Police Dog Training 2 The Long Down

Welcome to this video clip, the second in an ongoing series. This one features an exercise known as the 'Long Down' and is without doubt the least action filled of any in the series. I thought I'd get the bits that appear boring out of the way first.

The purpose of the exercise is to allow a handler to leave his dog in the down (the safety position) while he goes out of sight. The dog must not move out of the down position. they are allowed however to make themselves comfortable, maybe lay on their side, but must not sit up or assume any other position. This is an important exercise because it allows the handler to enter a building or other area where it would not be appropriate or safe to take a dog. A Hospital, a food shop or processing plant or even a place of worship. The handler must be confident that when he returns his dog will still be in the same place. The only time that the dog can move of his own volition is if either he or his handler are attacked or threatened. The length of time that the handler will be out of sight for a trained dog is ten minutes. in the clip shown here it is very early on an initial course and the dogs are building up their time endurance. This exercise is around the five minute mark.

What will you see? Four handlers and dogs (I'm nearest the camera). We line up and are told to put our dogs in 'The Down'. Next we are told, "Last command to your dog". The dogs are given a hand signal and a "Stay". The handlers then leave their dogs and go behind the pavilion. almost at once the middle two dogs move. the black one second from the camera would, if this was a test or competition be removed from the field and would get a nil score. The second dog would have to hope for a lenient judge. The instructor tells the offending dog to get back into the down and, after some thought he complies. You then see the instructor walking through the dogs in a zig zag pattern just to tempt them into moving. There is a lot of background noise this is because the London to Portsmouth main railway line runs alongsde the field. There is also a lot of passing traffic both pedestrian and vehicular. All of this makes it much more testing and realistic for the dogs and stressful for the handlers. Remember all these dogs are in effect large puppies only a few weeks into basic training.

At the end of the allotted time the handlers are told to return to their dogs. This is a critical time because until the instructor utters the words "Exercise complete" or "Exercise finished" if your dog moves out of the down, nil points. You can be one second from completion and still score nothing. This is why you can hear some of the handlers frantically saying "Stay!" and "Down" as they approach their dog. I try to adopt a more casual approach because if you rush back you can give an impression, if not of mild panic then certainly not of being 'Happy and in Control' and as a result the dog is far more likely to get up to see what's bothering you. My dog 'Acco' as you can see is utterley chilled out and rolls over into 'cute mode' because he knows at the end of the exercise it is, as always, Playtime.

I hope that this is going to be an informative little series and can assure you that some later clips will be at least slightly amusing. I've not decided on number 3 in the series yet. Maybe a bit of agility or a bite or even what a criminal sees when a police dog finds him. Watch and wait!

Responsible Owner? It's Your Responsibility

I was out this morning running my dog in the driving rain. We just got to my car and I'd put Jack in. As I walked to the drivers door I heard the sound of a dog fight and a woman screaming coming from a nearby wooded area. I went towards the sound and came across a woman with a dog on a lead fighting with an unleashed dog and nobody else in sight. Luckily the fight was more noise than teeth and I managed to get the other dog on a lead and under control.


It was at this point that the woman started to verbally attack me about my lack of control and my dangerous dog that had started the trouble. When she paused for breath I was able to tell her that it wasn't my dog and that I had only responded to her screams. She was so embarrassed and apologetic that I felt sorry for her.


We now had a problem because I had an unknown dog on the end of my lead and no owner nearby. I couldn't release him because he'd already shown aggression to other dogs and I couldn't put him in my car for the same reason. We then found a mobile phone number on a tag on his collar. I rang it but no reply, we then heard someone calling their dog and we shouted "over here!" There was no response and it seemed that the caller was moving away from us. I followed the sound of the voice and located the owner wandering aimlessly with his ipod on at full volume. When I tapped him on the shoulder he almost had a seizure.


When we returned to the woman and her dog, it turned out that the trouble maker should have been called 'Snevver' because the owners response when told that his dog had attacked the ladies dog was, "Well 'snevver done that before." When asked what he was doing running through the woods unsupervised, "He just ran off 'snevver done that before." He hadn't heard the fight or the screams because of his ipod, he didn't hear his mobile when I rang, for the same reason. When I suggested that he put his dog on his lead so that I could retrieve mine and get on with the day, you've guessed it, he didn't have one.


His routine was to drive to the common, which includes large wooded areas with restricted vision, let his dog out to do it's own thing while he strolled out of sight of the dog listening to his ipod. He never took a lead of any sort because 'he didn't need one' his dog was 'under control'. When I asked how it could be under control if he couldn't see or hear what it was doing. "Snevver done anything like that before!" I think it was at that point that I lost the will to live.


Do you remember Steve Irwin the 'Crocodile Hunter'? Shortly before his death he was involved in a controversy when he took his baby into a pen with an aggressive croc and held the baby over it, before rushing out and saying 'crikey' to the camera like a cheeky schoolboy. His actions were likened to those of Michael Jackson when he dangled one of 'his'? children off a balcony.

Steve Irwin got very angry when it was suggested that his actions were not those of a responsible parent. He was an 'expert', he knew 'exactly what he was doing' etc. Red face and flared nostrils, not quite the cheeky chappie image he liked to promote. The reporter then asked, what if he'd tripped, or had some other accident? The response was remarkable, he went on a rant which included the bizarre claim that, for Steve Irwin to have an accident a meteor would have to hit the earth causing major changes in the earths behaviour, alongside a whole load of other obscure and unlikely circumstances before it became even a remote possibility. Well we all know what happened, shortly after that he had an accident and died as a result of a stingray barb to the chest.

An accident? Of course, they happen. People have accidents not 'on purposes' none of us are guaranteed our next breath. That's why Hospitals have Accident and Emergency units not 'On Purpose Emergency' units. When I was a serving Police Officer a popular reply from drivers stopped with no insurance was "But I'm a good driver, I won't have an accident." They'd even use that line just after they had beeen involved in one! Although of course it was always the other drivers fault. I've yet to meet anyone who started the day by planning to go out and crash their car, fall off a ladder or get their dog killed by letting it run in the traffic.

The point is that it doesn't matter if you're a washed up pop singer, or TV naturalist or a man exercising his dog in every case it's your responsibility. If you are going to take your dog for a walk then do just that. Don't take them somewhere and inflict them on other people while you stroll around listening to music, with your thumb up your bum and your brain in neutral! Always have a lead. Know where your dog is. Be able to recall him to you at anytime and get him back on the lead if needed. And leave your ipod in the car, if you lose sight of your dog and he goes after something then your hearing is all you've got. If you detach yourself from your dog don't be surprised if he does the same to you. Of course anyone using Amichien Bonding techniques would already know that and indeed would never find themselves in that situation.

We all like to think that we're responsible dog owners. We should be, because it's the right thing to be, for our own self esteem and out of courtesy to other people and dogs. If none of the above work for you then remember that you are Responsible in Law for the actions of your dogs and the penalties can be very severe, even before you take into account compensation in civil claims.

Training Treacle (6)

This is probably the last in the series of 'Training Treacle' posts, but that's not to say you can ever finish training a dog. Treacle has just celebrated (with a Mr Whippy ice cream) her second birthday and is now having to put her mind to more serious things.

James, our first Grandson (pictured with his Dad, Steve) arrived last December and Treacle has been an absolute star with him, ensuring that he never feels lonely. She brings James her toys but never tries to take his. They are inseparable.

Treacle enjoys her walks with the family and James sits fascinated in his Bugaboo (other pushchairs are available) watching her race around the large tracts of Army training ground that surround the area. Once James is walking there'll be no stopping the two of them.

Last week we took both James and Treacle to the Wellington Country Park, part of the Duke of Wellington's estate for a day out. Although she thoroughly enjoyed rushing around hither and thither the best bit as far as she was concerned was the picnic lunch when she was able to sit at James' feet and help out with anything he dropped. Her least favourite bit was not being allowed on the miniature steam railway when we took James for a ride but having to stay with Caroline my daughter (and James' mum) instead. I have to say that James didn't appear over excited by the experience. By the end of the day I don't know how James and Treacle felt but I was out on my feet.

Treacle will continue to be trained in tracking and searching as well as ensuring that her obedience stays at a good standard. If you are going to have either a child or a dog (or both) it is important to remember that you share this planet with the rest of us and therefore have a duty of care not to impose yourself or offspring on other people trying to just live their lives. If you can't control your children or pets then you shouldn't have any.

It is so important for children to have pets it teaches them so many things about life and as long as the parents are responsible in managing the interaction between child and pet it makes the child a more complete person.

Police Dog Training, Heelwork and Distance Control

This post is the first in a series of short video clips of me training Police Dog 'ACCO' back in 1984. The quality is not great, it was shot on VHS throughout the course and includes rare footage of me with hair. A client kindly put the tape, which was showing it's age, onto DVD for me.

The clip in this segment shows Acco walking to heel both on and off the lead. This is very early in Acco's training and although not the most exciting footage it makes several good points for owners struggling with this basic but very important skill.

We start out with Acco on the lead. Things to notice, the lead is not tight. Anyone can can get a dog to walk next to them if the lead is only three inches long and the dog is unable to breathe. Note my style of walking, like 'Del Boy' from 'Only Fools & Horses' . The bounce and swagger make me more interesting to Acco and keeps his focus on me. If, when you walk your dog you move as so many people do, like an undertaker with depression, then your dog will either, act in the same manner or take complete control and drag you all over the place. Throughout the exercise my left (or kind) hand is used to give affection at every halt. You cannot train a dog successfully without mutual respect and affection as well as a huge amount of patience. If you want a well trained dog and can't do patience then keep your money in your pocket and get a goldfish instead.

After a short period on the lead we go off the lead. Again it is noticeable that Acco happily walks alongside me. He regularly checks with me to see that all is well but he is still alert to what is going on around him. You will hear in the background an instructor giving instructions about pace, turns and positions for Acco to halt in. As you will see Acco is very happy at 'normal pace'. Watch what happens when the pace changes to 'slow pace'. almost at once he displays signs of boredom, he walks in front of me, sniffs the ground and jumps up at me. This is exactly how millions of dogs get their 'exercise' everyday. We then change to 'double time' , what a difference, he perks up, his whole body picture changes 'Wow, this is fun!' The pace you see here is the pace that wolves and dogs in the wild would set out on their walk or should I say hunt. At one point in the double time Acco does jump up at me but he is still a puppy and it is just an expression of enthusiasm so I wasn't too upset. These things take time to perfect, I did mention patience didn't I? We are in an age where we think we can always have instant gratification, it doesn't work with a dog, if you don't put the work in then you will suffer the consequences.

During the double time section you will see me put Acco in the 'Down' and carry on running. This is a safety feature, he must learn to drop into the down at once and remain there until I give him a further command. This is early in his training and so needs a repeat down command but then is rock solid as I run past him again without stopping. He stays firmly in the down until I rejoin him and put him in the sit before continuing the exercise.

The section finishes with a very basic introduction to distance control starting with me only 10 yards from Acco. Over a period of a few weeks the training will progress until I am able to control him over a period of several hundred yards. The intention is to enable me to get Acco to move into a number of positions by voice command and/or hand signals. The positions are the sit, down and stand. Once those are well established further commands are introduced to enable a dog to be sent away from the handler a considerable distance and then to go left or right as directed. For now we are dealing with early days and basics. Acco does very well for a novice. The hardest of these positions to teach is the stand because it requires them to make a forward movement to get into position. This means that they are moving towards their handler and sometimes the desire to re-unite is too great. At this point a 'traditional' trainer would drag the dog back to his start point and do a fair bit of bellowing, making a negative connection with something that should be fun. How much better and less stressful for both dog and handler just to tell the dog to stay and back up a short distance to have another go. Remember this is very early days. I don't know about you but I didn't do advanced calculus at kindergarten so why should we expect dogs to?

And of course at the end of every training session, particularly obedience, a game and a love in!

I hope you enjoyed this little clip, there are more to come and some will involve biting and other gratuitous violence!

Watch this space for the next exciting episode, coming soon to a PC near you!

Dead Dogs in Dublin Now, All Ireland Tomorrow?

It never ceases to amaze me the utterley stupid and harmful ideas local councillors come up with, apparantly without engaging their thought processes.

This time it is the Labour Dublin City Council who have decided that eleven breeds of dogs (and any mixed breed that has any part of the banned breeds in their makeup) are banned from all Council properties and estates forthwith. The breeds include German Shepherds and Rotweillers. The Council say they will allow a 'reasonable time' to allow owners to rehome their dogs after which period of grace the dogs will be destroyed.

This will not only affect Council tenants but presumably anyone wanting to walk their 'Proscribed Breed' in any of the Cities parks and open spaces. The reason given for this Stalinist behaviour is, that if a dog bit someone on council property the council might be liable for damages. If that is the case why only these selected breeds? Ask a Postman which dogs they are most wary of, it's not the breed it's the owner. So it's OK to be Savaged by a Spaniel, Lambasted by a Labrador or Bonked by a Beagle! It's a case of "If your names not on the list you CAN come in."

Whenever a politician comes up with an idea like this I suspect a hidden agenda and what do you know there is a 'Greater Plan'. When the 'Dublin Clearance' is complete they intend to extend it to cover the whole of Ireland. This of course will mean that any of these dogs that were rehomed from Dublin will be back on the death list unless they can be moved out of the country. Imagine eleven breeds of dogs banned from existing across a whole country on nil evidence but 'Just in case'.

Ireland has an appalling record in allowing 'puppy farming' where animals are kept in dreadful conditions and where do the 'Irish Staffies' come from that are bred for fighting (the clues in the name)? That's where their legislation should be aimed, close the puppy farms, lock up these evil people breeding and exporting fighting dogs and leave decent dog owners alone.

What are the Police, guide dogs for the blind, other assistance dogs, search and rescue teams or the Irish military going to do for working dogs?

Here's an idea. If Dublin Council have anti social tenants with or without dogs, no matter what breed, if any. Deal with them. Just deal with them. If you don't have the legislation in place then pass some. You were quick enough to come up with this stupid idea.

Just a thought, I wonder when the next election is? I wonder how many dog owners there are in Dublin? I wonder how many across Ireland? And most of all I wonder how they are going to enforce this and where they are going to get the staff to do it, it really will be a 'Dead End Job'