The work of a trained protection dog is special. The ancient bond between mankind and canine developed over centuries. Our Protection Dog Training is different from regular training.
It includes many parts, such as obedience, agility, article search, man-scent tracking, and bite work. This is how we refer to the work at CCPD.
Without using food, toys, or tugs to reward the dog, we can motivate them to work for the handler. Effective communication achieves this. Instead, we reward the dog with “verbal cookies”, such as “good sit” when they fulfill a “sit” command.
However, communication with the dog goes beyond just positive reinforcement – it also includes interaction with the dog. To communicate well with your family protection dog, stay calm and assertive. Pay attention to how you hold the lead, your tone of voice, and your body language. These factors are important, especially during training.
The work’s foundation roots itself in obedience. Unlike biting or scent work, obedience is unnatural to a canine. As early as five weeks old, we introduce our puppies to the collar and leash.
In the early stages of obedience training, the dog walks on different surfaces and heights. The trainer typically issues commands such as sit, stay, down. The new surface and height distract the dog. This helps reduce the stress of obedience training.
We use a unique agility course in our training. They make it from various materials. These include corrugated metal, wooden planks, ladders, skids, barrels, tires, and other common items. Agility work starts at five weeks hand-in-hand with the introduction to obedience.
We begin by introducing the dog with the different types of surfaces and elevations. When the dogs begin to develop confidence with the change in environment, they are ready to learn rear foot replacement. Unlike cats, dogs do not naturally inherit skills; owners must teach them.
In traditional sports like KNPV (Royal Dutch Police Dog Association), dogs search for small items. These items may include a ring,,a key or a 9 mm casing. The handler then requires the dog to retrieve these items and return them to the handler. The dog has 10 minutes to locate and retrieve all the items to achieve a perfect score.
The breed that is suitable for this work is the German Shepherd ,and Belgian Malinois.
However, this method contaminates the objects and may result in compromising the condition of the item. In a practical situation, whether it be court evidence, a cell phone or a ring, these outcomes are best avoided.
Instead, it is advisable to train the dog to either sit or lie down in proximity of the item. This uses the dog’s natural ability to find scents. Using this method will prevent the pollution and damage of important items.
Man Scent-Tracking The dog has a brilliant sense of smell and can discriminate between multiple scents on one object. At six weeks, we begin to reinforce man-scent by hiding the handler a short distance from the dog. When issuing the seek command, you reply the dog for the task. Upon locating the handler, the trainer praises the dog with good seek.
They repeat this once again, but this time the handler hides in a different location near the previous one. When the dog returns to the familiar hiding spot, it will have to track the handlers’ scent to find his/her new location.
In a genuine scenario involving a dog bite, the dog will utilize its canine teeth to inflict injury. Today, teaching dogs to use their molars to bite goes against their natural instincts. This practice is not helpful. Unfortunately, there is a misconception that a dog uses its canines to bite only out of fear.
When a wolf hunts and kills a deer with its canines, it is not doing this out of fear, but for survival. The same is true of a real protection dog to a real threat.
Protection is not a game. Ensuring your safety is the focus. In the world of dog protection sports, some exercises are not useful or can even harm the dog.