I would like to offer you a nickles worth of free advice.

1) Snap caps, yes do get some. They will protect the pistol from any possibility of damage, and once you get used to shooting this pistol and start to train with it, you can have a friend load one into a magazine while training to simulate a stoppage, this will give you the chance to learn to "Tap, rack and clear" a malfunction.
2) Dry firing is the best exercise, I suggest you use only your trigger finger and thumb. This will build up the memory to only use those two fingers, avoiding learning to squeeze with all your fingers and pulling your shots off target.
3) As to your choice of firearm, while I would never volunteer to let someone shoot me with a short barreled 380, it is not the best choice. And I have shot one of those body guards, and again, there are far better pistols made by S&W.
If money is a concern (And for most people it is) you can watch Gun Broker and look for a 3953, this is a 3 inch barreled 9mm, 7 shot double action only pistol that holds 7+1 shots. The trigger is easier to learn and there is no safety need on this pistol. There are quite a few police trade ins in GB, and you can usually get for 300ish.
The nice thing about the Third Generation S&W's are, they are very durable and will last you your lifetime.

I hope this helps and good luck with your training.