Product Description

This DVD was produced in 1999 with Bernhard Flinks. Bernhard is a German Police K9 handler.

Since 1999 training concepts and methods have changed.

Marker training (read my free e-book on markers) has taken over the world of dog training, and this video does not involve markers. I continue to offer the DVD because it does have merit as a different form of dog training.

The majority of the work in this DVD uses a ball-on-string as a reward. A ball-on-a-string is not always an appropriate reward for young untrained dog.

Balls-on-string can be used as an effective reward but only when a dog can do the following:

• The dog must tug with enthusiasm
• It must OUT when told to OUT on the first command
• It must willingly return the ball to the handler after the ball has been released

That work is covered in our 5 1/2 hour DVD with Michael Ellis, The Power of Playing Tug with Your Dog.

Bernhard is a German police officer and Schutzhund competitor.

While the training concepts in this DVD came from seminars with Bernhard, the content of this DVD, the script for this DVD and all of the video and editing for the DVD was done by Ed Frawley. Bernhard had nothing to do with the production or content of this training video.

Bernhard lives in Northern Germany and speaks perfect English. He has been in the German Bundesseigerprufung (BSP) six times. On three of those occasions he had the highest scoring protection dog in the competition on the 4th Bundessieger he had the second highest scoring dog in protection. He has had two SG scores (very good) with his current dog Itor. In 2002 Itor finished 13th in the competition.

Bernhard claims the video “Building Drive & Focus” is the foundation of his training program. Bernhard feels this work is the beginning of his competitive obedience training along with start of the foundation for his protection training program.

This video shows how Bernhard teaches people to bring their dog up to its genetic potential of drive (every dog has it’s own potential for drive). It’s through “drive training” that the relationship between the handler and dog is established.

Many people think that just because their dog comes from super bloodlines it should have super drive. These people are wrong. Dogs don’t suddenly wake up one morning and have a ton of drive. Building drive takes hard work and skill. Building drive is a learned exercise in dog training. If you don't work on building your dogs drive it will dissipate and go away.

Bernhard has broken this work down into small incremental training steps that everyone can understand. He has made drive building an art form. My video details the work to show you exactly how this training is done. I also spend a considerable amount of time showing the most common mistakes that new trainers make when they first try putting their dogs into drive.

Some people talk about how much drive their dogs have, but when we look closer many of these dogs have wild hectic drive. These are not easy dogs to train or live with. This video teaches you how to train a dog to control his drive. We teach dogs that if they display self control while in drive they will be rewarded for the proper behavior.

The second part of this video shows you how to use drive as a training tool. It shows how to train a dog to focus. When I talk about “focus training” I mean that a dog must learn to control it’s drive (CAP his drive) and his nerves to obtain it’s drive goal. (In our training this means it's prey item; a ball on a string or a tug).

Bernhard makes the point that a dog must learn to focus for 15 minutes if it is to do competition obedience, police service work, agility work or S&R work. He also points out that a dog must learn to control himself if he is ever to be a successful working dog. For those people who wish to protection train their dog its actually focus and self control work that a dog displays when he is asked to do a bark-and-hold or to stay Out when told to Out after a bite.

Focus training is really the foundation of Bernhard’s training program. If a dog has a solid foundation in focus training it is not a difficult job to carry that training over into every part of the dog’s work. Bernhard shows exactly how to do this in my video.

Through this training, dogs learn that heeling, the sit, the down, the recall, the retrieve and the stay are drive commands and not compulsion commands. Once a dog learns this he becomes a happy working dog. Dogs that work in compulsion training look like they hate the work or at best they look like they tolerate the work. Dogs that work in drive look like they love to work.

Skills you will learn from this video:

• We will show you how to build a working relationship with your dog that is based on trust and understanding.
• You will learn how to select the right prey item for the dog.
• You will learn the right way to make drive with that prey item.
• We will show you the most common mistakes new handlers make when they start drive training with their dogs.
• We will show you how how to determine if your dog is ready for focus training.
• You will learn the correct way to train your dog to focus while in drive.
• We will teach you the correct way to reward the dog with a prey item while it is focusing.
• We will teach you the first steps to building a firm grip.
• We will show you how to train the dog to be comfortable when he is near his handler while gripping the prey item.
• We will show you how to teach the very first part of the OUT exercise. We will show you how to teach a dog to be comfortable with the OUT command.
• We will show how to teach the dog that heeling, sit, and down are drive exercises and not compulsion exercises.