https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/fact-sheet/fact-sheet-national-canine-division https://youtu.be/Sz2gTaLFD2o At an EU/US working group meeting I recently attended, there was much reference to the national odor recognition test that was established by the ATF. The ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms), DOS (Department of State), and FPS (Federal Protective Service) all mentioned the use of the preliminary test for their certification/validation […]

Future Research Projects Help Us Investigate How Genes Predict Behavior! We are excited to announce that we are ready to start collecting DNA from Patriotic Puppy Program canine participants! This is a big step forward for the program because it will allow us to look for where observable behavioral traits are encoded in the genome. […]

TSA/ACS Hunt test We ask you to take your puppy through this test at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months and send us the video. Several downloadable resources are shown below and more information is available in the Blog section of this website. Hunt Test Score Sheet (download below) Hunt Test Score Sheet and Reference […]

[accordion] [accordion_panel title="2020"] May Trying to simplify Impacts of Anthropomorphism April What is a working dog? Theory and practicality (a short review) How training frequency impacts learning March Clickers, Verbal Markers, and Treats January Citizen Science Understanding operant conditioning without physical control [/accordion_panel] [/accordion] [accordion] [accordion_panel title="2019"] December Understanding reinforcement in detection dogs October Resilience […]

I was fortunate enough to meet Dr Jaak Panksepp at the Art and Science of Animal Training Conference in March 2014. His basic view of behavior before considering the primitive emotional states is that all behavior is built upon a very simple thought. Most animals generate behavior on a single axis (valence) that avoids fear/stress/pain […]

I was watching a TSA instructor working with a student and his canine. The dog was searching passengers waiting in a moving queue through those retractable stanchions. The handler had to approach each passenger as a potential target and continue to search in this scenario for up to 20 minutes. The student was a little […]

Scott loves to say, “don’t confuse process with progress.” But what does that mean?? Today I read an interesting study that illustrates this point perfectly. Here’s their conclusion: “For dogs learning a given skill, weekly training results in better learning performance than training five times a week, when performance is measured in the number of […]

For as long as I have been training animals, I have always found people want it to be simple and formulaic. IT ISN’T! Animal training is a dynamic process. With a developing puppy, it is even more dynamic. To build communication and trust, you must adapt to the individual needs of the dogs in front […]

I was watching a TSA instructor working with a student and his canine. The dog was searching passengers waiting in a moving queue through those retractable stanchions. The handler had to approach each passenger as a potential target and continue to search in this scenario for up to 20 minutes. The student was a little […]

[accordion] [accordion_panel title="2020"] May Impacts of Anthropomorphism January Understanding operant conditioning without physical control [/accordion_panel] [/accordion] [accordion] [accordion_panel title="2019"] December Understanding reinforcement in detection dogs November Empty your cup! October Terminology June 2 important concepts to remember The learning curve Who I am and how I want to help May Here to learn or here […]