PROOFING BUILDING & AREA

SEARCHESJ E R R Y B R A D S H A W, TA R H E E L C A N I N E T R A I N I N G , I N C .

W W W. TA R H E E L C A N I N E . C O M

W O R K I N G B AC K WA R D S I N T H E S E Q U E N C E :

Subject

Encounters

The Alert

Hunting

A Proper Start:

Hot-Warm-Cold

S U B J E C T E N CO U N T E R S : P R E R E Q U I S I T E S

Canine Aggression Fundamentals

Passive Biting Fluency

Searching on Long Lines

Muzzle Deconditioning

Dead Equipment Neutrality

C A N I N E AG G R E S S I O N F U N DA M E N TA L S

Prey Drive Development

Defense Drive Development

Drive Channeling

Environmental Fluency while

biting: Slick Floors, tight

spaces, dark rooms, etc.

Targeting Fundamentals

C I V I L AG G R E S S I O N I S K E Y

Building & Area Searches are

prey behaviors (searching)

that can end in defensive

encounters.

Dogs must be prepared for

this drive shift that can

happen in a split second.

Civil Aggression

Development

Pressure while biting

(Duration & Intensity)

PA S S I V E B I T I N G F LU E N C Y

Passivity must equal

threat

Before the dog

encounters a passive

subject in a search he

must know how to deal

with a passive subject

outside of searching.

Examples: prone passive

civil subject drills.

S E A R C H I N G O N L I N E & F R E E

Dogs must be able to search

equally well on leash and off

leash

As we will see, searching on

lead can have benefits for

bridging between finding

hidden suspects with no

equipment and rewarding with

a bite.

Positive control allows me to do

more in training.

M U Z Z L E D E CO N D I T I O N I N G

Muzzle is equipment

Muzzle must be desensitized completely.

Starts in obedience

Without proper desensitization the muzzle is a cue for aggression as much as a sleeve or a suit.

Dog must have good basic muzzle fighting skills before asking for them to be shown at the end of a search exercise.

D E A D E Q U I P M E N T N E U T R A L I T Y

Your dog must be able to work around dead equipment.

First in obedience and during back-tie sessions when the dog is first started in training. Nothing on the ground ever is of interest to him in bite work.

Then during field bite work where you have positive control (sends past dead equipment).

Then and only then do we incorporate it during searching

SUSPECT ENCOUNTERS

S U B J E C T E N CO U N T E R S : V I S I B L E D E COYS

The dog must see passivity as

a threat to be successful.

The dog must understand

that standing, seated and

prone passive subjects are

threats

Work to partial visibility of

body parts: arms, legs.

The dog should search with

eyes and nose, not just the

nose.

Strive for balance.

S U B J E C T E N CO U N T E R S : H I D D E N D E COYS

Equipment & Human Odor become linked like plastic bags and drugs.

Typical Solution – Hide without equipment (behind doors and in cages)

Handlers feel good because it seems more real.

P R O B L E M S W I T H N OT R E WA R D I N G A L E R T S

Dogs leave source

Too many “no bites” in a row

lead to extinction burst, then

loss of alert behavior

“If you wouldn’t do it in

detection don’t do it in bite

work”

A L E R T S O LU T I O N S

Reward with Civil Aggression which

requires on leash searching. The

shift from prey to defense increases

focus and concern

Use variable reward scheme with

low profile hidden sleeve.

Can bridge the Alert to a grip in

another location by pulling the dog

out of the alert, agitate civilly, decoy

flees to another room where a suit

or hidden sleeve is quickly available.

Extinct response to equipment

using known blank areas staged

with dead equipment.

M U Z Z L E S E A R C H I N G A S A S O LU T I O N

Is the muzzle equipment?

Will you put in the time to desensitize?

Must create neutrality to the muzzle that is so strong the dog truly ignores it.

Otherwise the muzzle becomes a cue to aggression just like a sleeve.

Searching in Muzzle must be conditioned. It allows for location of human odor without associated equipment, and a rewarding fight (contact) immediately at the end.

M U Z Z L E S E A R C H I N G C AU T I O N S

Heat

Reduced duration

Too much muzzle work

degrades targeting

Muzzle fighting must be an

end in itself, not something to

be tolerated until removed for

a bite on equipment.

S U S P E C T E N CO U N T E R S : CO N C LU S I O N S

Rotate through different

solution strategies

Follow the road map given

here and the dog will learn that

human odor is what he is

looking for, and human odor is

rewarding in a multitude of

different ways.

Come up with your own ideas

to bridge from alerts on human

odor to grips.

A D D I T I O N A L P R O O F I N G VA R I A B L E S

Vary the buildings and entry

points in which you work a lot.

Vary Height and Depth

Train at night and practice light

and noise discipline

Have your decoys run before

hiding

Desensitize gunfire indoors

Practice emergency recalls

Write training records with

detailed narratives

THE SEARCHING

D E COY P L AC E M E N T & R E P E T I T I O N

Hide placement in detection

teaches good efficient search

patterns.

Hide placement in building

searches is critical but often

overlooked.

Set up training scenarios for

multiple entry points on a

decoy hiding in the same odor

hotspot.

Introduce searching in muzzle.

No more one and done!

M U LT I P L E S U S P E C T S & S E A R C H I N G

Nobody commits a crime alone so

always assume multiple subjects.

The K9 must be able to search and

apprehend, and then be refocused

on searching further.

Many dogs struggle with this

because they do not practice it

regularly. (One and done).

You must make it quickly successful

for the dog to want to continue

when introducing this concept.

Multiple subject exercises like

redirects and multiple directional

work make this easier.

D E A D E Q U I P M E N T D U R I N G T H E S E A R C H

The dog must be fluent doing

obedience around dead

equipment.

Equipment orientation drills must

have been completed.

Extinct dead equipment

responses by placing them

behind closed doors first so you

can redirect the dog from interest

in them.

Searching on line here is critical.

Discrimination Exercises just like

detection.

M O V I N G B E T W E E N D I S C I P L I N E S : S C E N A R I O S

Building Search to Tracking

Track ending with a building

search

Article Search after a successful

building or area search

apprehension

Track to a building search to a

continued track.

Decoy neutrality – moving past

agitating decoys to a building

search away from the agitation.

Dogs want to do what’s easiest

THE START

S TA R T P R E R E Q U I S I T E S

Back-up neutrality

Bark outs to the dog – dog learns

he activates the process.

Focus forward in buildings and

areas.

Dog learns that cover (e.g.

engine block or door frame) is a

key component of going forward

in area searching or building

searching.

Focus on the dog not the process

(break cover if needed at first to

get the dog performing).

H OT S E A R C H E S

Hot starts are “hot” because the

dog see the decoy visually.

Always start the decoy inside the

building and allow the dog to self

discover that his focus, attention,

and barking can activate the man

to move in the building.

Use chase games through rooms

and doorways on slick floors.

Start introducing searching off

the hot stimulation, and make the

searching and suspect

encounters relatively easy at first.

WA R M S E A R C H E S

Warm searches bridge the gap

between visual cues of the hot

search, and the complete lack of

decoy cues in cold searches.

Warm searches use the dog’s

short term memory.

Warm searches are gradual, and

require many repetitions.

Warm searches start with a visual

cue and then we break the visual

contact, allow some time to

elapse, and reposition the dog

for a search without another

visual cue.

CO L D S E A R C H E S

Build upon the dog’s memory.

Use the same area as the day before.

Quick early rewards are the key.

Context cues help the dog understand to go forward and search, as well as the commands.

There is absolutely no “help” given. If the dog fails to understand go back to warm searches and give it more time.

Help can become an addiction (decoy attraction, noise) that is hard to break.

S TA R T S CO N C LU S I O N

Proofing variables include

searching different buildings

Varying insertion points (doors,

windows, crawl spaces, attics)

Do not ask your dog to do on

a deployment something he

hasn’t become fluent in training

with.

Daytime starts, nighttime starts.

Perimeter post to a search.