic matters through 5 years of age to be free of genetic problems with a full replacement guarantee and through 8 years of age with a limited guarantee. To our knowledge this is the best guarantee in the industry.

Additionally, other tests have also frequently been done across the parental lines looking for: DEGENERATIVE MYELOPATHY, SPINAL SPONDYLOSIS, INFLAMMATORY MYOPATHY, MULTI-DRUG RESISTANCE GENE (MDR-1), VON WILLEBRAND TYPE 1 (VWD1) and SPONGY DEGENERATION W/ CEREBELLAR ATAXIA (SDCA 1&2).

Accordingly, AlpinHaus Dogs are some of the healthiest, if not THE most healthy, in the world. We are happy to discuss any questions you might have regarding the specifics of this with you.

Yes. We can discuss this option and tailor a specific solution for you based on your requirements.

There are many things that make AlpinHaus unique. When conducting your assessment, we encourage you to simply watch videos of Dogs in real life, real world situations to determine how they will perform. Further, if you are seeing Protection Dogs for sale that have only trained on bite sleeves and not full jackets and hidden jackets then we would suggest that they are not real Protection Dogs. Lastly, most people and organizations that are bringing Protection Dogs to market will rely simply on photos and nice websites to make their Dogs look appealing to the public. This is because they cannot produce videos of their Dogs that are compelling to watch, because their Dogs simply cannot perform that well. Many Protection Dog sellers will say that their Dogs are the 'best in the world' and cite the fact that they've been in business for years or decades or talk about all the celebrities that have bought their Dogs.... but none of this is relevant in reality. NONE of it. All that matters is the character of the Dog in question, its capabilities and its Training. And no one is close to AlpinHaus in creating Dogs that are as good as ours, despite proclamations to the contrary. NO ONE. Just look at the videos for proof and call us to discuss if you have any questions or doubts.

Our Dogs start at $65,000 for a Level II: Direct Action Dog and can cost as much as several million USD for X Line and Y and Z Lines (currently in development). The prices of our Dogs are always in flux because they are always being trained and developed more. For a Level I: Threat Deterrence Dog, the price starts at $35,000.

It will depend upon the Dog, the breed and its drives but 8-12 years. In reality, if the Dog has higher drive it will defend you with one tooth remaining in its head until it takes its last breath. But we cannot guarantee this. German Shepherds are usually good for 5-6 years by comparison. This is one of the many reasons we work with the Belgian and Dutch Shepherds more.

Because AlpinHaus Dogs are much better. There are 2 things that Military and Police Dogs will almost always have: Drive and Nerve. They must want to do the work that they have been selected to perform (Drive) and the ability to do it under difficult and unpredictable situations in the face of threat (Nerve). What they will almost NEVER have is, Control. They will not be trained properly Off-Leash, may not know how to conduct themselves in Society as rule, not listen to and/or understand and respect your commands, and be almost completely out of control during protection exercises that are not choreographed and routinized. Of course there are exceptions to these generalizations but these considerations are what you should watch out for.

Protection work can be done initially with your Dog, but it will take a week to a month, or so (maybe less, maybe more), for you as the new Owner/Handler and the Dog to bond properly such that he sees you as his pack and is able to fully fall into his role of fully Protecting you. At that point of bonding he will very naturally fall into his structured performance and you can begin to rely upon him. The Protection Dog must identify with you as "His" or "Hers" and understand its Role in context of household and it's Routines before it's natural and trained behavior can come into play.

These Dogs are not the highest-performance Dogs that exist. They are not quick thinking, quick moving or as athletic as the Dogs we work with. We only work with the 3 breeds that we do because they are the best. That said, many people work with these other breeds and if you really want a Dog of that breed then there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. At AlpinHaus we believe that ALL Dogs are great. We are very specific in our performance-focus of Sophistication, and the Dogs we work with are congruent with this.

To secure an AlpinHaus Dog we require a non-refundable deposit of 50% with the balance due at delivery.

It is entirely up to you. AlpinHaus Dogs are finely tuned and we suggest daily training if you want to keep your Dog at the same level of competency it is at when you receive it. Our Dogs are no different from the finest examples of professionals you find in humans - Surgeons, Astronauts, F-16 pilots, Special Operations soldiers, professional athletes, etc. They are all either practicing their craft or training for it, and sometimes briefly engaging in rest and recovery. To maintain top performance we suggest the same approach in thinking.

Yes. The details of this can be worked out on an individual basis for each Client.

Service Dogs are developed by Special Reservation only. We are happy to discuss with you exactly what it is you are looking for and what we can create for you.

Companion Dogs are developed by Special Reservation only. We are happy to discuss with you exactly what it is you are looking for and what we can create for you.