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May 17, 2011

Should I sensitize my dog to pepper spray?

Full Question:
I wasn't able to find where you may have addressed this question on your web page, but I may have missed it. Anyway, I'm training a puppy for police work and someone asked me if I had or will sensitize my dog for pepper spray. It got me thinking (yes, this is a dangerous thing) and this makes a lot of sense to me. During the course of my duties I've pepper sprayed many dogs (even a horse one time - it doesn't do anything to them! It was trying to eat my leather duty gear!!) with varying results. Usually it works pretty good. It will usually at least make them wary of me and leave me alone so I can conduct my business. Some dogs I've sprayed has had a profound and lasting effect on them. It seems I go to the same residences over and over again and with some of these dogs all I have to do is take out the can and they vacate the premises rather quickly.

I think this is something that I should do with my dog when she gets a little older - she is six months old now. What do you think about this and how should I go about this? It seems to me that if I sprayed her kennel floor to start with and worked up to full facial sprays, this would work okay. I could observe how she reacts to it and proceed from there. I certainly don't want to make her afraid of "the can" and I think with a little patience and sensibility it should work out okay.

I was wondering how you would go about sensitize a dog to pepper spray.
Ed
Ed Ed's Answer:
I would not ever try to sensitize my dog to pepper spray. I have worked a K-9 for 9 years and never had the need to worry about this. It doesn’t make sense to risk the avoidance you will cause if your dog is sensitive to this.

If you feel like you have to do it anyway, what you are talking about is not the best way.

Wait until the dog is mature. Then spray a mist and have the dog run through it (from a distance) on the way to take a bite. Then the dog is exposed in high drive. It goes in and comes through it quickly.

I would never work to a point where it gets a full face spray, especially from you. You will destroy your bond with the dog.

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Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
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