NOTES

1. This is a problem, mainly because there are no "bad guys". There is mainly mass ignorance and a need for a huge paradigm shift.

We NEED HIGH-LEVEL KNOWLEDGE AND COLLABORATION to find better solutions. 

1. My experience. This dog had his ribs broken and all 4 canine teeth broken on the third day of training after being donated to the New York State Police

3. Seminar

4. Still business as usual

5. Let's look at the records.

https://www.ci.vacaville.ca.us/government/police-department/tranparency-portal

6. This is the way it always ends. No solutions only acceptance.

North Carolina Highway Patrol Incident

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_Highway_Patrol_K-9_incident

https://web.archive.org/web/20101128023147/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/24/1862093/ruling-rehire-fired-k-9-state.html

6. Let's look into a recent Military Working Dog Manual (full manual for download at the bottom of the page)

examples

What is "social correction"

Iatrogenesis is the causation of a disease, a harmful complication, or other ill effects by any medical activity, including diagnosis, intervention, error, or negligence.

Problem #1

Somewhere along the way, working dog training started to model competition training.

Sport Dog Training is NOT the same as real-world training

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• fake searches
• fake tracking
• fake protection
• fake obedience
  • does not transfer to real life
• Even a world champion dog does not need to ever receive praise, be able to coexist with a human outside of the kennel, perform any of the behaviors off the field, or even have a great bond with the handler.  

Problem #2 "social corrections"

Here are techniques described by the military - learned from watching TV.

The poking technique

The kicking technique and the side effect if dealing with an aggressive dog (what their dogs are supposed to be).

Aggression feeds aggression in a proper working dog of a mature age.  If the "social corrections" work on an adult dog in particular you probably don't want to rely on that dog to fight someone who will "socially correct" the dog even harder during a fight.

• alpha roll
• slaps
• kicks
• hitting with the leash
• "stringing the dog up"
• Helicopter
• Swing and smash

Solution - Don't do it. Period. It causes side effects and damages to all. Use alternatives.

Problem #3

"Drive building" in reality is "frustration building" and "conflict building"

Modern working dogs come out of the womb with enough drive for two dogs.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/29/these-brutal-police-dog-attacks-were-captured-video-now-some-cities-are-curtailing-k-9-use/

Solution

• Teach the pup to fight the tug holder for fighting back, NOT to feel as if the handler's role is to be a source of constant resistance.  Focus on the prey and fight drive, not barrier frustration and possessiveness. 
• Don't condition the pup to associate bites with frustration. Excess frustration is NOT needed for real bite work, only necessary for sport work where the aggression is not "real".
• Handlers MUST be informed of the dog's true reasons for behavior.  The dog is only doing what it was taught to do.
• breaking sticks should NOT be THE PLAN.  https://www.workingdogdrygoods.com/products/breaker-bar

Problem #4

Ethology and natural canine behavior must be incorporated into the certification programs. Know your “equipment”.

You have a dog that was specifically bred to have an enhanced propensity to deal with violence with violence. “WHY are you having handlers use violence against their own dogs”. It ends up BAD
Understand that the relationship between handler and dog IS important and that also is not established through violence.

Solution

Understand the natural behavior of the dog.

Problem #4
All organizations that that preach against the proper use of punishment in dog training. It is OK to not understand how to use punishment. It takes a lot of skill, which is why there is a need for competent experts and professionals in this field. These organizations suppress the forward progress of an industry and create an opening for amateurs to fill the void.

Problem #5

Departments should work with an expert to make training protocols that are not vague and make sense on paper and are practical.  Most standards just require dogs to show records that the dog is training and pass a "competition style test". 

• Follow guidelines associated with ABA because it works.
• Punishment is necessary and warranted by all of the most qualified experts in the field, but must be done the right way.
  • The best way to be good at punishment is to be very very very good at what can be accomplished first with positive reinforcement.
  • Control and bite work can be incorporated early
  • MUST understand how to incorporate Premack Principle into the protocols
  • Punishment is then done in a way that not only gives the best results but is also minimally aversive and safest with the least chance of side effects.

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Learn how to add accountability into training plans.