Police K9 Decoy School Jerry Bradshaw,

Training Director. Dave Colborn, Head

Trainer. Tarheel Canine

Training Inc. TarheelCanine.com Malinois_jb@mindspring.com

Integrating Decoy Work & Training Old Way: Suit up young guys

& RUN! New Way: Decoy is the

mechanism by which the Patrol dog’s behaviors are conditioned

Therefore decoys need to be more schooled in learning theory and training techniques than the average handler.

Technique!

Quality Decoy Work (Videos) Assists the

Development of K9 Brings Appropriate

Challenge Teaches & Maintains

Good Patrol Skills Realism Teaches the dog to

Fight

Current Theories of Decoy Work

“Biting in the Core.” – F. Angelini “True Combat Agitation.” – W. Nope

Learning Theory: How Behaviors/Responses are Learned Observation: Mimicking behaviors Classical Conditioning: Learning by

association. Operant Conditioning: Learning by

consequence. Reinforcing Consequences (positive & negative) Punishing Consequences (positive & negative)

Summary of learning Dogs learn through

observation, classical, and operant conditioning.

Learning takes place whether we are aware of it or not. The dog’s environment provides myriad consequences (operant), and associations (classical).

Learning is not a linear process.

Basic Equipment Sleeves Suits Hidden Sleeves Muzzle Lines (6 Foot, 15 Foot, 30

Foot) Collars (Flat 2”, Choke,

Prong, E-Collar) Harness

Equipment…..Sleeves

Equipment…..Sticks

Equipment…..Lines & Collars

Equipment….Muzzle and Harness

Bite Suit Styles…….

Line Handling There is ALWAYS

equipment on your dog to influence his behavior.

Line Tension has Meaning (Slack, Tight)

Opposition Reflex

Training Set-Ups Back Tie Handler Posts Dog Double Line (Back Tie

or Handler Post) Sends (K9 Drags or

Handler Attaches on the Grip)

Example: Out Problem dog on Area Search

Decoy is the Mechanism…. …. Of Operant

Conditioning Decoy gives grips which

are the rewards for the behaviors of biting, apprehending, searching.

Decoy controls the timing and Intensity and interval of reinforcement.

Trainer controls the reward in the larger picture, i.e. where to place the decoy.

Controlled Aggression Fundamentals Prey & Biting Behavior - (Full,

Firm, Hard) Grips and Strong Pursuit, and Entry.

Defense & Civil Aggression – Aggressive on Command, when no equipment is present, and the nerve to stand and fight.

Ability to Channel drives from Prey to defense and vice versa, multiple times.

Targeting Equipment Properly Sleeve (Center) Suit (Multiple Target Areas) but not

“everywhere”. Decoy needs to know how to

make all this happen!

Controlled Aggression Skills Out on Command (out

& Guard, Out & Return).

Man Orientation Techniques

Search Training (Area & Building)

Redirects Call-Offs

Decoy’s Responsibilities Know how to catch safely Know how to build prey, defense, and

Channeling of the drives. Know how to develop grips Understand conditioning principles

(e.g. conditioning theory, back chaining behavior sequences).

Know how to train targeting. Know how to teach skills – Out,

Redirects, Searching, Call-Off for example.

If you get in the suit and don’t know how to do these things you are not a decoy, just a guy in a bite suit, and anyone can do that. Usually poorly.

A Bite Session (Handler Post) Decoy Agitates

(Mistake) Decoy Delivers Makes Grip Full Prey to Defense Defense to Prey Release (Removal) Finishes with Agitation

Key Ideas for the Decoy Must set Goals (long,

medium, short) Must Set up session

Properly Must Read Dog’s

behavior against Goals Must know how to react

to that behavior (mechanics) to promote those goals.

Reinforcing & Punishing Aggression Building Aggression

(Foundation) Creating appropriate

contexts & cues for Aggression (Skills)

Eliminating Aggression in Certain Circumstances (de-conditioning)

Drive Theory of Aggression Prey Drive (trigger is

movement) Defense Drive (threat is

trigger) Social Drive (infringement of

social position is the trigger) “Fight Drive*” (learned

enjoyment of combat and is a trained response).

Drives are inherent, genetically hard wired, behavioral responses to certain stimuli (triggers).

Methods for controlling aggression Out & Guard (sit, lie down,

bark) Redirect Corollary: Out & Return to

cover “Call-off” (aka Recall,

Stopped Attack – dog can return or lay down and watch suspect).

Tactical Removal.

Prey Aggression Goals Alert (Dog starts Action).

Dog Begins Action/Decoy rewards alert

Barking Brings Movement. Prey Passes build Frustration

Delivery/Entry/Strike (Into Circle) Grip (Firm, Full & Hard)

Full - Use Countering Techniques Firm – Use back pressure to keep

grip steady Hard – Over time, back pressure

Reward & Reposition (Slip) Disengage & Restart (Prey Guarding)

Defensive Aggression Goals Place Defense

Threshold on Command

Lower Defense Threshold

Raise Avoidance Threshold

Pre-Avoidance & Displacement During Civil Work (civil confrontation

pressure) During Bite work (on the grip under

pressure) Decoy MUST read the pre-avoidance signs. What are they? What is the helper’s barometer in bitework?

Targeting……

Why Targeting Training? Robinette V. Barnes says

dogs are not “deadly force”

Training records consistent with this idea reflect that K9s are not allowed to target face, neck and groin areas, because they ARE taught to target forearms, bicep, tricep, calf, shin.

Decoy Safety demands it. Lessens chance dog will

not engage 1st street bite. Lessens chance the dog

can be run off a grip. Clear conditioning results

in powerful grips, engagements, and fights.

Human Focused Aggression Can be naturally

present (Classically defensive dog)

Can be taught (non-classically aggressive or prey dog)

Training Progression

Passive Bites

Begins with properly trained alert behavior Decoys need to change how they think Old Technique => Movement draws aggression New Technique => stillness and passivity are key

to aggression. “Dog makes passive guy into prey through

aggression” Back Chaining the Passive bite

Muzzle Work Conditioning Muzzle Passive Bites First On Leash or On Long Line – Positive control for safety

and to build frustration/aggression Dog must bring the energy to fight and stay engaged Decoy must be highly skilled in reading the dog Key is opposition reflex If you remove the dog when he loses interest to

“reward” him with a bite, he will lose interest faster and faster in anticipation of the grip – you teach him to become LESS aggressive in muzzle to win the grip!

Basic Skills Training Out Redirect Call-Off Searching (Building, Area)

Out on CommandVideos…

Out Video 1

Out Training Progression Vary the out on back-tie from sleeves, to suit, to

hidden sleeves. Move from 2 lines on the back-tie to 2 lines in the

field, and proceed to vary the environmental context: Field, buildings, woods, tight spaces, decoy position

Move from 2 lines to one line on correction collar, handler initiating the corrections, and proceed through varying the environmental context, again.

Incorporate e-collar (helpful for distance work later in recalls).

Redirect & Call-Off

Videos

Re-Directed Bites I train it after the Out &

Guard – you don’t have to.

Redirects lead us to the out & return.

Redirects are the foundation for the clean, conflict-free call-off.

Redirected bites: Set up for success

Prerequisites: Dog must have a good motivational recall, and understand being forced to out for a reward.

Equipment: Long line on flat collar, and a short line on correction collar.

Re-directed bites: Technique Start purely motivationally Maintain proper line handling to set the grip when the dog is

in the grip (tight line), and loose line when you are ready for the dog to come back (reassurance).

Pick a command that means come back to me – I use the dog’s name. Do not use the same word that is to mean release and stay!

Once dog is on decoy #1, that decoy picks up the correction line to be ready.

signal (non-verbal) for the decoy to stop the fight, call the dog’s name, and immediately, decoy #2 agitates to draw the dog back.

Three Possible Outcomes Dog releases and heads for the agitating decoy,

and receives a reward for returning. Dog releases and does what he knows contextually:

starts to fall into a guard. Handler must be ready to encourage the dog with long line back to (agitating) decoy #2, and not allow a dirty grip (common).

Dog does not react to name/agitation of decoy #2. Decoy #1 gives correction to force the release, and handler immediately guides the dog back to decoy #2 for a grip.

Progression Once the dog will release on name and return multiple times, add in

out and guard on a variable basis. Example: Redirect -> out/guard ->rebite -> redirect -> redirect ->

out/guard -> rebite -> out/guard -> pick-up. Out & Return: Make the dog stop on the way back and down next

to you, pause, and send the dog along. Work your way to getting the dog to come to heel, and resend the dog from heel on to the next decoy.

Put the decoys in hiding, and make it a tactical scenario (area search, extraction), starting from cover, and have reward bite for the return come from a hiding place. The dog will think a reward bite is coming if he comes to heel. Variably reward the redirect behavior.

Vary the equipment, from sleeves, to suits to hidden sleeves, to muzzle.

Call Off Technique Continued… Mix up the dog’s orientation constantly, with decoys changing ends of

the hallway, and/or sending the dog for a bite and slip, so he doesn’t anticipate anything.

Disorienting the contextual cues keeps the dog from acting on context rather than your commands.

Vary the depth of the call off, and the distance of the decoys from you. Condition the responses – don’t rush the process. Incorporate e-collar prior to moving to grass - recommended. If you did a good job you will again have to push to failure. Once on grass everything speeds up! Wear gloves, and double hook

pinch collar. Start with short call offs. Incorporate all your disengage techniques into multiple decoy

scenarios. Ex: send to bite -> redirect -> redirect -> call-off -> redirect -> out and

guard -> rebite -> redirect -> Tactical removal.

Searching: The Key Principles Systematic (Hot/Warm/Cold) Fading The Cue You must wean the stimulation or else you

will create searching problems. Backward chain – Train the last exercise

first, and proceed back to the first exercise, last.

Break Down the Exercise Start (context & command cue)

Systematic Desensitization of Prompt

Searching behavior Principle of variable reward enhances hunting

Alert (aggressive or passive) These are trained separately at first, then

put together in a backward behavior chain.