No matter what type of pet dog training you chose, whether it’s in-kennel training, private lessons, in-home training, or even group classes, you have your home work cut out for you! In-kennel clients should understand that just because the dog does all the commands for our dog trainer’s doesn’t mean that will automatically apply to you. Let’s say, for example your dog has had the run of the house the last 2 years, he comes and goes as he pleases, chews up things in your home, lunges at people on a walk, and maybe a little rough when playing with new dogs. You as the pet owner, have allowed that to go on the last 2 years, and that is no big deal, we see it all the time, but when your dog returns home you have to get with the program and apply the rules instantly. This can take several days or even weeks for your dog to realize that “Mom is not putting up with my bad behavior anymore!” And my group class, private lessons, and in-home training clients you are not off the hook either! You will be assigned things to work on between sessions, it’s your job as the pet owner to follow through, and it’s so worth it!

Protection dog clients maybe the worst as far as expectations! They often times purchase a dog that is picked from a vendor in Europe, we ship the dog to our facility, and the owner may or may not even come visit before training begins. We work with the dog for several months in obedience and bite work and deliver the dog to the client’s home. This dog doesn’t know you from Adam; it takes several weeks and sometimes months depending on the dog, for a bond or relationship to take effect. Clients want good social dogs that can do well with kids that perform bite work, then call the first week and say it’s not mean enough! Once the dog understands his home he will guard it to the fullest! This goes back to patience and consistency in training once the dog is in your home! We have a protection dog in the Charlotte area, the owner called after week two and said that his wife has spoiled her so much he didn’t think she would bite a flea! Jason went down to the home did a little decoy work with her and she still had it! Jason explained that she was still settling in to be patient and stick with working obedience daily (this helps with the liability issue that come with a protection dog to work on nice solid obedience). A few weeks later, the owner called and said he had to leave work early and go home, because the cleaning lady had stepped out of the house and their dog would not let her back in! Since then this family has had other positive experiences when the dog performed their job, you just have to give it a chance!

Our Autism Assistance Dog clients probably have the most work do to once the dog arrives. For this simple reason is why we generally stay five days upon delivery of the dog to make sure the transition goes well with the children! Our families already have a tight schedule with school, therapies, and doctor appointments and so on, now they have to learn how to utilize a dog in this chaos! We prepare our clients for the responsibilities that are added with a dog and how they still have to work daily with the child and dog on obedience and structure. Like our protection dog clients we often purchase a dog to fit the family’s needs and they may visit the dog a few times upon delivery, so again it takes a little bit for the dog to settle and bond with your family so be patient it will pay off in the end!

So when asked “What are your expectations of the dogs training?” Your answer should be I understand that your job is to lay the foundation work for my dog, but it’s up to me and my family to properly nurture and mold the finished product with training my dog! Keep expectations realistic, understand that these dogs will not be push button in the beginning, it takes time, with consistency and structure you will get there, and we guarantee it! We are only a phone call away and any of our dog trainer’s will be happy to assist with advice and/or a visit if needed!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

With this being said, many of our students in the past, whether the course is to learn how to test out and train protection dogs or our dection courses usually bring their on dog with the hopes that they can get their personal dogs trained and certified. The chances of getting a green dog completely certified by the end of say a 6 week course in not realistic. First off, it’s hard to say that your personal dog will have the proper drives that it takes to become a full service working dog. Please don’t take it personal if we tell you this, this course is not designed to just train your personal dog, it isdesigned to give you the tools to teach you how to choose the right working dog for the job, and to work with various canine/breeds in various stages of their training.

It seems in the past that some students only want to work their personal dogs and become irritated or offended if they are working other dogs/breeds. You must have an open mind when training dogs and many dogs have many different levels of drive and behavior just like people. If you only limit yourself to training one dog or one specific breed then your are missing so much education and are simply shorting yourself on building your skills as an instructor. For example if you are here to learn detection dogs, you can still learn so much about odor and behaviors of dogs in odor from search and rescue canines by running a track or observing the dogs work the rubble pile. So don’t limit your exposure it will make you a well rounder dog trainer!

There are many different ways to train both pet dogs and working dogs, even if you are not going to use some of the varios methods, that is fine, but it only benefits you to learn all the methods so you can understand how some dogs you may come across for brush up are trained. And who knows you may be able to take a little bit from each method and come up with a new method of training!

So, yes we have certified some personal dogs that come through with variuos students enrolled in our canine instructor’s course, but it is not a gaurentee. This course is designed to benefit those who may start up a SAR team, supervise police canine unit, or simply want to train working dogs for a living. Please feel free to give us a call or check us out on the web for various courses offered for canine working dogs!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

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.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

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.”

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites