A tactical dog is a dog that has started in his training at 5 -6 weeks of age. In this way
this work is his foundation. A true tactical dog knows no other life. This ensures his effectiveness in the field.
His training not only should, but must, coincide with his duties in the field thus his handler
must be trained and disciplined in this area of the work.
It is obvious if not almost or sometimes what the dog will do when the real flack hits the air.
Unless properly trained, most dogs will not make it. Real explosives, real gunfire, real threats, have no conscience.
In today's world people are realizing that sporting dogs and certification do not cut the program.
As far as certification goes, this is as open and full of holes as the human that conducts the
certification.
The training we do does not eliminate the natural bond between man and dog in fact it deepens it, thus
working service training does not harden a dog. The intense work is done in many different ways, as there
are many different applications for this work.
A true working dog is not a prey driven animal and working bloodlines are not sporting bloodlines.
In fact a sporting dog is so far from what a working dog is that there is little, if any, comparison.
The description calm, stable, strong nerves, friendly, confident; that is a working dog description.
A sporting dog is often described this way and until stress is applied it is at this time they crumble
Who is responsible for a dog that fails?
I would say the responsibility lies first with the one
who trains the dog in as much as he must make the upkeep perfectly clear to the purchaser, then,
and only then, the responsibility lies with those who handle the dog. It is their
responsibility to maintain the dog and handling. The handler is very important in this matter.
Any tactical team must train as real as they will work. Lax training presents inferior team members.
There is no deeper bond than that of a working service dog and its handler.
Written by Mike McConnery, Taken From the Working Service Archives 10/14/86
See course description for Working Service Dog Training
