beginning of the whole training process is more like fun than anything resembling work. Let me also make it clear that it is work I take seriously, because the training a dog gets during his very youngest days helps him grow to become a successful, mature working dog.
While what I do from the time a pup is born until he is ready for his advanced education may differ in some respects from what the SEAL team dogs go through in their first few days, weeks, and months in Europe, for all practical purposes, those differences are minor. We have the same goals: to maximize the natural abilities of the dogs; to identify their strengths and weaknesses; and to expose them to as many different things as possible so that they can more easily adapt to the specific circumstances they will encounter in their âcareers.â
The stages of training a SEAL dog or other working dog goes through are not unlike what the human members of the SEAL teams go through. Just like I did, every SEAL team member must first complete basic training and then one additional level of training before starting BUD/S training. The training puppies get, can be thought of as basic training.
It is interesting to note, however, that of those entering BUD/S training, 75 percent fail to complete the program. The failure rate is lower with SEAL dogs; approximately less than half donât make it through. I believe that part of the reason for this is that when Iâm evaluating prospective team dogs, my standards are extremely high, and when I select dogs for breeding, I already know the kinds of work that their puppies will be asked to do once theyâve matured. So I can breed dogs with specific qualities they will pass on to their offspring that will help them learn what they need to.
Even before the puppies are born I try to optimize their chances of success by providing their mothers with the most stress-free environment possible while they are pregnant. Generally speaking, that means I move the mothers-to-be to a quieter part of the kennel, as far away as possible from the clamor of barking and other distractions. This also takes them out of any possible contact with aggressive or otherwise rambunctious dogs. At any one time, I may have as many as two dozen dogs around, including my own house pets. That many dogs can make a whole lot of noise. Thatâs especially true because of the kind of kennel Iâve built for them. The kennel run has indoor/outdoor climate control and a septic system with heavy-duty drains. The kennel is all cinder block and coated with epoxy and is a cool and sturdy structure for the dogs to live in that allows them to be out of the weather. However, indoors the acoustics do not provide the most peaceful environment; the noise can be loud.
Several days after the puppies are born, their training begins. Every dog trainer has his or her own theories, and some of them are grounded in scientific research. A lot of them are not. Theyâre either old wivesâ tales or just the experiences that a particular trainer has decided works best. The methods I use are based on lots of experience and research studies. Iâve had good results from using these training principles with puppies, and Iâve seen bad results when these methods arenât used.
Basically what it boils down to is this. Puppies are a kind of blank slate, but they absolutely retain some pack-animal instincts, which includes a tendency to be aggressive toward humans. However, as a species, dogs have been domesticated for centuries and are clearly adapted to living with people. Every dog has both these things hardwired into him. I believe that the amount of human interaction an individual dog gets from birth helps determine how that dog will be with people for its entire life. If they have very little human interaction in the first few months of their lives, theyâre going to be completely different than if they have a ton of human interaction. I
While what I do from the time a pup is born until he is ready for his advanced education may differ in some respects from what the SEAL team dogs go through in their first few days, weeks, and months in Europe, for all practical purposes, those differences are minor. We have the same goals: to maximize the natural abilities of the dogs; to identify their strengths and weaknesses; and to expose them to as many different things as possible so that they can more easily adapt to the specific circumstances they will encounter in their âcareers.â
The stages of training a SEAL dog or other working dog goes through are not unlike what the human members of the SEAL teams go through. Just like I did, every SEAL team member must first complete basic training and then one additional level of training before starting BUD/S training. The training puppies get, can be thought of as basic training.
It is interesting to note, however, that of those entering BUD/S training, 75 percent fail to complete the program. The failure rate is lower with SEAL dogs; approximately less than half donât make it through. I believe that part of the reason for this is that when Iâm evaluating prospective team dogs, my standards are extremely high, and when I select dogs for breeding, I already know the kinds of work that their puppies will be asked to do once theyâve matured. So I can breed dogs with specific qualities they will pass on to their offspring that will help them learn what they need to.
Even before the puppies are born I try to optimize their chances of success by providing their mothers with the most stress-free environment possible while they are pregnant. Generally speaking, that means I move the mothers-to-be to a quieter part of the kennel, as far away as possible from the clamor of barking and other distractions. This also takes them out of any possible contact with aggressive or otherwise rambunctious dogs. At any one time, I may have as many as two dozen dogs around, including my own house pets. That many dogs can make a whole lot of noise. Thatâs especially true because of the kind of kennel Iâve built for them. The kennel run has indoor/outdoor climate control and a septic system with heavy-duty drains. The kennel is all cinder block and coated with epoxy and is a cool and sturdy structure for the dogs to live in that allows them to be out of the weather. However, indoors the acoustics do not provide the most peaceful environment; the noise can be loud.
Several days after the puppies are born, their training begins. Every dog trainer has his or her own theories, and some of them are grounded in scientific research. A lot of them are not. Theyâre either old wivesâ tales or just the experiences that a particular trainer has decided works best. The methods I use are based on lots of experience and research studies. Iâve had good results from using these training principles with puppies, and Iâve seen bad results when these methods arenât used.
Basically what it boils down to is this. Puppies are a kind of blank slate, but they absolutely retain some pack-animal instincts, which includes a tendency to be aggressive toward humans. However, as a species, dogs have been domesticated for centuries and are clearly adapted to living with people. Every dog has both these things hardwired into him. I believe that the amount of human interaction an individual dog gets from birth helps determine how that dog will be with people for its entire life. If they have very little human interaction in the first few months of their lives, theyâre going to be completely different than if they have a ton of human interaction. I
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