WARNING TO ALL POLICE AND SERVICE DOG PEOPLE


There now appears to be some pet trainers and snake oil salesmen about touting their magical abilities to cure all and fix all using an electric remote collar. Anyone that works a dog in any type of scent work should stay as far away from one of these characters as possible. Electricity is a very powerful tool that can be a quick fix with long lasting, devastating consequences. Here are a few clues that let you know you are dealing with someone dangerous:


1. The “trainer” will never answer a question directly. He or she will stick to their sales training and divert attention away from what you originally asked. Do not let anyone that cannot explain his or her training techniques in plain language put an e-collar on your dog!
2. It is human nature to want to believe in magic – but there is no magic in working dogs. It takes years of hard work, trial and error, and a thorough understanding of what motivates a working dog in order for a trainer to keep the balance in your dog. If the person does not have verifiable, extensive training experience in your field, do not let this person put an e-collar on your dog!
3. Stay far away from anyone that disregards every accepted training technique and theory and wants to show you his divinely inspired methods. If they tell you there is only one drive – “Because I said so!” drive – do not let this person put an e-collar on your dog!
4. If the person has never applied his techniques on actual deployments – or has never successfully trained a dog in your particular discipline - Do not let this person put an e-collar on your dog!
5. If the dogs he shows are nervous, anxious, and or suppressed, or clearly anticipating control commands - do not let this person put an e-collar on your dog!
6. Anyone that uses stimulation to compel a dog to search or engage in combat is a dangerous fool. Do not let this person get within 100 yards of your dog!
7. The trainer creates a “safe place” for your dog using electricity. This safe place can be called anything and is usually applied to heeling, downing, the send out, etc. If the trainer creates a “safe place” in any way, shape, or form – do not let this person put an e-collar on your dog!
8. If the trainer achieves immediate, exacting precision with problem dogs, it is an indication that the trainer is using pure punishment techniques and is not interested in keeping the dog balanced. Do not let this person put an e-collar on your dog!
9. If you frequently hear vocalization or see overt reactions to the stimulations it is a clear indication that the “trainer” is using high levels of stimulation and strict compulsion. Do not let this person put an e-collar on your dog!
10. If you happened to have let this pet trainer work your dog, you may be initially impressed with the control he has achieved. However, a day or two later, when your dog has shut down, refuses to search, or searches and misses the easy find, you will be saying to yourself – “I shouldn’t have let that person put an e-collar on my dog!”

We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, not to mention years, into training our service dogs. It is difficult if not impossible for others to understand what failure means in police or SAR deployments. We know how deadly serious our operations are. Be very afraid of anyone that has no or little experience in your area that wants to show you how he does it. Remember, he has never done it. Also remember that control is but a small part of the whole picture of a working dog. What you do in obedience directly effects searching, man work, etc. We all work very hard to select the dog with proper drives. We all work hard to establish the intense working attitude in the dog, and using those drives to our advantage. For someone to come along and destroy that attitude and motivation is a tragedy. Even more tragic, that lost little girl may not be found because you let someone unqualified in your field to put that e-collar on your dog.


Regards

Donn Yarnall http://www.donnyarnall.com

AHMEN BROTHER!!!! Step on back folks and let the teacher clear the room!!!!

YOU DA(New YOUURK accent) MAN!!! LOL

Donn,
That has got to be the best letter ever posted on the risk factor of the wrong people training the wrong dogs.It is also nice to hear someone say that you cant dismiss other methods of training.
Paul

In my humble opinion unless someone has hunting armed humans with a dog in the middle of the night they have no business telling others how to do the training. I agree 100% with Donn. Police K9 handlers should only recieve their training from Instructors who have been there and done that. :rolleyes:

Donn,

"We aren't worthy!!!"

I would take it one step farther. Every thing you have said applies to ANY method of correction. You could do the same thing with a prong or slip collar. Level and type of correction is not just dependant on the device used, but the method used is as important. The dogs respond to the correction or reward to shape behavior, a bad trainer can undo your training with any correction device. This is why selection of a trainer is so important. Find out what methods your trainer uses and if they don't makes sense, run don't walk, to someone new.

We have a "trainer" in this area that has ruined more dogs than I can believe. He uses such "intellegent methods" as cattle prods to teach "out" to dogs. In about 3 months he took dogs that were good working dogs and turned then into unreliable, uncontrolable, bundles of nerves. The dogs could no longer go out in public since they now bit everything that moves. He even managed to destroy several assistance dogs.

Watch several training sessions with dogs before selecting a trainer. Never believe what they tell you. Always look at results with client's dogs. Many of these crooks will go buy a trained dog from someone else and pass it off as their own training. Talk to clients and watch the dogs to see if you are happy with the way they work. If it isn't what you want, find someone new. If you have a "gut feeling" that something isn't right, then you are probably picking up on a real problem.

Excellent advice, Donn. I'd like to expand on it and extend it to the world of sport dogs as well, ie the *seminar syndrome*. Pls do not misunderstand, there are many, many folks giving great seminars that I'd stand in line in a blizzard to be able to attend, but . . . for the folks who may be new to sport/working dogs, *unless* the seminar leader is well known to you, leave your dog at home the first time you attend one of his/her seminars. Be certain you see the person work several dogs before you hand your own dog over to him or her. FWIW.

Donn, there's nothing I can say to top your wonderful warning. Richard, I agree that a bad trainer can ruin a dog with any tool. But the thing about the e-collar is it's just sooooo easy to push a button! Any idiot can do it. Someone who wouldn't have the strength to overcorrect with other tools, can still destroy a dog with an e-collar. That's why this WARNING is so serious. It's scarry to realize that anyone who can push buttons, and get immediate results can call himself a trainer. So though I believe in the proper use of e-collars, and think they're a marvelous tool, BEWARE of who is strapping them on and pushing buttons.

There is a trainer in Arkansas who is making claims to train for the Secret Service and he uses the shock collar so much he has to replace the batteries every few days. He advises his handlers to do the same thing. The county handler here has to replace the batteries for his dog every few days at Wal-Mart, especially when there is a demonstration coming up or he has to have the dog out around anyone.

I'm pleased to join the esteemed group of trainers on this forum and hope I can learn something from each of y'all.

Kelly George, would you be so kind as to email me personally and tell me the name of the Arkansas trainer. My email address is below. I'm very curious! Thanks.

Wendell Nope and K-9 "Hero"
Utah PoliceAcademy
wnope@dps.state.ut.us

Glad to see you here, Mr. Nope. I can think of a whole lot of people who will be glad you joined us. We are lucky to have you here.

Regards--

Pete Felknor