Making the Most of Your Dog’s Behavioral Training

Posted on: 3 November 2016

If you have a dog that you are considering training for police work, you are likely nervous and excited. You might be excited to do something so worthwhile with the relationship that you have with your dog, as well as nervous because you might not be entirely sure how to get the job done. Once you have the tasks that your dog needs to be trained to do, here are some tips to make training him or her to do those tasks a lot easier.

1. Take the Energy Level of Your Dog Into Account

The first thing that you need to do is take the energy level of your dog into account. Dogs' energy levels can fluctuate from breed to breed and individually they can fluctuate throughout the day. This means that sometimes you are going to need to take measures to make sure that your dog has the right amount of energy to focus and learn. If you have a dog that has high energy, possibly taking him or her on a run or a walk before hand can help your dog calm down and ensure that he or she is able to focus enough. If you have a dog that is more lethargic, then you might need to coax him or her into learning by playing a simple game with him or her first for a few minutes. You could also look for when your dog is more alert during the day and structure your training lessons around those times of alertness.

2. Utilize Breaks

Break up your training session into fifteen- to thirty-minute chunks. This will help reduce the chances that you or your dog will get frustrated. During these breaks, spend time with your dog in order to continue to the build the bond and ensure that you are not just associated with work. However, allow your dog to be a dog, romp around, and have a good time. Breaks involving other dogs in the training session are also good.

3. Be Consistent

In order for your training to be successful, you have to be as consistent as possible. Make sure that you are always using the same commands. Consistency is also important for odor-detection. Explosives have a certain odor that dogs can detect easily. You can train dogs to remember more than a dozen scents of explosives if you are consistent about how the dogs are exposed to them and the particular scents that you are expose them to.

For more information, talk to a company that specializes in explosive detection for dogs.