Your hosts Eric @vanessk9 and Ted @ted_summers chatted with the current Executive Director of the USPCA, Don Slavik. Slavik worked for the St. Paul K9 department in the 80’s and 90’s as a handler and trainer, and they discussed what it’s like working a Rottweiler K9.  Slavik was a trainer, instructor, and course developer for ATF.  He developed and wrote lesson plans for two classes on Air Movement and its effects on explosives odors and legal issues for explosive canine teams. He evaluated several sites in Thailand for the U.S. Department of State on a proposed 175 dog kennel in Thailand for the Royal Thailand Police. As a Subject Matter Expert (SME), Slavik was selected as the Lead Trainer charged with training a class of dogs for a credible threat in a foreign country for the Department of State. He was also a Department of State GTM, monitoring all DOS canine teams in Iraq. Slavik has lectured on a variety of topics nationally and is an expert witness.⁣ LATELY, the USPCA has been quietly working with canine industry professionals, searching for information on the current environment for police patrol dogs' in the U.S. From this discussion comes a series of articles involving police dogs guided by their training, supervision, and policies. The first article that will appear in the next Canine Courier is “Best Practices in Contemporary Canine” - so get your paws on a copy of that  Across the board, this was an enlightening interview, and definitely an episode you will not want to miss!!⁣ ⁣ ⁣

Episode 117: USPCA Director Don Slavik⁣

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Places & Travel

Your Working Dog Radio hosts, Eric @vanessk9 & Ted @ted_summers, sit down with a repeat guest who truly needs no introduction; CEO and Founder of Target K9, and Co-founder of PSA, Jerry Bradshaw!⁣

⁣This is our second episode from the Hold the Line K9 Conference Series.  In this episode, the gents discuss the concept of drive capping in dog training. They explain that drive capping involves using obedience commands to control and contain a dog's expressive drives, allowing them to be released in a more focused and productive manner. They emphasize the importance of clarity and proper cueing in drive capping, as well as the need for skilled decoys and good timing. They also discuss the challenges and strategies for transitioning between high-expression activities and lower-drive tasks. Overall, they highlight the benefits of drive capping in increasing clarity, focus, and power in dogs.⁣
You’ll want to take notes during this episode, that’s for sure! To watch it on YouTube ⁣

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Episode 213:⁣ Drive Capping with Jerry Bradshaw⁣


⁣Your Working Dog Radio hosts, Eric @vanessk9 & Ted @ted_summers, sit down with East Hartford Police K9 Handler and CPWDA Trainer and Vice President, Todd Mona.⁣
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This is our first episode from the Hold the Line K9 Conference Series ⁣and the gents chat with a repeat guest, Todd Mona. Mona has been a police officer with East Hartford PD in Connecticut for almost two decades, and has been a K9 handler since 2006.⁣
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In this conversation, your hosts and Mona discuss the use of tone avoidance in dog training. They delve into how tone can be used as a negative marker, followed by a stim, to teach dogs to leave things alone, and how it can be used to create a verbal “out” command. They also discuss the use of vibration as a silent “out” command and recall cue. The conversation emphasizes the importance of clear communication and the reduction of high-level stimulation in dog training.⁣
You’ll want to take notes during this episode, that’s for sure! So be sure to listen to it on!


If you'd like to learn more about Eric's E-collar seminars, reach out to him at @vanessk9


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Episode 212:⁣ Using Tone Avoidance in Dog Training⁣

⁣Your Working Dog Radio hosts, Eric @vanessk9 & Ted @ted_summers, sit down with⁣ Darren “DJ” Holmes and chat about his background, his current work with dogs, and training them to detect fentanyl. ⁣

They also discuss changes in training and certification, such as eliminating aggression to gunfire and certifying dogs on marijuana, the concept of false responses in dogs and how it relates to training and contextual learning. They explore the role of poor imprinting in false responses and the importance of understanding dogs' learning processes, including teaching target odor and generalization, shaping search behavior, the use of primary and secondary rewards, the emphasis on trained final responses, and the importance of teaching dogs to hunt. It also covers the impact of contextual learning, the process of reverse engineering the training, and the role of markers and cues. The conversation highlights the challenges of street performance and the pitfalls of using positive punishment. This part of the conversation explores the misconception of not rewarding on stops, the use of variable reward schedules for safety concerns, discrimination training to maintain search behavior, and the importance of accuracy in detection work. The discussion also delves into legal implications and case law related to cueing and handler intervention.
The chat touches on conflict in obedience and relationship problems highlights the impact of handler behavior on the dog's search motivation. The conversation concludes with insights into search motivation and training expectations, as well as the effects of handler intervention and pressure on the dog.⁣
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Want to contact Darren or train with him? Reach out to him at Saltdogk9@outlook.com

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Episode 211: “Chasing the False Response in Detection” with Darren “DJ” Holmes⁣

Your Working Dog Radio hosts, Eric @vanessk9 & Ted @ted_summers, sit down with⁣ Canadian Police Dog Handler and Trainer, Jason Born, a canine handler and trainer from Edmonton, Canada.

Born is certified as a Patrol Dog Trainer by the Canine Law Enforcement Accreditation Registry and has served as a tracking judge at the Canadian Police Canine Association National Championships. Born shares his background in law enforcement and canine handling. The gents discuss the puppy program in Canada, the process of raising and training police dogs, the importance of environmental training, and the challenges of testing and selecting puppies. (And Born definitely knows what he’s talking about! He has raised numerous puppies who went on to become successful Police Dogs. Many of the dog teams Born trained competed at the Canadian Police Canine Association National Championships, with several of them winning the “Top Dog” award.⁣) Born shares his selection and training process for the K9 unit, (including the challenges of training in winter conditions ). He also shares his experience with different tracking methods and the integration of evidence recovery in tracking.

Born talks about the retirement of his K9 partner and his transition to starting his own company, Xieko Canine Training, which provides Police K9 Seminars across North America and private pet training to the Edmonton area. He explains his approach to training pet dogs, and the similarities and differences between training pet dogs and working dogs using operant conditioning and positive reinforcement. The conversation touches on the use of e-collars and the controversy surrounding them. Born and the hosts discuss the challenges of working with reactive dogs and the importance of play in training. They also explore the application of pet training methods to working dogs, particularly in tracking.

If you want more information on Born, his company, or his upcoming seminars, check him out at this hyperlink

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Episode 210: “The Belief” with Jason Born ⁣



Your Working Dog Radio hosts, Eric @vanessk9 & Ted @ted_summers, sit down with⁣ returning guest, KD Mathews @kdmathews, for a 2 hour long jam packed episode of all things dog and balance!

In this episode, the gents discuss Mathews’ retirement from decoy work and his passion for jiu-jitsu (stay tuned for a BJJ-related update from Eric!). They then delve into the importance of relationships in dog training and how it affects behavior, the concept of ritualistic behavior and its role in training and leadership, (and they even get into the concept of alpha dominance and its misunderstood nature). The significance of reading the dog and recognizing their temperament is discussed.



The conversation also touches on the importance of establishing functional relationships and boundaries with dogs. The misconceptions surrounding food training and the projection of human emotions onto dogs are addressed. The gents emphasize the importance of focusing on more identifiable emotions such as arousal, fear, anxiety, and distress. The discussion also delves into the role of the owner's feelings and how they can impact the dog's behavior. The concept of love in dog-owner relationships is explored, highlighting the selfless endeavor of caring for another being. The chat concludes with the transition to online dog training and the benefits it offers: different ways trainers can interact with clients, live coaching calls, and feedback. They also discuss the limitations of online training, particularly when it comes to addressing aggression.



The conversation shifts to the challenges trainers face and the importance of sharing mistakes and learning from experience. They also touch on the importance of balancing life as a dog trainer and the need for trainers to take care of themselves. Finally, Eric introduces his new venture, the Tap Daddy BJJ clothing line.⁣





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Episode 117: USPCA Director Don Slavik⁣

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