K9 Behavior Basics: A Manual for Proven Success in Operational Service Dog Training (K9 Professional Training)

Just a perfect book. However not for the begginers. You need to have basic knowledge in working dogs behavior. Dutch people have best system in the world raising and training them so I'm not surprised they wrote an excellent book and manual for everyone involved in working with "real" dogs.

good book

Very disappointing. No use to someone training a dog. Mostly historical facts about the gsd.

AuthorsResi Gerritsen has a PhD in psychology and is an experienced operational service dog trainer. The method she has co-authored for operational service dogs with her husband, Ruud Haak, is followed by search-and-rescue teams all over the world.As a retired social therapist for criminal psychopaths, Ruud Haak’s background lies at the crossroads of law enforcement and psychology. Many of the dogs that he trained won the most sought after search-and-rescue prizes. Ruud Haak and his wife and co-author also advise many NGO’s and governmental agencies on operational service dog protocols. Ruud Haak is also the chief editor of Onze Hond, The Netherlands’ most popular dog magazine.Simon Prins’ background is law enforcement: military diver, then operational service dog foster carer, then operational service dog trainer, and finally government advisor on operational service dog training protocols for special operations. Since the first operational service dog mission he designed and completed, he has successfully trained countless special ops dogs for the Dutch government. Simon Prins’ innovative approach has enabled many technological and training advances in the normally traditional world of Dutch police dog training, including a focus on reward-based methods.Style and contentsAt just about 200-pages long, the book is sizable but manageable. Not one of your giant encyclopaedias, but you’ll still need to invest a bit of time to see it through.It is well written: precise, concise and smooth. Particularly when you consider that none of the authors is a native English speaker (I believe all three are Dutch). Not only does the book not make use of jargon, but its sections on ethics, among others, show an incredible grasp of the English language.This is perhaps a small thing but I appreciated the dual units of measures (metric and imperial) in the relevant passages.The gemsI particularly enjoyed the anecdotes about police operations using service dogs. Simon Prins’ experience with police dog training also offered a rare insider’s view of this often secretive world. I also enjoyed the passages covering the history of service dogs in Europe.The chapter on physical punishment was particularly note-worthy as police dog training in The Netherlands has traditionally been coercive, whereas K9 Behavior Basics discourages the use of coercion and harsh punishment. The chapter offered good arguments against the use of harsh methods – some completely new to me and eminently usable outside of the service dog world.The detailed protocol sheets can be very useful templates for any kind of trainer wanting to plan and track their student’s progress, not just operational service dog trainers.Possible points for optimizationI was bothered by the absence of in-text citations, particularly in sentences like “Most research…” [p. 83], or passages making surprising claims.The theoretical framework on points of ethology (including the pack theory) and psychology was internally inconsistent; and some concepts were so simplified that they lost their original meaning.The verdictIf you are already versed in operant conditioning and dog ethology, your main interest will likely be limited to the few passages focusing on operational training. If you are a service dog trainer, though, and you have always trained using traditional methods, this one is a must-have.

I have a rescued shepherd who has some issues and needs some training. He’s going to be taking obedience classes but he’s smart and I’d like to do more and use his natural guarding and aggression with him to make him listen and obey. Working dog training is perfect for this. This book is more than I ever expected! It is amazing. It’s teaching me why his natural instincts tell him to do what he’s doing. I’m learinf how to use his nature to my benifit! I can’t put the book down. I am not new to dog training and have had 5 dogs in my life. The other 4 were easy to train. This one needs more and this book is giving me what I need!

If I had started earlier with my Chesapeake Retriever...but I had hurt my shoulder/rotator cuff... and when she was a pup....Ishould have been instructing her...but she grew quickly...and I had no place to workher out...it is not like back in NE....here the cactus ruin it for all maneuvers...and she is an aggressive and intelligentretriever...even found a rattlesnake in frozen ground under one foot of snow.. Yep she got bit. Now she is a handful...100 lbs...almost 2 1/2 and has unique mind of her own. So very clever...she has a talent to out think me. I wish I could spend the last 2 years all over again. I love her!She has a heart of gold for some...and for some...she does not like them. Maybe my fault..I do not like the people that she does not like! Thank you.

Excellent resource, easy to read, well organized. No nonsense guide to educating a dog. Lots of interesting tips and information.

This book is full of great info for dog trainers. If you're just starting out, this will give you a lot of good information on the basics of behavior and body language. After that, it's geared towards more experienced trainers and handlers. It's still good information for less experienced folks, and it's a good way to plant the seed that will grow with time, training, and experience.Even if you're not training service dogs, this book will give you a solid base of information that applies universally to all breeds, ages, and sizes of dogs.

Useful information