Advertising Supplement for HITS 2015

Inside:

Articles from HITS 2015 Instructors:

Dealing with Dog on Dog Aggression- Jeff Meyer

A Look at Southern Coast K-9

Common Training Mistakes- Jeff Barrett

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Lead Sponsor 2015 HITS

HITS 2015August 18-21, 2015

Jacksonville, Florida Sponsored by :

HITS, the Real World of Police Dog Training

Welcome to our first “HITS K-9 advertising supplement”. Inside this issue we will be highlighting training articles from our HITS instructors, posting information about upcoming training courses and spotlighting products from our vendors who join us at our annual HITS seminar.

Handler Instruction & Training Seminar (HITS) began 8 years ago and grows bigger each year. Our fundamental success sits squarely upon our years of working K-9 experience. Because we work police dogs, we understand your training needs as if they were our own. Don’t mistake HITS with smaller spin off conferences that use infomercials to fill class space. At HITS we firmly believe in real training for our attendees. Each class is carefully chosen for its value and content and not every trainer or instructor makes the cut.

It’s our mission to find new trainers and exciting new classes for HITS each year. In addition to the annual HITS seminar, we offer hands-on advanced training courses that are designed specifically to give handlers personal attention. What we teach in the classroom, we teach in the field.

Our past affiliation with Police K-9 Magazine was strictly for advertisement and marketing. Since the sale of the magazine, the new owner has moved forward with his own conference in hopes of capitalizing on the success that HITS has realized for many years. Make no mistake about it, if you don’t see HITS in the title, you won’t be getting the HITS experience. HITS is in no way affiliated with Police K-9 Magazine.

HITS will be in Jacksonville, Florida, August 18-21, 2015. HITS is 3 full days of training classes with 6 classrooms running simultaneously. Our promise and commitment to the Law Enforcement K-9 industry is to ensure that HITS remains the best training venue in the world. Nothing else compares to the HITS experience. See the difference for yourself, come to HITS.

Stay Safe,

Your HITS Team,Jeff BarrettTed DausJeff MeyerAndy Weiman

Training the Dog Aggressive Dog

By Jeff Meyer

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K-9 socialization should eliminate aggression toward other dogs - both service and civilian canines.

A few years ago, a handler from another agen-cy rode with me to see how our unit worked. On one of our first calls that night, we had to search several floors of a large office building. The only floor-to-floor access at that time of night was the elevator. So four teams plus my rider got into the elevator. All four of our dogs were lying on the elevator floor paying no attention to each other. After the search, my guest commented that there was no way his unit could have put four of its dogs into the same elevator. He ex-plained that his department’s dogs were “too tough” and would fight any dogs that were close

to them. The way he talked, it sounded as though he was proud of the fact that all the dogs in his unit were dog-fighters.I told him my unit does not tolerate dog-fighting behavior, and that we consistently train our dogs to be neutral to other dogs. I jokingly told him, that, in our city, we do not have a problem with dogs stealing cars and robbing stores, so we have no rea-son to have aggression towards dogs. After talking more with him, I finally made my point that a dog that is aggressive to other dogs is a liability to any K-9 unit. Both patrol and detector dogs should be trained to be neutral to other dogs.

Following are a few examples of the numerous problems a dog-fighting canine can create:

Public perception: You do not want your dog to attack a citizen’s dog.

Tactical situations: Your dog needs to be on task, not looking for anoth-er dog to fight or distracting the oth-er dogs in your unit.

Large searches: I have talked with people in other departments that cannot put more than one dog into each area search because the canines fight each other.

Highly committed suspects: In several documented instances, one dog was unable to gain pain compli-ance over a committed suspect and a second dog was needed. In that sit-uation, you obviously need to have your dog on task and not attacking the other dog.Domestic life: When a police ser-

vice dog is off-duty and at home, he should tolerate other animals in the house.

Job performance: A detector dog that is highly distracted by other dogs will not be able to search well when civilian or police canines are in the area. Aggressive behavior will worsen if left unchecked.

Dog-fighters breed other dog-fight-ers. I have seen several dogs that show no dog-fighting tendencies become extremely dog-aggressive in certain environments. That’s easy to understand: a dog needs to be at-tacked by another dog only once or twice before he learns to ward off fu-ture attacks by showing aggression to other dogs.

When we talk about the socializa-tion of a police service dog, our goal is for the dog to stay on task and not be distracted by other dogs.

This article discusses how to pre-vent dog-aggression between work-ing dogs, as well as how to prevent working dogs from being distracted by a desire to play with other dogs. Either distracted behavior is unac-ceptable and should be addressed at the earliest stages of training. The Selection ProcessWhen selecting dogs we tend to test only for things like bite work and hunt. Only recently have I observed more emphasis out on other im-portant factors such as environmen-tal confidence. Your selection test should include many tests that will determine if the dog is right for your program. Including tests to see how dog aggressive the candidate is. Of-ten, dogs that are aggressive toward other dogs also have a tendency to challenge their handlers. In the ini-tial selection process, I try to avoid dogs that have those traits. I know that either problem can be trained out of the dog, but if I can avoid

them from the beginning, I will.

At the vendor, I pay careful atten-tion to the dogs looking for signs of dog aggression. My feeling is that the dogs have all been worked at the vendors and they know that more work is coming, in the same way a veteran dog acts differently during K-9 training night. If I observe a dog spending more time fence fighting with the dog next to him than pay-ing attention to me, a stranger in his kennel, I make the assumption that this dog will take some work to be neutral to other dogs. Remember, most vendor-supplied dogs have been in a kennel situation only and grew up fence fighting. Neutral be-havior is not a big issue in many of the places our dogs come from.

I also watch the dog’s demeanor on his way to the training field, as well as on his way back to his kennel. The dog should be pulling on his lead on the way to the field; he knows there will be a person there looking for a fight, and that fight should be a much stronger desire for him than barking and lunging at other dogs. I am not saying I would pass up a good candidate for showing a lit-tle distraction. But if I have sever-al good dogs to choose from, I will take the one that is most neutral.

It might also be a good idea to have one of the dogs from your unit out-side a fenced area when you are doing part of the selection test. Be absolutely certain that the candi-date cannot get to the other dog. The reason for having your unit dog there is to see whether the new dog would rather do bite work or go to the fence to fight with the other dog. A dog that is willing to leave a fight with a decoy wearing equipment to try to fight another dog most likely

is unsuitable for patrol work. The Training ProcessOnce we have se-lected a dog and started our ini-tial training, we begin to social-ize the dog right away. We do so-cialization exer-cises in between our other train-ing modules. If done properly, they are not a negative experi-ence for the dog. Neutral behavior training should be a part of all your training. If neutral behavior is not part of your certification it should be noted in your training records.

When starting out neutral training it is important that you start in a neu-tral area. This should be a new area that you have not done bite work etc in. This will keep the dogs more calm and on task. There should not be other training going on in the area, if the dogs can see other dogs doing bite work it will be hard to keep them on task. The exercises are always done with all dogs in muzzle. (Neutral muzzle behavior is another benefit to the exercises.) At first, we simply take the new dogs out for a walk with the dogs in our unit that we know are not dog-aggressive. The new dog’s behavior determines how close we allow him to be to the other dogs during the walk. The handler’s timing is very important during this exercise. He must watch his dog and correct him at the exact moment the dog starts to show any interest in the other dogs. Interest could include staring, sniffing,

growling, barking, or lunging. The goal is to make the new dog com-pletely neutral to other dogs. If the handler is late on the correction, the moment is lost and the dog will not associate his aggressive behavior with the correction.

As the dog learns to walk in the pack, we begin to bring the other dogs closer to him. We walk in a large cir-cle so that there are times when we walk both dogs next to each other, towards each other, or in front or behind the new dog. The handler must continually watch his dog; when the dog is acting neutral, light praise should be given. Too much praise tends to confuse the dog. A simple stroke behind his ears will be enough to let him know you are pleased.

A quick, hard leash correction is enough to show your displeasure. Often, you can correct the dog by simply turning and walking in a dif-ferent direction, away from the oth-er dogs. At this point you should be heeling the dog. Keep him on task by enforcing the heel. Dogs are so-cial animals and would rather be near a group. If the dog is showing aggression, do not take him near the group. As he becomes more neutral, his reward will be getting closer to the group.

Take your time with this training. The first day, you might not get the new dog within 20 yards of the oth-er dogs. Each dog is different, and each will respond to training at a different speed. Each session should be short so as not to make it a high-stress event. Do not rush this train-ing: it is an ongoing process that should be done the entire length of the dog’s working life. The slower you take the initial training, the bet-ter the foundation will be, and the

less maintenance training will be re-quired.

As training progresses, the dogs will come nearer to each other and be-gin making light contact. Contact should be the incidental type that working dogs are likely to have, such as bumping into each other while walking or having to lie down in a tight space next to other dogs. Again, the handler must have ex-cellent timing, almost being able to read the dog’s mind and correct him the moment he is thinking about doing the unwanted behavior.

I mentioned previously that at the beginning stages of training you should use dogs that you know are not dog-aggressive. After the first few sessions, include all of the dogs in your unit. If the new dog is dog-aggressive, he will show more interest in other dog-aggressive dogs, so this is a good time to con-tinue maintenance training on any

problem dogs in your unit. Push the EnvelopeContinue to push the envelope as your train-ing progresses. By pushing the envelope, I mean challenge the new dog to continue to accept the other dogs more and more. In the advanced stages of training, I like to go far overboard on the con-tact. In the advanced stage, we do the follow-ing with the muzzled dogs:▶Take them off lead and let them run around in a fenced area

by themselves. It’s important that the handlers be ready to correct the dogs.▶ Direct the dogs to lie down next to each other, either head-to-head or front-to-back. Do not let the dog in back sniff the other dog.▶Walk one dog over the other.▶Give the dogs a soccer ball to play with. This is a very advanced stage that some dogs never get to. If the dogs are able to do this exercise, let them push the ball around and make sure they are interested only in the ball and do not fight over it.

The idea of going overboard is to ex-pose the dog to situations in which a lot is going on and both he and the other dogs are in drive. Such testing will minimize problems during ac-tual deployments.

A dog that will accept another dog walking over him in training most likely will accept another dog bump-ing into him on an actual search.

Ideally, we would like the dog to be completely neutral. However, some dogs never will be 100-percent neu-tral, so we will accept the dog simply ignoring other dogs. The difference can be seen in the dog. The neutral dog is relaxed and truly does not care about the other dog. The dog that cannot do that but is ignoring the other dog often will show signs of stress, such as laying his ears back, yawning, or fidgeting. That is acceptable and shows the dog is responding to training. Each dog is different and the handler should be able to read the dog well enough to know when the exercise should end. Some dogs will show stress in short amount of time, whereas other dogs may not become stressed at all during any of the training.

Another excellent training module is to find an area in which there are aggressive dogs behind fences, such as an alley in a residential area or a business that has guard dogs - for example, junkyards and car lots. First, check the area without your dog along to make sure the other dogs cannot get out. Then, take your dog out on lead and conduct an area search. Give the dog his “search” command and make him think this is a real search. Use a long line and be ready to correct the dog any time he gets off task. The other dogs will be barking and fighting at the fence; a well-trained service dog will ig-nore the other dogs and stay on task.

At first, you might have stay far away from the fenced-in dog. As the training progresses, however, you will be able to move closer to the fences. After your dog is used to that, you will see that on actual searches he will not pay any atten-tion to dogs in the area.

The idea behind all of this training is to make the dog accept his position in the pack. Pack behavior is a top-ic for a separate article, but should be mentioned here briefly. A dog that accepts other dogs is showing that he understands that his place in the pack is behind the handler. The handler’s mindset should be

that if another dog needs to be corrected, it is not his dog’s duty to do so. The pack leader is the one who metes out discipline. I have found that once the pack relationship is estab-lished, many other areas of training become easier; for example, the verbal re-lease. CorrectionsTo this point, we have dis-cussed leash corrections only. All of the previously described behavior should be given a leash correction. Depending on the dog, however, other types of cor-rections might be needed. Although a power collar works well for many aspects of service dog training, I do not recommend one for this. When the dog shows aggression, there should be no question in his mind that the correction is coming from the handler.

A leash correction (using a pinch collar if necessary) or an “alpha roll” are the best corrections for dog ag-gression. The alpha roll should only be used in cases of dog fighting or when the dog challenges the han-dler. Dog fighting is when the dog actually attacks another dog. The alpha roll is an advanced training concept that should be done only af-ter proper instruction from an expe-rienced trainer. An improper alpha roll will create more problems than no correction at all. Integrating Canine SocializationNeutral behavior training can be part of all your other training. Once you have gotten to some of the ad-vanced exercises, try setting up a

search where you have two or more muzzled dogs in the area searching off lead. Conduct a narcotics search using several dogs in the same area, all doing the search. All the same principals apply: keep the dogs on task and paying no attention to any of the other dogs. As time goes on, scenario training will become more realistic and the dogs will be ex-posed to situations you will more than likely encounter on the street.

Jeff Meyer will present an en-tire class on Dog on Dog ag-gression at HITS 2015 . The class includes videos and more informationthan is included here.

Create your own training sched-ule at HITS. At HITS, handlers can plan their own training schedules and choose only the

classes that interest them. By designing and personalizing your own training schedule, you get the classes you want and nothing more.

HITS has the largest selection of K9 Training classes. At HITS, handlers can choose from a variety of courses and we offer

6 simultaneous classrooms that give you more choices every day. Unlike the small-er conferences, HITS pays the instructors to travel across the country to come train you. We don’t use infomercials as fillers for your quality training sessions. Quali-fied and experienced educators make a real difference and it’s what sets us apart and makes HITS so popular.

HITS offers 3 full days of train-ing. At HITS, we give you more training and more choices. Unlike other, smaller venues,

HITS offers more training. Take advantage of 3 full days of professional training from some of the industry’s most knowledge-able K9 instructors.

HITS moves from east to west each year. We know travel costs can be prohibitive so we move the conference around each

year. We want to bring the training to every interested handler and by moving it around, we’re bound to get near enough to make it possible for you to attend.

HITS has the largest vendor hall at any K-9 conference. From buying dogs to buying leashes, HITS brings you all

the great vendors that you’ve come to trust and many that you might have never met. Looking for new resources for all your K-9 needs? HITS is the place to check out all the latest in the industry.

HITS networking is like no oth-er. With more than 600 attend-ees, instructors and vendors, the wealth of information sharing

at HITS can help you find solutions to every problem your K-9 unit faces.

Why10 Reasons HITS Works

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HITS Training is cost effective. There simply isn’t any training venue that compares to HITS when it comes to value and

experience. HITS training is designed to help handlers, supervisors and administra-tors of K-9 units. Our classes are tailored around the most popular K-9 disciplines in the US today. From the streets to the prisons, our classes help educate the entire chain of command at a reasonable tuition.

HITS offers a chance to win free gifts and training. Our networking sessions offer every attendee the chance to

win donated gifts from our trusted ven-dors. Imagine winning a paid return trip to HITS, a Robotex robot worth thousands of dollars, free record-keeping software subscriptions, K-9 equipment of all sizes worth hundreds of dollars! Yep, it hap-pens...

Why10 Reasons HITS Works7 HITS has classes that are more

than just dog training. Worrying about civil law suits? Wondering if your unit keeps K-9 records

the right way? Interested in upping your game in the courtroom? Interested in finding grants for more equipment? Ever wondered about the health of your dog, the food he eats or emergency first aid? It’s all at HITS...

10. HITS gets better each year because we listen to your needs. We didn’t get this popular because we

thought we knew everything. We listened to our attendees and we still do. We have a great survey process each year that gives our attendees a chance to be heard. We want your ideas about training classes and instructors. If you know of an instructor that deserves to be heard, let us know. We grow larger because we bring you the training you want. 8

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soned professionals is committed to working as hard as necessary so that canine teams leave the facility prepared to meet any challenge ahead.

Heiser, His Staff and Their State-of-the-Art FacilityPrior to opening the gates of SCK9, Heiser served for 16 years as a canine drug detection handler for the Volusia County Sheriff ’s Department, from which he retired. He was selected by National Guard Multi-Jurisdictional Counter Drug Task Force Training to be an instructor for their K9 In-terdiction Course.

Heiser has received certification through several canine detection training schools including the U.S. Customs Training Facility, the Florida De-partment of Law Enforcement K9 Instructors’ Course and is a National Detection Dog Trainer with the United States Po-lice Canine Association.

At SCK9, Heiser’s considerable experience affords

canine handlers hands-on learning from one of the best in the business. He not only guides his cli-ents through the process of finding the right dog

If you travel out beyond the in-terstate, along the country roads of west-ern New Smyrna Beach, Fla., you will find a sign marking the entrance of Southern Coast K9, Inc., that reads: “Through These Gates Are Some of the Best Working Dogs in the World.”

At the helm of this state-of-the-art canine training facility is Bill Heiser, founder of Southern Coast K9, Inc. (SCK9) It is Heiser’s motto: “Better Train-ing, Better Results and Better Dogs,” that best de-scribes how he runs his business – with the highest standards of excellence in the industry.

With top of the line canine training facilities, high quality police canines, excellent training services and a highly experienced staff, SCK9 is one of the best in the business. Founded in 1988, Heiser’s ca-nine enterprise began with just two kennels for his dogs and has since expanded to more than 80 ken-nels and growing.

The training facilities and kennels are centrally located near two international airports and with-in minutes to Central Florida’s major interstates. SCK9 is a thriving business well placed on 10 acres of beautiful Central Florida land, a short drive from the world-famous tourist destination, Day-tona Beach. The mission at SCK9 is to produce the most ef-fective canine teams possible. Heiser’s staff of sea-

A Inside Look at:

for their needs, he commits to continued service long after the sale is closed and canine training is complete.All of SCK9’s trainers have prior law enforcement and military ex-perience in the United States and Europe. The staff of 11 profes-sionals has a passion for working with canines. While caring for each dog as if it were their own, the SCK9 team has produced some of best dual purpose and detection dogs in the field. The training facility employs multiple canine handlers and trainers whose professionalism and knowledge of what makes a good instructor, coupled with their hands-on training seminars, means the canine-and-handler teams they train go on to reach tremendous success in the field.

SCK9 offers two training build-ings with more than 8,000 square feet of space. They are set up with 14 rooms, individually styled to recreate real-life scenarios for the canine teams, which includes the use of real odors for drug, bomb and cell phone canine detection.

Upon arrival to SCK9, visitors find a facility that is impecca-bly clean and operated with in-comparable efficiency. Heiser is known for his attention to de-tail and standards of excellence throughout his staff. The state-of-the-art facility is critical not only for the work conditions during training but to also ensure a healthy environment for the dogs and visitors.

Canine Sales and TrainingSouthern Coast K9 always has 80 dogs available to fit the needs of whatever the client’s mission, from fully trained dogs to selec-tion tested “green” dogs.

Canine handler training classes are scheduled every six weeks to teach clients proficiency in the skill of managing their dog. In this thorough class, at one of the most reputable canine training facilities

in the United States, clients re-ceive hands-on training and learn comprehensive canine handling techniques. Taught by professional instructors, the classes are both great fun and challenging – not only for the enthusiastic men and women who attend – but for the canines as well.

SCK9 Training Courses: A Class of Their OwnA comprehensive training course schedule is key in devel-oping a successful canine. Be-cause no canine team arrives

ready to work, canine handler training is critical for the success of the team. An intensive two-week program for the single pur-pose detection, for example, is considered the minimal amount of time necessary for a dog and handler to bond; and for the cli-ent to learn all the techniques in-volved in canine handling. With a maximum of eight students per class, each individual receives personal, one-on-one attention.

Some of the material that the SCK9 courses cover includes search patterns, off-site situ-ations (warehouses, vehicles, etc.), case law, and court presen-tation.

Canine SalesSouthern Coast K9 has a selec-tion of dogs from Europe, where the world’s best canines have been bred for decades. Before they are shipped to Heiser and his team, a veterinarian assess-es each dog. Trained staff then hand-select the dogs for excel-lent health and temperament and must fit Heiser’s specifica-tions: a dog must be sociable, well rounded and possess an extreme amount of drive. Once they arrive at the SCK9 facilities, the dog is examined once again by a trusted SCK9 veterinarian.

Heiser and his team of canine trainers then carefully evaluate

each dog, assessing it for stamina and drive in a variety of environments. This rigorous vetting guarantees the client will receive a top quality, healthy and productive canine partner to count on for years to come.

SCK9 Guarantees Their Prod-uct and Their Training Southern Coast K9 wants every client to walk away confident that the training was successful and that the canine purchase was well worth the investment. Because of this, SCK9 offers a one-year work ability guarantee and a two-year health guarantee. Through Heiser’s experience, he has learned that any unsolvable problems with a ca-nine are discovered well before the year is over.

The SCK9 team works to identify and correct any problems as soon as possible. If there is a genuine problem with the dog, rest assured they will work with each client through training and/or replace-ment. With the SCK9 reputation on the line with each and every dog he and his team trains, Heiser emphasizes that clients can count on support both before and after the sale of a dog.

Meeting the Needs of Clients with Multiple Dis-ciplines

To ensure all client needs are met, SCK9 offers a variety of training through multiple disciplines, including: drug dogs, bomb dogs, dual purpose dogs and cell phone dogs.

Drug Detection DogsBefore training, each drug dog is hand-selected for intense hunt, retrieval and possession drive.

At SCK9, all dogs go through realistic drug detec-

tion training in which only real drugs are utilized. This training is vital so that when canine officers are called to court, they can testify their drug dog only hits on illegal substances. SCK9 dogs are taught to detect marijuana, cocaine, crack co-caine, heroin and meth.It is fascinating to observe dogs in search of drugs. When a dog locates the drugs, it will sig-nal the find with a passive alert – an unassisted sit position. When training drug dogs, they are trained to detect the scent and the SCK9 train-er builds each dog’s confidence with positive, reward-based training. This ensures their drug dogs are always confident and eager in unfamiliar surroundings.

To hone the detection skills of both the dog and the drug dog handler, training is provided for searches in many realistic environments, includ-ing:

Buildings: A drug dog learns to perform drug searches in structures varying in size and com-plexity while working through a number of dis-tractions.

Vehicles: The dogs are taught to search through a variety of vehicle types from small cars to large trucks to simulate realistic traffic stops and vehic-ular drug searches.

Luggage: Drug dogs receive extensive training by searching luggage and lockers to detect drugs.

Bomb Detection DogsBomb detection dogs are trained for realistic ex-plosive detection. At SCK9, the bomb dogs are put through training by utilizing real explosive materials in the exercises. Each bomb dog learns to detect the unique scent of a variety of explosive materials.

By the end of their training, bomb dogs are able to detect approxi-mately 15 different combinations of explosive materials – in trace and in bulk samples.

As “passive-alert” dogs, they learn to signal the presence of anything suspicious by assuming an unas-sisted ‘sit’ position near a suspected explosive device.

During explosive detection dog training, the SCK9 team painstak-ingly recreates the scenarios and situations bomb dogs are likely to encounter when they enter the workforce. An SCK9 bomb dog is

able to confidently work in airports, public facilities, ports of call, cam-puses, shopping centers, and com-bat zones. These dogs are prepared for the job, and have been success-fully put to the test throughout the nation, and across the globe. SCK9 has supplied trained bomb dogs and on-going training over the past 10 years to American K9 Detection Services, LLC – the leading provid-er of canine detection services in the world.

Dual-Purpose

Police DogsDual dog training offers canine effi-ciency and is an economical choice. A dual-purpose dog is trained for either patrol and drug detection or patrol and bomb detection. Ac-quiring a police dog that can do two jobs is a cost-effective move for law enforcement departments. Ac-quiring, handling and maintaining multiple police dogs can stretch the budget of police departments and agencies. The investment of highly skilled, dual purpose dogs can ease the pain of manpower shortage, particularly in rural departments

where law enforcement officers must work independently to cover large areas.

SCK9 offers trained police dogs and untrained or “green” police dogs that have been screened, selection tested and ready to be trained. SCK9 strives to offer superior working dogs with balanced drives, great nerves and excellent temper-aments from proven working lines.

A SCK9 trained dual-purpose dog is a fully trained police dog skilled in tracking, handler protection,

both on- and off-leash obedience, obstacle course simulating real life emergency situations; area and building search, and criminal ap-prehension. They strive to ensure dual purpose canines can focus un-der distraction by utilizing gunfire, load noises and a variety of distrac-tors that could be present in any environment.

Dual-Purpose Drug Detection DogsThese dogs are fully trained police dogs with the additional advantage of being able to also detect drugs.

In the drug detection component of their dual-purpose training, SCK9 only utilizes real drugs.

Dual Purpose Bomb Detection DogsThese dogs are fully trained police dogs with the additional advan-tage of being able to also detect bombs. For bomb detection, dogs are trained with real explosive ma-terials.

Southern Coast K9 strives to continually ex-cel in “Better Training, Better Dogs, Bringing Better Results” and Heiser ensures his facility would “only sell dogs that SCK9 would person-ally work with.”

Visit them on www.southerncoastk9.com or call 1-877-903-DOGS (3647) to request fur-ther information on sales or services. Be sure to follow SCK9 at www.facebook.com/south-erncoastk9 to stay up to date on industry news.

5Common Patrol Dog Training Errors

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Error #1: Poor Dog SelectionThe most dreadful issue for a police agency with a patrol service dog is poor dog selection. The issues stemming from poor dog selection can’t be correct-ed through training. Everything looks right about the dog to the novice members of the agency and many of these dogs will be allowed to pass their training and certifications. But when the moment of truth is at hand and the dog shows that it simply doesn’t have the heart to engage a suspect, the questions begin to multiply as to why and how such a failure occurs. Unfortunately, poor genetics resulting in timidness or a lack of courage cannot be reversed through training.

Error #2: Inadequate Transition TrainingThere are many dogs that easily make the leap from biting all the training equipment to biting and solid-ly holding a suspect in a real life event. Unfortunately, the number of dogs that need additional training that directly addresses the transition is very high across the country. Our basic K-9 training academy classes must provide ample time and adequate training techniques to bridge the gap between training and the real world apprehensions. Finding yourself staring at a dog that fails to engage can be a morale destroying moment but the good news for most, it’s only a training issue.

Error #3: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeThe most notable influence upon a patrol dog that is standing at the crucible where his worth is poised, is the handler. You have a quality police dog, it’s been chosen for its genetic superiority and given the best training possible and you both stand ready to make your first apprehension. You become so nervous that you turn into someone that the dog has never seen be-fore. Your emotions send your voice octaves higher, you get louder than normal and even your body movements are significantly different. Every-thing about you is sending panic signals to the dog and the message is one of neg-ativity. Your dog backs out and fails to engage because you exploded with emotions that were mis-understood by the dog.

‘A dog that fails to engage can be a morale

destroying moment. But the good news for most,it’s only a training issue.’

Error #4: No Scenario Based TrainingOne of the first things that handlers need to under-stand about police dogs, is that they generally perform to our liking when we have exposed them to a broad and diverse series of scenario based training exercises. Your imagination is your only limitation to exposing your dog to what he might encounter on the street. I’ve seen and heard many stories about dogs that have failed to engage or dogs that have engaged with remarkably poor results. Be creative from every angle imaginable and your dog will be much more prepared for the first apprehension.

Error #5: Not Being a Supporter and Manager Handlers oftentimes become caught up in the moment when an apprehension is being made or is being at-tempted by the dog. Some handlers expect too much from their young novice dog and walk away slightly disappointed in the dog’s performance if it’s not what the handler had imagined it would be. If you must to go hands-on with a suspect while your young dog is making his first attempt at an apprehension, great. Now is the time to meter out your use of force control over the suspect while being verbally supportive and encouraging to the dog. Don’t be afraid to repeat your bite command and deliver positive praise to the dog

while at the same time giving the suspect commands to surrender or to stop fighting. Once the suspect has been handcuffed and no longer a threat, remove the dog from the bite and allow the dog to hold the ground it’s won in the fight while the suspect is removed from the area by other officers. It’s your obligation to sup-port, encourage and manage this entire event. It’s a lot of responsibility, but you were chosen to be a K-9 han-dler because people saw those leadership qualities in you.

Jeff Barrett will be teaching at HITS 2015

The Dog’s K’nose- David Adebimpe

Environmental Factors That Effect Odor- Rick Ashabraner

Tactical Tracking & Woodland Ops/ Critical Incident Debrief- Jeff Barrett

Following the Money Trail, Bulk Cash Investigations – Joseph Burke

The Modern Approach to Training A Police Dog- Laz Cabrera

Training With the Use Of A Treadmill- Laz Cabrera

Quick Food Fixes That Will Improve Performance- Jill Kline

K-9 Supervisor, More Than Just a Title- Ron Cloward

Behavior Driven Training- Ron Cloward

Sub Surface Odor for Explosive Detection Dogs- Derek Copeland

2015 Drug K-9 Legal Update- Ted Daus

Selecting and Training The Young Police Dog- Steve Dean

K-9’s In Custody- Dave Dorn

Warrior Mindset/ Critical Incident Debrief- Marty Dulworth

K-9 Learning Concepts and Problem Solving- Bob Eden

Urban Areas Security Initiative- Ari Elkin

Making Patrol Dogs Reliable Through Picture Training- Ricky Farley

K-9 Learning & Clear Communication- Cameron Ford

Selection Testing- Bill Heiser

Proper Practice Make Perfect for Bomb Teams- Chris Jakubin

HITS 2015 Classes-6 Classes going on at a time, you pick your own schedule

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Identifying & Resolving Problem Behaviors- Jason Purgason

Service Dog Procurement from 1970 Into The 21st Century- Dave Reaver

Power Biting- Jason Rigney

High Risk Patrol Operations- Brad Smith

Dutch Methods For A Street Worthy Dog- Greg Thomas/ Dick Van Leenan

European Influence On The US K-9 Pro-fession- Greg Thomas/ Dick Van Leenan

K-9s In The Courtroom- Andrew Weiman

The Puzzle of Street Tracking- Armin Winkler

7 Deadly Sins- Bob Wright

Running A Successful K-9 Unit- Bob Wright

Vapor Wake Technology- Paul Hammond

Reasons We Get In Trouble- Bill Lewis

Leadership Challenges in The K-9 Unit- Bill Lewis

Trust Your Dog’s Nose- Mike Lewis

Detection K-9 Problem Solving- Ken Licklider

Prison Dogs= Steve Lowe

Bad Religion- Rob Lukason

Tactical Area Search- Jeff Meyer

Fixing Dog on Dog Aggression Issues- Jeff Meyer

Tactical K-9 Casualty Care-Laura Miller

EOD Team Tactics, Techniques and Procedures- Ray Neely

Tactical Police Decoy- Aaron Peterman

HITS 2015 Classes-6 Classes going on at a time, you pick your own schedule