Contents

Introduction

Current Training

The Context of Power & Authority

The Psychological Dimension of Authority

Psychological Advantage

Aspects of Authority

Role Change

Challenge

Harmony

Revealing the Essential Truth of the Relationship

Influence

Uncertainty and Fear

Conditioning

Puppy Rearing Programs

Bonding & Connecting

Bite & Hold Vs Bark

Not Releasing on Command

Conditional States of Mind

Physical Application of Method

Leashes and Lines

Remote Collars

Motivators

Narcotic Detection

Passive or Aggressive Indication

Tracking

Scent

Connecting the Dots

About the Author

Introduction

Nothing is separate and apart from nature. Everything has meaning. - Dale McCluskey

The most successful handlers instinctively know that something very special is happening between

themselves and their dog which goes beyond what is seen from the surface. A turn of the head or slight

pull of the line is meaningful to the handler in tune with this shared connection. Both dog and handler are

in harmony with each other's very thoughts. It becomes part of a life changing and unbroken bond.

What is the unseen force at work with influencing and directing a dog's mind ? Does our personality

and how we think play a role ? Is something else going on beyond devices and conditioning ? This

valuable training guide answers those questions and many more for the handler seeking to harness the full

potential of the service dog team.

Current Training

The psychological aspect of the dog and human connection plays a much bigger role within the scope of

drive, focus and overall success of the team than most trainers and handlers understand or realize. The

more successful handlers who achieve a high level of harmony with their dog know that something special

is happening. A level of communication is occurring which goes beyond the surface and what can be

seen. Training, when seen at a deeper level, is really an intervention designed to change the

psychological path of the owner. Interactions, rituals, methods, techniques and devices can align the

psychological to where it needs to be. Often trainers attribute the change to the technique, interaction or

device without fully understanding the role the psychological plays in exposing and shifting power. All

programs stand to reap incredible rewards and benefits from gaining a deeper understanding of this

dynamic relationship.

Photo Courtesy Working Dog Forum

The Context of Power and Authority

An unresolved power issue is the single biggest reason for poor performance and lack of results

between dog and handler. It is also the most difficult problem to resolve due to the lack of insight

into linkages between the physical, psychological and behavior. First the context of conditional and

unconditional power must be better understood. Unconditional power is a term used to reference

the independent expression of authority and power as it is links to the decision making lead role.

This role changes the dynamics of how a dog interacts with the other pack members. It elevates a

dog's level of authoritative thinking and decision making. An example of how this role influences

behavior can be seen when a handler throws out a ball with the intent of the dog bringing it back.

The dog expressing a conditional follower state will possess the ball and bring it back to the handler.

The dog expressing unconditional power, or a higher level of authority and decision making, will

chase the ball and often not want to bring it back. The dominant dog will move away as the handler

approaches in an authoritative psychological state to possess the ball. The dominant dog may rip

and tear the ball to pieces during this interaction as well. The solution is to expose and shift power

to create a conditional follower state during this interaction. This interaction along with other

behaviors and interactions may indicate the dog is holding power over the handler within the

relationship. How a dog thinks and what he or she expresses through interactions and behavior is

linked to nature and the pack. The influence of the pack relationship on power and behavior cannot

be ignored or denied. It is part of a dog's connection to nature. It becomes part of us through the

unique psychological connection dogs extend to us. We have a meaningful and profound influence

on behavior within this context and association. How we think about the dog-human relationship at

many levels can put us in conflict with nature.

The Psychological Dimension of Authority

Once a dog owner begins to gain insight into the connection dog's share with us through nature and the

pack relationship another dimension of authority is revealed. The issue of authority, dominance and power

stirs up debate among experts, trainers and owners throughout the dog-training world. To understand this

issue one first needs to gain better insight into the meaning and interpretation of authority beyond what is

seen from the surface. Most trainers fail to recognize or consider the psychological aspect of authority.

The ability to understand this issue through objective reasoning becomes compromised by human thoughts,

feelings and emotions. The psychological connection and link can be made as you consider how human

thinking changes during various interactions and situations.

Psychological Advantage

Law enforcement officers have a natural advantage over the general population when it comes to

connecting with dogs and nature. It is no coincidence that law enforcement trainers align with interactions,

methods, devices and techniques which follow a more authoritative model of training. How we think as

humans flows into everything else including how we connect and interact with nature and dogs. Dogs

immediately feel this confident and assertive energy surrounding and invading their area and mind and

begin to release power over to the handler. Often the handler has already gained meaningful influence over

the dog's mind before the serious training has begun.

Aspects of Authority

What qualifies as authority? It is anything that controls the direction of a dog's mind as it connects to

controlling a dog's body. The crate represents this aspect of authority and can assist with the power shifting

process so long as how the owner thinks is also aligning with this same energy. Owners who think and

connect with dogs at a more emotional level are going to be in turmoil over controlling a dog using such a

device. This turmoil is felt by the dog and is interpreted as weakness as it connects from the owner’s mind

and the authority of the crate. In this situation the dog becomes confused from this mixed message and will

continue to challenge and resist the crate. This is just one example of how dogs associate and connect the

dots to the owner’s thoughts from other influences associated with authority and control.

Role Change

Trainers often are unknowingly doing two things at the same time without even realizing it. Shifting power

and conditioning. As humans our perspective is mainly limited to what we see with our eyes. This is

where any interaction. We assume conditioning reflects truth based on what we see from the surface.

Within this guide I will expose that this is absolutely not the case and in fact a dangerous assumption. The

psychological and physical, as it linked to power, can be compared to a magic trick involving 2 cups, the

psychological and physical, with a ball, or power, being moved. The audience trusts what they see with

their eye. As the magician directs the audience to seeing the ball, or power, going under the cup, physical,

our eyes stay on that cup during the entire trick. The trick is for the magician to use slight of hand to move

the ball, power, under the other cup, the psychological, without us realizing it. The entire time the cups are

being moved around we are convinced we know where the ball is at. In fact the magician has used our

eyes against us by using what we rely on the most to misdirect us into untruth. In the end our eyes have let

us down. Only a couple really focused observers may have seen something, which brought their eyes and

mind towards truth. This is how it is with power and the dog and human relationship. The physical is

merely an extension of the psychological.

When starting the process of exposing and shifting power the dog handler needs to be aware of a common

issue which can hinder this transition. This issue is what I refer to as toll booth. It is when a dog continues

to hold onto power even while the owner is going through the motions with applying method as described

within this guide. A level of connection and awareness needs to be occurring between handler / owner and

dog which directs, confronts, influences and challenges the direction of the dog's mind. Often a dog will

appear to be responding even while his / her mind is jumping past what is perceived to be superficial

attempts to challenge for the lead role. This can be compared to your dog dropping a quarter into the toll

booth to get to the next source of power. The dog is still objectifying the owner and views them as a

pathway and means to an end. This type of power holding issue is more common with dogs holding a

greater amount of power over the owner combined with higher emotionally driven thinkers. If you are

performing method and failing to make noticeable gains be aware of the issues associated to toll booth

response and your dog's capacity to hold onto power if he /she feels you are not penetrating their mind and

becoming a serious challenge to their power and role within pack. Listed are recommendations to

overcoming this issue.

Stand still longer while performing the push / pull and leash flexing method. This exposes more

power as you are challenging your dog's forward moving mind.

Temporarily stay away from areas and situations which your dog has associated to expressing

dominance and power until you can gain psychological advantage and are ready to approach these

areas in a meaningful way which penetrates your dog's way of thinking.

Practice putting your dog into the sit position and maintaining it as you slowly step away from

your dog. This removes any associations to your being a pathway to get to a source of power.

This exercise can be performed within various areas / rooms of your home.

Get in tune to the difference to physical presence and psychological presence. Your dog can be

sitting beside you while his / her mind is moving away within the context of unresolved power.

Once you have identified that your dog is holding power within the relationship you need to

interrupt this psychological shifting. The context of how your dog's mind is being influenced and

pulled based on how you are seen within the pack relationship is what matters. The follower dog

will look at another dog, person etc but remain with the handler / owner in both mind and body.

The owner will feel this drawing in effect and conditional state with the follower dog. With the

dominant power holding dog the owner will feel the dog's mind pulling and separating away prior

to taking off. This psychological shifting and pulling away can be happening even while the owner

is performing method if the owner / handler fails to bring a level of awareness with reigning in the

dog's mind to the level needed.

Use the crate more often as a way to gain psychological advantage and place your dog's mind into

a pincer movement. As your dog comes out of the crate practice keeping your dog from

objectifying you with his / her mind traveling ahead. Perform the push / pull and leash flexing for

a longer period of time and suspend method to a point of increasing the amount of power being

exposed and level of challenge. Add the down position during this exercise.

Be sure your psychological path is aligning with authority and demand at the level needed to

expose, corner and shift power. Understand that changing how you think is the most important

part of the role changing process.

To understand nature is to know that even the dominant dog represents balance – Dale McCluskey

Challenge

The issue of dominance, power, authority and challenge is confusing and misunderstood due to many

issues relating to what is both seen and unseen. To fully understood the current level of dominance and

power any given dog is holding one must consider the level of influence the hander has over the direction

of the dog's mind as it links to nature. This is where conditioning and response must be understood within

this context to ensure power is being exposed and shifted within the relationship. Power can be held by the

dominant dog if the handler fails connect in a way which challenges for the role. The context of

conditioning and other motivators often allow a dog to govern his or her own destiny and remain outside of

the direct influence and challenge of other contenders for the top position. It is what is influencing a dog's

mind dependent or independent of the handler and at at the level needed to expose and resolve the power

issue. How the handler thinks and his or her emotional level and connection with their dog also plays a

role in exposing and shifting power. Unrestrained emotion is perceived as weakness to the nature driven

dog. This type of emotional connection and relationship may appear great from the surface even while a

dog is gaining power below the surface. Cracks begin to show through the relationship as behaviors linked

to unresolved power begin to make an appearance. Its important to make the connection that challenge

actually represents progress within the context of exposing and shifting power.

Harmony

Harmony is a term I use to reference the handler’s level of influence over the dog’s mind through nature

and the pack relationship. As the handler begins to express influence within the pack relationship the

context of dominance with how it directs the dog’s mind begins to change. As the owner gains power he

or she also gains more and more influence over the dog’s mind directly through nature. This influence

follows and aligns with the psychological connection dog’s share with us through nature. If a handler is

expressing a high level of assertive confidence in a dogs environment and is the primary influence in the

dog's life a level of harmony is almost guaranteed. A dog feels this energy being projected in, near and

around them daily by the handler and begins to release whatever power they were holding. If a younger

dog enters this environment early than the results can be truly amazing as harmony builds between dog

and handler. This unseen psychological dynamic when fully understood and appreciated can provide the

trainer and handler with almost limitless potential through nature.