Now this is a MASTER TRAINER!!!!

The Pinch Collar (NEW ARTICLE)

By Tyler Clarke IPWDA Master Trainer

With our latest Certification rule change concerning the use of “Pinch” or “Prong” collars some concerns regarding how and why the collar is used have come to my attention. During a recent conversation the “Prong” collar was mentioned in what I felt was a negative manner. The comment was, “The dog was supposed to be a service dog, but I could tell it was not because it was out of control and wearing a prong collar”. I asked the person how the dog was out of control and the response was “Because it has to wear a prong collar”.

This is a very common misconception that people have regarding the “Prong” or “Pinch” collars. These collars were initially designed as a safe alternative to the traditional “Choke Chain”. They were designed to distribute the correction equally around the canine’s neck via small prongs that rest directly against the neck. This design came about do to concerns regarding the frontal pressure that a choke chain can place on the canine’s neck. When a choke chain is not fitted correctly and the correction is not applied correctly the chain can cause damage to the dog’s trachea. The prongs lift the collar off of the dog’s neck and the pressure is divided amongst the numerous points around the neck instead of one continuous flat contact across the front of the neck.

These collars were specifically designed to protect the dogs, not harm them. In fact, in most cases the “prong” collar comes with small rubber covers that are molded onto the ends of the “Prongs”. Many people take these rubber covers off fearing that they interfere with the proper correction, when in fact they are placed there in order to protect the dog’s skin from the metal ends of the prong.

The negative perception of these collars is generally due to the improper utilization of them. In many cases handlers see these collars as a pain compliance device. Because they have long sharp prongs they must have been designed to cause pain, therefore they are used to control a hard dog that a traditional choke chain would have no effect on. In a cruel way this may be true, but training through pure pain compliance does not work in the long run and a strong hard dog can and will learn to work through this pain. This could then lead to injury to the dog as well as continued frustration for the handler.

In some cases trainers and handlers have taken the prong collar to the extreme, sharpening the collar and placing it loosely on the neck of the dog so that when the correction is applied the prongs stab into the dog’s neck increasing the pain level. This is just cruel and inexcusable.

As responsible trainers and handler we can do a lot in the way of education and training to improve the image of the “Prong” or “Pinch” collar. First of all use it the way it was intended, if the collar comes with the rubber caps do not remove them. When sizing the collar for the dog make sure that it fits snuggly around the dogs neck with all of the prongs making light contact with the canines neck, not too loose, but not so tight that it pushes into the skin of the canine. If the adjustment cannot fall into one of these two categories then error on the side of caution and allow the collar to be slightly loose. If the collar is too tight it can cause irritation and possible injury to the skin of the dog.

When it comes to the actual correction application you should use less strength and more technique. A correction whether it is on a traditional choke chain or a prong/pinch collar should only be a light reminder to the dog of what is required of him. The days of giving the dog a “Helicopter ride” should be gone. The dog’s neck, though it is a strong muscular area, is also loaded with nerves, veins, and vessels that can be easily damaged. Short, quick, repeated snaps of the collar are usually the most that is needed to correct the canine. Training through pain compliance is only a short term, quick fix that eventually will fail you.

Training a good canine partner takes time and patience. Take the time to train your partner the right way, through repetition and praise. Work hard and stay away from the quick fixes, praise, praise, praise your partner. Remember that there are many ways to train and the method referred to in this article is only one of them. Always keep an open mind when training, if you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me at whtwlfk9@woodlandvillage.net .

Above all, stay safe, train hard and every day look in the mirror and tell yourself “Today could be the day” then ask yourself “Am I ready”.
 

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Chemical Exposure Training

By Tyler Clarke Master Trainer IPWDA

Using your canine in a chemical environment such as CN/CS/OC without first training in this environment is a recipe for disaster. As handlers and trainers we all are told in our initial training “If you have not trained in an environment or techniques don’t try it for the first time on the street”. But over time we forget this important message.

Case in point, a suspect barricades himself in a residence; the tactical team is called in. Gas is deployed into the residence and there is no response. Someone calls for K-9 and the handler arrives on scene. The handler is immediately swarmed by ranking officers asking and or telling him/her to use their dog to search inside the residence. The handler having not trained in this environment might tell the supervisor on scene that they have not been trained or are not ready to deploy in this situation. More often than not the handler does not make this clear to the supervisor or is pressured into deploying the canine. When the dog does not perform up to the expectations of the tactical team, officers on scene, handler, or supervision the dog is blamed. A failure in this type of situation could be disastrous.

Therefore once your canine team is proficient in its basic normal duties then it is time to expose them to a gas environment. This can be accomplished in a relatively short period of time.

The first thing to remember is to make the training positive.

Make it fun for the team. This is something new to the dog and may at first be a little stressful.

The canine first needs to be exposed to the handler and others around them wearing gas masks. I begin this training with group obedience in an open field area. Get the dogs accustom to hearing your voice through the mask. While at the nationals I noticed one dog in particular was bothered not by the handler wearing the mask but by the mask bag that the handler wore on his left hip. This bag continually struck the dog in the head while heeling and caused the canine to bite at the bag as obedience continued. This proved to me that even the smallest change from the norm can trigger an adverse reaction from a canine.

After the dogs have been exposed to the mask during obedience it is time to expose them to the next level. During this training I use smoke to simulate the cloudy gas environment. Once again outside on the obedience field I deploy a canister of white smoke. Again it is important that the canines are calm around gunfire as the popping of the smoke canister may start the dogs barking and could be a distraction. I deploy the smoke in the middle of the field and the handlers will heel their canines around the wall of smoke several times. This exposure will show the canine that the smoke will not hurt them, the wall that they perceive because of the thickness of the smoke will distract them at first but with the handlers encouragement they will work through it in a positive manner. Slowly and based on your canines response to the smoke you can move closer to the smoke eventually walking through the center of the cloud. It is normal for your canine to be distracted by the smoke or appear to be cautious around it. Remember it is important to praise your canine as you move around and through the smoke. Your encouragement and praise will assist the canine in overcoming the anxiety he/she may be feeling.

During this portion of the training remember that the smoke canister is an explosive device that disperses a great deal of heat while burning. Place the smoke on a non flammable surface and do not allow the canine to com in contact with it in any fashion. If the canister is thrown make sure that all canines are on lead and they do not attempt to retrieve it. This would surely end the training session, possibly permanently.

Once the canines have been exposed to the white smoke it is time to bring in the CN or CS that you department will be using. You should again expose them in the same manner that you exposed the canine to white smoke. In an outside area, with your mask on, begin heeling your canine from the parameter areas inward to the source of the gas. Again stay away from the canister. Once the canine has been exposed to this you can now move into a closed environment.

You need to have a suitable building small enough to contaminate with gas yet large enough to make a building search challenging. I begin this portion of the training by briefing my decoy who will be wearing a gas mask as well. His instructions are simple; he will begin outside the building in sight of the canine team. On my signal he agitates the canine building up the dogs prey drive. Then the decoy disappears inside the building leaving the door open. The decoy should remain close to the door on the first deployment so he can encourage the dog into the room if the dog hesitates.

Prior to beginning the training the CN/CS gas canister is set off inside the building. Do not use smoke inside the building as it will remove the oxygen from the room or rooms and this can be hazardous to the decoy and dog team. Allow the gas to build up in the rooms before deploying the canine. Once the gas has built up, the decoy emerges from the building, agitates the dog then runs back into the building. Once out of sight the handler releases the dog to chase the decoy into the building. Should the canine hesitate at the doorway the decoy should be in view to encourage the canine to pursue and bite him. If there is no hesitation the team can repeat the exercise without the decoy being visible and hidden deeper in the contaminated building. If there is hesitation repeat the exercise several times allowing the canine to see the decoy prior to releasing the canine to build up the dog’s drive to pursue the man into the building.

Remember that this is only a basic exposure to the chemical environment. Once exposed the canine should work with little difficulty in this environment. The team should continuously train with gas masks and simulated gas scenarios but it is not necessary to continually expose the dog to CN/CS as it may have adverse effects on the canine’s olfactory system.

Remember that there are many ways to train a canine; the outline of training above is by no means the only way to expose your canine to a chemical environment. Add this training method to your tool box, use part of it, use all of it, but the bottom line is keep your training realistic and specific to the needs of your unit and department.

“If you have not tried it in training or your canine team has not been exposed to it, don’t attempt it during a real situation, if something can go wrong, it will.”

Stay safe and train hard.

 

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How should your dog live when off the job? Housing considerations for your partner (part 1)

By Sgt. Mark Mathis. IPWDA Trainer. Grand Rapids, MI PD.


Introduction
A good chunk of your service dog’s existence will be spent at your home. How the dog interacts and is housed at home does have an impact on the rest of his life. Wise handlers carefully consider how their dog will interact at home. This article is written from the perspective of what you should consider when getting a new dog – but even experienced handlers should consider the issues raised.
Home life for your dog can either positively or negatively impact his work life. You should consider those impacts as you make decisions on what to do at home.

Outside or inside?
Where the dog is housed is the biggest dilemma a new handler faces. There are certainly divergent opinions in the police service dog field about which way is best. If done correctly either can work. There are very successful service dogs that live inside, and very successful service dogs that live outside.
At the Grand Rapids Police Department we require that the dog’s typical housing is inside the home. The reasons why we require the dogs stay inside are:
A large scale sample of all California dog handlers by Hart, Zasloff, Bryson, and Christensen (1995) provided the best survey of dog housing situations and their end results. They compared several variables to the dog’s sleeping arrangements. What they found was:
    Handlers whose dogs slept inside the home spent more off duty training time with their dogs.
    Handlers whose dogs slept inside the home had greater job satisfaction.
    Handlers whose dogs slept inside the home described their dogs as calmer and were more likely to see their dog as a family member.
    Handlers whose dogs slept outside the home more frequently reported job dissatisfaction.
    Handlers whose dogs slept outside the home had a greater expectation of leaving the canine assignment when their dog retired.
    Most of the variables intensified depending on how close the dog slept to the handler. I.E. Teams where dogs slept in their handlers bedrooms scored better than Teams where the dogs slept outside of the bedroom.

Dogs that live inside the home have frequent social interaction, which pays dividends in the field. We desire a social dog, and forcing the dog to interact with multiple family members (and kids) certainly helps.
Dogs are social animals and desire to interact with a pack (family). Dogs have more opportunity to bond with the handler.
Indoor dogs stay cleaner. In general, a dog that stays in the kennel is brushed and bathed less. Our dogs interact with the public several thousand times a year (30,000 demo contacts in the past five years), and I want people petting clean dogs!
Dogs are exposed to stairs, vacuums, shiny floors, yelling children, garbage, etc. They must be comfortable around household distractions to effectively work on the street.
There is the risk of “out of sight, out of mind” if the dog stays outside. A kennel dog has less interaction with the handler and with people. Problem behavior inside the home must be dealt with and corrected by the hander, problem behavior in the kennel can be ignored.

This does not mean that inside housing does not have its own challenges. It requires more work, and is more difficult. Done incorrectly it can cause problems at work.


Kennel construction
While the general housing for GRPD dogs is inside, we provide a kennel for each handler. A kennel outside of the home certainly has its place, and can be used for even an inside dog. The reasons why we use a kennel at times are:
The dogs we get come from a kennel environment, and need to be introduced into the household in a controlled manner. At the start of training our dogs are in the kennel all the time, and are gradually introduced into the household over several weeks.
Provides a safe and secure place for the dog when the handler’s attention must be elsewhere.
Provides a place for the dog when there is “activity overload.” I used to have a Malinois that was fanatical about kids playing in the pool. He’d pace along the edge trying to bite any toy that came near, and he’d want to chase after running and screaming children. At best he was an annoyance around the pool, at worse he was a possible safety problem. Whenever we had groups over to use the pool the dog went in his kennel.
Provides a quiet place to rest if needed. Some of our dogs live in busy households. The dogs can always be placed in their kennel to guarantee some quiet time and sleep.
Provides a place to deprive social interaction for specific reasons. Dogs have a desire for social interaction. In rare cases when we see a decrease in drive at work, one potential way to bring drive back up is to deprive the dog of some social interaction. In these cases we may have the handler place the dog in the kennel for 4-8 hours before work.
Provides a place for the dog to go the time he comes home from work after an inevitable encounter with a skunk.

Answering the critics of indoor housing
Housing police dogs inside has its critics in the PSD field. Some of the issues raised are valid.
First, housing a dog inside is more difficult. There is the potential for many more problems. House training accidents, chewed furniture, bit kids, and unwanted learned behavior are all real risks of bringing the dog inside. A police dog that is allowed to “run wild” in the home without structure will certainly develop problems. If I had to choose between kenneling the dog outside or placing the dog inside an unstructured environment I’d opt for kenneling outside. A dog should only be housed inside if the handler is willing to put forth the proper effort.
I’ve also heard several times that an indoor police dog may get so comfortable that they’d rather stay home in a warm bed than go out and track during the winter. Frankly, I wouldn’t want a dog with that kind of drive. That certainly has not been our experience.
What we’ve found is that a strong bond developed at home will make the dog work harder to please the handler. Watch a dog that has been passed around handlers, or one with an aloof handler, and you’ll see a magnified example of this point.
In our experience we have not found the “comfort factor” to be an issue that decreases drive. Too much of anything can cause a decrease in drive. A handler that allows his dog to have a ball all the time may see a negative impact on ball drive. Dealing with either issue, too much ball or too much interaction, is relatively simple. An observed dip in ball drive can be dealt with by putting up the ball. An observed dip in drive to interact with/please the handler can be dealt with by depriving social interaction.

Next time — Unique Indoor/Outdoor Housing Challenges
The second installment of the article, in the Spring 2006 IPWDA Journal will focus on unique challenges that handlers face when introducing a high drive kennel dog, with varying degrees of sociability into their homes. Specific training advice and protocols will be discussed. Unique challenges of outdoor kennel dogs will also be discussed.

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How should your dog live when off the job? Housing considerations for your partner (part 2)

By Sgt. Mark Mathis. IPWDA Trainer. Grand Rapids, MI PD.


Unique Indoor Dog Challenges
The remainder of the article will focus on unique challenges that handlers face when introducing a high drive kennel dog, with varying degrees of sociability, into their homes. The advice is general advice. All training methods don’t work for all dogs, and there are other ways to accomplish the tasks in question. If in doubt seek the help of a qualified trainer!

Unique indoor challenges – housetraining
A dog coming from a foreign kennel won’t be housebroken. Housebreaking the dog is little different than working with a new puppy and can be accomplished in short order. Successful housebreaking is all about timing.
First figure out when your dog will need to go to the bathroom. After waking, eating, and when just getting out of the crate are all excellent times to anticipate needed bathroom activity. After one of these events take your dog to the specific spot in your yard that you want him to go. Use a command such as “take a break” and wait for the desired results. Give the command again while he’s doing his duty to build the association. Heap on the praise!
(You can train the dog to go in a specific area in your yard instead of all over. Some effort to achieve this early on will make your life much easier for years. The only extra effort that is needed is to take/direct your dog to the designated area during this early stage of housebreaking.)
In addition to timing these outdoor bathroom events, you need to be ready for the accident or scent marking event inside of your home. Do not allow your dog to wander the home unsupervised before you have finished housebreaking. Your dog will inevitably make a mistake in front of you, and you need to be ready to spring into action. A stern “no” with an immediate forceful trip outside is in order. If your dog finishes up outside it’s time for forgiveness, and that mountain of praise.
You must be attentive during this early phase, and catch mistakes as they happen. You can’t catch them after they happen and punish the dog, since the dog does not have the mental capacity to link the behavior and punishment. If you catch a couple mistakes in a row your job of housetraining is mostly complete.
A brief note about the kennel. Your dog will probably relieve themselves in their kennel. Initially during housetraining it is often advantageous to keep the dog in a crate or the rear of a police car at times. In the confines of a crate, and usually in the back of a police car, the dog will not go to the bathroom. Use these smaller confines to your advantage, but your dog shouldn’t be spending hours on end in them. It is also imperative that you consider heat, sun, etc. when confining your dog. Place the dog somewhere will he will not go to the bathroom for a few hours and then run him out to the designated yard spot for a successful training event!
Unique indoor challenges – introducing to children
Introducing the dog to children requires care and caution. You probably won’t have any idea if the dog has spent time around other children. You should not work on introducing the dog to your kids until you can confidently read your dog’s body signals. You should also have a very good handle on your dogs control work. Generally, introducing your dog to your kids is a hassle you shouldn’t have to deal with for the first couple of weeks.
When it comes time to make the introduction you should have another adult present, as your attention should be focused on the dog. Your kids should also be briefed on what is expected of them. I’d first note the dog’s behavior when children are seen. Is the behavior curiosity, aggression, or something else? If there is any doubt about what the dog is going to do you can always do your initial introduction in a muzzle.
The dog should be allowed to naturally approach the child. Small children should be held by another adult and already present when the dog is introduced into the environment. Be careful not to increase the dog’s drive by pulling against the dog as they are making their approach. It is safer to allow the dog to approach when they decide instead of forcing the interaction.
Generally this introduction goes smoothly. Just read your dog’s signals, have a handle on control work, use a muzzle if you have doubts, and let the kids know what is expected. If in doubt seek help from an expert. After the initial introduction the interactions between the dog and children should continue to be supervised.

Unique indoor challenges – introducing to other dogs in the home
You should already have an idea of your new dog’s level of dog aggressiveness. If you believe that your dog has a very high level of dog aggressiveness don’t complicate your initial phases of training by taking on this issue also.
If initial signs are positive you can give the introduction a shot. Generally dogs of opposite sexes will be OK together. Generally, a non-aggressive house dog breed (i.e. Golden Retriever, etc.) is of much less concern than breeds with a history of fighting or attack work (i.e. Pit Bull, etc.).
Introductions to other dogs in the home should be done on neutral ground to avoid territorial conflicts. You should handle your police dog, while another competent person handles your housedog. Muzzles can be used if you have any doubt. Both dogs should remain on long lines during the introduction. Toys, or other items that may cause a fight, should not be present.
The dogs should be allowed to see each other and be in the same general area before they are permitted to approach each other. Some will have them meet on opposite sides of a neutral fence. Make sure that you take some mental notes on your dog’s physical cues before the dogs make their final approach. Be ready for swift verbal correction and good line handling at the first signs of aggression.
If it appears that the dogs are not going to get along you’ll need to increase their tolerance for each other with a carefully thought out training protocol. Break down the introduction into as many steps as possible (start with down stays from 40 yards as the other dog is heeled by, etc). If it looks like there is going to be problems you will need to carefully plan the dogs interaction and housing.
If you establish your role as the household’s alpha dog you will be able to have your dogs at least tolerate each other, in all but the rarest cases.

Unique challenges – indoor rules
House rules for dogs should not have exceptions. Make sure your entire family understands the rules and make sure your dog abides by them (sample rules from my home):
Stay off of the furniture.
No people food. Food and water should be kept in one place.
No begging, dog lays down at meal times.
Dog does not stay in the house unattended. Kennel or crate the dog when leaving home.
Dogs play with each other outside.
No jumping on people.
Dog sits before being fed and before being let out.
Dog tolerates feet being wiped before coming back into the home (seasonal)
Limited play in the home (see below).



Unique indoor challenges – too much play
Any behavior reinforcer can be overused to the point that it has less effect on behavior. The technical term is “sated” – the dog can see the particular reward so much that they don’t have as strong a desire to obtain the reward. If your dog is in the home with you all the time you must be aware of this risk. Some dogs never get sated with play (hyper Malinois for instance), while others can eventually tire of it.
Two of the largest rewards for your dog are playing with their favorite toy (ball, tug, etc) and praise. Allow your dog frequent access to toys and you will see a decrease in drive for them. Improperly time praise, or use “chattery” praise that isn’t tied to behavior, and you will also have unwanted results on work performance. Praise should be properly timed and used.
If your dog is a “chewer” having one home toy (Kong type) is acceptable, but they should not be allowed constant access to their work reward. It’s OK to play some with the dog at home. However, play at home should not be constant and you should carefully watch for a decrease in desire. Vigilant handlers can quickly correct problems in these areas.

Unique outdoor housing challenges
The biggest challenge of outdoor housing is “out of sight, out of mind.” There are 168 hours in a week, and you work about 40. If the dog is kenneled that potentially puts them away from the handler 128 hours a week. There must be a significant effort to spend “quality” time with the dog daily. I’d recommend 30-60 minutes of training on days off, and 30-60 extra minutes of socialization daily.
Handlers with kennel dogs also need to make an effort to keep them clean, and provide varied social interaction. The dogs need exposure to home based distractions, even if they are kept outside. Just like an indoor dog, you shouldn’t leave the dog’s work toy in the kennel with them.
It is possible to have a kennel dog that is social, has a great bond with the handler, handles household distractions, is clean, and works well on the street. None of it occurs by accident, or in a forty-hour work week.

Conclusion
Handlers should carefully plan the home lives of their service dogs. Done correctly, the planned home life can pay benefits at work. Done incorrectly, home life can negatively impact work performance.
Generally, living in the home with the handler has the largest upside. However, without properly addressing many difficult issues living in the home also has the biggest downside.
Handlers should think about the issue, and actively manage their dog’s off duty hours.
 

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                   Smoking around your dog. What the research and experts have to say.

(*From Fall 2004 IPWDA Journal*)

By Sgt. Mark Mathis. IPWDA Trainer. Grand Rapids, MI PD.


Introduction

    Smoking is a personal choice that everyone is free to decide for himself or herself. Those that smoke are aware of the risks, and make the decision to smoke freely. But what about smoking around your dog? Does it have an impact? We’ll look at the applicable research, tell you what the experts have to say, and explain some things that you may want to consider.

The research regarding dogs

    The research about the impact of cigarette smoke to humans is overwhelmingly clear. The body of research concerning pets is not nearly as large. John Reif with the Colorado State University Veterinarian hospital conducted two studies about the impact of second hand smoke on dogs. The dogs exposed to second hand smoke in their homes were significantly more likely to develop some types of cancers, and long nosed breeds like German Shepherds had even more problems than other breeds.
    Additional research by CSU showed that the effects of second hand smoke were long lasting. Measurable levels of carcinogens could be found in dog’s hair and urine for months after exposure.
    Reif concluded, “People who choose to smoke should do so away from pets, outdoors.”
I was unable to find any specific research that discussed the effect of second hand smoke on a dog’s olfactory ability.

The research regarding humans

    There is research that shows that human’s olfactory ability is reduced by smoking. (Gilbert, A. and Wysocki, C. 1987. The smell survey results. National Geographic. Oct. 514-525)(Lord, T. and Kasprzak, M. 1989. Identification of smell through olfaction. Perceptual and Motor Skills.69(1): 219-224).
    It can be reasonably concluded that if human’s ability to smell is reduced by exposure to smoking that second hand smoke exposure may have an impact on our canine friends.

Expert opinion in the PSD field

    The experts that we polled were all of the opinion that smoking around your dog most likely would have a negative impact. Most take steps to minimize the amount of smoke that their own dogs are around.

    Master Trainer Richard McQueary said it would appear that, “smoking has the same effect on dogs as it does on humans, only magnified.”

    Several departments do not allow smoking in any of their vehicles, which eliminates many of the problems. Some departments, including Grand Rapids, will remove a candidate from consideration for a Canine Handler position if they smoke inside of their home or vehicle.

    If you do smoke there are some things that you can do to minimize the impact to your dog. Master Trainer Mike Johnson recommends not smoking in the home, kennel area, or canine patrol car to greatly reduce second hand smoke concerns. Master Trainer Bob Compton says that the dog should always have plenty of fresh air available.

Leading Researcher Comments on the Issue

    John Reif of Colorado State conducted the two major studies cited earlier about the effects of secondhand smoke on dogs. He was kind enough to take a few minutes to speak with the IPWDA Journal about the issue.
    Reif said that his studies showed an increase in cancers among canines exposed to second hand smoke. His research showed the elevated levels in residential dogs, and he surmises that the working dogs would be more at risk because of all the extra time they spend in close proximity to the handler.
    Reif did not know of specific research that demonstrated the reduced olfaction ability of dogs exposed to second hand smoke (no known studies of the issue). However, he would also predict that it would be negatively effected based upon studies done with humans.
    Reif did cite his unpublished research that shows that dogs are absorbing the dangerous chemicals in their owners second hand smoke. Cotinine is a metabolite of nicotine and has been used in humans as a “marker” to show exposure. In his study dogs exposed to cotinine excreted large amounts of cotinine in their urine. This shows that the chemicals from smoke were being absorbed into the dogs bloodstream.
    Reif urged, “While I recognize that many handlers may choose to continue to smoke, I would urge that they not do so when in the company of their canine partner.”

What should you do?

    If you enjoy smoking this article certainly isn’t an attempt to get you to quit. However, you should attempt to minimize the impact it has on your dog. Your dog can potentially get exposed to a lot of smoke in your home, or while riding around with you during your shift. If you must smoke in the car, keep your windows open to provide lots of fresh air for your dog. Better yet smoke outside, while your dog does article searches and obedience. If every time you burn a cigarette you do some training outside, smoking just may make your dog even better!
 

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Down Time Training Ideas

(*From Spring 2006 IPWDA Journal*)

By Sgt. Mark Mathis. IPWDA Trainer. Grand Rapids, MI PD.



Training time. It’s a precious commodity that handlers need to improve their dogs. I know that many handlers are long on problems, and short on department allotted training time. Many handlers are also in a bind to find training partners at a moment’s notice.

The challenge is to figure out productive training handlers can do by themselves in a matter of minutes. I attempt to get my dog out of the car every hour or two for a brief training period. The ideas for these training periods are really only limited by your imagination.

I’ll outline ten ideas for these brief sessions. I’ll give you the basics of the task, what it accomplishes, and the problems that it prevents or address. Keep in mind that these are simply “enhancers” – you still need regular training time.

Obedience. I get my dog out of the car each work day and run through an obedience routine. Change up the obedience tasks daily. One day work on heeling, the next work on a long down stay, the next do positional obedience, etc. Obedience is the building block of many tasks, and without it problems will crop up in all aspects of control work.

“Running out of the car routine”. Find a conducive area without others around. Speed your car up, come to a quick stop, and run out of your car yelling commands. Early on the tendency of your dog will be to follow you. Successive approximation to build up to competency may be needed. Work up to running out of view and your dog staying in the car. Sometimes run out and call your dog to you, have your dog perform an obedience command and reward him. This is excellent street related control work and teaches the dog to listen for your command. It helps the dog in false starts, to focus on the handler, and to remain attentive in the car.

Article searches. As you drive around you’ll see plenty of people that would like to meet your dog. Feel free to stop and say hi. When you find an interested party have them toss an article into a yard and show them how your dog works. School age kids are almost always willing participants. Not only is this great training, it’s great community relations. Also, how many of you have trained on articles that were 1-5 hours old? Toss some stuff out early in your shift and come back hours later for a search.

Exposure to surfaces. Many dogs are a little hesitant about slick surfaces, stairs that you can see through (decks, fire escapes, etc), etc. Have your dog get comfortable on all kinds of surfaces on your down time. If your dog is having problems provide him some time to simply be on and explore these surfaces without playing ball or asking him to perform a task. Eat your lunch in the middle of an expanse of slick floor and let your dog wander the room.

Track a pedestrian you just watched. Watch a pedestrian’s walking path. Get your dog out a few minutes later and have him run the track path. Reward him yourself by tossing his ball past him at a well timed place in the track.

Bark command and quiet command. Some dogs are too quiet, some are too vocal. It helps to get them both on command. The first step to a quiet command is having your dog understand the bark command. After you have taught the pair of commands reinforce them with exercises. Go to a park and play ball, requiring a bark and/or quiet before the ball is tossed.

False starts and recalls while playing ball. Let your dog burn off some steam by playing ball. Mix in some false starts and recalls during your play.

Desensitizing the muzzle. Having a dog that is comfortable in a muzzle opens up all kinds of training opportunities to a handler. The problem frequently is that the dog has limited exposure to a muzzle, or only has one on for aggression work. Muzzles can be worn for periods in the car, while at headquarters, during obedience, etc. Wearing a muzzle for an hour a week will pay huge training dividends later.

Package searches. Package searches have all kinds of street applications, and pay great dividends. Its also an area that many seem to neglect in their training. You can easily obtain some shipping boxes from the post office or shipping companies. Throw a hide into one and toss them out in a parking lot, your headquarters, or anywhere you are at. Work on search technique, proper indications, proofing off of plastic, etc. It’s very similar to early box work, and is a great way to correct little problems.

“All things run through the handler” tasks. Your dog has many environmental things that he wants to do throughout the day – eat, go out, play, etc. A smart handler teaches his dog that access to things the dog wants runs directly through the handler. Prior to allowing your dog something it wants require that the dog perform something for you. (Want to go out? Sit and bark on command.) (Want to eat? Perform a one minute down stay). This is really very basic control work – but every day your dog has many needs that he looks to you to meet. You can use these as training opportunities to establish a foundation in control work. Requiring the performance of a task really sets the foundation that environmental rewards and needs are met by paying attention to the handler.

Every task listed above can be accomplished by any handler, on any shift, on any day, without any help. All the above training ideas are helpful for street applications, and many will reduce problems that handlers may be having. This certainly isn’t an exclusive list of what a handler can do during their down time – its simply a few ideas to get you thinking about the things that you can do.

If you have some other tips or brief training ideas please send them my way at ipwda@yahoo.com. I’ll try and do a follow up with some additional training ideas from around the police dog world if more ideas are submitted. The worst ideas are those that are not Shared!
 

                                                       
*The IPWDA Journal retains interest in all material published in the IPWDA Journal. Authors of submitted material published in whole also retain rights. The material may not be reproduced in whole or part without express written permission, except as outlined below.

All articles contained in the IPWDA Journal are authored by Mark Mathis, unless otherwise noted. Submitted material may be edited for ease of reading or space requirements. Material may not always reflect the opinions of IPWDA.

The IPWDA Journal, and material contained herein, may be used in whole or part by law enforcement agencies or correctional institutions, within the following expressed limits. The use must be for training, staff development, or establishing policy. Any other use requires a written waiver. Use may not be for commercial publishing or for profit.

Material published in the IPWDA Journal shall be used at the readers own risk. Dog training, use, and law enforcement incident response are all dangerous undertakings. Training, use, and application can not be made risk-free. There may be strong disagreement between experts on some of the included material. Readers should carefully consider the material prior to implementation. The advice and oversight of a professional trainer and competent legal counsel are strongly encouraged by the IPWDA Journal.

Information contained shall in no way be used to infer that a law enforcement agency, correctional institution, or canine handler involved in litigation performed in error or failed to exercise proper diligence or care. Often the information contained may not be an “industry standard” practice, and there are numerous legally acceptable ways to perform the task in question. The journal is filled with forward thinking ideas regarding canine training, use, and application — it is not written from the perspective of the very broad discretion that case law and statutes give to agencies and handlers.

All material © 2006 by the IPWDA Journal.
 

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