How to use this site
1 Check back frequently
Weblog is updated weekly and content is added frequently, along with the Facebook page.
2 Be active
Please exchange information often. You can contact through email, but it would be of the highest value to exchange ideas via the Facebook page. At that site you can post pictures, videos, brag on your pups progress, and ask questions. Your exchange of information will help others to enter the conversation. I cannot assist you in your effort if we are not having a regular dialog.
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3 There is not a specific schedule of exercises
Working with two research groups, it was discovered there are multiple paths for success in detection dogs. Let your dogs performance dictate progression, not a calendar or schedule. There are people who do very little and raise successful dogs and there are a people who do a ton of work and raise unsuccessful dogs. The key to success is dedication towards a purpose for the dog.
4 Variety is both a curse and the key to success.
The variety of dog breeds and ages, the variety of handler/trainers, the variety of experience, skills, and knowledge sets, and the variety of learning styles of participants all make it impossible to have a "one size fits all' approach.
Data on participants will enable us to make better training and learning platforms in the future when we can identify the various approaches to success.
5 The basic approach
a) Reverse engineer the development process. Review the information and videos on what is expected of an adult dog and do age appropriate behaviors building toward that with a younger dog.
b) The two base components are environmental stability and reward object engagement. Both of these should be developed to the extreme and with Independence in mind. Without these foundational behaviors, a dog will not be accepted as a training candidate by most government agencies or canine vendors.
c) You cannot gauge improvement without record keeping.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxMAky7W1W6KCHJNHO36TDkx-OC5u-YCfbJNtR84guS8UPzw/viewform
d) Don't forget the importance of the needed resilience needed to be a working dog.
e) Repeating- Let the dog's progress dictate the next steps. Their behavior should be extreme and the dog's behavior should be driven by intense, internal, and independent motivation. Short cuts, not having a solid foundation, and the "clever hans" syndrome can create belief in a dog that has little to no ability.
About Us
Proven Knowledge
Knowledge based on 569 dogs produced over a 12 year period of time.
Data Driven Information
Behavior change based on genetic and epigenetics, with proven exercised to enhance performance over a lifetime.
