Post by oksaradt on Mar 26, 2008 12:53:52 GMT -5
One of my students caused me to give a routine lecture that probably applies across a lot of venues.
For work such that I do with my dogs, the bulk of my efforts are with training the dog. When we're on a real search, I'm more on cruise control and letting the dog do its thing. I'm there to interpret for the scent expert and translate to the human clients. If I've trained my dog properly on what we're working, it should be obvious to all what my dog is trying to say, "Hey Dummy, it's here!"
Several of my students have sent me emails where they've gotten into searches they've never had to deal with before. Their dog responds a unique way and they are in the uncomfortable position of *cough* guessing. In my line of work, guessing about what your dog is trying to tell you OR where you dog thinks the source is......is not a good thing. I stress teaching the dog all the search scenarios you are willing to put yourself and your dog into AND finding that gnat's ass in a pile of hay. For example, if you live out in Podunk, Oklahoma. There's really no reason for you to train your dog on Urban disaster work unless you just have an itch to travel. If you live in the desert, there's no reason to work a lot of water problems with your dog. If you believe you'll be working swamps, guess what, go set up problems in the swamp...sucks to be you, but your dog will become an expert with dealing with methane everywhere and still locating human remains. You get the point. I recently got an invitation to go do a long-term search on a caribean island. Images of sandy beaches, rum drinks, and lots of sun screen filled my head. Then I gave myself a reality slap on the back of the head and declined politely because I don't train my dogs for the caribean. Let those that work that area all the time do those searches .....IT'S WHAT'S BEST FOR THE VICTIM.....
So, does that mean my training regimen is simplified....I wish. It's cut back a bit. But, my dogs work from cemeteries to small disasters (think 5-car pile-up on a bridge with missing remains below) to running water to scattered skeletal remains. Oklahoma has sand dunes to prairie to rivers/lakes to mesas to heavy woods (complete with banjos) and semi-mountainous. I have a full plate.
I'll probably take crap for this, but I teach my dogs very similar to the way I teach people. I grew up in a family of teachers. I avoided teaching like the plague, but when I needed a job there it was.
My training philosophy is fairly simple:
1) increasing degrees of difficulty via baby steps
2) always have a warm-up problem to remind the student what we've been working on.
3) increase difficulty in only one venue, either scent, terrain, or environment and decrease difficulty in the other two. Over time what was difficult today will be a breeze down the road. Eventually the triangle will have all three of what's considered a booger today, but later is old hat.
4) If the dog is nailing the current problem sets, have a slightly advanced problem waiting to introduce it to the next level WITHOUT EXPECTATIONS.
5)Always have a win-win problem hiding out there if the dog is either not ready for what you though it was or the problem has become more difficult than you originally intended (this happens more than most know). You want to end the training on a win. The dog must look forward to the next training.
6) As you feel confident in the dog's skills, then AND ONLY THEN introduce blinds for you and the dog such that you can discover the weaknesses you have not anticipated. This also lets us discover if we cue our dog in ways we have no clue about.
So, both for people and for dogs I teach this way:
A) This is what we studied to get where we are now
B) Let's learn the current problem set and deal with any issues
C) This is where we are going once we get past B.
D) End with something FUN!
That's it.
Hope that helps someone,
Jim
For work such that I do with my dogs, the bulk of my efforts are with training the dog. When we're on a real search, I'm more on cruise control and letting the dog do its thing. I'm there to interpret for the scent expert and translate to the human clients. If I've trained my dog properly on what we're working, it should be obvious to all what my dog is trying to say, "Hey Dummy, it's here!"
Several of my students have sent me emails where they've gotten into searches they've never had to deal with before. Their dog responds a unique way and they are in the uncomfortable position of *cough* guessing. In my line of work, guessing about what your dog is trying to tell you OR where you dog thinks the source is......is not a good thing. I stress teaching the dog all the search scenarios you are willing to put yourself and your dog into AND finding that gnat's ass in a pile of hay. For example, if you live out in Podunk, Oklahoma. There's really no reason for you to train your dog on Urban disaster work unless you just have an itch to travel. If you live in the desert, there's no reason to work a lot of water problems with your dog. If you believe you'll be working swamps, guess what, go set up problems in the swamp...sucks to be you, but your dog will become an expert with dealing with methane everywhere and still locating human remains. You get the point. I recently got an invitation to go do a long-term search on a caribean island. Images of sandy beaches, rum drinks, and lots of sun screen filled my head. Then I gave myself a reality slap on the back of the head and declined politely because I don't train my dogs for the caribean. Let those that work that area all the time do those searches .....IT'S WHAT'S BEST FOR THE VICTIM.....
So, does that mean my training regimen is simplified....I wish. It's cut back a bit. But, my dogs work from cemeteries to small disasters (think 5-car pile-up on a bridge with missing remains below) to running water to scattered skeletal remains. Oklahoma has sand dunes to prairie to rivers/lakes to mesas to heavy woods (complete with banjos) and semi-mountainous. I have a full plate.
I'll probably take crap for this, but I teach my dogs very similar to the way I teach people. I grew up in a family of teachers. I avoided teaching like the plague, but when I needed a job there it was.
My training philosophy is fairly simple:
1) increasing degrees of difficulty via baby steps
2) always have a warm-up problem to remind the student what we've been working on.
3) increase difficulty in only one venue, either scent, terrain, or environment and decrease difficulty in the other two. Over time what was difficult today will be a breeze down the road. Eventually the triangle will have all three of what's considered a booger today, but later is old hat.
4) If the dog is nailing the current problem sets, have a slightly advanced problem waiting to introduce it to the next level WITHOUT EXPECTATIONS.
5)Always have a win-win problem hiding out there if the dog is either not ready for what you though it was or the problem has become more difficult than you originally intended (this happens more than most know). You want to end the training on a win. The dog must look forward to the next training.
6) As you feel confident in the dog's skills, then AND ONLY THEN introduce blinds for you and the dog such that you can discover the weaknesses you have not anticipated. This also lets us discover if we cue our dog in ways we have no clue about.
So, both for people and for dogs I teach this way:
A) This is what we studied to get where we are now
B) Let's learn the current problem set and deal with any issues
C) This is where we are going once we get past B.
D) End with something FUN!
That's it.
Hope that helps someone,
Jim