Many parents question whether an Austim Assistance Dog would benefit their child and family. Our answer to that, is that it depends on the situation! It’s the old saying of “If you meet a child with autism, then you have met one child with autism” and that is basically why we take each application on a case by case basis.

Many parents that have a child that have just been diagnosed with autism should not just run out and purchase a service dog for their child. Talk with your physician, because there are many changes that are getting ready to happen in your life and the life of your child, so this would not be the best time to introduce a new responsibilty in your life. Your physicians and/or therapists will let you know when you are ready to take this step for your child and your family.

If your child has not been around animals or possibly has a fear to animals or new things. Then I would suggest horse therapy, zoo visits, and to go on short visits where they can meet both large and small dogs. Your child is always welcome to visit our facility and meet all the dogs, cats, sheep, goats, and horses! Please keep in mind the responsiblity of purchasing an autism dog, however these responsibility can help your child grow and cross those bridges into communication and social behaviors. For example we had a child that we trained a dog for that, when going out on errrands, shopping, or visits; you could only stop at two places, three if he was having a great day. One of those places had to be the pet store or the toy store or the result would be severe meltdowns. We personally delivered the dog to the family and worked with them and the child for about five days. On day three we attempted the shopping spree. The child was able to heel the dog around town on his own, and before we knew whe had visited 4 stores, a farmers market around the block and then sat down to eat dinner, without a peep from the child. He was so content with having the responisibilty of the dog he forgot about his normal must have routines, and an added bonus wsa that he wasn’t clinging to mom all day!

Once you and your doctors/therapist decide that an autism assistance dog is the next step for your family then you are ready to fill out an application, we ask you to be as detailed as possible including a doctors presciption so that we can pick the best dog for your family. Once your application is excepted, then we scout for the perfect dog for you and your child. Once we locate a dog or two that could be a good fit we ask you to come out for a visit and meet the dogs.

We have had a few parents ask what if they can not balance dog and child once the dog is placed in the home, do they get a refund? We give our families many opportunities to finalize their decision for a service dog, so once the process is towards the end of training and/or placement then the answer is no, but you are more than welcome to donate the dog to the right family that may not be able to afford one.

We have seen remarkable results from autism assistance dogs and the children, after the bonding time is complete. They talk their world head on hand in hand. Highland Canine Training will do everything we can to make sure these happy endings continue you on for years to come!

If you are interested in learning more about our Autism Assistance Dog Programs or training feel free to call us toll free at 866.200.2207 or visit www.autismassistancedog.com

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When your family is looking to get a new addition to your family the first thing to think about is what kind of puppy best suits your families activity level, if you have kids, whether you have another dog, if so what is his or her personality and if you live in a house or an apartment. Those are just a few things to think about. However, these are important factors in making sure that you set the puppy up for success. If you are having a problem with what kind of dog to choose for your household and life style, make a list of a few dogs that interest you. Do some research on them.

When everyone comes to a decision on what breed, size and energy level you think would be best the next step is finding a breeder that interests you. A few things that might help you decide which breeder to pick can be if the parents are on site, how long he/she has been in business for and ask them questions on the info that you found on the breed that you have decided to go with. Ask them if you can come to their house or kennel to see the parents and the condition they keep them in. If for some reason they say no, that is a clue you don’t want to do business with them and that they are trying to hide something.

Once you bring your puppy home it is very important to make sure that you have all of the things they need before you bring them home. Puppies can start training depending on the breed anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks old. At a young age the more socialization the better. Introducing them to something new should be a gradual thing. Your goal is to set everything up so your puppy gets something good out of that experience. Some of the things that is important to introduce them to is men, women, children, different sounds and walking on a leash. It is important that the training is a positive and fun experience so they look forward to learning new things. Never hit your puppy when they are having a bad day or when they do something that you are not happy with. Put them in their crate and try it again the next day.

Moving on to training. Whether you go to group classes or get a trainer to work with you and your family it is important for the dogs stability to have boundaries that everyone follows. For example, one person can’t tell the puppy that they can come on the bed and then the next person yells at the puppy when it gets on the bed. Everything has to come across clear so he/she doesn’t start to get confused and then they don’t know what is being asked of them which will set you back in the training. Taking your puppy out to practice training should always be when you are in a good mood. When you are having a bad day the puppy will pick up on this. In turn that session will be a waste of time and will get you nowhere.

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So you are interested in becoming a Search and Rescue (SAR) K9 handler or part of a SAR K9 team, great! I’ve noticed that there isn’t much information or direction on the internet, so I wanted to write a brief article to help you take a step in the right direction. Because every SAR chapter has different standards and requirements, I am not going to attempt to guide you through the actual process. My goal here is to guide you in the right direction so that you can decide what type of SAR dog you want to train, are looking at having trained , and/or want to handle. In a nutshell, there are 4 different types of SAR dogs. These four types are the tracking/trailing dog, USAR or disaster dog, wilderness or air Scent dog and the HRD or cadaver dog.

Tracking or Trailing Dog – It is common for people to use tracking and trailing synonymously. This is a common misconception among people learning about tracking or trailing work. In actuality, they are two completely different methods and have two completely different uses. The reason we use both words to describe them here is in the event someone is looking for a SAR trailing dog, but accidently wrote SAR tracking dog. Tracking is a method used in many sports like Schutzhund or AKC competitions. This is a very slow and ineffective way for SAR groups to work. Here, the dog actually follows each footstep of the track layer. They are taught to keep their nose on the ground so they do not miss a footstep and can indicate on a scent article.

As for the Search and Rescue trailing dog this is the fastest and most effective way to trail a person when you know their last known location or have a scent article. Here, the dog is taught to follow the scent, not the track of the human it is following. It is taught scent discrimination so it does not pick up a new scent somewhere along the track and follow it instead. It is also taught to work through contamination along the trail like vehicles, other people, animals and other distractions. You will often see a dog with his nose held up, walking fast or running during a trail. It is the handlers job to ensure that the dog is working at all times and is on the right trail. This type of trailing is typically done on a 30 or 50 foot long line or leash so the handler can keep up with the dog. This dog is by far the most common and most often used Search and Rescue dog out there.

USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) or Disaster Dog – This dog is similar to a life insurance policy…you pay into it each month but hope that you don’t have to use it in the near future. What I mean by this is that the Urban Search and Rescue or Disaster Dog is used very rarely. We typically refer to them as disaster dogs because they are used after hurricanes, tsunamis, tornados, flash floods, acts of terrorism, etc. These dogs are taught to find living humans in difficult terrain, i.e. a pile of rubble, a collapsed building, rooftops, etc. This dog not only understands the fundamentals of finding the human, but also has the agility training to move himself to the location to show a final indication. These are the dogs that were used during the 911 tragedy, the Oklahoma City bombing and most recently in Haiti and Chile. These dogs are extremely valuable when it comes to disasters but a typical USAR dog may only work once in its life.

Wilderness or Air Scent Dog – These dogs have not only mastered on and off leash obedience, but have the ability to be set free in the woods to locate a human in large or rough terrain. These dogs are often times used to search larger areas where no last know location has been given. Once they pick up the scent they tend to zigzag back and forth creating a cone shape until they eventually find the source of the odor, the missing person. They are most commonly used to find a missing person in the wilderness or someone lost on terrain which would be hard for an individual to navigate through. These dogs are also highly skillful at agility so they can move quickly, smoothly and fluently while locating someone.

HRD or Cadaver Dog – Human Remains Detection or Cadaver dogs are usually brought in last during a Search and Rescue operation. These dogs are trained to find and indicate on a number of decomposing human odors. Whether it is decomposition fluid, hair, teeth, blood, tissue or nails the dog is always looking for someone who has died. HRD dogs are taught on and off leash obedience, plus directionals which help the handler control their search pattern from a distance and in rough terrain. The most popular HRD dog is a land cadaver dog. This dog is trained to indicate when it has found a body (or part) regardless if it is visible or not on the land. A water dog will indicate on odors of a body under water while riding in a boat or similar vessel.
Although it has been done, we do not suggest training a dog to find live humans and cadavers. It has been seen throughout history that when presented with a situation where it is presented with both live people and cadavers it has been extremely easy for them to get confused and indicate on the wrong thing. For instance, during 911 dual trained cadaver/USAR were used to find living humans. They wanted to spend as much time trying to save the individuals still alive as possible. So when the dog indicated, they assumed the person was alive and spent a large amount of energy trying to save them, only to find out they had been dead for hours or days. So that is why we don’t suggest it.

It is easy to write an essay on each one of these categories of Search and Rescue dogs, but it is important to understand the fundamental differences between them. Knowing what each is will only help you decide which route you and your pup want to go when joining a SAR Chapter. Here at Highland Canine we pride ourselves in producing some of the finest SAR dogs in the industry. Call today to schedule an evaluation to see if your dog is capable of becoming a Search and Rescue dog or if you were looking to purchase a dog already trained.

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I recently had the opportunity to observe some police canine training locally where about 20 handlers were working on some complex detection exercises. There were quite a few handlers waiting their turn to work the detection exercises. Apparently, some of the dogs and handlers were getting anxious about what was ahead, but everyone seemed to be waiting patiently. SWOOSH, and a loud, resounding CRACK was the sound that rang out across the parking lot. One of the handlers had swung their leash all the way around and cracked their Malinois right across the nose with the handle of the leash for not holding the sit and stay position. My first thought was, “What an Idiot!”. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time that I had seen this and I am afraid it won’t be the last.

We commonly work with owners and handlers that consistently hit their dogs on the head or other places in order to correct unwanted behavior. They hit them with everything from their hands, feet, leashes, newspapers, or anything else that they can get their hands on. We recently spoke with the owner of a 6 month old Labradoodle who admitted to hitting it in the head whenever it did anything that they didn’t like. Some of the things it would get hit for would include, jumping, pulling, barking or getting on the furniture.

So, what do these dogs learn from being hit in the head? For one, they learn to stay at least an arms (or leash) reach from their owners at all times. They also learn to be afraid of leashes, hands, newspapers and anything else that they feel may strike them. Equally as important, they often never know why or when they will get hit next. There is often no clear direction from the handler as to what is and is not expected from them. Therefore, the dog experiences “learned helplessness” and feels as though they are trapped as an unwilling participant in a game of “WHACKAMOLE”.

About a year and a half ago, we had the opportunity to work with a dog that had been consistently hit in the head by his owners. After several short months of this, the dog began to bite. The dog would bite the hands of anyone who tried to pet it, feed it or touch it in general. This made it difficult for the owners to have company over, to take the dog to the vet and to work with the dog in general. It took months to rehabilitate this particular dog and teach him to trust people and their hands again.

Let’s just take a quick look at when and how we use our hands with our dogs. We give them treats with our hands. We feed them with our hands and we also pet them with our hands. Therefore, it is important to use our hands properly with the dog so that we don’t create a negative association with our hands in general. When we think about it, we also use a leash for walking, training and other exercises and it is equally as important that we do not create the same association with the leash by whacking the dog in the head or nose with it.

Plain and simple, there is no benefit from hitting a dog with anything, including your hands or a leash. There are much better and more effective ways to train a dog and to correct unwanted behavior in dogs without hitting them. Physically hitting dogs is not a positive punishment techniques that dogs can understand and not beneficial in training or living with a dog.

If you have any questions about our training methods or programs, please feel free to call us at 866.200.2207 or email us at training@highlandcanine.com.

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For Jason Purgason, few dogs are bad dogs. They just haven’t been well trained.

Purgason, a certified K-9 and SWAT instructor who was the first law enforcement dog handler in Rockingham County, says most every dog can be a friend and companion, while special breeds can perform specialized jobs for law enforcement.

So why are some dogs considered anti-social, suffering what he calls “a socialization deficit?”

Most often, he thinks the problem is more with the human in the dog’s life.

“The hardest part of this whole job is training people,” Purgason said Thursday during a training session with Lucy, a Great Dane, and her Statesville human, Sandy Murdock.

Murdock found Lucy as a stray over three months ago, and wanted to save her.

“She was a stray, she was not spayed. I think she was afraid of everything,” Murdock said.

The result? A dog that first tries to scare humans away as a result of her own fear.

“Fear-aggressive dogs don’t want to bite,” Purgason said.

“They want you to back off” so they growl and bark and it usually works.

“That conditions them, so they keep doing that,” he said.

“People in America look at dogs as humans in fur coats,” he said. “But they’re not. They have their own behaviors, and we try to make them fit ours. So maybe they have issues of dominance,” he said, and the dog’s way to address it is to tell the human “back off.”

The problem isn’t just with large dogs, he said. “We deal with behavioral issues in everything from Chihuahuas to Great Danes,” he said, displaying fear aggression.

With Lucy, Purgason initiated a course of direction that makes the dog pay attention to Murdock rather than reacting to everything else, which could be distractions like other humans or other dogs.

“This is wonderful,” Murdock said as she put Lucy through her paces, which involved reinforced training on sitting, staying and coming.

Serious work

But pampering pet owners is not Purgason’s main goal. As a certified police canine trainer through the U.S. Police Canine Association, the International Police Working Dog Association and Eastern States Working Dog Association, he strives to provide law enforcement with working dogs with well-rounded police skills.

“I’ve trained dogs for (law enforcement) in Wilkes County, Salisbury, Alexander County, the Federal Reserve Bank in Jacksonville, Fla., and the Miami Police Department,” he said.

He chooses certain breeds for police work, and can provide turn-key canine officers for police patrol duty, search and rescue, human remain detection and personal protection. Those that do patrol duties are trained in handler protection, narcotic and explosive detection, building searches, human tracking, evidence searching, and, well, “to catch the bad guys,” Purgason said.

And he and his team of trainers say it’s a joy to work with the dogs. “It’s not a job because we have so much fun,” he said with a laugh.

Their last chance

Perhaps Purgason’s most critical mission is his pro bono work with aggressive dogs in local shelters. Most angry dogs that come to the shelter never have a chance for adoption because of their attitude.

“We understand that a majority of animals that are in shelters and rescues are often likely not to be adopted,” he said.

His solution is the Second Chance Program. What that means is he takes an aggressive dog from an animal shelter and puts it through an intensive program of training and behavior modification at no charge to make it more adoptable.

He will train the dog for three to six weeks, and then help find a family to care for the dog. “Once a family is selected, we take the time to work with them and their new dog to make sure that they understand their training, how to handle them effectively, how to reward them and correct any mistakes properly,” he said. “We also assist them in integrating the dog into their new home and offer free follow-up lessons to ensure that their new dog maintains their training.”

And he wants to take on the hard cases. “We are up for the challenge to take on the most difficult dogs,” he said.

“There are dogs we can’t fix,” he admitted. “But not many; none that I have seen.”

Which to Purgason means one fewer dog euthanized, and one more loving family companion.

This story can be found at: http://www.statesville.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SRL/MGArticle/SRL_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149192529152

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Great dog teams fail because the dog is expected to do something that he has not previously been conditioned to do in training. With that said, you should never expect your dog to perform a task well if he has never been trained to do so.

This is often seen in detection work. For example, a handler is called by another officer to search a tractor trailer that has been stopped on the interstate. Without proper conditioning and training, this encounter can soon be a disaster for the dog team. A lot of handlers rarely train theirs dogs around tractor trailers and other types of large commercial vehicles. I believe that there are several reasons for this. Some handlers do not have access to vehicles of this type. Others are a bit intimidated by these vehicles because they have never been exposed to them or been taught how to properly conduct searches of them. Needless to say, if trained to search commercial vehicles effectively, the rewards can be phenomenal.

This failure is also seen regularly with police dogs and SWAT or Special Response Teams. Very few departments allow ample time and resources for their canine handlers to train with SWAT or tactical teams. However, when there is a need for a canine in a SWAT situation, the dog and handler are expected to perform with perfection. I often observe this when teaching Basic Police Canine and SWAT seminars. Dog teams are being integrated with SWAT teams and have never been exposed to munitions, rapid gunfire, or even their handler or other team members in full gear. Police canines can be successfully integrated into SWAT or tactical teams with some work, training and team support.

I also see a number of patrol dogs that are simply trained to react aggressively to the sound of gunfire. A typical training session goes like this; a “suspect” in protective equipment is placed out in a field and shoots in the direction of the dog or handler. The dog is then sent to bite them and the process is repeated. This leaves us with several questions to ask: How realistic is this training? What happens when the handler returns gunfire with a dog that has been conditioned to bite anyone who shoots? What if the suspect is hiding under a car and shooting at the team?

So, how do we properly condition and train our dog for those situations that we are likely to encounter in the field? Through Realistic Training! With a little effort and aforethought we can establish realistic training for detection, patrol, tracking and all other aspects of canine utilization. By conducting training that is productive and realistic we are able to appreciate the dogs strengths and scrutinize areas of deficiency in the dogs training. We are then able to correct any deficiencies that we observe, making for a more productive and effective canine team.

If you would like to discuss training problems or are interested in our seminars please call 866.200.2207 or email training@highlandcanine.com

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I recently had a client in Charlotte, North Carolina who called about a dilemma with her terrier. She stated that the dog was great around the house, for the most part, but was having issues when company arrived and when she took the dog outside. She explained that whenever someone knocked or rang the doorbell the dog would tear at the door and attempt to attack them, acting in a very aggressive manner. Once the person came in, the dog would bark non-stop for hours, or until they left, whichever came first. When she attempted to take the dog for a stroll, around her fairly busy neighborhood, she would exhibit a very similar behavior. She would bark at neighbors, lunge at other dogs and loud cars and try to attack people taking out their trash. The owner had previously completed basic obedience training with the dog, hoping this would help. She stated that she had already employed the service of two other trainers and had even consulted with a dog behaviorist, to no avail. She was extremely concerned that her dog would bite someone.

I met with the owner and her disturbed dog to evaluate the situation. Even before I entered the house the dog was barking furiously and charging at the door. It was obvious that the dog was very uncomfortable with this situation. I soon learned that the dog had grown up with a breeder and the current owner had purchased her at about a year old. This behavior had been going on for some time and seemed to be getting even worse.

So, I was faced with the task of disentangling this unusual behavior and discovering its source. We started obedience training with the dog and began to work on her unacceptable behavior. Her previous obedience lessons had only covered the initial phase of training, the teaching phase. This caused her obedience to be rather inconsistent when calm and non-existent, to say the least, when she was on a tirade.

The owners of this problem pooch lived in a beautiful home with a two car garage. They almost always entered the home from the door located in the garage. This left the main door available for visitors. Therefore, the terrier became used to the fact that her owners always came in the garage door and “strangers” always entered the main door. So I had the owners begin using the main door as their new means of entering the house……what a surprise for our temperamental terrier! We also incorporated methods of making the dog understand that people using the main door were just as friendly as her owners. In no time, our terrier went from barking and tearing at the door to sitting tranquilly awaiting visitors to pet her.

Now, our owner is able to take her cordial canine friend for uneventful strolls around the neighborhood and the days of those action-packed walks are long gone. She is also able to answer her door without the concern that her dog may bite someone. The difference in this terrier is remarkable and was accomplished in only six-weeks.

If you would like to discuss training or how we can assist you in eliminating behavioral problems please call 866.200.2207 or email training@highlandcanine.com

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It’s 3:21 a.m. and you arrive on-scene with your dog. It’s muggy and damp outside and they have a 45 minute head start. The eyewitness tells you that they were last seen heading south past the tree line. You harness your partner and prepare to track. Your dog gives you every indication that they headed north….What Now? This question often arises among handlers….If an eyewitness indicates that the victim/suspect ran south, but my dog says that he went north, which way do I go?

Eyewitnesses can provide very valuable information and detail. Unfortunately, eyewitnesses often give incorrect information. In most cases, eyewitnesses do not intentionally give wrong information. Often they remember things that didn’t happen or see things in a perspective other than what actually occurred. People often remember events in a manner that fits with their own expectations for a situation.

If you work a police tracking dog or are a search and rescue dog handler, you could feasibly be presented with similar circumstances. If this situation ever happens to you there are several questions that you should ask yourself before you proceed.

The first question is “Do I trust my dog?” This question should always be answered honestly. If you lack confidence in your dog, you will likely make costly mistakes. Even a highly skilled tracking dog can be very ineffective with a doubtful handler following. If you don’t have the confidence that you should in your dogs’ ability to successfully negotiate the track ahead of you, more training should be in your future. Only productive training will build your confidence in the abilities of you and your dog as a team. If you are an inexperienced handler or are unsure of your dogs’ capabilities, you should refer the task to a more experienced team, if possible.

The second question is, “Based on previous experience and training is my dog capable of handling this?” If you have handled the dog for any length of time you should be able to quickly determine the answer to this question. For instance, if the suspect/victim has been gone for four hours, you should consider whether or not your dog is capable of successfully following a trail that is four hours old. If your dog is in fact capable of following trails of this age, then you should consider whether or not your dog is able to effectively pursue an aged track through the contamination that you are presented with in this circumstance. You should also consider other factors that may present themselves during the track. If you know that you will likely be required to track across asphalt or other hard surfaces, ask yourself; “Will my dog track efficiently on hard surfaces?”

If you answer all of the questions presented affirmatively, follow your dog and keep up the good work. If not, more productive training in tracking should be on your agenda.

If you would like to discuss training problems or schedule a tracking seminar, please call 866.200.2207 or email training@highlandcanine.com

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Jake really loves his work. He throws himself into it with a ferocity and single-minded determination that is impressive to watch. And he doesn’t ask for very much in return – just a scratch on the head and a biscuit from his partner, Sgt. Jeff Sharpe of the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office.

Jake is a 2-year-old German shepherd police dog donated to the Sheriff’s Office by his trainer, Jason Purgason of Highland Canine Training in Harmony. With a background in dog training and nearly 10 years’ experience as a canine officer in Reidsville, Purgason specializes in preparing well-rounded police dogs that are highly skilled in narcotics and explosives detection, tracking and apprehending offenders.

What makes a top-notch police dog?
“It’s all about genetics,” Purgason says. “You have to breed for prey drive, the natural instinct to chase and catch. It’s what we use to teach dogs to hunt for something that’s out of sight.”

A variety of breeds are used in police work. German shepherds, Labrador retrievers and bloodhounds are common. Mixed breeds also can make excellent police dogs, and small size doesn’t necessarily preclude a dog from this kind of work.

Weeks of training
Training for police work typically begins when the dog is a year old and takes 12 to 14 weeks. Training the handler takes another four weeks.

“That’s the hard part,” Purgason says. “Police officers are visual creatures and they’re skeptics. You’ve got to teach them to believe in something they can’t see.”

When the active training period ends, the maintenance phase begins. The dog’s training continues on the job and in daily practice sessions with his partner. To keep Jake at the top of his game, Sharpe works with him every day, hiding drugs for the dog to find or directing him to search for a weapon hidden in a field. Once a week he takes Jake to “bite training” sessions at Highland Canine. During these practice sessions, Jake chases a decoy – trainer Purgason – and attacks the heavily padded bite shield on Purgason’s arm, immobilizing the man until Sharpe calls him off.

Keeping Jake’s training up to date pays off on the job. The dog recently found a stash of cocaine and cash hidden in a stereo in a suspect’s home. As the first K-9 unit in their county, Jake and Sharpe are definitely making a name for themselves.

Creating good citizens
Training police dogs is not the only service offered by Highland Canine. The staff recently launched the Second Chance Program to help rehabilitate shelter and rescue dogs that have serious behavior problems, such as aggression toward humans or other dogs, phobias, dominance or separation anxiety. Without rehabilitation, these problem dogs might not find homes and probably would be put down.

“We want to work with dogs who would probably be euthanized if their problems weren’t resolved,” Purgason says.

Training of Second Chance dogs takes anywhere from three to six weeks, longer if necessary. All training is done one on one rather than in groups.

Bear, a border collie mix, was the first dog to go through the program. He was referred by the Cornelius Animal Shelter, where Katy Stokes works as a volunteer. Stokes is also an apprentice at the Highland Canine center. Other staff members include Corrie Roberts of Mooresville. Erin Purgason, Jason’s wife and a full-time detective sergeant with the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, owns the training center.

Bear was very aggressive and tried to attack anyone who approached. The first step in changing this behavior was to determine its root cause.

“In Bear’s case, the problem was that he had no structure, discipline or direction,” Jason Purgason explains. “He was bored in his environment, so he made a game of guarding things and chasing after and biting people.”

Purgason and his staff taught the dog new things to do with his time, such as obeying commands to “sit,” “down,” “stay” and “heel.” To reward good behavior, they used a combination of treats, petting and verbal praise.

After several weeks of training, Bear was a new dog.

“He seems very content now,” Stokes says. “Before, he was always looking for something to terrorize.”

The next step will be to find a good home for Bear.

“We’ll try to look for a family that can burn some of his energy,” Purgason says. “We wouldn’t place him with someone who lives in a small apartment. We try to match the dog’s personality and the adoptive family’s lifestyle.”

The root of dog problems
Behavior problems in dogs can usually be traced to one source – people.

“People are responsible for 95 percent of the bad behaviors dogs have,” he stresses. “They do this by inadvertently rewarding wrong behavior or spoiling dogs so that the animals get the idea they’re in charge. We see a lot of owners whose personalities or lifestyles don’t mesh with their dogs.”

Although she didn’t come through the Second Chance Program, Jessie is a good example of a dog with a behavior problem. Ashley and Linda Page of Davidson decided to adopt the young boxer mix after they found her running loose along a Mooresville highway.

When they took her home, it soon became obvious that Jessie had been abused. She wouldn’t have anything to do with Ashley Page or with men in general. She was very fearful and refused to walk on a leash even after 10 months of training.

Ashley Page called on Purgason for help. The trainer went to the couple’s home and showed them how to teach the dog basic obedience and use food rewards to motivate her.

“It was an education,” says Page. “By the end of the first session, Jessie walked on a leash. For six weeks she learned to heel, sit and stay. We worked with her every day. By the end of that time she was a different dog. She’s still a little skittish with strangers, but we’re seeing steady progress.”

Purgason taught Page to use a hand signal for the command “come” in conjunction with a voice command. Now Jessie comes to her owner every time without fail. All traces of fear and avoidance are gone.

“It’s very rewarding,” says Page. “I can take Jessie to the store, I can walk her in downtown Davidson. She’s become a real good dog.”

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A lot of great things come in twos; twins, grandmothers, and even flip-flops. There are also a lot of great things that come in threes, fours and other multiples. However, obedience commands are not one of them. Repeating obedience commands to your dog sends the wrong message and can quickly erode good behavior.

For example, you are out walking your dog through the neighborhood and he is heeling alongside of you, just as he should be when all of a sudden you see your neighbor heading toward his mailbox. So you decide to go over and say hello. You have worked diligently to teach your dog obedience and you are so proud of what you have accomplished. You determine that this may be a good time to “show off” a bit. You are talking with your neighbor and your dog becomes a bit restless, you tell your dog to sit…he refuses. Again, you tell your dog to Sit! Again, he refuses. On the third attempt you tell your dog to sit and promptly correct him. Your dog sits promptly and looks up at you confused.

Now let’s think for a minute. What has your dog learned? Your dog has learned over a series of commands to sit patiently until you tell him to sit three times and that if he does not sit after the third time he will be corrected. Therefore, he will generally anticipate the correction and sit promptly after you tell him…..for the third time. This method however, defeats our purpose.

Unfortunately, I have seen a great number of pet training clients as well as police dog handlers make this, all too common, mistake. If our dog does not sit the first time, we automatically say the word again and sometimes even again. Then, you complain that the dog is lazy or stubborn when really the dog is simply doing what he has been conditioned to do. The most ironic part of this entire exchange between you and your dog is that both participants are convinced that the other is wrong.

Sit means Sit! Sit does not mean sit after I tell you twice, three times or even four. Sit means that I will tell you once, very clearly, to sit and then you will sit. Sit is not optional. Unfortunately, I find that the dog is often trained incorrectly and the dog will respond “inappropriately”. We view sitting after the third command “inappropriate” but this is the response that we have conditioned our dog to. Repeating obedience commands is a very difficult habit to break. It is much easier to never start. If you already have this problem have a friend, or better yet, a professional trainer listen observe while your train with you dog. You will often be surprised to find that they will notice you repeating commands even when you thought you only said it once.

One of the most important principles of training a dog, whether it is a personal pet or a police patrol dog, is consistency. We must be completely consistent in everything that we do with our dog. If we tell our dog to sit once and correct him if he does not he will soon understand that a correction soon follows after “Sit” is said the first time. Then our dog will promptly sit after our command in order to avoid the correction. After all, having our dog sit after we give the command is the result that we are all looking for.

If you would like to discuss training problems or schedule a consultation, please call or email training@highlandcanine.com

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