SCENARIO TRAINING

We need to know what our goals are with our training of service or protection type dogs.
Each individuals has a different set of needs, and these- alongside the abilities of the dog, handler and trainer- will dictate how we approach training.

Do we seek sporting success, an operational security dog or an effective family guardian and deterrant to criminals?

That should be one of the first questions we ask.

The second might well be, 'What are my dog's natural abilities and limitations?'

There are many ways we can go about developing qualities and learned behaviour in the dogs, which will make them better equipped to (potentially) do their ultimate job- but in essence we should always be moving towards fitting together the pieces of the puzzle needed to form the complete 'picture'.

Different parts, separate elements of this on their own might work; we need them to work TOGETHER.

Much can be said about this, but if we look away from the sports we love for the minute, and focus on dogs we use to help make us safer in the real world, then we might want to quite carefully and deliberately analyse the types of environments and situations our dogs will work in, and how we can begin to move towards as realistic a simulation of this as possible.

If each dog and handler has different needs and a different role, why would we train them all the same?!

The military, police, rescue services etc. increasingly use high fidelity simulations and scenario training, to best prepare for the wide range of real situations they may potentially face.

IT WORKS FOR THEM, SO WHY NOT FOR US?!

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SITUATIONAL CONTROL

'WATCH OUT!' INSTEAD OF 'WATCH HIM!'