[accordion] [accordion_panel title="2019"] December Understanding reinforcement in detection dogs Play is pay!!! July  Training with food machines Creating behavioral pathways June Let's talk about food reward [/accordion_panel] [/accordion] [accordion] [accordion_panel title="2018"] December An Economy of Resources Generalization versus specialization Self reward/self discovery [/accordion_panel] [/accordion]  

Earlier this month we had a prime training opportunity: a Christmas Market held just two blocks away. With pop-up stalls, crowds, lots of unusual objects, overhead announcements, music, generators, and dancing, the market provides quite a challenge for socialization and environmental stability. We knew that these two pups were not ready for that level of […]

It has only been three days with the new puppy “Trip” but here are some things that might not be second nature to everyone- Patience is my greatest ally- I have 10 to 14 months to bring out the best in this pup. I haven’t put a leash on him yet. I want independence, not […]

One of the hurdles we have to overcome is in the sales of dogs. Everyone would like to have a clear understanding of what the assessment will look like and how it is evaluated – including existing vendors. A vendor recently brought 11 dogs to be evaluated for the DOD (Department of Defense). This vendor […]

Above is the primary website for doing large contract business with federal agencies. If you set the search for 365 days and use key word canines you can see current offerings and some contracts awarded in the past year. I have pulled out some general statements from some of the offerings. There is much more […]

In 2014 the TSA surveyed their detection dog handlers to find out what traits in their canine partners the handlers considered important to their success as detection dogs. The goal of the study was to determine whether the traits assessed by the staff of the breeding program during the dogs’ development (using standardized assessment tools […]

First, make sure the basics are done before spending too much time in searching. If your dog does not show pronounced desire to possess the reward object, you should not be hiding the object in areas where the dog cannot get directly to the reward. Second, the "pot" test is a TEST given at set […]

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 […]

In 2014 the TSA surveyed their detection dog handlers to find out what traits in their canine partners the handlers considered important to their success as detection dogs. The goal of the study was to determine whether the traits assessed by the staff of the breeding program during the dogs’ development (using standardized assessment tools […]

While some dogs are naturally inclined to play fetch, others might need a little training. Here's how to teach your dog to fetch.