@MIZZYD: he's 14 months old. Has to be at least 15 months to test for the companion certification and after that will be eligible to move on to level 1 of tracking, obedience, and protection.
@amytrisha: I grew up in Germany, where this sport is HUGE. My childhood dog, also a Boxer, was trained this way. We're talking obedience to a level that at the age of 6, I could walk our 70 pound dog unaided by an adult because the commands are verbal at the highest level of training. And one of the big things for me, loosely connected to my professional life that I can't be too specific about for the sake of anonymity, I want him eligible to register as a volunteer search and rescue dog (due to the tracking work).
@beth_terri: amytrisha is correct, it's all about training. The protection work (growling, biting, attacking) isn't something we train for at home. We're starting to work with a group who's head trainer has been a part of this sport for 20 years at the national level. Level 1 protection is really just a show of force (dog will look/ act menacing, but does nothing) and level 2 is chase and hold (doesn't bite), and level 3 includes bite commands but they are also taught in tandem with release commands. The exception to this is we are working on bite/ release with a rope. The sport does not encourage people to train their dogs to bite anything other than a rope or leather strap outside of training groups, with professionals. Most dogs of this group of breeds (working dogs) have natural protective instincts and behaviors, mine didn't need training to lock up and grown ferociously at strangers in the dark - even 100 yards away at our local park. This sport harnesses those instincts and allows handlers to control them.
@amytrisha: my dog puts on a decent show in the living room windows that face the street if anyone comes near my house. And this training is used for police dogs, as well as drug, explosive, and search and rescue dogs. It's used by regular people to keep active working dog traits in the breeding pool.
@Pirate: HAHA, I live vicariously through other puppy owners! I'm happy to have another one, but definitely not now or even soon. Once we get our current pup trained to his maximum potential, I'll be happy to get another, because younger dogs (like children) will take their cues from an older one in the house.
@amytrisha: kittens are no cup of tea either, just smaller (and faster, and more curious). I don't rescue dogs (snobby purebred Boxer family and proud of it), but I do rescue cats - the three adults in my house and the 5 kittens that were abandoned by their mom last year, two are still with us (one we're keeping). Bottle feeding 5 kittens was CRAZY. And then they run like crazy assholes and chew everything that will fit in their mouths.