To
Fetch or Not to Fetch
Evidence
Search
Part
II
Teaching the Passive Indication
by Deborah Palman
This
article will present one method of teaching the passive indication of evidence
based on motivational techniques such as those taught by Gottfried Dildei. This is a method which I developed myself
based on his teachings, those of Sheila Booth and other motivational
trainers.
I
firmly believe in training the last behavior in a chain of events first. Motivational training is based on
rewards. In training for evidence
search, the dog is rewarded for indicating the article. If the dog learns to enjoy indicating because
of the rewards associated with it, teaching him to search for the article is
simply a matter of exposing him to progressively more difficult searching
conditions.
Motivational
training differs profoundly from the "traditional" compulsive or
physical manipulation techniques because the motivational trainer manipulates
the training situation and environment such that the dog wants to do the behavior
and "discovers" on his own what to do to receive his reward. In contrast, traditional compulsive methods
have the handler manipulate the dog and eventually the dog does the behavior to
avoid corrections, or, if the techniques are mixed, possibly to avoid a
correction and earn a reward. Dogs learn
quickest and best by discovering how to earn their rewards without manipulation
because manipulation causes them to become dependent on the prompts and cues of
the manipulation process. To finish the
training process, cues which accompany manipulation like the leash, correction
collar, and hand and body movements have to be removed, adding confusion to the
learning process. Also, dogs have a
behavioral trait called the opposition
reflex[1]
which causes them to oppose manipulation by others. The effects of this reflex must be
compensated for when the dog is physically manipulated.
The
motivational method is the way dogs learn many "bad" habits in
everyday life. For example, a few days
ago, my back door was left closed but not latched. I have two young Shepherds in the house who
are quite active and "unmannered."
As I prepared to let them outside, the two of them rushed the door, and
one happened to hit the door with her feet as she braked to a stop. This popped the door open and let them both
out before I could open the door myself.
After that single "learning" experience, the puppy hit the
door with her feet many more times,
because she learned that sometimes the door may open if she hits it. Raiding the trash, stealing food, chasing
cats are all "motivationally" learned behaviors that can be hard to
change.
The
"traditional" trainer who is used to guiding, correcting, placing,
commanding, prompting, etc. the dog into a behavior will find it hard to adjust
to the idea of setting the situation up and letting the dog discover how to
solve the puzzle. It takes knowledge and
patience to figure out how to set situations up and wait for the dog to respond. The traditional trainer will want the dog to
respond quickly and precisely, but usually a dog that is learning
motivationally responds slowly and sloppily at first. This is not a problem because the dog will
become quicker and more precise as he learns the way to earn his reward. Because the dog wants the reward, he will
always respond as quick as he can at that stage of training, in contrast to the
"correction trained" dog who will respond quickly only if the
correction comes quickly. This is
because the correction trained dog first seeks to avoid the correction rather
than earn the reward. The motivational
trainer should not over command, prompt or cue the dog beyond what is needed to
teach the dog during the learning phases because this will make the dog
dependant on the prompts and cues to do the behavior. If properly done, the actual command just
releases the dog to do what he already really wants to do. Corrections should only become necessary in
the advanced stages of teaching the indication when the dog definitely knows
the indication and distractions overcome his desire to indicate. Then the dog is taught that he has to
indicate. But this does not occur until
the dog is reliable at indicating evidence under normal training circumstances.
A dog
who has been taught by traditional methods with force hard enough to affect his
relationship with his handler (in other words, the dog cannot feel
"free" and relaxed around the handler) may not be able to adapt to
motivational methods. Such a dog is
inhibited and afraid to discover new things.
He can be taught using motivational methods, but the handler may have to
prompt, cue or mix some traditional work in with the motivational work.
An
important point of any method of dog training is that only one small step
should be taught at a time. Once the dog
learns that step, you can progress to the next.
A good rule to follow is to change only one variable per lesson. Some of the variables in evidence search
would be the type of article, the place the search is being done, the type of
ground cover, wind speed and direction, distractions, etc. All of these must be "generalized"
(the dog exposed to many of these types of variables) before the dog is able to
search in new places under new conditions as is needed for street work. All the initial indication work is done with
the same article until the dog is reliable in its indication, then the same
article can be moved to different environments, or different articles used in
the original environment, but never both factors changed at the same time. Fortunately, the dog learns very quickly
after the initial teaching of the indication, so although many different
training situations need to be presented to the dog, only two or three
repetitions, if that, need to be done with each situation.
Motivational
trainers train often but for very brief periods of time. Training for evidence search using this
method could easily be done during normal patrol duties, taking only ten or
fifteen minutes a day (including preparing the rewards).
This
method requires the use of food as the reward to teach and maintain the
behavior. If you have a problem with
using food and building food drive in a dog for training purposes, then you are
a little behind the times because food is being used by many agencies to train
tracking and detector dogs, not to mention its widespread use by Schutzhund and
AKC competitors. If you can't use food,
another reward might be substituted, but food works best.
The dog
being trained must also have food drive.
You cannot free feed a dog and use this method unless you can find a
treat that the dog really likes and will gobble up like he is starving. If the dog being trained does not have
natural food drive, it can be created by not feeding the dog. A dog's physiology is such that a healthy dog
can easily go for days without food, so not feeding for a day or more will not
cause any harm. The food reward used
must be something the dog really likes.
Hot dogs, cheese, sausage or other fatty treats are highly palatable to
dogs. The reward must be moist and soft
and in pieces small enough for the dog to eat
quickly. For example, hot dogs
should be cut in half or quarters and then sliced every 1/3-1/2 inch or so to
create a number of small pieces. If you
have a problem with feeding your dog a high fat, high salt or preservative
treat, there is an all-natural, nutritionally complete, semi-moist dog food
product called "Rollover" which is manufactured and packaged like
salami. Dogs really love it as a treat
or bait, and you don't have to worry about whether or not the dog is getting
proper nutrition. "Rollover"
is marketed on the east coast by Kismet Enterprises,
The first step in training is to teach the
indication, and this can be done in any quiet, distraction free
environment. The handler needs a
relatively large, flat, easily seen and scented article like a leather wallet
or Schutzhund leather article, and a minimum of two cups of food reward
(previously chopped up as described above) in a container, pocket or apron
which allows the trainer to access the food easily. If this is started indoors, a dish of food
placed nearby will probably be fine, but outdoor and more advanced work will
require the handler to carry the food.
This
method will teach the dog to down on the article with the article between its
paws. The method starts by teaching the
dog to down in response to a closed hand containing food being placed on the
ground between its front paws. Sheila
Booth's book, Schutzhund Obedience[2],
describes this process (Note: "Champ" represents the dog):
"When
first teaching the down, begin with Champ standing (not sitting) near you. Show him food in your right hand in front of
his nose.
As
soon as he shows interest in the food, close your hand. Lower it down and slightly back all the way to the ground as Champ's
head follows it down.
The
food arrives at the ground with Champ's head reaching back toward his elbows
(Fig. 36), not forward toward his paws.
If his rear is still in the air, use your left hand to stroke his spine,
beginning just behind the withers.
Stroke his topline into the down
position without using too much pressure, while allowing him to nibble the food
to keep his head down. Trying to push the rear down only creates opposition reflex and resistance.
As soon as his entire body (elbows and
hocks) reaches the ground, let him eat the food (Fig. 35). Keep feeding him on the ground, so his head reaches
backward behind his front paws (Fig.
36).
While
feeding, keep repeating Down. Keep him
down with continuous feeding on the
ground for several seconds.
Before he gets up on his own or rolls
over onto one hip, clearly release him.
This release is an important part of this exercise. Your dog is not permitted to get up when he
wants to, only when you tell him
Free."
During
this training, the handler should praise the dog as he feeds the dog using the
same words each time. This will
associate the praise words with the reward of feeding, and allow the handler to
substitute praise for feeding when the dog performs correctly later on and the
handler cannot reward with food at the time the dog is correct.
If the
dog already knows the down, this process should still be followed. The command down might be used at first to
assist the dog, but it should be removed when the dog downs in response to the
hand placement. Eventually the article
will be the only "command" to down.
Once
the dog downs reliably and smoothly with the process described above, the
article is added. Secure, hold, or place
the dog in a stay and place an article with a small pile of food on it in plain
view within ten feet of the dog. You
need enough food to attract the dog to the article and give you time to move in
by the article to place your hand on the article before the dog finishes the food,
looses interest and moves away. Some
dogs will inhale the food and will need more to keep them in position over the
article. While the dog eats, the handler
gets ready and places his food-filled hand on the article as the dog finishes
the last few pieces of food. The dog may
nose the hand, but eventually it should recognize the "cue" from the
teaching of the down and lay down with its nose over the article. When its position is correct or close to it,
the handler releases the food onto the article.
To maintain the proper position before a release command is given, the
handler needs to drop more food on the article to keep the dog in the
down. This should be done for several
seconds until another batch of food is left on the ground and the article
picked up in the same motion. Again, feed
until the release command is given to stabilize the dog's position. If the dog shifts or gets up prematurely,
don't correct, just stop feeding and try to do better next time. If the dog gets up before the release, the
handler can use the non-feeding hand to stroke the dog or place the hand just
above but not touching the dogs shoulders.
If the dog starts to get up, the hand can be used to gently push the dog
back into position before the dog rises up far enough so that it can oppose the
push. Always reward with food after the
dog resumes the correct position.
If the
dog downs too far or too close to the article, use food to "steer"
the dog into the proper position, or simply place the closed hand with food on
the article and keep it closed until the dog readjusts. As soon as the dog is correct, it must be
fed.
The
handler must be generous with the food while the dog is down. I feel that it is the large reward the dog
receives while in the down which makes it take the next learning step and go down
without the hand being placed on the article.
The
down indication with the hand on the article is practiced until the dog
executes the motion smoothly, calmly and maintains the down for at least
several seconds. The next step is to
reduce the amount of food initially placed on the article to one or two
pieces. A large amount of food seems to
distract the dog when it is learning to down on its own without help.
The
next step requires the dog to "discover" on its own that going down
on the article will earn the reward. The
article is put in plain sight with one or two pieces of food, and the handler
should be close to the article. The dog
is released with an accompanying search command (whatever you want to use, but
something different from drug search, tracking, etc. commands), and the handler
will be close to the dog as it eats the food on the article. At this point the handler should wait and
observe closely. If the dog starts to
leave, the handler should put his hand on the article and reward when the dog
responds properly as described above. If
the dog does not leave but stands over the article, the handler should remain
motionless. If nothing happens for a few
seconds, the handler may want to start to place his hand (and food) on the
article, but do it slowly or only reach halfway to the article. If the dog is ready for the next step, it
will figure the situation out and go down on its own, although the down may be
slow. When the dog goes down, it must be
rewarded immediately and generously. If
it does not go down, the previous step should be repeated, and the
"hesitation" by the handler tried again until the dog goes down on
its own.
Each
training session should be short with no more than three or four
repetitions. Any more work may bore the
dog and produce unwanted behaviors. The
dog should always be eager to work.
Once
the dog "discovers" how to indicate, learning usually proceeds
rapidly. The same article should be
worked in plain view until the dog is very reliable with the handler close by,
then the same situation is set up with the handler staying farther away or on a
different side of the dog. When the dog
indicates with the handler at a distance, then the other variables such as
location, type of article, difficulty of the search, etc. can be changed. The article should have one or two pieces of
food on it whenever a change is introduced, and at times the only change should
be that the article has no food on it.
The dog is always rewarded with food for a proper indication, and if it
does not indicate or indicates out of position, the handler must place his hand
with the food on the article to get the dog to indicate properly. At the advanced stages, be sure to have other
people hide articles the handler has not touched to be sure the dog will
indicate on human scent other than the handler's.
Throughout
the dog's service, maintenance training should be done regularly with one or
two pieces of food on the article to maintain the dog's positioning on the article. Eating the food places the dog's nose over
the article and causes it to indicate with the article between its front
legs. Placing the food in or under the
article will make the dog nose or mouth the article to look for the food.
An
alternative prey or toy reward can be used effectively once the dog has learned
proper positioning and is stable. When
the dog indicates properly, the handler should approach the dog and present the
toy (a tug, hose or stick is best) to the dog while it is in the down, and the
dog must be trained to take the toy on command while still in the down. Allowing the dog to break position to grab
the toy can lead to undesirable changes in the dog's indication.
Officers
who have a special need for certain types of evidence, such as spent rifle
cartridges, firearms, etc., should spend extra time practicing with those
items. Spent cartridges and burnt
gunpowder have scents which seem to be easy for the dog to find, and dogs which
train on them quickly become proficient.
Training should also progress so that it occurs for long duration in the
environments the dog will be searching.
The dog also has to be introduced to articles hidden off the ground, a
situation which is often confusing to the dog at first and requires the handler
to learn to read the dog.
One
advantage of the motivational method is that mistakes by the handler do not
create a lasting problem because the mistake has to be repeated several times
before the dog learns the behavior permanently.
If the dog does not respond correctly to the training situation, the
handler then knows that he has made a mistake in setting up the training and
can change it to achieve the correct response.
With compulsive methods, a single strong correction given at the wrong
time can have permanent results.
Perhaps
the greatest advantage of motivational training is that it is truly fun to
do. The handler is always inspired to
create new and better ways to teach an exercise. To me, that is the real challenge and fun in
dog training.