Message from Brian:
Meet the Helpers – On-Line Training Club
The PronouncedK9 On-Line Club members will learn by following these three national level helpers as they train and work dogs. New video will be posted weekly backed up with training tips and written articles. Members will then invited to participate in a forum where the training topics can be discussed or questions can be asked of the trainers.
Membership enrollment will be opening soon. Continue to watch the blog for more updates!
Brian Harvey:
John Bochenek:
Waine Singleton:
You can learn more about Brian, John, and Waine on the PronouncedK9 website.
The Four Basic Dog Types
The PronouncedK9 training program is based on the concept that there are four basic drive types and that each has their own strengths and weaknesses:
PREY
PLAY
DEFENSIVE
AGGRESSIVE
The easiest way for each type to develop to their full potential is by using their strengths to overcome their weaknesses.
Traditional training methods have taught most bitework trainers that training in prey is easy but training in defense is scary for all young dogs. Making prey the preferred way to start young or inexperienced dogs. This thinking is based on the belief that prey work involves less stress. Less stress in the beginning is better for the dog and increases its chances for success.
This method also teaches that less stress in the beginning is better but splits from the traditional thinking about what creates stress. The trainers teaching this method understand that the least stressful way to train a dog is in line with his natural way of reacting.
Each type has its own way of reacting to a stimulus that comes natural to them. Understanding this natural reaction and using it to cause them to make the choices we want them to make in future training is the key to this program.
Think about a defensive type dog being approached by the typical prey trainer. He sees a stranger in front of him making fast, odd moves from side-to-side. These moves have no value to him. They seem to make him uneasy and unsure about what to do. The prey trainer sees this unsureness and does everything in his power to convince the dog that he is not a threat and just wants to play a little tug-of-war.
This is the most stressful thing most commonly done to defensive type dogs. Trying to convince a naturally defensive type dog with instincts that tell him you are a threat—that you are not—will usually result in him becoming unsure. His instincts are telling him that you are bad and he shouldn’t trust you. Your actions are telling him that you are good and that he should trust you. This conflict of information makes the dog unsure about what to do, causing him stress. This stress makes him react in a less that confident way. It is much less stressful for the dog in this situation if you act in a manner that validates his natural thinking. If he thinks you are bad, be bad. If he thinks you are a threat, be a threat. By acting in the way that the dog’s instincts are telling him you should be acting, you create sureness that allows the dog to react in his most confident way. Defensive dogs love to chase bad guys away.
The PronouncedK9 training program shows you how to use this information to make defensive dogs do all the same things that good prey dogs do:
Be active in drive without stimulation; Bite full and calm and pursue with speed.
Each type can be taught all of these things. Defensive dogs can do the sport, and play dogs can do civil street work.
End of Schutzhund?
Below, Brian references Jim Engel’s article “Schutzhund is Over in Europe” regarding the removal of stick hits from the FCI IPO Championships. Brian has a few things to say on the future of schutzhund:
Although I think this article is a little on the dramatic side, I totally agree with Jim that its time for Americans to take charge of our own working dog affairs. I also believe its time to get back to the fundamentals that made Schutzhund great in the first place; testing dogs for courage and hardness, and promoting the ones that have it. As far as the stick hits go, I’ve already heard fellow Schutzhund competitors say, “Who cares? What difference does it really make, someone is still going to win.” At this rate, I too believe that the stick hits will be gone from competition in two years time. Like the old saying goes, when you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything, which is really the larger issue at hand here.
In all fairness, I don’t believe that this can be blamed on the show dog community. It probably has more to do with the outside pressures to be politically correct and our leadership’s growing concern with the public perception of what Schutzhund is. But if show and pet people are indeed determining the path of our sport, it is only because we — the working dog people — are allowing them to. If the consensus is that show people care more about a dog’s conformation and movement than its skill and performance, then of course they’re going to welcome any rule change that makes getting a title easier. Since the working aspect of the dog isn’t their main focus, who can blame them for that? In the three decades I’ve been involved in the sport, this hasn’t changed. Conformation people want now what they wanted back then. If anything, I think I’ve seen an increase in the working ability of show dogs over the years, which is what I would like to see working dog people continue to support.
On the other hand, however, the mentality of most Schutzhund people has changed drastically in the last thirty years. What they want today is totally different than it used to be. Today, the number one concern of most of my working dog friends is points. That’s the main focus; how can I get another point? They are willing to abandon all the fundamentals of Schutzhund just to get a higher score. Thirty years ago, no one would have traded their real protection dog for a dog that could simply win a trial. If a dog wasn’t serious, nobody cared about the score it got anyways. But these days the score is all anyone cares about.
The point is that if we are to be the champions of the working dog, we have to take responsibility for the evolution our sport is undergoing. Its people like us, the people who are reading these articles, that are most concerned about the direction the sport is headed in. We have the most to lose here. So why not stand up and take charge while we still have the chance?
~Brian Harvey
What do you think?
The PronouncedK9 Training Method
The PronouncedK9 Training Method involves teaching the four different temperament types: Aggressive, Prey, Play, and Defensive dogs to do 10 basic fundamental behaviors that are essential to a strong, balanced dog.
Step 1: Watch The Bad Guy
Step 2: Make Energy
Step 3: Channel the Energy Into a Bite
Step 4: Hold onto the Bite
Step 5: Make Carry – Show Win
Step 6: Make a Bite Happen
Step 7: Chase the Bad Guy
Step 8: Be Clear – Understand
Step 9: Start Fight – Hold and Bark
Step 10: Be Confident
These ten things are not new—they have been around for years. They are the tried and true basic fundamental skills every bitework dog needs to know. The ten things on this list are very important to this program but they are not what makes it different. What separates this program from the rest is the understanding of what drives each of the four types of dogs. Once we understand what drives our dogs, then we know HOW to train it to do the ten basic things. For example: Club members will be taught the differences between the 4 types of dog and how those differences can be used to create a similar behavior from each type. This behavior we are looking for is a balanced one. Most good dogs have a close-to-even balance of the four drives that make up each type: Aggression, Prey, Play, and Defense.
You may be wondering that if all good dogs have all four of these drives, then what makes him a drive type? It’s what we call the Lead Drive. Helpers/Decoys using this training method will be taught how to approach a dog for the first time and provide a stimulus or trigger for each of the four drives. The Lead Drive is the one that shows itself to be the strongest natural response. If all four drives are tested evenly it is easy to see what type a dog is. The drive he shows in the strongest way is the drive type we will call him.
Determining the drive type is critical because the natural lead drive will dictate how he reacts to future training. A defensive type has a completely different set of motivating factors than a prey type does. A defensive type is concerned about protecting himself and his area. In the beginning, he does not care at all about catching anything. On the other hand, a Prey type is only concerned about catching something so being concerned about his safety is not an issue.
These fundamental differences must be understood to be able to train both types to their full potential. One type is looking to create distance between himself and the helper, while the other is looking to get closer. Most helpers prefer prey type dogs because of their inherent drive to bite movement. This makes them easier to get started in bitework than their defensive counterparts. For this reason, they are often thought to be the better type. Helpers who prefer prey types are usually using prey methods of stimulation and reward. They will get good responses from prey types and poor responses from defensive types, bringing them to the conclusion that prey types are best. But, there are also stimulation and rewards that create good responses in defensive types, but poor responses with the prey types. Once you understand how to train each type you will see that there is no best type—just the best way to train each type.
Aggressive and Play Types also have their own preferred stimulation and rewards. This program will teach our participants how to identify a dog’s type. Then use that particular type’s strengths to train him to do the ten steps. Each type will be taught the ten steps in a different way. The way that is most beneficial to them. Even though each type follows a different path to learn the ten steps, the fact that they all know and understand how to do the same ten things starts to make them all act alike. This is the point of this program! We can show new helpers/decoys how to make sure, strong, powerful dogs out of any type! By using their natural strengths to build up their natural deficiencies we can create a balance of all four drives in each type.
The end result is a dog that has aggressive barking and actions—Aggression.
It is fast to the full bite—Prey.
Will defend his position at all costs—Defense.
And sees all of the above as something he loves to do—Play.
This is what we call Fighting Drive.
A balanced dog in this program is a dog who enjoys biting full, fast and hard, and cannot be made to go away. There are other factors that must be considered as well—such as Character, Nerve and Threshold. Each type will include Low, Mid and High Level dogs due to the variations of these factors.
Learn more at PronouncedK9.com
Catching the Dog Part 2 – Footwork
In today’s video, Brian and John wrap up the discussion about catching dogs by explaining the importance of proper position and moving your feet when making the catch:
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Stay tuned for more information about the NEW PronouncedK9 On-Line Training Club!
Whether you are an IPO or Schutzhund helper for your local club or the favorite bad guy for your K9 Unit, the PronouncedK9 Club can improve your skill set making you more valuable to your club or unit!
Catching the Dog
Brian and John explain how to get the dog to come to the center of the man with certain catching techniques. To do this you must understand the angles of the dog and how to use them to your advantage:
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In the next video, Brian and John show you how important footwork is when catching dogs. You don’t want to miss this one!
The beauty of the fundamentals being presented is that they will work with and compliment any training program you currently use. Take your training to the next level!
The next round of videos will be going into production soon. What bitework fundamentals do you want to see? Do you have any questions about what you have seen so far?
Please submit your questions and suggestions here on the blog or via email at info@pronouncedk9.com.
Helper Tip – Working on the Strike
In today’s video,
Brian and John show how to help a dog strike faster and better with correct sleeve presentation:
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We hope you are enjoying and finding our videos helpful!
Even if you train with and follow someone else’s theories and practices, what we are presenting here are your basic, fundamental bitework mechanics. You don’t need to move away from your current training program, these fundamentals will still work with the training you are doing now. Everyone can benefit, handlers and helpers!
Helper Tip – Targeting Part 2
In this video, Brian takes the training concepts developed in the first video, and shows how to apply them when working in the blind.
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We hope you are enjoying these videos and are finding them helpful. If there are any training techniques you would like to see explained in future videos please feel free to mention them in the comments.
And, if you haven’t already, please subscribe to the PronouncedK9 newsletter to stay up to speed on the upcoming launch of the PronouncedK9 on-line training club!
Helper Tip – Targeting Part 1
Ever work a dog that only wants to bite the elbow or end of the sleeve? In this video, Brian shows you how to work with the dog to get him to bite correctly on the bite bar.
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If you like what you see and think Brian’s experience and knowledge can help you become a better helper and trainer,
stay tuned as we are preparing to roll-out the PronouncedK9 On-Line Training Club!
Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter, so you can become part of the site development process! The Helper Tips videos you will receive are an example of the information that will be shared on the site. We will ask for your feedback and suggestions, and give you the opportunity to be of the first members to join.
Please bear with us as we work through getting the bugs out of the process! We have great things in the works and can’t wait to share them all with you!