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K9 Search Response In The Era Of COVID-19
Training exercises for dogs of all ages and skill level along with critical information and y safely and successfully work under the distractions specific to hazardous environments.
Getting Started
In this video we covered how to improvise a full set of PPE to use during these training exercises so that you can acclimate your dog. Your goal is to move slow and systematically and ensure that your dog is comfortable and confident at each step. If you notice any signs of hesitation or concern, simply take a step back. Remember in these high drive dogs, signs of discomfort may not be as obvious as in pet dogs. It may be just a diverted glance or a change in their grip on the toy.
For Puppies & Inexperienced Dogs
Systematic Introduction
CFTE Founder Deana Hudgins demonstrates the process for introducing various PPE distractions and how to systematically increase the difficulty while maintaining an engaged and happy dog.
Desired Outcome
K9 Indy demonstrates the result of a young puppy who has been systematically introduced in a positive fashion to PPE. He is confident, not concerned by the extra gear his handler Deana is wearing or by the different sound of her voice and is more focused on his toy.
Getting your puppy or young dog to this level of confidence may take multiple sessions, but by incrementally changing the picture for your dog and making each new level a positive experience, you will end up with a dog who will confidently search no matter what.
For Experienced Dogs
Starting With Motivation
The goal of this training series is to build your dog's confidence searching even when you are wearing full PPE. It is NOT about teaching your dog to work difficult scent pictures so to give your dog the best chance of success, we recommend starting with a straightforward motivational lineup. This will prime your dog and a quick reward will get their arousal and motivation level up before introducing distractions and the pressure of a handler in PPE.
Slow & Steady
In this step, Sunny is introduced to her handler Nick wearing eye protection and a face mask while running a lineup where she just had success. Notice at ~0:02 Sunny takes a quick note of Nick's new appearance, but then choose to go search and gets her reward. This is what we are looking for. We are not aiming to come out and intimidate or distract the dog with a shocking new look of full PPE, but rather a systematic introduction that gives them the opportunity to get rewarded for choosing to move past their handler's new appearance and find target odor to get rewarded.
Take It Up A Notch
In this step Nick adds a new distraction by wearing a Tyvek suit with the hood up. Remember the speed you ramp up the pressure is driven by your dog's confidence level.
Final Step
In this video Nick demonstrates the final step in this sequence which includes wearing full PPE, including face mask, eye protection, and a tyvek suit. As with all the other steps, make sure your dog is comfortable and confident with you in your full PPE working a straightforward line up before moving on. This is also a great drill to use when you revisit this training throughout the working life of the dog.
Taking It To The Next Level
Once your dog is demonstrating complete confidence in this foundational training process, you can challenge their learning by trying out these exercises below which ask them to focus even more on the search despite your altered appearance.
- Different prop formations besides the lineup
- Use a different assortment of props
- More complicated real-world search scenarios
- Practice your obedience and agility skills while wearing PPE