Teaching the "Down"

The "Down" exercise is the most absolute obedience exercise. Not only does it put the dog in the most submissive obedience position, it must be 100% reliable and work EVERY TIME.
Not to say that other obedience commands should only work on occasions, but in my opinion "down" is by far the most absolute command. It is the tool that must bring the dog under control, regardless of circumstances.

For the civilian dog owner it can be life saving. Take this scenario - The dog has a "cat problem" that has never been resolved. As you open the front door, your dog sees the neighbor's cat across the street. The chase is on. The dog rushes besides you through the door and advances at maximum speed towards the street. Next thing you know it is hit by an oncoming vehicle. Not only will you mourn the loss of your dog, the door to all kinds of lawsuits just flew wide open. What if the vehicle tried to avoid your dog and hit several parked cars while doing so. What if there is oncoming traffic and the vehicle crosses over in the other lane......  potentially catastrophic scenarios go on and on.

Many police dog handlers struggle with control during bite work exercises. The dog re-bites when it is not supposed to. The dog's recall is unreliable because of control issues. The dog cannot be left behind in a stationary position during a tactical training exercise, etc.

Your problem solver is a 100% reliable "down". Some might ask why not "come", "here", "no" etc. Because down is the most suitable exercise to apply the concept of absolute domination of the dog.

My training philosophy includes two types of down exercises. The "soft" down and the "hard" down. The soft down only applies to puppies up to the age of 1 year max. Beyond that age only the hard down is utilized.

Let's take a look at the soft down first. It is taught by making the "down" a pleasant exercise for the dog and handlers usually use a toy or treat to ease the dog into a down position. This method is usually used with competition dogs such as Schutzhund. The draw back of this method is that the dog's down position is often unreliable. The dog is more likely to get up, especially when it becomes exited due to an unexpected stimulus. This is more likely to occur, when the handler is not in immediate vicinity of the dog. Main reason is that the dog learned the down more in a playing environment than being forced into a submissive position by pressure and domination. Hencet this method applies only for puppies and very young dogs.

For a mature animal the "hard down" is the way to go. For two reasons.- it is a tool that clearly establishes who is the dominant individual. Mature and by nature dominant dogs are more often than not reluctant to lay down when told to do so because as mentioned earlier, it is the most submissive position a dog can assume.
Secondly, it perfectly applies the principle of pleasant and unpleasant experience.

The only reason for a dog to obey reliably is because it knows that disobedience will result in a negative or unpleasant experienc. This is the only way a dog can learn, because this is how dogs communicate among each other and this is how a pack (and dogs are pack animals) maintains a peaceful and harmonious social structure. The rank higher individual will after an unmistakable warning (usually only one) resort to physical enforcement, in the event the rank lower individual does not comply immediately. (unpleasant for the rank lower dog)

Let's use feeding as an example. The rank higher pack member will always eat first. The rank lower dog has either to wait until the higher ranking individual leaves the food source or, if plenty of food is available and the lower ranking dog can feed in acceptable distance, the higher ranking dog allows it to do so. Confrontations  after an audible warning are always physical. As soon as the higher ranking dog established dominance all conflict ceases. The lower ranking dog has learned it's lesson and will patiently wait for it's turn, next feeding time.

Countless dog owners experience the above scenario every time they feed their pet. How many times have you heard the expression "he get's grouchy when he eats". Or "don't go close when she has a bone, she is really protective about it". - What actually happens is that the dog is asserting dominance over the the owner, by disallowing him to come close to the food source. A behavior that can be the beginning of serious problems if not addressed, but I will discuss this situation in a future chapter.

Now that we examined a basic example of canine communication let's return to the hard down.

Two things have to take place. First I have to make the dog understand what I want it to do when I say "down". Second I have to make the dog understand that it has to do it immediately after my first command.
Make sure the dog already has a reliable "sit" in its repertoire before teaching the down.

The dog has a choke collar on, is on leash and told to sit. After it sits down the command "down" (or whatever command you prefer to use to lay the dog down) comes in a sharp, commanding and clearly audible tone of voice. Immediately after the verbal command the handler applies a sharp leash correction by bringing the dog from a sitting into a down position. This happens in one swift move immediately following the verbal command. Correction comes out of a loose leash, meaning there is slack in the lead before the dog is forced to go to the ground. One pulls the dog with one snap of the leash down and sideways to the ground.
It is essential that this move brings the dog down at the first time.
Some dogs will fight to get back up. Make sure the dog stays down for several seconds before allowing it to get back up. The actual take down MUST BE AN UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE for the dog followed by the pleasant experience of not being jerked or forced to move anymore. DO NOT PRAISE while the dog is down because if you do,  it will immediately try to get up .
The hard down is the only obedience exercise that is not rewarded with praise but rather with the dog's experience that force and pressure cease as soon as it obeys and goes down. (Remember, all conflict ends after the physical "confrontation" concludes. The dominant dog does not praise the submissive one after teaching him a lesson).

If applied properly your dog will "down" within 10 to 20 min. The follow up is training 15 min a day for a week to make sure repetition will make it stick. Do not down your dog after every sit to ensure you dog does not associate every sit with a following down. 3 "sits" and the fourth one followed by a "down". Remember ONE command only followed immediately by physical enforcement.
The result will be a dog that will respond to "down" under any circumstances, regardless of environmental stimulus.

So next time your dog rushes after the neighbor's cat and approaches the street, a sharp, loud "DOWN" will stop it dead in its tracks. You now have a tool to avoid potentially catastrophic behavior issues.

In the event you have problems with the execution of this method shoot me an email and I will send you what you need to make it work.

A look at warranties

A realistic warranty?

A good business man always tries to keep a tab on what the competition is doing. Therefore, over the last 30 years I made a point to do just that.
The major factors in our business are the original quality of the dog, the trainability of the dog, the dogs overall condition and naturally the quality of training the dog receives.

Since dogs are living creatures and not machines the animals health becomes a significant factor and the basis for all the above.
This is why we have to issue warranties. Now, there are many "warranties" in the dog business in general.

Breeders give hip warranties for high dollar puppies. Usually reads as "guaranteed hips" and is basically a fraud. Since hip dysplasia is based on genetics and the dogs bone structure takes 2 years to fully develop one would have to look into the crystal ball to predict, and "guarantee" the hips of an 8 week old puppy. Especially since as of today the cause for hip dysplasia cannot be determined. Hence it happens quite frequently that parents free of hip dysplasia produce litters in which some offspring will develop bad hips. The only "guarantee" we have is that if one breeds dogs with hip dysplasia, the condition will most likely be past on to most of the offspring. 

Above is just one example that any type of health warranty has to be articulated very carefully to avoid any misleading statements, intended or not.
The same applies to service dogs.

What actually caused me to write about this issue is a claim I read the other day on one of my competitor's web publications. Below is the actual ad with the vendor's name blacked out.

 Vendors Replacement Program

Vendor is so sure that our K-9s are of superior quality that we offer the best guarantee in the K-9 industry. Our operations capacity allows us to provide services no other vendor can provide. Vendor provides a 5 year guarantee on workability, if your dog should become unworkable within the first 5 years, Vendor will replace the dog free of charge. If for any reason the dog develops an illness or disease within the first 5 years that disables the dog, Vendor will also replace the dog, free of charge. If you’re not satisfied with your dog, then neither are we. We take pride in our work and do all that we can to select the right dog the first time.

Now let's look at this in detail - paragraph 2 line 3 "if your dog becomes unworkable within the first 5 years vendor will replace the dog free of charge."

Really?

What if a dog is in the care of an irresponsible handler who leaves the dog in his patrol car without air conditioning and/or heat alarm while outside temperatures reach 100+ degrees, the dog overheats and dies ? (Unfortunately this happens several times every summer across the country). The dog definitely becomes "unworkable" then. 
Will the department really get a free replacement?

What if the dog becomes injured on duty. It breaks a leg and the necessary surgery to fix it is unsuccessful. The leg needs to be amputated rendering the dog unworkable. Free replacement?

Please keep in  mind that all the examples I am giving here are real live occurances that happened in the past.

What if the handler is totally unqualified to handle a K-9. He is lazy, never works the dog, mistreats the animal (in this case a single purpose narcotic detection dog) and the canine, which originally was a well trained narcotic detection dog, shuts down after a couple of years of inferior training and terrible, unchecked handling. It is now unworkable. Does he really get a free replacement?

Keep in mind in any situation similar to this, the handler will certainly not say "I am an idiot and ruined this dog". What he will say is "I don't know what happen, but the dog just quit working". - Free replacement?  

What if the same handler keeps the dog (in this case a dual purpose dog) in a chain-link kennel although he knows his dog is a kennel biter. After about two years of chewing on the chain-link fence, that has been "repaired" dozens of times with everything from chicken wire to hog panels the dogs teeth are gone. In addition, since the "handler" is what he is, he doesn't notice the problem until his dog hesitates to bite during maintenance training. Soon thereafter the canine refuses to bite completely because he is in constant pain caused by serious jaw infection due to rotting teeth. The dog is now unworkable. He really gets a free replacement?

I could go on and on with examples of dogs that become unworkable for all kinds of reasons. 
How many departments suspended their K-9 program because of bad experiences caused by insufficient maintenance training that made the dog a liability and therefor unworkable. How many departments are hesitant to establish a K-9 program either due to past experiences with unworkable dogs or horror stories they heard in the past.

So how realistic is this part of the vendor's replacement warranty? What does the vendor mean by "unworkable"? 

If the vendor's warranty really covers any and all circumstances that could render a service dog unworkable within the first 5 years, it is without doubt the best warranty in the business, because the spectrum of possibilities that can require the vendor having to replace the dog for becoming unworkable is simply enormous.

So, do I believe the claim the vendor makes in his ad?- Not really. I would assume there are restrictions the vendor did not mention.


Paragraph 2, line 4 - "If for any reason, the dog develops an illness or disease within the first 5 years, that disables the dog, vendor will also replace the dog free of charge."

Let's continue to use our "signature handler" as an example. He "forgets" to administer heartworm preventatives and the dog becomes infested. Every semi educated handler knows the degenerative effects of heartworm infestation, especially if it reaches a stage in which the poison needed to kill the heartworm actually harms the dog. Treatment becomes futile. The canine will become unworkable. Free replacement?

There is an array of other illnesses the dog can develop that will possibly render the dog unworkable. The causes are mostly accidental. Spine injuries, neck injuries, torsion, ear problems (severe hematoma requiring multiple surgeries), disease caused by parasites other than heartworm, etc.
All circumstances the vendor can not possibly be held responsible for, and yet the vendor will replace the dog for free?

I do not believe that the claims made in the vendor's ad are purposely misleading, but rather carelessly articulated. A blanket 5 year warranty for the workability of a service dog is in my opinion unrealistic and unheard of in our industry. 

We can issue warranties for previously undetected genetic issues, such as bad hips in an adult dog, we can guarantee the dog to be free of parasites, obvious physical defects, serious behavioral problems, etc. To say "here is a well trained dog in good condition, if for any reason this dogs becomes unworkable within the next 5 years we will give a new one" is economically unsustainable unless this dog sells for an exorbitant amount of money.

Now, having expressed my thoughts on this issue I will give the reader the guarantee that if I am wrong, and this blanket, catch all warranty is really out there, I will apologize and remove this blog.

K-9 Training

Obedience

This is probably the most underestimated discipline in dog training. The one thing handlers struggle with the most, and yet it is the basis for all advanced dog training. Period.

Whether it is scent work, bite work, therapy work, search and rescue, it all includes obedience. If your dog is not reliably obedient all other advanced training will be either unreliable and mediocre or simply just impossible.
Obedience is the one discipline in K-9 training that pulls rank with the dog and establishes clear pack hierarchy.
At the same time it is probably the most labor intensive, for the handler and the dog. It is physically demanding for the handler and stressful for the dog. Stressful because the dog is forced to continuously do things it would not do on its own at the time.
This is, if obedience is trained correctly.

A dog cannot be coaxed into being reliably obedient. In other words treats and toys WILL NOT DO THE JOB!

A canine learns by making pleasant and unpleasant experiences. For example -  in a pack scenario, when the rank higher individual eats and the lower ranking pack member approaches the eating leader, the leader will let the subordinate pack member know that he/she has to wait to feed. Usually by a clearly audible growl and/or bearing of teeth.  If this warning is ignored or challenged by the intruder, a physical confrontation will occur. The lower ranking, and therefor weaker individual, will learn quickly through a rather negative physical experience, that the leader is not willing to share the meal at this particular time. Lesson learned, the lower ranking canine will back up, wait and eat what the leader leaves behind after he/she get their fill.

Correctly trained, RELIABLE obedience is based on the same principle.

This is the ONLY way the dog will learn. We can’t explain things to dogs. A good trainer who understands that will now create situations that causes the dog to decide to obey on its own. Let me explain :

Canines, as far as we know, do not think.  One who thinks, can reason. Dogs cannot reason. No mammal can, as far as we know today. A dog operates based on stimulus and instinctive response. Hence same stimulus = same response plus learned behavior. This capability is solidly embedded in their DNA.

Let’s take an obedience exercise to explain what that means. 

HEEL AND SIT.

The easiest and most reliable way to teach a dog to heal and sit is the long line. On the long line the dog learns that the closer it is to the handler the more pleasurable life becomes.

Use a 15 ft  line and put a well fitting choke collar on the dog. Well fitting means that the collar fits snug over the dogs head and you cannot make more than 3 fingers fit between the dogs neck and the collar.

Now just let the dog go and do what it wants. Your job is to always move it the opposite direction of the dog, thereby letting the dog hit the end of the leash. You NEVER talk to the dog. If the dog just stands there you run in any direction away from the dog. Again the dog will feel the hit of the leash as soon as you run further than the length of the leash.

Pretty soon, within minutes, the dog will start following wherever you go - ON ITS OWN. Initially from a distance (but closer than the length of the leash), eventually closer and closer until it comes all the way to you.

At that time you reach down pet the dog and encourage the behavior in a soft tone of voice. It doesn’t matter what you say, it just has to be soft and encouraging.  Then you walk/run away again. The dog will follow. If not immediately, keep up the exercise, success is 100% guaranteed. Remember, patience is everything.

After a very short period of time the dog will pay close attention to all your movements and follow you without direction or command.  Make sure YOU DO NOT FORGET to respond with praise whenever you stop and the dog comes all the way to you.

90 % of dogs will now sit whenever they are close to you and you pet them. At that time the basics of heel and sit are beginning to be embedded in the dog. You also taught the dog to appreciate the “slack in the lead”. I will address the importance of that in the future.

Next step is to teach the dog on which side of the handler it needs to heel and associate the proper command with that.