A lack of decoy skill will reflect in the poor performance of patrol dogs. There is no way around it, decoy skills in the police K9 world need to improve to have the performance of patrol K9s improve. The good news is, these skills can be taught.  A good decoy class will cover learning how to read K9 behavior, and recognize body language as it communicates important information to the decoy and trainer, such as how to activate aggression, how to recognize when a dog is headed toward avoidance, and how to work toward short, medium and long term goals with every dog worked. Practical instruction should cover things like mechanics, and how to catch dogs safely and, at least as importantly, effectively. Every movement a decoy makes should be with an eye toward improving the dog. Good decoy work should improve the dog's foundations skills, including his alert, aggression (prey and defensive), and  drive channeling - how the dog moves between prey and defense as fight conditions dictate.

The decoy is an instrument of operant conditioning. In other words, the decoy is the mechanism to both deliver rewards for particular behaviors (alerting ion hidden subjects, searching, for example) and also withhold thiee rewards in order to eliminate inappropriate behaviors. It is critical the decoy understands how key this role is in either improving or harming the dog's potential as an effective patrol dog.

Good decoy schools should not only show you how to safely catch a dog, and work that dog once he is on the grip, but should also explain how to achieve key goals through proper decoy work, such as teaching and maintaining skills. Some of the key skills we address in our decoy schools through Tarheel Canine are the following: 

1. Alert on passive suspects with no equipment.

2.  Eliminate pre-existing equipment orientation in any dog.

3. Using the right equipment for the right job: Sleeves, suits, and

     hidden sleeves used improperly can regress even very strong dogs.

4. Out on command, guarding, searching effectively in buildings

     and open areas.

5. Hold and Bark or Find and Bite, alert on hidden subjects, and

    engaging and working on multiple subjects.

6. Conflict-Free Recalls. This instruction is worth the price of the

    seminar alone.

Top level decoy work will increase the ability of your patrol K9s to make apprehensions with confidence, engage their first street bites with confidence, protect your handlers, eliminate equipment orientation, and be an asset in preparing your handlers for success in certification with clean, conflict free outs, and recalls. It will also improve the efficiency of your limited training time with your decoys by learning how to integrate fundamental & skill exercises into real-world scenarios.

Check into Tarheel Canine's decoy seminars at left, and get your handlers signed up today.