Schutzhund: Theory and Training Methods

Remember, a good fight takes two, and when the agitator freezes he robs the dog of a great part of the gratification involved in biting the sleeve. How can the animal reactivate the agitator? By letting go of the sleeve! We teach the dog to demand the helper’s participation by outing and barking. The sequence is as follows:

1. The decoy allows a bite and fights vigorously. Gratification for the dog is intense.

2. The decoy freezes. Gratification for the dog declines sharply.

3. On command, the dog outs and barks.

4. In response to the animal’s barking, the decoy allows another bite, fights vigorously and then gives the sleeve to the dog.

We must make for the dog a very clear and strong connection between the act of outing and barking and being rewarded with the sleeve. We make this connection by positioning these two events very close in time. Perhaps as little as two or three seconds elapse between the moment the dog outs and the moment it has the sleeve back in its mouth again.

The mistake trainers so frequently make is to out the dog and then make it bark for two minutes in an attempt to “bum” the idea in or, even worse, to out the dog and then heel it away from the agitator in an attempt to keep it clean. This is completely wrong because it gives the dog the idea that, by outing, it gives up the agitator and the sleeve, and loses them both.

Remember, we selected the dog for precisely its tenacity and its willingness to endure a great deal in the fight to keep possession of its prey. When it does not perceive a relationship between releasing the sleeve and then immediately getting it back again, we should not be surprised if it resists all but the most extreme force in order to stay on the sleeve. Therefore, in the beginning of out training, the sequence is bite-out-bite, and this chain of events is extremely rapid.

Once the dog has the idea and the out has become somewhat habitual, we can become less concerned about rewarding the out immediately and (1) gradually extend the period of time and the number of barks between the out and the rebite, and (2) perform sequences of outs, so that the animal bites and outs several times in a row before we allow it to have the sleeve.

3. Preventing discrimination

Discrimination is the phenomenon that takes place when the dog realizes the limitations on our ability to control it. The following scenario will serve as an example.

The out is begun with a dog and taken to the level of 60 percent reliability, meaning that the animal outs cleanly and without a correction three times out of five but requires a reminder in the form of a crack on the collar the other two times. Amazing as it seems, this is often the point at which the typical trainer takes his dog off the back tie (or whatever other device he has used for corrections) “just to see what it will do.” (In dog training, anything done “to see what it will do” is premature, and therefore normally a big mistake.)

The dog’s behavior is still plastic, variable. The out has not yet become an inviolable habit for it. The result is that, because of the different circumstances that surround the exercise when the dog is not back tied, it disobeys. The indignant handler runs in from wherever he was watching and wrestles the animal off the sleeve, but in the mean-time the dog has had the opportunity to bite for a while. And it has learned something. The rule that was in force—“out, or be corrected instantly”—is no longer in force when it is not tied up. The dog learns that the relationship between disobedience on the out and punishment changes according to the circumstances. It forms a new strategy to deal with the situation: “Regardless of any commands, keep biting until my handler gets near me.”

^{TRAINING FOR THE OUT}

^{Above: The decoy brings the dog into the spirit by agitating it vigorously.}

^{He allows the animal to bite the sleeve and fights it strongly for a few seconds.}

^{At right: The decoy then freezes, the assistant makes ready to deliver a correction, if necessary, and the handler commands the dog to “Out.”}

^{The dog releases the sleeve and begins to hold and bark.}

^{After one or two barks, the decoy gives the dog another bite and…}

^{…immediately gives the sleeve to the animal.}

^{Outraged, the handler takes the dog back to the post in order to show it “what for.” He trains the out on the back tie for one or two sessions and then he again takes the dog off the post too soon. And again the dog refuses to let go when commanded to “Out!” It steals some gratification, and winds up back on the post.}

^{Returning the animal repeatedly to the back tie, far from correcting the problem, actually makes it worse. Each time it goes through the cycle, the dog learns more about the limitations on its handler’s ability to control it. It makes the crystal-clear discrimination that it must never disobey when tied to the post, but that it can disobey in other situations, depending upon certain factors like how close to it its handler is when the command comes, whether it feels the weight of the correction collar on its neck, where the assistant is, even whether it is trial day.}

This scenario shows how a true problem dog is made. Here are some common “solutions,” and the additional problems that result.

1. The decoy corrects the animal by striking it on the foreleg with the stick.

The new problem: Stick corrections weaken the dog, teaching it respect for the decoy and fear of the stick. The last thing we want is for our dog to respect the decoy or fear the stick.

2. The handler stands near the dog and corrects it if it disobeys.

The same old problem: The correction is still dependent upon the proximity of the handler. What will we do for an out at distance?

The new problem: More seriously, this technique teaches fear and mistrust of the handler, so that the animal bites badly any time its handler is near. This, of course, is exactly the wrong state of affairs. The dog should draw strength and encouragement from its handler during bite work.

3. An electric collar is used to correct the dog on the out.

The same old problem: Discrimination is still possible; the animal can still learn when it is wearing the “live” collar and when not, especially if the methods used are slipshod (as they often are when a handler buys an electric collar as a cure-all for failures in technique).

The new problem: The electric collar is a tremendously powerful (usually too powerful) compulsive training device, and must be used with great skill and flawless technique. Unfortunately, skill and technique in the use of the electric collar must be learned at the expense of a dog or two. Therefore, few trainers really know how to use this device. In addition, because of the particular nature of electrical stimulation, the electric collar has a tendency to weaken all but very hard animals.

The fundamental reality is that we lack the ability to control the animal at all times on the field and, ultimately, we depend upon nothing more than force of habit and our strength of personality to impose our will upon it.