Controlled Aggression

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Notice of Copyright

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

Requests for permission to make copies of any part of this work should be made in writing and mailed to the following address: G.W. Bradshaw, Tarheel Canine Training

Inc, 230 W. Seawell Street, Sanford, NC 27332. www.tarheelcanine.com

Notice of Disclaimer

The training of police canines and protection dogs is inherently dangerous. Any of the theory or techniques described in this book is to be used or applied at your own risk.

Neither Girard Bradshaw nor Tarheel Canine Training Inc., its officers, directors, employees or agents shall be held responsible for any damages to person or property resulting from the use or application of the techniques and information described herein.

All protection training should be done in the context of recognized and organized sport clubs or police canine training groups under the direct supervision of certified expert or

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About the Author

Jerry Bradshaw is Training Director & President of Tarheel Canine Training Inc in Sanford, North Carolina. Jerry has been training dogs for competitive protection sports

since 1991, and has competed in National Championship trials in both schutzhund and PSA, winning the PSA National Championships in 2003 with his dog Ricardo v.d. Natuurzicht PSA 3. Jerry has trained many Belgian Malinois to the highest titles in the

sports in which he competed including Arrow of Tigerpaws SchH 3, BH, Ben von Lowenfels, SchH 2, BH, Rocky de la Maison Des Lions PSA 3, and Ricardo v.d. Natuurzicht PH 1, PSA 3. Tarheel Canine Training Inc. is a nationally renowned training

facility for police service dogs, and has placed trained police dogs at federal, state and local law enforcement agencies nationally and internationally since 1993. Complete biographies and references for Jerry Bradshaw and the staff of trainers at Tarheel Canine

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Seminars

Jerry Bradshaw and the staff of Tarheel Canine Training Inc. are available to give seminars to sport clubs and police agencies on the topics covered in this book. In addition

seminars are available for advanced narcotics detection & explosives detection, tactical building searches, area searches & felony vehicle stops, proper application of the e-collar

for sport or police dogs, and competition preparation for PSA.

Upcoming seminars through Tarheel Canine Training Inc. can be found on the website on the Upcoming Seminars page at www.tarheelcanine.com

Equipment

A full range of equipment for police canines and protection dogs is available through the Tarheel Canine Training Inc. Equipment Store at www.tarheelcanine.com

All payment types are accepted including government purchase orders by calling Tarheel Canine Training Inc. at 1- 800-766-9032.

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To my dogs: Penny, Ben, Arrow, Rocky, Ricardo and Diego.

You have been, and continue to be, my inspiration. You are my

teachers, my companions and my brothers and sister, and my

life has been enriched beyond measure for your having been in

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Forward

This book is intended provide a roadmap for protection training and the

development of police patrol canines. One of the biggest issues that I have encountered in teaching seminars for PSA and police canine training is a lack of understanding of not only how to train specific exercises, but an appreciation for the entire training

progression. There must be an appreciation for the whole forest as well as for the individual trees in a complicated endeavor such as training a dog for controlled aggression.

This book is not a comprehensive treatment of training protection dogs, but it is pretty close. There are issues in advanced training which must be addressed, and shall be addressed in a later volume that deals with specialized skills, especially for police dogs. Building searches, felony vehicle stops, area searches, and so forth include tactical elements for handlers that must also be addressed in detail.

Advanced work in protection sports, especially where protection scenarios are of a surprise nature, requires explanations of how to break down these scenarios and train the elements, as well as how to handle the dog through these risk-reward situations.

This book is going out in its first printing as a training manual. It is my intention to get the information out there and then in a revision, provide photographs to illustrate some of the points and techniques. I would be pleased to have comments on the material, its organization, and how well it communicates the ideas intended. Please feel free to send comments to [email protected]

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Chapter 1: Introduction

This book was written for police K9 trainers, and protection dog trainers, who want to understand a unified approach to training dogs for protection and police patrol operations. The literature on protection training abounds with books that target

Schutzhund training, personal protection training, or police training. Much has been written on the subject of controlled aggression, why dogs express it, and how to manipulate it for training purposes in various disciplines. In this book I will attempt to provide an outline of foundation training theory and applications that apply across the board from protection sport training and police K9 patrol training, to personal protection training for the street as well as surprise scenario sport work.

This is a difficult undertaking because years of differences between sport trainers and police dog trainers have driven a wedge between the two. One of the basic premises of this book is that foundation work, whether for dogs in protection sports, or police dogs is the same. Drive development, confidence building, and skills training share more commonalities than differences.

For the last 25 years, Schutzhund has been the predominant protection dog sport in the United States. Schutzhund training alone, however, is clearly neither sufficient preparation for a street police dog, nor a street worthy personal protection dog. This is neither a secret to Schutzhund sport enthusiasts nor to police dog trainers. I think police dog trainers in the US have made a determination about what their dogs must do on the street, and what they see in Schutzhund trials appears to fall short. They therefore lump all sport training together and deem it insufficient for what they need. This is

understandable, but not necessarily correct. There is now a lot more to protection sport training in America than just Schutzhund training.

American sport trainers are flocking to new sports that provide significantly more challenging programs, such as the Ring sports and PSA. PSA in particular is a surprise scenario sport, where the trainer must prepare the dog for scenarios that are explained to them on the day of the trial. This forces these trainers to train many behavioral

components separately, and put them together on trial day, not unlike what a police dog is required to do.

From my experience, as both a police dog trainer and sport dog trainer, I can see there is a need to unify the approach to developing and training protection dogs. I believe the concept behind surprise scenario competitions for civilians as well as surprise

scenario police dog certifications will revolutionize training. No police dog goes into a situation knowing the rules perfectly. Performing a rehearsed set of tasks, as in most police dog certifications, is not a real indication of how the dog and his handler will perform in a street situation. The same is true of a personal protection dog. Therefore, this book is written with the idea in mind that the dogs must be trained to perform their

functions in a surprise scenario setting, rather than be trained on exercises that are known fully ahead of time. The basic developmental training, then, must set a firm foundation for this advanced work. The developmental work we do in controlled aggression must provide a foundation for the scenario work that comes later, and that is what this book is all about.

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In this book I will explain the concepts of foundation bite work training for all disciplines, with an emphasis on developing police patrol K9s as well as basic

preparation for surprise scenario obedience and protection trials. I will also address some important skills common to both police dogs and surprise scenario sport dogs. The skill training is not an exhaustive treatment, and will require another volume to deal with all the nuances of police skills training or the skills for particular sports (e.g. tactical searching, or Schutzhund blind searching, for instance). The skill topics I have included here, however, are broadly applicable to both sport and police trainers: Release on command, out & guard, hold & bark, re-directed bites, out and return, and the call-off.

Developing a protection dog, regardless of the discipline, comes in two stages. First, the foundation must be laid in which we develop the basic drives that impel the dog to bite, and the interaction among these drives. Further, in the foundation work, we must introduce the dog to the various kinds of equipment we will use to maintain his training, including sleeves, bite suits, and muzzles. The dog must learn how to properly target an attacker with courage, intensity, and decisiveness. Thus, foundation training includes teaching the targeting of the vital grip areas. How we use both civil agitation as well as equipment to teach the dog to be man-oriented is also a significant issue that will receive treatment in this volume. This is critical for police dogs and personal protection dogs. Further, we need to develop the dog’s reactions to all manner of distractions during bite work that may frighten him off the grip and render him, at best, ineffective in a street situation, or, at worst, a liability to the handler deploying his dog.

Second, the dog’s skills must be developed. These skills begin with the out on command, guarding, hold and bark, redirects & returns, and the call off. These are explained in detail in this volume. Further skills, such as area searching, tactical building searches, felony vehicle stops, passive bites, and some others, (depending on the

discipline in which the dog will compete or be deployed) will have to be treated in another more complete book devoted to advanced protection skills.

Because this book deals primarily with protection training, we make some

assumptions about the readers. First, much of what is in the book can be applied to young dogs (less than 8 months, or even puppies), but the majority of information will be most useful to trainers of “green” dogs – those whose dogs are preferably over 12 months. I further make the assumption that the reader has the ability to train the obedience necessary for the skills that will be discussed in the later chapters. I make some explicit references to using the e-collar in training skills, and I have included an appendix at the end of the book on basic use of the e-collar in training, as well as a program for

integrating it into protection training. I encourage readers to look at the appendix before reading the sections on skills training.

The rest of this introduction will deal with basic canine learning, which is at the heart of all training. Chapter 2 will deal with canine selection and some behavioral traits that are critical in selecting the right dog for the work. Chapter 3 introduces prey drive development, and chapter 4 introduces defense drive development. Drive interaction is discussed in chapters 5 & 6. Chapter 7 discusses working in the bite suit, including selecting an appropriate bite suit, and how to target the dog to proper grip areas. Chapter 8 introduces training to eliminate equipment orientation.

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The chapters that follow discuss skills training, including training the guarding behavior appropriate for the dog’s deployment (Chapter 9), the out on command (Chapter 10), re-directed (multiple suspects) bites (Chapter 11), and the call off (Chapter 12). In the appendices that follow there are introductions to the Dog Sports of Europe (App. 1), Required Equipment List (App. 2), discussions of attention training & heeling (App. 3), and proper use of the electronic collar in protection training (App. 4).

Basic Canine Learning

In order to properly train a dog, we must understand some basics about canine learning. Too few trainers have a command of the theory behind canine learning. Many trainers are intuitive, meaning they have learned through experience what affects canine learning in practice, but cannot explain the theory behind what they do. I think it is critical that instructors of K9 classes and training directors in protection clubs (not to mention decoys) have a command of the theory and vocabulary of canine learning in addition to an appreciation of the sports of Europe in which all imported dogs used for police work have some foundation. In my travels around the country doing seminars for training clubs and police K9 units, I find it easier to get across ideas if I can explain the theory behind my practical instructions. There is so much conflict among trainers today because they cannot converse about different training methodologies. They take

opposition to their practical instruction personally, because they cannot explain why they are suggesting certain kinds of training progressions or corrections to training plans. Instead of having open discussions based on well-accepted theory, conflicts tend to deteriorate into wars of authority. Imagine how much easier it would be to answer someone questioning your methods by explaining why you are suggesting a course of action, and being able to explain why an opposing viewpoint is flawed, theoretically.

I find it much less difficult to listen to objections or answer questions when I know I can formulate a logically consistent argument based on learning theory to explain why my training progression is what it is. I can also point out flawed criticism quite easily. In the end, training is no longer about who’s method is better, who has been training dog for more years (bad training for 20 years is still bad training) but about who knows his stuff and further who can explain it logically. Instructors will waste far less time getting into arguments if this approach is taken. Remember the old adage “the only thing two dog trainers can agree on is what a third trainer is doing wrong?” If we could all speak the language of theory, these types of conflicts would be greatly reduced.

Types of Canine Learning

There are two basic types of canine learning or conditioning. They are operant

conditioning and classical conditioning. Operant conditioning gets its name from the

process of learning it represents. In operant conditioning, the dog learns his behavior has consequences provided by his environment (including the trainer). The dog learns to adapt his behavior to these consequences. The dog learns to “operate” the environment to get what he wants. The second kind of learning is called classical learning or

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Sometimes this leads to the dog behaving inappropriately (anticipation) because of context. Sometimes it speeds up learning because of context.

The dog is best described in one phrase as an opportunistic predator. Although the dog is clearly a social animal with a highly developed social instinct, often times the idea that the dog is a pack animal overshadows his innate individuality. In fact, we cannot ignore the dog’s nature as an individual when we think about training. Dogs will clearly do something we want, not because they are looking to please us, but rather because they get something in return. Dogs are masters at manipulating their

environment. This is a highly developed survival instinct. When we characterize a dog as "opportunistic," we inherently recognize as most prominent his overriding survival instinct. Therefore when we take on the task of training, we must ask, “what does the

dog get out of the training?”

It once was the case that training a dog first involved establishing our physical dominance by use of physical force. This is commonly referred to as establishing the role of the "alpha." Many trainers still instruct their students to physically dominate their dogs by rolling them over, holding them down, and forcing them to accept their

dominance, sometimes on the first day of K9 School, as if the dog was given a memo by the department to respect the guy holding the leash just because he is the new handler. Obedience is then achieved mainly through physical threat from the handler.

Thankfully, we have come to understand more about what motivates animals in general and dogs in particular. If we take as our premise that the dog will do something if he gets something out of it, we can construct a continuum along the following lines: Compulsive--- Motivational Training Training (Pure Force Training) (Pure Reward Training)

On the left side of the continuum, we have classical force training. In this type of training, the dog is called on to execute commands in order to remove the discomfort applied by the trainer, prior to giving the command. This kind of classical force training is often referred to as "escape" training. The dog escapes the force by doing the

command. The dog gets something out of this kind of training: relief from the discomfort caused by the trainer. An example is teaching the dog to sit by pulling tight on the choke collar in the upward direction, and when the dog sits the choking is relieved.

On the right side of the continuum, we have pure reward-based training. The dog is lured into position, or the trainer waits for the behavior to occur naturally, using the promise of a reward (toy, a bite, a jump) and is rewarded when he executes the command. The only punishment is to withhold the reward if the dog does not do the command.

In training dogs, as in life, there is something to be learned from both extremes of this continuum. Forcing a dog to do something without first taking the time to teach him in a non-threatening environment is cruel, at worst, and unproductive, at best. With a police dog that has a well developed drive to protect himself, you are likely to produce a dog that comes up the leash to fight you when you put him in this kind of conflict. Using only the threat of a withheld reward to enforce obedience shows a lack of experience on the part of many of the trainers trumpeting these methods as the be-all and end-all of

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training. In my experience with police dogs, we must have control of our dogs under

competing motivations.

When training a dog in protection work, for example, the overriding motivation for the dog is to bite the decoy, and the trainer cannot produce a motivation that can compete with the dogs desire to bite. Therefore, I cannot just withhold the reward. Now, I can withhold the dog from obtaining the bite through physical restraint, but how do I get him focused on me? In these cases, some form of thoughtful compulsion is necessary. A simple example: I can make the dog sit before sending him for his bite (reward). The dog learns to give me what I want to get what he wants, thus obedience becomes his avenue to get his reward, and it becomes less of a conflict and struggle over dominance. But in order to get the sit, initially, I may have to use a form of punishment, such as a collar correction, to induce the dog to sit. Therefore, training involves coming to terms with a balanced approach to motivation and compulsion

The Consequences of Behavior

The probability of a behavior recurring is affected by the consequences of the behavior itself. We speak of two consequences: Reinforcement (a reinforcing

consequence is one that will increase the frequency of a behavior) and Punishment (a punishing consequence is one that will decrease the frequency of a behavior). Now, both reinforcement and punishment can be either positive or negative, thus we have four consequences we must define:

Positive Reinforcement: A particular behavior is strengthened due to a desirable

consequence. For example a dog barks aggressively, and receives a grip as a reward, increasing the likelihood he will bark when we alert him.

Negative Reinforcement: Eliminating some undesirable consequence strengthens a

particular behavior. For example, in training the out with a difficult dog, we pull tight on the pinch collar, applying pressure, the dog outs, and we relieve the pressure the instant he lets go.

Negative Punishment: Withholding the reinforcing consequence weakens a particular

behavior. For example, the dog stops barking prior to the grip, and the decoy walks away from the confrontation (withholding the grip) until he starts barking again.

Positive Punishment: A particular behavior is weakened by the presentation of an

unpleasant consequence. For example, the dog wants to run out of a down command to the bite before we give the send command, so we apply a correction for the down, and send him only when he is holding the down properly.

If some aversive (a negative experience like a collar correction) teaches the dogs to understand more clearly, and does not interfere with either the learning process, or run counter to their temperament, then it is a useful tool. As you will see, our method will make use of some negative reinforcement and positive punishment, and, as a result, you will be able to use voice reprimands to communicate with your dog. You will see, however, that when it is necessary we will use thoughtful compulsion, but our

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presumption will be to always teach the dog using positive reinforcement. In most cases, only when a dog already understands what a command requires, will we use compulsion.

As I describe the theory behind the training program, please keep in mind the following: Our job is to always make the dog successful. Training is never a competition between the dog and the trainer. This is especially good to keep in mind when we are training a dog with a dominant personality, such as a working police dog. These dogs can seem to want to challenge the trainer and test his or her patience. But remember, dogs are manipulators, and if their resistance is a success, they have in turn controlled the training situation and turned events to their favor. Think of this not as a challenge, but as the dog simply living up to is nature. Your job is to out-think him and show him that compliance is in is best interest. Avoid getting into competitions with your dog; often they seem to have much more patience and persistence than we do.

Keep these four consequences of behavior in mind as we move through all of our training scenarios. You will see where each of the techniques we describe is a

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Chapter 2: Evaluating K9 Candidates

This book is written primarily for trainers who are beginning with an adolescent or young adult dog commonly referred to as a “green” dog. These chapters can also be applied to puppy work, though some minor changes must be made regarding equipment appropriate for puppies, versus older dogs, and techniques appropriate for puppies that are not fully mentally and physically mature. In this section I will discuss canine temperament and the evaluation process for choosing suitable K9 candidates, assuming we will be starting with a green dog whose age is roughly between 10 months (if

precocious) to about 2.5 years old. This is a typical acceptable age range for most police department purchasing green dogs. Sometimes dogs up to 3 years old will be accepted. Once past 3, most green dogs become very difficult to sell.

From police departments that select dogs for police service work, to competitors who are searching for the dog to put them on the winner’s podium, an evaluation must be performed to discern the suitability of the dog for police K9 or surprise scenario work. Therefore, we must understand the dog’s temperament and how it relates to K9 protection training.

Temperament Traits

In this section I will discuss important temperament characteristics that both singly and in combination have important consequences for the training of police K9s. Temperament itself cannot be observed, yet traits or characteristics of temperament can be observed. As trainers we are schooled to “read” the dogs we are working with, both for their inherent characteristics of temperament, and their behavior during training, so that proper choices and adjustments in method can be made. What follows are

descriptions of key traits that we must look for to either pass or fail a particular candidate. This process is imperfect, but we must start somewhere in order to rule out likely

problem dogs.

Public Sociability

I wish to differentiate the general outward sociability of the dog from the social drives and behavior toward pack members and those with a training relationship to the dog. A protest biter can be exceptionally social in general, but show aggression when corrected. This is a manifestation of social aggression towards someone with whom the dog may already have a relationship. When evaluating a dog we look for whether the dog is overtly social, neutral, or unsocial.

In social dogs, the greeting is usually immediate and forceful, though no prior relationship may have ever been established. Usually we see such behavior in very confident young dogs that have been provided good formative social experiences. Some others, however, who behave this way may be more submissive in temperament and wish to make a ritual display of submission to forestall an aggressive dominant display by the

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human greeter. For the police or protection dog in general, it is not necessary to eliminate the social dog from consideration if his sociability is a result of his confidence.1

In the neutral dog, no fear is registered, and the dog simply ignores a stranger. This may be a sign of a more defensively motivated dog or an overly handler dependent dog. In the more defensive temperament, on neutral territory, there is no perceived threat if the dog doesn’t confront the individual during the greeting. The dog may have learned to avoid conflict by ignoring the presence of others. He may also be demonstrating a willingness to see the new person as a threat if commanded to do so, or if training has taught him that circumstances may change from a calm situation to a threatening

situation. This same dog at home may be very territorially defensive, as intruders cannot be ignored on the home turf. The more handler dependent dog also avoids fear or

confrontation by ignoring anyone but the handler. Both these types of dogs have learned that their neutral approach to greeting forestalls the question of possible conflict.2

The unsocial dog does not approach, nor will allow anyone to approach. The unsociability can be manifest as a defensive aggressive display or through flight and hiding, or a combination of both. The aggressive display is a learned behavior. The dog learns that aggression successfully relieves the fear that has become a conditioned response to greeting situations.

Clearly, sociability is a very important issue for the trainer. The more social and gregarious the dog, the easier he is to work with in general. The more social he is, the more he responds to voice, and tactile stimulation, and the easier he will be to transition to a new handler. For police work, then, we want to see either a socially neutral dog that is confident, or a social dog. Unsocial dogs, whether by nature, or by a lack of

socialization by design or error, should be dismissed as useful candidates. The result of starting with an unsocial dog is low confidence and handler over-dependency.

Nerves

Dog trainers use this term as a general descriptive of a dog’s adaptability to change. Change, of course, can come in many ways. It may be a change in the dog’s environment or a change in the dog’s social situation (e.g., a new handler). Change can come in more specific ways. A new surface the dog has to negotiate like slick floors, steeper stairs, dark rooms, or tight spaces, can cause problems as well. The dog’s adaptability to change can be classified as follows: (1) Fluid, (2) Studied, (3) Cautious, (4) Incomplete, (5) Halted, and (6) Accelerating Anxiety.

I characterize the adaptability as fluid if the dog makes no hesitation at all, and accepts new situations immediately and confidently. Studied adaptability means that the dog may initially show concern at the change, but has the ability to investigate using his senses, and enough confidence to negotiate the changes with little pause or lingering

1_{The old wives tale of not allowing your protection dog to socialize or interact with people when young is}

still being peddled by some trainers. This is a very dangerous and unproductive way to develop any dog. Protection drives and skills are not at odds with sociability.

2_{In my experience, the overly handler dependent dog may pay an inordinate amount of attention to the}

handler rather than greet a stranger, and this may be a manifestation of displacement behavior. Some dogs will sniff around inordinately, and keep their back to the stranger, if the handler is not present.

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concern. Cautious adaptability means the dog adapts, but it takes significantly more time and effort on the part of the trainer to shepherd the dog through the changes.3

Incomplete adaptability means that the dog is functional at a moderate level in

the new environment, however, doesn’t ever recover the same activity level and comfort level that he has in his familiar circumstances. However, the dog takes an inordinately long time to register even this limited functional level. Halted adaptability refers to a dog that cannot function at more that a minimum level of his normal behaviors when faced with a change in environment, and never improves from this minimum level, no matter how much time is devoted to de-conditioning. Accelerated anxiety refers to the dog who cannot function at all (shuts down completely) and through continued exposure in a systematic de-conditioning program becomes increasingly fearful, beyond the level initially experienced, and portrays anticipatory anxiety despite trainer’s efforts to desensitize the dog.

Clearly this is not the most scientific classification of adaptability to change, however, as a trainer, the important issue is whether the dog shows adaptability in a useful sense. Does it require a lot or a little effort to get the dog to his normal state of confidence? Clearly, dogs that are better socialized in their formative periods learn how to process change and adapt more quickly. The important thing to remember is that the dog with better nerves can take to the changes in situations that training requires, both more easily and more quickly. Many working dog trainers refer to the dog that is at the lower end of the scale as “strong” nerved, and those at the higher end of the scale as “weak” nerved. The clear implication being that the former is a better candidate for work that requires high adaptability like police dog training or competitive training which involves traveling or unpredictable trial circumstances or exercises. For our purposes, only the first two classifications will be acceptable. Dog vendors will often attempt to explain away poor nerves as a lack of training. In most cases, poor nerves are a genetic issue, and no amount of training will ever change how the dog adapts to change.

Drives

In this characteristic we find the basis for motivation. Recognize also that these drives go hand in hand with the dog’s nerves. By this I mean that the weaker the nerves, the less the drives will rule the dog’s temperament, and vice versa. A dog with high retrieving and hunting drive can easily adapt to situations that are new and involve the opportunity to play. As the dog develops more experience doing this, the dog is

classically conditioned to adapt to and even like new situations. I have tested numerous police dog prospects that I know have never seen the inside of a building with slick floors (like a school). However, for a retrieve object, the dog would go on these floors, slipping and flailing, with only the goal of reaching the object thrown time and again.

The following drives are the important ones for protection or police dog training:

Prey (including retrieving and hunting drive), Social (Pack), and Defense.4

3_{In these cases, usually we will see the dog’s drives eventually overcome the problem. For example, a dog}

with high retrieval drive will get over his anxieties as he turns his attention to the prey object.

4_{Food drive is an obvious one to some. If we are going to train motivationally, food is an easy motivator}

that we can control (deprivation increases this drive fairly easily), in the early stages of training. However, most police K9s in the later stages of training are not trained with food to reduce the likelihood of

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Prey drive can be used as a mechanism for delivering rewards. Kongs and balls

can be thrown for the prey driven dog, or tug toys can be offered, and the dog releases his drive and finds pleasure in it.5 Defense drive is important in the following sense: When the dog has a low threshold for defense, the dog can perceive a threat from a new or existing trainer through a correction or through body posture. A dog with this

characteristic is a poor candidate for compulsive methods, at least early on in training before a bond is established. Social drive is the basis for praise as a reward. There are dogs that are so socially responsive that all the handler needs to offer is verbal praise or tactile stimulation to reward this dog. This is an important characteristic for competition dogs. Consider also the dog’s dominance profile. The more dominant the dog the more he will react to being controlled through compulsion in a negative way. This dog is also better approached motivationally, at least for a time, until he can be conditioned to accept correction properly.6

Much has been written recently about the “big two” drives: prey and defense. We used to talk only about “prey” and “defense” drives in dogs. Other trainers and writers have begun to speak of “fight” drive, also as a genetic trait. I don’t pretend to know

exactly what is going on in the mind of a dog. I am a trainer. I know what I see. Through

experimentation, I know how to develop behaviors I can see consistently exhibited by certain types of stimulation. In my experience we can create the desire to fight through proper use of the instinct to chase prey and the instinct to defend (which includes defense of prey, defense of territory, and defense of the self) coupled with a high degree of self-confidence, which comes from genetically sound nerves and with experience. As a side note, I find it silly to talk about a young dog having a “fight drive.” In any young dog you can extinguish his desire to fight with one foolish action, whereas with a confident and experienced dog you are much less likely to do so. To me the desire to fight a decoy or suspect is developed through proper foundation training.

What trainers call fight drive is rather a combination of characteristics that are present when we properly stimulate both prey and defensive instincts over time in a dog with a high capacity for self-confidence. In other words, a dog wants to fight if he knows he is going to win! He only knows he is going to win if he has done so many times in many different places and situations, with many different opponents - that is the definition of experience. The more successes under his belt, the less likely some bad experience will extinguish his desire to do it again.

On the other side of the coin, if we make winning too easy, the dog gets a false sense of security. I have seen dogs work well on a particular field with a single helper, but the handler fails to give the dog wide-ranging experiences with other decoys and training areas such as inside buildings, on slick floors, or different fields. Suddenly, a stick hit from a stranger, or a clatter stick, or a jug with rocks in it drives the dog off the bite.7 The dog is not necessarily weak. Rather, he has not been trained to properly build and is not usually directly tested in the evaluation process, though you may do so if you wish. It is possible to teach the dog using food, yet still teach the dog food-refusal from strangers.

5_{Prey drive can be increased in intensity through frustration.}

6_{The “No Free Lunch Program”, known to most all trainers allows a dominant dog to be conditioned to}

accept discipline over time, and to become deferential. This works not only for pet dogs but working dogs as well.

7_{I have trained my dog to bite when a decoy is holding a leaf blower, shooting water in his face from a}

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his self-confidence through a variety of experiences. As the dog matures the level of the fight must escalate variably in intensity and duration, always ending with the result that the dog wins. The dog learns that the harder he is fought by the decoy, the harder he must fight back. Through his experience the dog learns that this is always the road to victory. This is not to say that each fight in succession must be longer and more intense than the last. The dog must not be tested to his limits each time out. I have seen some great decoys fight a dog to the edge of what he can handle, and then upon the very next attack the initial impact of the dog drives the decoy on his back to the ground. The decoy teaches the dog that he can win right away, too. This is a simple principle of motivation. Hard-fought battles followed by quick successes are a variable reward, which builds desire and motivation.

I cannot see “fight” drive as a separate drive for another reason. I don’t believe it can be present when the drives of prey and defense are functionally absent. We have all seen dogs exhibit primarily prey drive, or primarily defensive instinct. Show me a dog with only fight drive. In my experience, dogs with very dominant prey instinct or very dominant defense instinct can be balanced through proper training, to some degree. For example, a highly defensive dog can learn over time to carry the sleeve and calm down, and can gain confidence. The prey-locked dog can learn to bark more fiercely when threatened, and will, through experience, exhibit more characteristically defensive behaviors because he is successful when he exhibits them. But we cannot only start with “fight drive”, devoid of the drives that first impel the dog to want to fight.

Today, many trainers are afraid of the defensive instinct. They fear training through it because in the beginning, when it is present, there exists the possibility of pushing the dog into avoidance. I read an article in a major sport publication that went so far as to say defense has no place in the training of a protection dog! This is utter

nonsense. We must teach the dog to be successful when exhibiting defensive behaviors, because it is defensive instinct that provides the violence and strength in the grip, and the serious tone of the bark, and indeed is a major component in the level of focus exhibited in the dog’s work.

There is no question that overstressing the defensive instinct can ruin a dog in a hurry. Prey training is safer and easier, but is incomplete for the picture we want. In Schutzhund, you may see dogs that are primarily prey trained, and the handler later wonders why the dog “yips” in the hold and bark. We want the dog angry, not scared, but angry with the helper. In police dog training we want the dog to respond when his

defensive instinct is pressed into service by some surprise or situation. The key is stimulating the defensive instinct and teaching the dog that showing aggression brings success. This is done is small steps. We can also stimulate the prey instinct without stimulating defense at the same time. Work each side of the coin and then bring them together slowly. We will discuss this in much more depth in later chapters concerned with drive channeling.

wrapped in plastic tarps, boxes full of plastic soda bottles tossed at the dog during the entry, and anything else I can dream up!

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Hardness

This is a term that is quoted often among trainers, but is seldom understood. Hardness refers to the dog’s ability to bounce back from adversity, usually, in reference to how a dog deals with corrections or a bad experience, usually in reference to social correction from the handler. If a dog can take a fairly stout correction, he is said to be “hard”, and conversely, a dog that becomes upset or overly submissive after a fairly mild correction would be characterized as “soft”. This issue is a very important one, as different dogs, like different people, have differing levels of pain tolerance. For some dogs a fairly hard correction on a pinch collar causes them to take little notice. For others, a verbal

correction or a hard look into the eyes can cause the dog to display ritual submission8. There exist some extreme cases on both ends of the spectrum. For the very hard dog, compulsion or positive punishment does not make an impression on him initially nor does the effect last very long in his memory as a reason not to engage in a certain

behavior. Thus compulsion may not be an option, as he may choose to take the correction in order to engage in a behavior he values more highly than he wishes to avoid the

correction. This situation is often seen with highly prey driven working dogs. For this kind of dog, withholding reward and building a motivational foundation that is very strong is important. It is important not to allow the dog many choices among competing motivations. The process is slow, and in many cases training will always be incomplete, as the dog may choose what he wants to, as he fears no correction in the face of his attractions.

On the other end of the spectrum is the extremely soft dog. This dog can get caught up in a loop of submissive ritual at the anticipation of correction. Thus compulsion must be used carefully. The interesting thing to note is that the dog does respond to the compulsion, i.e., it makes an impression on him, but can cause him to feel that the way to escape the effect is to show submission rather than engage in the proper behavior. Laying a foundation in motivation is very critical here as well to instill a pattern of proper response before any limits to misbehavior are set. Here is where compulsion introduced through mild collar corrections, and then the e-collar on very low levels can have a tremendous positive impact. It takes the pack element out of the correction if done properly. The human stays the good guy, and it is not necessary for the dog to display ritually submissive behavior, since the human is not displaying aggressive postures (which are inherent in verbal and physical reprimands through a leash and collar). If the trainer can concentrate on providing big rewards for compliance after successful

corrections, the trainer is seen as a source of reward and pleasure and no longer associated with as the source of compulsion. For our work, we want a dog that is soft enough to respond properly to correction, but not so hard that we will have to abandon positive punishment altogether as a means for correcting behaviors.

8_{It has become vogue for some who espouse pure motivation only to decry any tool of compulsion, even}

verbal corrections, because of the “painful” effect. However, these ideologues fail to recognize that a hard dog doesn’t process physical correction in the same way that a soft dog does. I have done exercises with willing human participants where we used an e-collar starting from level zero and gradually moved up the scale (1-60 levels) and different people felt the first static electricity-like buzz at different levels. Some felt it first at level 5 and some not until level 30! This corroborates 10 years of experience with the e-collar as a tool for correction with dogs, as some dogs require higher levels, just to feel the aversive, than do others.

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When do you use force?

Every behavior must have a consequence, either a reinforcing consequence or a

punishing consequence. “Punishment” here refers to punishment in the behavioral sense. Punishment is any consequence of a behavior that reduces the likelihood of that behavior. Reinforcement is any consequence of a behavior that increases the likelihood of that behavior. Both reinforcement and punishment come in two varieties, positive and negative: Positive in the sense of providing a consequence, and negative in the sense of withholding a consequence. This gives us the following four consequences:

• Positive punishment means delivering an undesirable consequence that reduces the likelihood of a given behavior.

• Negative punishment means withholding a desirable consequence to reduce the likelihood of a given behavior.

• Positive reinforcement means providing a desirable consequence to increase the likelihood of a behavior.

• Negative reinforcement means removing an undesirable consequence to increase the likelihood of a behavior.

Training proceeds through three phases: acquisition, fluency, and generalization. Training is a process through which we introduce and vary the consequences of behavior to teach the dog associations (acquisition), and then teach limits to behavior when employing these associations (fluency). Finally, training involves requiring these associations to be performed in all different situations and contexts (generalization). This is commonly referred to as proceeding through the learning stage, to the correction stage, and then the proofing stage.

Note that I do not usually find any use for force or compulsion in the acquisition phase of training. Providing a foundation of proper behavior, and never allowing behaviors you don’t want to see, can be accomplished in this phase of training, because the trainer can exercise complete control over the training environment. In other words, we can set the dog up for success. However, in order to proof responses, we must present the dog with situations that may induce non-compliance, anticipate the dog’s non-compliance, and positively punish him (corrections) for disobedience. In my opinion, it is virtually impossible to de-condition a dog to every possible distraction using only negative

punishment. Limits must be set in a general way with compulsion, and this is done in the fluency and generalization phases of training. In the fluency stage we introduce the concept of corrections or positive punishment, and apply those corrections (as well as apply positive reinforcement) in the generalization or proofing stage of training. Force or compulsion is applied to the dog through the use of devices intended to cause discomfort to the dog. This discomfort should be minimal, and just enough to get the point across. This minimum force rule should always be applied when using

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obedience, with some applications to protection training. Most people who criticize e-collars know little about their proper use. Those trainers, who employ their use properly, know how the relationship with their partners grows tremendously through these

described effects. The trainer is the center of all good things, and offers relief from any punishment that is applied, through the use of positive positive reinforcement. Thus we concentrate on rewarding good behavior that is shown, once limits are set. Correction becomes unemotional when the physical component of it is removed.

Focus and Attention Span

Focus and attention span are two different issues. Focus refers to how the dog relates to the trainer versus his environment. The outwardly-focused dog seems to respond to distractions more than the attractions of the handler. This can be because the dog is lacking in social skills, and is overly concerned with threats to himself or his handler (low threshold defense), or because he is highly prey driven and anything that moves gains his attention. I see these often in underdeveloped relationships to the handler, or in dogs with a high level of protection experience. He might also be very dominant in nature, and thus doesn’t look for leadership, but rather exercises his independence.

The inwardly-focused dog is always looking to the trainer. The dog is unconcerned, to a large extent, with his environment (usually because of good

socialization) or perhaps he may be a little over-dependent on his owner. This dog is a follower, in general, rather than a leader – which is good in a training relationship.

Attention span is similar to focus, but usually refers to younger dogs who may have a high capacity for attentiveness, but who are still experiencing their environment, and are distracted but will return focus. The concern here is building attentiveness to the handler, through systematic and variable training sessions aimed at capturing the dog’s attention and building his drive for the reward the trainer has to offer, and in the process de-conditioning him to distractions, and when the time is correct, correcting his lapses in attention.

Conclusion

In this chapter I have attempted to bring attention to some of the major

temperament characteristics that affect the training of working protection dogs. Many of these temperament characteristics combine with one another to either facilitate or complicate the process of conditioning a dog. For example, a dog that is low in retrieve drive, soft to corrections, and outwardly focused may be a difficult dog to work with in obedience. He gets distracted easily, is difficult to motivate, and crumbles in the face of corrections. Another example might be a socially aggressive dog that is not food or prey motivated at all. These combined traits make de-conditioning all the more difficult. Noticing these characteristics and how they impact training will help you choose the methods that best suit the individual dog, rather than choosing a method based on ideology or tradition.

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A Test for K9 Candidates

Every police K9 trainer or experienced competitor in protection sports has a basic test for the suitability of a green dog candidate. In this chapter I will lay out a test for patrol and protection dog candidates that results from the analysis of temperament and drives we have already discussed. Being successful in testing a candidate requires many prerequisites. You must be impartial. That may be a curious thing to say, but many times in my career, a dog comes out for testing, and I immediately like the dog’s reaction to me, before I have even done the first bit of testing. In the back of your mind, you want him to pass! You cannot let this sway you. You have to stick to a reasoned set of criteria. Another thing you must be careful of, if you are evaluating dogs for contracts you already have, is to need a dog so badly, you accept marginal candidates. This may solve a

problem right away, but in all likelihood, you will later have to replace the dog.

Do not be afraid to test the dog to his limits (given his age and experience). You are considering buying the dog, so discuss your testing procedure first with the vendor, and if he refuses to allow you to perform some portion of your test, walk away. He may be trying to hide a weakness in the dog. Never test a dog without first discussing what you will do with the vendor. He has money in this animal, and he may, in his opinion, think you will ruin the dog with your test. Don’t compromise your testing criteria. If you use the test in this chapter, you will be performing a fair and objective test on a green dog that has been used thousands of times before. It is a fair test (I am a vendor as well) and a test that will establish a high level of quality. Bring your testing equipment with you. If you do the gun-sureness test, have a gun or establish ahead of time that the vendor has a gun of the proper caliber, and has blanks for you to use. Vendors will conveniently lose their blank gun if they don’t want you to see the dog under gunfire, or they will

conveniently have lent their bite suit to a friend just before you have arrived to test the dog.9

The test I am going to describe is a test that has been around in some form or another for a long time. Keep in mind that I am interested in describing the patrol test here; however, I test every dog I buy for retrieve and hunting instincts before doing any defense or prey drive evaluations for apprehension work.

I will not go into much detail here with regard to the hunting and retrieving testing. In brief, I begin with a 1” by 12” long PVC pipe first, but I will further test on a Kong or hard rubber ball if the dog doesn’t react well to the PVC. Some agencies require the dog to retrieve and hunt a towel only (U.S. Customs for example). I want to see the dog retrieve and hunt multiple times and not lose interest or intensity. I look for a fast dog, with a fast pick up. I like dogs that will retrieve and hunt with eager intensity, and stay focused. It makes all areas of apprehension and protection training that much easier. Patrol dogs that are required to track and or trail should be rewarded with toys sometimes and not just bites. It is also especially important for sports like PSA and Ring, where

9_{Look for strange situations. For example: the vendor has an indoor training facility, and asks you to go}

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there are especially difficult retrieve exercises, though you may train a compulsive retrieve if the dog does not retrieve naturally.10

The Patrol Test

The patrol test begins with evaluating the dog’s demeanor as he comes into the testing area. It is preferable to choose a neutral testing area that is unfamiliar to the dog. Try to avoid doing all the testing on the dog’s home field. Remember you are testing his nerves in addition to testing his drives. We are looking for his pack sociability (how he relates to his handler including the bond in evidence, or possibly any negative attributes like hand shyness) and his public sociability (how he relates to you and anyone else unknown to the dog in the testing area). Is the dog is social or neutral, or worse, decidedly unsocial. If the dog is very civil, and that is something you value highly, he should be alert to the people around him but confident. There is a difference between a sharp dog and a fear biter – the difference being confidence. Once you are happy with the dog’s public sociability the dog is ready to be tested.

Defense Evaluation

The testing begins on the back tie. If it is a young dog in early adolescence, the dog can be held by the handler on leash. However, I prefer to see the dog work independently and as such I want the dog’s handler completely out of the picture.

We begin by testing the dog’s defensive instincts. From a hiding place, the decoy (dressed in street clothes, he may have a hidden sleeve on) comes out slowly and makes defensive contact with the dog by staring in his eyes and moving very slowly toward the dog, from a distance of about 30-50 feet. This is not training. We are evaluating how he deals with the stress of a confrontation with a stranger, without any hint that this will be fun or familiar. There should be no protection equipment in the testing area, and no warm up bites for the dog. No prey items at all should be in evidence.

The slow approach allows the dog time to think about what is happening, the posture of the decoy is to be threatening, forward, always engaged with his eyes on the dog, and the decoy must, in his mind, pretend he is going to hurt the dog when he gets close enough. You must watch the dog for his response. If he growls a low growl, and puffs air, that is a good start. But, you are looking for how the dog handles the stress of the approach, when his aggression doesn’t immediately scare off the threat.

There should be an aggressive and confident response. Look at the body language of the dog. You will likely see a mix of signals. Maybe some hackles up, snarling (short mouth), ears up or flat, tail up, out or slightly tucked. A dog in defense is posturing to look scary. Once he looks scary you then continue to apply the pressure. It is critical that you do not reward this with prey (quick movements, side to side or in and out) in any way, but keep pressing.

10_{For competition, I train compulsive retrieving anyway, no matter how much retrieve drive the dog has}

instinctively. There are too many points at stake to allow the dog’s motivation to decide if he will retrieve that day, having had no consequences for failing to retrieve in training.

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As you come further in, look for changes in behavior: does the tail tuck further, up ears flatten back, does the dog quit and look around as if looking for an escape? Does he back up or stay hard into the collar, his entire body coming forward? As you come forward match his reactions. Make your shoulders rise, bend forward more, lower your head and stare hard. Harden your facial expression into a human snarl. Look for how he deals with your aggression.

A dog in a defensive mood can do three things: He can fight, flee, or displace. In reality he can show a mixture of behaviors, as the pressure builds, maybe first trying to be aggressive to bluff you into retreating, and then choose displacement.11 He might choose to flee, and run away hard into the back tie line. What we are looking for is a dog that meets threat with threat, and comes forward into the collar with confident aggression.

When you are close enough to step into the circle described by the back tie line, you can swing the hidden sleeve in for a bite or make a movement as if you are delivering a grip, and see if he bites the hidden sleeve or he clacks his jaws at your arm passing just out of his reach. You want him to turn that frustration and defensive energy into biting. Aggression must be met with more aggression, for this dog to be capable to fight in a street situation. Granted, there will be much more training to come to develop his drives, but we want a solid aggressive response to work with. We don’t want the dog to think about a way out of the confrontation.12 If you use the hidden sleeve, work him hard and see how he deals with the fight after the confrontation. Look for weakness in the grip, and other signs that show he is not fully committed. Use lots of vocalizing, and sound real. After a short fight, weaken your fighting, and see if he wants to thrash you and punish you. Look for his confidence to rise.13

Prey Evaluation

If you are satisfied with his defensive reactions, now change gears and do a prey drive test. Go to a visible sleeve, or bite suit depending on the dog’s level of

development. Use a lot of movement, use a whip and stick to stimulate the dog with familiar noises. Do a couple of pass-by moves, and then deliver the grip. Now you are evaluating his behavior in the prey mood. Evaluate the quality of the grip. Look for any stress that remains from the earlier defensive encounter. The dog can become “stuck in defense,” and therefore unwilling to chase you around. If you didn’t give him a hidden sleeve bite after the defense test, he may not want to even bite the sleeve if the stress has caused him to be too concerned with the possibility of more threat to come, regardless of the decoy’s posture.

11_{Displacement occurs when a dog chooses an incongruous behavior in the context of the threat against}

him, such as suddenly sniffing the ground, or jumping up on the handler. Some behaviorists call these behaviors calming signals. The dog is looking for a way to halt your aggressive behavior. If he chooses to meet your threat with displacement, he is looking for a way out.

12_{Younger dogs, who may not have developed their defense drive, or who are genetically very high}

threshold in defense drive, may need to be tested in an unfamiliar place, on slick floors, in a quiet area in the dark. Put the needed pressure into the situation if your threat is met with confident indifference.

13_{This is a peek into how he will channel from defense into prey. We want him to go into some prey}

behaviors when he thinks he is beating you up. Thrashing, countering, feet on you, and other signs of prey-like confidence are ideal.

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The ideal response is a change in attitude from a defensive posture, to a more relaxed prey posture. The ideal posture should be forward, with maybe a change in the pitch of the bark to a higher pitch, or perhaps silent, but straining to get the prey. The classical prey postures include the dog pulling forward into the line, front feet off the ground. The dog’s ears will be forward, and if he barks, the dog will do so with a big wide open mouth. The pitch of the bark may be a little higher than when he is in a defensive mood. He may still carry a bit of the seriousness from the initial defensive confrontation, and that is fine, as long as you are getting the response you desire. We seek a confident picture, one of a dog that wants to follow your movement, and lunge to catch the sleeve on the pass-by misses.

Once on the sleeve, look at the grip. We want a nice full grip. On one of your pass-by bites, intentionally deliver a half grip to the dog, and see if he will counter in when you offer him the opportunity. We want to be sure he is confident to press forward into the grip when the opportunity presents itself. Test him with the stick over his head, petting him with it, and give a few hits to the line on the back tie, finishing with a hit on the side while on the grip. Look for any changes in the grip with the pressure.

Further we are looking to see if the dog targets the sleeve well, coming in the middle and not to the hands or elbow. Coming low to the hand can signal a lack of commitment to the grip, by coming to an area on the sleeve that is farthest away from the body of the helper. Further, basic sleeve targeting is not something you want to have to teach a good green dog. Finally, check him with the bite suit as well. Make sure he will engage the suit. If he has never been on the suit, start by offering him a prey bite on the back of the arm, and then offer him the inside front shoulder. For some dogs, this will cause them to avoid the grip altogether. Look to see how his grip changes, if at all, when biting in the front.14 The bite suit itself adds a lot of defensive stress to a prey encounter by virtue of the fact that the dog must come into the helper’s body much more than an outside forearm bite on a sleeve. This will tell you a lot about the dog’s nerves in general, and if he will look later to avoid more stressful encounters. Remember that we are not asking to see perfect targeting in the front inside shoulder, just a willingness to take the grip there, and be in the grip confidently. We will add more pressure to these inside bites later in training, but the dog should at a minimum be willing to take the grip there with at least a ¾ grip.

Courage Test

Once the evaluation is concluded in prey and defense, and you have tested his desire to bite the sleeve, the hidden sleeve, and the bite suit, you can do some tests of his desire to come in for a grip under environmental distractions. You can go back to sleeve bites here if you wish, or if the dog is strong take him in a prey position on the bite suit. This would be the outside of the forearm or the triceps area in the back of the suit. Good environmental distractions can include: a clatter stick barrage, a jug with rocks in it, or a

14_{You can also use a sleeve for this. Some of the Belgian made sleeves can be turned around so that the}

triceps protection is in front of the biceps and you can offer a grip and work the dog in the front. If the grip stays strong and committed, the dog is a good prospect. Many dogs will drop back into a defensive mood when offered a bite in the front. This can be worked through, but I prefer a dog that can take a prey bite in the front and not be shaken by the frontal position.

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hula-hoop with caution tape streamers. These are all good choices due to their unfamiliarity. Further, be sure to test the dog on slick surfaces, preferably in a large building. Large buildings that are open, like warehouses, are a much different test than seeing if the dog will work on a slick floor in a small house or clubhouse. The openness of the warehouse can be disorienting, and the echoes can unnerve weaker dogs. Test him also in a tight space or a dark room if you can. Test the dog going up open stairs.

Remember you are buying the dog. It is better to test thoroughly, than to have to come back and plead your case after you tested and bought the dog. The key question is this: will the dog’s drive carry him through any unfamiliarity.

Test the dog to his limits of his age and training, without throwing the dog into any kind of avoidance. If you see him avoid something, immediately help him. This goes for any portion of the test. But remember, if you push him into avoidance, you are not going to buy him, and you should help the vendor give the dog a positive training session at a minimum. Otherwise you may not be welcome back for another buying opportunity.

Once all these phases of the test are complete, you can make your determination as to whether the dog is suitable for your training program. In every dog there will be strengths and weaknesses. What you want to determine is that the weaknesses are minor and the strengths abundant. Accept only weaknesses you know that you can work through. Keep in mind most nerve issues are genetic in nature, unless the dog is simply young and inexperienced. For example, suppose the dog is biting nicely, did a nice defensive test, and you raise the jug of rocks over his head, and he pops off then comes right back on. You try again, applying a de-conditioning technique and the dog shows only moderate concern over the jug the second time, stressing a little but not coming off the grip. The third time, he pretty much works through it. That is a dog you can work with. He bounced back.

An Example: The Great Dog That Wasn’t

On one of my buying trips to Europe I was at a KNPV club in the south of Holland meeting with a well known police dog vendor to test some dogs. A man with two German shepherds drove up to show off his dogs. As I mentioned before, when I do a test for dual purpose or even patrol dogs, I like to look at the dog’s retrieving and hunting instinct first. In this case I needed a German shepherd for a narcotics detection dog. The dog came out fired up in drive. I threw the PVC pipe for him on the open field, and he blasted into it picking it up forcefully. Two more times I threw the PVC pipe into the bushes, and the dog quickly pursued, and hunted with his nose until he located it, giving some nice head turns, and showing a well developed hunting instinct.

I then tapped the pipe around on some objects lying about the field and hid the pipe in a large metal drum lying on its side, just at the mouth of the drum. The dog hunted and hunted and found the pipe. It seemed as though my next detection candidate was here. Then I asked to toss the pipe inside the KNPV clubhouse. This structure was brick building about 20’ wide and maybe 30’ deep, and inside is an open area with a little club bar, a few tables and chairs, and a restroom in the back. The floors were made of polished tile, and were pretty slick. I walked ahead of the dog into the clubhouse, and the man with the dog walked up to the threshold and the dog stopped dead in his tracks at the doorway.

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The dog refused to come over the threshold of the door into the building. The man tried at first to encourage the dog with his voice, and then I tried to draw his interest with the pipe he had been so energetically retrieving. The dog refused to take a step inside the room. The handler then pulled the dog on his flat collar to bring him inside, and now the dog started to scream as if he were being brought to slaughter! The man pulled him over the threshold, and the dog went flat on the ground, head down, and refused to move frightened to death of being inside.

I was dejected. But here is a good example of how testing the dog must be thorough. Outside he was a champion, but to try and move him inside changed the dog entirely. His drives would not overcome his fear of this unknown situation. I had to pass on the dog, but better I pass on the dog before I get him home and realize he wouldn’t work in a building.

I want to make a note here on man-orientation in green dogs. Over the years I have sold a lot of green dogs, and one of the complaints I here most often is that the dog is equipment oriented. In order to teach biting behavior, we use equipment. We have no choice. As a result, equipment orientation usually follows in high prey dogs. This is not a deficiency, but rather a by-product of the training progression in confident, high prey dogs. In a later chapter we will discuss how to eliminate this by-product before going on to teach the police dog his necessary skills. My advice is this: don’t pass on an otherwise good dog because he is equipment oriented.

Conclusions

Finally, you will have to make some conclusions for your training program. The ultimate goals of the test are to see the presence of as well as the intensity of the dog’s drives. You will look at the dog’s nerves, and how his drives carry the dog through the test. From this, you will determine which drive is the dog’s strongest drive. For the dog that is balanced, one that confidently and easily stimulates in either prey or defense, it won’t matter much if you start training with prey development or defensive development. But if the dog is clearly defensive, with weaker prey drive, you will begin the dog’s training in defense. If the dog is stronger in prey, you will begin in prey drive. In the coming chapters, we will discuss development of prey instincts, and the development of defensive instincts, and their interaction with one another. These are the basic building blocks of foundation work.

Conclusions of the Test:

• Presence & intensity of prey drive • Presence & intensity of defense drive • Relative intensity of prey & defense drives

• Nerves and how the dog reacts to and recovers from both environmental stress, and pressure from the decoy (courage test).

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If we identify the young dog’s dominant drive to be the defense drive, then we must first address the strength of that dog. Developing defense drive will be covered in chapter 4. I explained that in some dogs, where the defense drive dominates and there is a

relatively weak prey response, trying to do prey training will only teach the dog to work at a low level of intensity in prey. If the dog is in the majority of dogs tested, and exhibits a stronger prey response, then we must begin the dog’s development in prey first. In many cases, young dogs do not have a defense drive that is developed enough to work with. If these dogs show prey to be their dominant drive, then we will want to address this strength in our early training, and bring in defense work as the dog matures and this drive begins to show itself.