Well, it was posed to me by forum members that I should help the community by tapping my knowledge of training Military Working Dogs, Specialized Search Dogs, Law Enforcement Patrol Dogs, etc and writing about some methods to help you get your four legged child to be an effective member of your team. I suppose I could start with a bit of resume so you know I'm not some fraud trying to pretend I know what I'm talking about. I start here. I enlisted in the USAF in Dec 1998. I became a USAF security forces (MP equivalent) in 1999. In 2002 I was selected for Department of Defense K9 school. I went and graduated same year. After graduation, I spent 5 years on 3 dogs before transferring to a combat unit. Once there, I went to various schools and spent 2 years in Iraq supporting combat operations (4 years total in the Combat Unit). I came home to become a trainer and eventual kennel master. I spent 6 months in an SSD (Specialized Search Dog) school, and gave another year to training field ready off leash search dogs. I do not have a PhD in dog training...but I do have OVER a decade in effective combat and law enforcement dog training techniques used by the DoD and Law Enforcement Agencies. I absolutely can teach you the "real shit" and will answer ANY credibility questions you can come up with. I've been to combat...and used my dogs in combat. I can tell you that I am absolutely confident that I would NOT sell my peers here a line of BS. With that being said...
I thought this would be a very tough task indeed as there are hundreds of methods that one can use to make Fido into a machine. You MUST remember this as I write these articles. I am trying to take a systematic approach to this. We’ll start with the basics and work into a more advanced type of training regimen in later installments. So let’s begin with:
How do you communicate effectively with your dog?
Simple. Dogs have 4 primary needs that must be satisfied to keep the alive, trained, and happy. They are: Air (Oxygen), Food, Water, and Socialization…in that order. Air is obvious…without it, they die same as humans. Take away a dogs ability to breathe, and instantly they panic and fear death. A solid correction on a choke collar should almost trigger a fight or flight response. It’s an instinctual reaction to a lack of oxygen. Think of how you would behave if someone was choking you out…suddenly, you forget that you were hungry 10 seconds ago. But Smokin, why is food higher than water (on this list) to a dog? Well to an undomesticated dog, water is more abundant in nature than food. They can find it in puddles, gutters, lakes, ponds, etc. with minimal; or less effort than finding food. Food in the wild is a MUCH harder resource to come by for a dog. They have to track it, stalk it, catch it, kill it, and eat it. This behavior usually takes a pack to accomplish effectively. So naturally, the effort expended to catch and kill prey is much more than that of finding water. Coincidentally, this is why socialization is on this list. Without it, they could never form a pack, and hunting becomes infinitely harder. This helps us understand a dog’s motivation to learn. We often use treats, cookies (Milkbones, or similar treats) to reward our kids when they perform a task successfully. This is a second order effect of successful training behavior. The owner (you) is taught the limited basics from friends, experimenting with previous pets, family, internet, etc. Don’t worry, not many errors that are made here, can’t be undone. So lets get started.
All dog training revolves around reward schedules. There is a certain level of knowledge had by the teacher (you) that is needed for this to be effective. This is also dependent on what type of training you are using. There is compulsiion training, and inducive training. Compulsion training is what the military and law enforcement agencies predominantly use, as the consequences for the dogs mean MUCH more than when using inducive techniques (Disclaimer: this is subjective to the dog being trained. Some dogs favor compulsion vs. inducive and vice versa). There is: Positive Reinforcement, Negative Reinforcement, Negative Punishment, and Positive Punishment. By using a collar correction (choke/pinch collar) we are affecting their primary instincts of survivial rather than using inducive techniques. Compulsion in general takes far less time than inducively training your dog. This is also dependent on how good of a trainer you are. I personally prefer inducive techniques as I feel it makes the dog happier, and more eager to learn/please. Compulsion can break the spirit of weaker willed dogs, thus you must choose which is most effective for your dog.
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT: The application of praise or reward for doing a correct behavior
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT: The with-holding a collar correction for performing a task incorrectly
NEGATIVE PUNSHIMENT: The with-holding of praise or reward for performing a task incorrectly
POSITIVE PUNISHMENT: The application of a collar correction for performing a task incorrectly
Smokin, What is Praise?
Simply put, praise is when you get stupid happy for your dog. You show them that you’re super happy for them by jumping the octave of your voice as high as it will go before you lose it. For example…WOOOOO-HOOOO WHATA GOOD BOY!!!! Expressed like you’re a cheer-leader in high school. WOOOOOOOOOO!!!! LOOK AT THAT DOG!!!!! The most amazing, happy, sensation of vocal expression you can give your dog. Go as high as you can get…don’t be shy. Don’t feel awkward. Your dog deserves this level of enthusiasm…they’re trying as hard as they can for it. Praise can also be a combination of verbal and physical praise. Crying with joy as mentioned, paired with vigorous petting on the head/torso is effective in letting the dog know that they are succeeding in the desired task. Rewards are also given as praise. Dog treats, petting, a chew toy, high octave of voice are all examples of effective praise. I can’t emphasize how IMPORTANT effective praise is! Think of yourself as working hard at your job and never getting a pay check. Wouldn’t that piss you off? Dogs are no different. If you don’t praise them effectively, they will lose focus and not want to learn from you.
PRAISE IS CRUCIAL! (If you can't praise effectively, you might as well stop here as you will not be successful in your endeavor)
What is a collar correction?
Most people don’t have the heart for compulsion. The thought of correcting their beautiful puppy on a choke chain makes them cringe. Fear not. Collar corrections solidify your place as the pack “alpha”. This has to happen. Without an effective collar correction, the dog will not understand that you are above them in the pack order, and resistance will occur constantly. This is a must when training attack dogs. If they don't fear you by way of correction, they damn sure won't fear the prey/victim (or have issues viewing you as the prey). This behavior will add time to your training, and make it more difficult. You (yes, YOU!) MUST be able to “pop the dog a good one.” Did you ever spank a child that was out of line? Did you ever yell at your child when they brought home an F on their report card? If you did, then you possess the required skill to correct your dog effectively. A choke chain, pinch collar, or E-collar is needed to get the point across to your dog. (Please CONTACT ME before you use an E-COLLAR!!!!!! These can be EXTREMELY DETRIMENTAL in the wrong hands). With this being said…timing of said corrections is of UTMOST IMPORTANCE!
Whoa, wait a minute Smokin…why is timing important?
Timing is one of the (if not the MOST IMPORTANT PART of) parts of training. It lets you know when you’re succeeding or failing in your endeavor. The problem with timing, is that it’s a skillset learned with practice, trial and error. The reason timing is so important is because when the dog does or does not complete the desired task, the correction MUST BE INSTANT for the dog to correlate the correction or reward to THEIR action. The dog MUST know, by judicious (and effective, meaning correctly timed) use of your corrections and rewards, if they are succeeding or failing at the task that you are teaching them.
Have I peaked your interest? Should I keep going?