K-9 Training: A Modern Approach to Training - Part 1

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June/July 2014 - Volume 6, Issue 2

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K-9 training

A Modern Approach By: Lazaro “Laz” Cabrera

Part I: Obedience There are three parts to this modern training system that I would like to introduce to you. This is the first of the three parts and the foundation to having a successful, modern, and certifiable police dog in order to minimize the liability to your agency.

Years ago, I learned to train dogs using the escape & avoidance training system. After realizing that this method was not giving me the desired flashiness and consistent behavior I wanted in the dog, I knew it was time to find a new approach. Through my experience buying police dogs in Europe, I have made contact with some of the best dog trainers in the world.

This has led me to understand that there is “A Modern Approach to Training”.

Escape training is pretty simple... a dog learns to perform a behavior in order to avoid a correction.

What I failed to realize is that the reason so many of these KNPV dogs endured that style of training was because they were some of the hardest working dogs in the world.

If you compare the obedience in the KNPV dog with the IPO dog, the lack of flashiness is apparent.

While I am not stating that the escape training should not be taught completely, I believe that it should be taught after the learning phase and not during.

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In order to understand this system, you must understand Maslow’s Pyramid of Hierarchy of Needs, Classical Conditioning/Associative Learning, Operant Conditioning Quadrant and the effects that dopamine has on your dog’s performance as explained by Dr. Robert Supolsky.

The KNPV method falls short in that not all dogs have the ability to withstand pressure at the same level. Years later, I was introduced to the operant training system, through which a dog learns to perform a behavior in order to Maslow’s Pyramid of produce a reward. This system appealed to me for several reasons: Hierarchy of Needs the dogs’ ears were always engaged regardless of whether or not the dogs were corrected; the way the dogs carried themselves while performing behaviors was different (their level of energy was not suppressed due to over correcting during the learning phase); they responded more quickly and were not afraid to make mistakes. They essentially cycled through behaviors in Maslow’s Pyramid of Hierarchy of Needs Diagram order to produce a reward, creating an active dog. This After observing Mazlow’s Pyramid active dog is what is needed in of Hierarchy of Needs, I have police work. concluded that the three most I began looking into how this was important physiological needs in possible and I came across several dog training are food, water and trainers that I consider world class oxygen. In the obedience phase, the guys. I feel they have been a big first thing we must do is to create influence in my modern approach to a hungry dog. This means that to dog training today. do this, the dog eats during work time (training) only. When used as I look at training dogs as a a reward, food is the most powerful

simple formula...

Desire for a reward + Create Hope + Pressure

= SUCCESS!

Operant Conditioning Quadrant Diagram

to Training tool to manipulate a dog’s behavior.

This tool creates concentration and engagement like no other reward, allowing the dog to think clearly and the handler to manipulate its position without the dog being in too high of a drive.

Operant Conditioning Quadrant B.F. Skinner and Thorndike, the founding fathers of operant conditioning, suggested that there must be positive and negative consequences during any learning system. These consequences must fit accordingly in the phase the dog is in (learning phase and the escape phase).

Classical Condition/Associative Learning Diagram

Classical Condition/ Associative Learning Ivan Pavlov introduced Classical Conditioning/Associative Learning laws, suggesting that classical conditioning is the most efficient learning system for all living things.

With this approach, the marker is the bridge to the reward, so therefore I mark every behavior prior to rewarding the dog. After consistently performing any exercise, he will comply with the command in order to produce the reward. This becomes a reflex action to the dog and will produce the desired speed we all like.

During the learning phase, I use positive reinforcement and negative punishment.

If the dog achieves the exercise, I mark the behavior and I reward him (positive reinforcement). If the dog fails the exercise, I deny the reward (negative punishment).

During the escape phase, I use positive punishment, negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement. Once the dog clearly understands the exercise, I begin to use a leash and collar to apply corrections. In this phase, I approach it in the following manner: if the dog makes a mistake on a command that I know he knows, I give a correction towards the desired position (positive punishment). When the dog complies, I remove the correction (negative reinforcement), mark the behavior and reward it (positive reinforcement). In this final phase, the dog begins to learn that pressure equals reward.

My system: Steps To Obedience Step 1 & Step 2: Charging the marker and introduce the duration and release marker Place the dog off leash and make sure he is paying attention only to you (engaged). If he disengages, immediately stop the exercise and put him in his crate. If outside distractions are more important than satisfying his hunger, he is not hungry enough to continue the exercise. Once he is engaged, begin by saying “good” or “yes” followed by feeding the dog in a variable fashion each time, expecting no behavior from him other than staying engaged.

Follow Along With Video Luring the Change of Positions

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K-9 training Follow Along With Video The Luring Phase

Teaching the Rear End to Move Independently from the Front

Scan the codes above to watch

Step 3: Focus drills (all sides) and luring (heeling, turns, and position exercises)

Focus drills & heeling While sitting or standing in front of the dog, when he makes eye contact with you, say “good” or “yes” and reward him variably (different amounts of food). Do not stimulate the dog into the behavior. Allow him to come into the behavior operantly (himself) and reward him for it. This is the first step toward making the dog an active dog, not a reactive dog.

Once he is proficient, introduce this same behavior from different sides (standing on his left side, right

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side or have him in between your legs) so that he learns to generalize.

Generalization is the ability to perform the same task even though the picture looks different. It is one of the several things used to measure the level of intelligence.

Begin this process as soon as possible in order to develop this skill.

Hold a large size kibble in the wedge between your thumb and index finger. Using a large size kibble (I recommend German Shepherd Royal Canin 24) will prevent the food from falling out of your hand causing the dog to become distracted. Begin by having the dog follow your hand, saying “yes” as you release the food.

Repeat this with your right and left hand so that both hands have value to the dog. Lure the dog counterclockwise into the left heeling position, saying “yes” as you release the food. Repeat this to the right side as well. When the dog is skilled at these stationary exercises, start to walk and lure him to heel.

Video: The Luring Phase

Turns One of the most important elements for training a dog to make correct turns, is to teach him how to maneuver his rear independent of his front end. In my view, teaching this skill is more important than moving forward because the motor skills required are more complex than heeling forward. To do this, use a small rubber oil pan and place it face down. Lure the dog to place his front feet on top of the rubber pan. With your hand, signal the

Teaching the Rear End to Move Independently from the Front direction you want his rear end to turn without removing his front feet from the rubber pan. Through approximation training, which means creating small segments and then layering them, begin making the dog take a few steps to turn slightly in a clockwise motion and immediately rewarding.

As the dog learns the exercise and begins to turn at a faster pace, extend the time of the reward. Once he has learned this from the front, repeat it from the right side, the left side and in between your legs.

Video: Teaching the Rear End to Move Independently from the Front

Position Exercises (Sit, Down & Stand) The position exercises (sit, down and stand) are taught while standing in front of the dog or while the dog is on a treadmill. These positions can also be taught by luring or allowing the behaviors to happen operantly. If you choose to teach through the luring method, lure the dog into all of the above positions always causing the motion to go back. For example: the dog should show a hinge like movement on his front legs, whether he is sitting, downing or standing. This

K-9 training technique will create an optical illusion in your motion exercises, making the viewer think that the exercises are extremely fast.

The sit position is taught by luring the head straight up causing the rear end to sit, mark and reward. The down position is taught by pushing into the dog in a downward motion, mark and reward. Finally, the stand position is taught by pushing into the dog parallel to the floor causing his rear end to kick back, mark and reward. After consistently performing these behaviors, I add a command simultaneously as the dog is performing the behavior.

These behaviors will become a reflex action and no luring will be required.

Video:Luring the Change of Positions Video: Creating the Change of Positions Operantly

Step 4: Introduce place boards for continuation of the position exercises and directional exercises

smells the food he goes to the place board operantly, mark the behavior and reward him. As time goes on, the dog will associate the place board with a reward and go to the box when he sees it. When the dog becomes consistent, add the command “place”. Eventually, when you say “place”, the dog will go to the place board and you will mark the behavior and reward him.

Luring the Change of Positions

Creating the Change of Positions Operantly

Since the place board will not allow the dog to move forward, also use it as a tool to create a correct sit, down and stand position, as well as to introduce the dog to electronics (come, go away and stay) and teach him directional control. Training the dog to “come”, “go away” and “stay”, teaches him what activates and deactivates the electronics.

Video: Change of Positions on the Place Board

The place board is a box that is open on one side, used as a target to receive a reward. Introduce the place board by placing food inside the box upwind, and walking the dog on a leash so that when he

Follow Along With Video

In police work, the importance of directional control is needed when conducting a building search. This is how you command the dog to go from one door to another in order to search for a suspect.

Change of Positions on the Place Board

Introducing Multiple Place Boards

Video: Introducing Multiple Place Boards Scan the codes above to watch

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K-9 training Follow Along With Video Conditioning and Counter Conditioning the Focus

Bridging from the Luring to the Standard Heeling Position

Scan the codes above to watch

Step 5: Introduce the Manners Minder for indirect rewards (condition and counter condition the focus) and position exercises The Manners Minder is a remote control food dispensing machine, (you will need to use a smaller kibble) which provides you the control to reward variably and has the ability to mark any behavior with a tone that occurs from within the machine. This step is very crucial because it is the beginning stages of your dog learning that not all rewards come from you and he does not always need to be focused on you in order to be rewarded. This is another generalization exercise.

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immediately locks into the target area. You can now move forward to the next step.

From a sitting or standing position, place the machine with food exposed and the dog in front of you.

Use the remote to dispense more food as the dog goes to eat. When this becomes continuous, stop dispensing. This will eventually cause the dog to operantly look at you or continue to look at the machine. Mark and reward either behavior by dispensing food.

Continue dispensing steadily and both behaviors will become stronger. As the dog begins to look at the machine more consistently, add a command to “target” or “mark” the behavior and reward him. When the dog looks at you, mark the behavior with the command “look” and reward him.

By doing this, you condition and counter condition the dog’s focus.

Video: Conditioning and Counter Conditioning the Focus

Step 6: Bridging from the lure heeling to stationary standard heeling position, with your left hand on the left side of the dog’s face Place the dog on your left side in the heeling position. Your left hand is naturally hanging along the left side of the dog’s face. Initially, the dog will try to go to the hand.

Once he realizes that his behavior is not producing a reward, he will eventually look up to the target area (armpit). Mark the behavior at that moment and reward it. Continue to perform this exercise until you can call him to the heel position and he

Video: Bridging from the Luring to the Standard Heeling Position

Step 7: Introduce leash pressure away from any obedience exercise This phase is where you teach the dog to be light on the leash outside the obedience context, allowing you to apply small amounts of steady pressure on the leash causing the dog to go with the pressure until he no longer feels it. Start by applying pressure parallel to the ground in a rear motion. As soon as the dog takes one step to the rear and gives in to the pressure, mark that behavior and reward it. Then apply layers to this exercise requesting more from the dog as he starts to understand. As you apply the rear pressure, add a command like “back”. Repeat this leash pressure in all directions for generalization purposes. After it is complete, leash pressure allows you to place the dog in the correct position without over correcting him.

Video: Leash pressure

Leash Pressure

K-9 training Follow Along With Video Leash Pressure

Becoming Mobile in Your Heeling Bridging from the Luring to the Standard Heeling Position

Step 8: Bridging from the stationary heeling position to becoming mobile with leash pressure

Step 9: Introduce the electronics on the treadmill during focus drills

Once you have the ability to maintain the dog in the correct position (because of the leash pressure technique), you can now begin to move forward slowly to create the heeling picture. In the beginning stages, because you are now mobile, the dog will want to get rewarded from the hand. Timing is paramount. It is imperative that you mark and reward the behavior when the dog is looking at the target area. Either store the food in your pocket for easy access or obtain a food pouch. As the dog understands the exercise, start requiring him to focus on the target area for longer amounts of time before rewarding him variably. Continue this heeling process, including turns and positions, until it’s perfected.

Introduce the electronics on the treadmill during the focus drills for two reasons. First, this is done to confine the dog to a controlled area that does not allow him to go into avoidance. Second, because by this time, he already knows focus drills and it is time to incorporate escape and avoidance training into the system.

Video: Becoming Mobile in Your Heeling

I am a firm believer that electronics should not be used to teach an exercise and this approach is a perfect example of that. Place the dog on the treadmill, which he views as a sort of restaurant.

Because the dog is already familiar with focus drills, you have to create some type of distraction to cause him to look away. When he does, add small amounts of electronics to cause discomfort. Since dogs are constantly looking to better their situation, he will immediately go

Scan the codes above to watch into the behavior he knows will bring a reward. This will become a reflex. When he complies, mark the behavior and reward it.

Over time, a great phenomenon begins to happen. The stimulus from the E-collar becomes the marker to the reward. Eventually he begins to look away for you to stim him in order to get rewarded. At this point, stim him and when he looks at you, mark the behavior with “good� but do not feed him. This lets him know that an undesired behavior will not necessarily always get rewarded with food; it will only be rewarded with a marker. The dog will then realize that the only way to produce food is by staying focused through long periods of time.

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K-9 training Step 10: Introduce electronics on the place board and the obedience phase (heeling, turns and position exercises) By now, the dog should understand that going to the place board produces a reward and coming out of the place board will produce discomfort caused by small amounts of electronics. Now it’s time to create speed. In a variable fashion, when you give the “place” command, apply small amounts of electronics in order to speed the dog’s behavior to go to the place board and produce his reward. By adding electronics in this phase, you are now incorporating escape and avoidance training into this specific exercise. You have created so much hope in this place board that the dog is willing to take pressure in order to produce his reward. As mentioned earlier, this is a perfect example of the modern dog training formula to success. This is how I create the operant/active dog we’re all looking for.

Find More Videos from PSD’s Channel

Creating the Change of Positions Operantly

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Luring the Change of Positions

Change of Positions on the Place Board

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