I have a question...

When you are training a dog to do protection. Primarily you are working with the same trainer most of the time. Now granted, you can do scenario work which will provide you with a pretty good indication of whether the dog is going to respond to a threat. However, if the dog is familiar with the scent of the same helper, even in scenario work won't the dog become somewhat desensitized to the scenario work and it's potential outcomes?

At some point you need to have different people work the dog. Alot of dogs have issues with helpers they don't know.

 Quote: RobbinMann

I have a question...

When you are training a dog to do protection. Primarily you are working with the same trainer most of the time. Now granted, you can do scenario work which will provide you with a pretty good indication of whether the dog is going to respond to a threat. However, if the dog is familiar with the scent of the same helper, even in scenario work won't the dog become somewhat desensitized to the scenario work and it's potential outcomes?

Ahhh very good question. One i have been asking myself for the last 6 months. And this is what i found from my experience.

First my consern was equipment dependency. 98% of the time we use the bite suit. So was started doing muzzle work and we have a hidden sleeve (which i am convinced it is not hidden enough). Next i was concerned about the fact that we have done bite work with the same two decoys (we have three handlers here and we all decoy for each other) for the better part of a year.

Well a new rotation of people came to Camp Bondsteel, and it seems a decent amount of people wanted to put the bite suit on and get bite. When i first thought of this i thought it was a horrible idea and pretty much was planning on refusing to let some one who knew nothing about dogs put the bite suit on and get bit.

But that didn't happen. What ended up happening is that a group of people came out when we did bite work (every friday) so we ended up giving a class about safety and how to act around the dogs and all the other fun details.

Then, i was enlightened.... i saw there is some good that can come from this. A lot of good actually. When the decoy started running and i let my dog off leash immediately i saw a different dog doing controlled aggression. His attitude was different, his bite was different, his bark was different. Hands down he was a lot more aggressive. He was actually barking when he was on the bite once (can someone explain that?).

Pretty much what i have learned and come to expect is to do training to improve your dog with your normal decoy. And if you have people you can trust do the very very basics with them. This will show your dog that the decoy is not going to do the same thing each time, it is not going to move the same way all the time. Your dog will be more prepared for something out side the normal decoy.

Pretty much i see it like this.
Normal Decoy: Train all new tasks and complicated tasks with this decoy.
Person with no real decoy skills: Do the very basics with just so your dog gets something different.


Now does any of this makes sense?

This does make sense,Michael, however, I would only say that someone with no experience might inadvertently hurt my dog and then I would have to kill them. J/K

Seriously, I've only recently learned that there are many variables to "catching" the dog on the sleeve and that w/o proper training a dog could get very hurt/paralyzed/spine snappage, etc.

 Quote: robbinmann

This does make sense,Michael, however, I would only say that someone with no experience might inadvertently hurt my dog and then I would have to kill them. J/K

Seriously, I've only recently learned that there are many variables to "catching" the dog on the sleeve and that w/o proper training a dog could get very hurt/paralyzed/spine snappage, etc.

Like i said we only do the basics with them and give them a class (and also show them) what needs to be done.

Then we pretty much put them in a position where they cant hurt the dog (or at least minimize the risk) We only use them for prey drive really, put the suite on tell them to agitate the dog and run as fast as they can. Tell them to act like they are really trying to get away. (Then again this is more of police work then protection work where the decoy is coming at you)

Robbin, have you talked about this question with your trainer? I'm assuming you have a good trainer, in which case he can probably share with you his ideas about when to introduce your dog to "stranger" helpers and how that might progress?

I think getting second opinions can be a good thing, but since you have mentioned you are actively working with someone first hand, I'm always interested in hearing what that person has to say, since he's seeing your dog work ..... Has your trainer given you any feedback or expectations about when unfamiliar helpers might be introduced?

Beth