Table Of ContentK9 BEHAVIOR BASICS
Other titles in the K9 Professional Training series
K9 Search and Rescue, 2nd ed.
K9 Schutzhund Training, 2nd ed. (Coming in 2014)
Other K9 titles from Brush Education
Aggression Control
Decoys and Aggression
K9 Complete Care
K9 Explosive Detection
K9 Fraud!
K9 Offi cer’s Manual
K9 Personal Protection
K9 Professional Tracking
K9 Scent Detection
K9 Suspect Discrimination
K9 Working Breeds
Police Offi cer’s Guide to K9 Searches
K9 BEHAVIOR BASICS
A Manual for Proven Success in
Operational Service Dog Training
Second edition
Dr. Resi Gerritsen
Ruud Haak
Simon Prins
K9 Professional Training series
Copyright © 2013 Resi Gerritsen, Ruud Haak and Simon Prins
13 14 15 16 17 5 4 3 2 1
Excerpts from this publication may be reproduced under licence from Access Copyright,
or with the express written permission of Brush Education Inc., or under licence from a
collective management organization in your territory. All rights are otherwise reserved
and no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans-
mitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanic, photocopying, digital copying,
scanning, recording or otherwise, except as specifi cally authorized.
Brush Education Inc.
www.brusheducation.ca
[email protected]
Printed and manufactured in Canada
Ebook edition available at Amazon, Kobo, and other e-retailers.
Editorial: Lauri Seidlitz, Leslie Vermeer
Cover design: John Luckhurst; Cover photo: Kelly Nelson/Shutterstock
Book interior design: Carol Dragich, Dragich Design
Illustrations: Sandra Hamel
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Gerritsen, Resi, author K9 behavior basics: a manual for proven success in operational
service dog training / Dr. Resi Gerritsen, Ruud Haak and Simon Prins.—Second edition.
(K9 professional training)
Originally published: Calgary: Detselig Enterprises, 2010. Includes bibliographical refer-
ences. Issued in print and electronic formats. ISBN 978-1-55059-451-5 (pbk.).
1. Service dogs—Behavior. 2. Service dogs—Training. 3. Search dogs—Training.
4. Rescue dogs—Training. I. Haak, Ruud, author II. Prins, Simon, 1967-, author III. Title.
SF428.2.G473 2013 636.73 C2013-903631-8 C2013-903632-6
Produced with the assistance of the Government of Alberta, Alberta Multimedia Devel-
opment Fund. We also acknowledge the fi nancial support of the Government of Canada
through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.
Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................... vii
1 Operational Service Dogs ................................................................. 1
2 Ancestor Wolf..................................................................................... 27
3 Basic Concepts in Dog Behavior ................................................... 43
4 Developmental Stages and Behavior .......................................... 65
5 Expressions, Gestures, and Signals .............................................. 81
6 Reading Your Dog ........................................................................... 109
7 Operant Conditioning: Development and Basic
Principles .......................................................................................... 127
8 Physical Punishment in Dog Training ........................................ 169
9 Training Service Dogs Using Operant Conditioning ............. 195
Bibliography .................................................................................... 233
About the Authors ..........................................................................2 37
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Introduction
The dog has been a loyal companion of humankind for thousands
of years. This companionship has not always meant a comfortable
and peaceful life for the dog, however. In living together, humans
took control. From wolves (the fi rst dogs), humans selected ani-
mals with suitable traits and domesticated them.
Our dogs today have a great willingness to adapt to their cir-
cumstances and the rules of the pack, which now includes the
human family. They are a pleasant animal, able to live close to hu-
mans. From the wolf they received qualities such as watchfulness,
loyalty, and submissive behavior, which are also the source of their
popularity as pets and K9s.
In this book we meet the wolf, the domestic dog’s ancestor.
We become acquainted with its behavior and see how and why
this animal was domesticated. From that foundation, we take a
closer look at dog behavior and communication signals. These are
fundamental to understanding how dogs play and learn, and it is
important for every K9 handler to understand these behaviors. Af-
ter all, if we understand the behavior of dogs, we can more easily
raise and train them.
It is a pleasure to have a K9 as a reliable companion in service.
For a successful team, the parties at both ends of the leash must
VIII INTRODUCTION
trust each other. For this trust to develop, it is essential for us to
recognize and correctly interpret the dog’s expressions, gestures,
and signals. In this book we explain them.
We then explain operant conditioning, a successful method of
K9 training that can be used for all kinds of special-service dogs,
such as search and detection, patrol, remote guided camera, and
attack dogs. We fi rst describe the history and development of op-
erant conditioning training with animals and how the training
works, and then, of course, we provide practical techniques in how
this method can be employed.
As a K9 handler, you are privileged to know what is going on
in the dog’s mind and to predict its behavior. After reading this
book, you will have a better understanding of that special animal:
your K9.
—Resi Gerritsen, Ruud Haak, and Simon Prins
Disclaimer
While the contents of this book are based on substantial experience and expertise,
working with dogs involves inherent risks, especially in dangerous settings and situ-
ations. Anyone using approaches described in this book does so entirely at their own
risk and both the author and publisher disclaim any liability for any injuries or other
damage that may be sustained.
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