Learn how to: Master the basic skills and common procedures every decoy needs. Read dogs accurately through seven key factors. Stimulate and reward useful forms of K9 aggression. A good decoy is a K9 trainer’s most valuable tool. A good decoy can make a poor dog better, a mediocre dog good, and a good dog excellent. A poor decoy, on the other hand, can havedevastating effects, ruining even a good dog. Stephen Mackenzie, professor of animal science and deputy sheriff with more than 30 years’ experience training and handling police dogs, shows you how to master the art of being a decoy in this revised and updated new edition. You’ll learn how to communicate effectively with your canine partner and how to stimulate specific types of aggression in the dog in a safe, positive way. This guide is essential reading for all decoys, including both instructors and students. It will improve the effectiveness of all K9 personnel, handlers, and trainers. Get a free ebook through the Shelfie app with the purchase of a print copy.

Understand dog behavior to work with, not against, your K9’s instincts. Learn how to: Recognize and interpret your K9’s expressions, gestures and signals. Use operant conditioning to efficiently and humanely train K9s. Plan and execute effective K9 training programs for search and detection, patrol, remote guided camera, attack, and more. The art and science of training police, military and other service dogs continue to evolve as we learn more about dog behavior. In this revised edition of K9 Behavior Basics, expert dog trainers Dr. Resi Gerritsen, Ruud Haak and Simon Prins share the essentials every trainer needs to know about these advances in K9 training. You’ll learn how to successfully implement or improve your dogs’ training programs using operant conditioning. The authors outline key concepts in dog behavior and communication and provide practical approaches to operant conditioning. They share proven techniques and solid advice from their more than thirty years of specialized K9 experience. Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned pro staying up-to-date, K9 Behavior Basics has something for you. Get a free ebook through the Shelfie app with the purchase of a print copy.

Includes a new chapter on indicating without biting. Aggression control training requires dogs to think while they are excited and under stress, which is no easy task. Dr. Stephen A. Mackenzie has been teaching and using non-compulsive methods for aggression-control training for more than 30 years. His techniques have worked for hundreds of dogs, and have been used and adapted by many skilled trainers and decoys for their individual circumstances. K9 Aggression Control provides a flexible approach to aggression control that is rooted in obedience training. You may be someone who uses a muzzle, sees a role for toys and games, and works with a decoy who likes to drop the sleeve, or you might not want a muzzle, toy, or dropped sleeve anywhere near your dog -- either way this book has options for you. It details techniques and variations so you can choose the options you prefer. Dr. Mackenzie also gives decoys sound advice on controlling a dog's excitement level, working with handlers, and making the best use of equipment. A new chapter in this revised and updated edition shows you how to train dogs to indicate a person's location without biting -- essential for the search and rescue trainer and a real plus for modern police forces looking for ways to reduce liability. Learn how to: Choose the right dog and training method. Train dogs that will out reliably in all situations. Solve common problems in aggression-control training.

Create a safe, successful K9 training program that results in reliable protection dogs. Learn how to: Select the optimal breeds, temperament and physical and mental characteristics for protection work. Master the obedience-training techniques that form the foundation of protection training. Use the methods of the Dutch Police Dog (KNPV) program, which produces some of the finest police and protection dogs in the world. Dr. Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak, leading dog trainers from the Netherlands, share their proven, comprehensive program for training dogs for personal protection. Their cutting-edge techniques and work with the International Red Cross, the United Nations and the International Rescue Dog Organization (IRO) have placed them in world demand. In this fully revised and updated edition of K9 Personal Protection, Resi and Ruud start with the basics, including how to select the right dog for protection work, how to properly raise a protection dog from a puppy and how to correct a dog’s bad behavior. Next, they cover fundamental obedience training for protection dogs, such as training for heelwork, the recall, the send away and more. Finally, they present a complete program for training reliable protection dogs, from basic exercises and decoy techniques to the exercises of the KNPV program. Get a free ebook through the Shelfie app with the purchase of a print copy.

Whether you’re searching for drugs or a missing person, K9 Scent Training will improve your K9 team’s capabilities in the field. Use proven techniques to train your dog for: Scent identification line-ups to indicate a scent connection between crime-scene evidence and a suspect. Tracking along a wide variety of track types, including the cold track, the broken-off track and tracks that run over or under cross-tracks. Detection work for searches in buildings, vehicles, open terrain and more. In this must-have guide for SAR teams and police K9 trainers and handlers, Dr. Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak present everything you need to know to build or improve a scent training program. Scent training involves high-stakes work, and in the case of a search for a missing person, the right training for your K9 can mean the difference between life and death. Beginning with the science behind odors and how dogs perceive them, Resi and Ruud show you how to harness that knowledge to eliminate training problems and maximize your dog’s potential. You’ll learn how to start scent training for young dogs using simple exercises before building up to more complex training. Finally, using techniques they’ve perfected over decades, Resi and Ruud share their specialized, step-by-step programs for advanced scent identification training and tracking. Get a free ebook through the Shelfie app with the purchase of a print copy.

A comprehensive guide to training and deploying your drug-detection dog. Learn how to: Select the right dog for drug detection work. Train your K9 using the latest techniques with proven results. Plan and execute searches of individuals and in a variety of settings, including open air locations, warehouses and other buildings, airplanes, automobiles, and ships. In the fight against illegal drugs, a well-trained K9 can be your most important asset. K9 Drug Detection gives trainers and handlers the tools and knowledge they need to properly train and deploy a highly effective K9 drug detection team. Expert trainers Dr. Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak provide the key principles for successful training, as well as step-by-step training schedules for both active and passive responses. They describe the many factors that affect a K9’s work in the field, including the influence of air currents and various weather conditions. They teach you how to protect your K9 from dangerous substances and what to do if your dog is accidentally exposed. They also provide background information every K9 drug detection handler should know, such as the basics of drug laws in North America and Europe and essential facts about the appearance, effects, risks, and use of the most common illegal drugs.

This text will guide readers through a simple four-item fitness test that assesses current level of fitness based on cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and healthy body composition.