Tag: Stubborn

Day 192 – West Midlands Police – Police sniffer dog training

Image by West Midlands Police
This photo shows West Midlands Police sniffer dog Honey who’s been training at the Wolves ground in preparation for his Olympic assignments.

West Midlands Police has around 20 specialist explosives sniffer dogs that will be deployed during the Games at venues including the Olympic village in London, to ensure the safety of both participants and spectators.

Honey is one of four who’ll be tasked with security checks before football matches being staged at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

To hone her stadium search skills, the three-year-old Spaniel has been using Molineux as a test-drill practice ground.

Dog Training Instructor PC Wayne Mellings, said: “Clearly with the Olympics now around the corner we must ensure we’re prepared for any eventuality; over the last six months we’ve been training at high-profile venues to make sure our dogs are familiar with searching stadium environments.

“Wolverhampton Wanderers is a superb venue for us to utilise as a training area for our police search dog capability. We are continually looking for opportunities to engage with local organisations, such as Wolves FC, and strengthen the already excellent relationships that exist.”

Matt Grayson, Head of Marketing & Communications at Wolves, said: “We have a great relationship with West Midlands Police and work closely with them both through our community work and on a match-day.

“Allowing them to use Molineux as a testing ground is just a natural extension of our association with them, so we were more than happy to help.”

The City of Coventry Stadium will host 12 Olympic football matches in total – seven women’s matches and five men – starting on 25 July with Japan’s ladies taking on their Canadian counterparts. Men’s teams from nations such as Japan, Sweden, Mexico and Switzerland will also play matches in Coventry.

PC Mellings, added: “Although the training is predominantly based around searching for potential explosive devices, the dogs are also trained to search for narcotics and thus promote venues as drug-free zones.

“The dog unit is always looking for new venues to expand its training options, further develop our dogs and help maximise their potential.”

There are many types of dog training devices you can use to help you obedience train your pet, ranging from the familiar leash and collar to sophisticated electronic dog training devices, such as electric collars and underground hidden electric fences. By knowing which device to help your dog training efforts, or to keep your dog from running off your property, or even to stop it from barking excessively, you can easily and effectively solve some dog training problems, that may otherwise by difficult for you to handle. Of course, you most likely have at least one type of leash and collar for your dog, and his training-so I won’t elaborate on these.

Collars: In addition to the normal flat leather or nylon collar you are likely familiar with the other two training collars, the choke and the pinch collar. These 2 are used to control your dog manually by giving a tug on the leash to put pressure on the collar-which thus gets your dog to pay attention.

Harnesses: Dog harnesses are placed around the dog’s torso and the leash is attached to a ring near the shoulders, instead of using a collar. These are good for handling a tracking dog.

Leashes: Normally you walk your dog using a 6-foot leash (more or less). There are also long leashes for certain types of training exercises, as well as very short leashes.

In addition to these common dog training devices there are some more 21st Century type aids, that can often bring a speedy solution to stubborn dog behavior problems. Here is a list of some of the useful electronic dog training devices you might want to think about getting to help you with your pet.

Electric collars: These collars work by emitting a very small shock to the dog via  remote control.

The shock is supposed to be no more shocking than you get from static energy  shock from rubbing your feet on the carpet and touching the TV. It certainly gets your attention, but isn’t harmful. Your dog doesn’t associate you with the shock, and dogs respond very quickly to this type of determent. Often people with dogs that have resisted normal dog training methods  are able to correct their dog’s behavior problems rapidly. Before using one of these, be sure you understand the right way to use it to make sure you are not abusing your dog with it.

Electric Bark Correcting Collars: There are electronic dog collars designed specifically with controlling excessive barking problems in mind. There is a shock variety, with ability to signal your dog with a warning tone that a shock will be coming soon if he doesn’t stop barking. By delaying the time between the warning and the small shock, you teach your dog it is OK to bark at intruders, but not for excessive periods of time.

There are also 2 other types of barking abatement collars. One works by emitting a mist of Citronella oil-which dogs just hate. When he gets a whiff of the Citronella he will stop his barking. There is also another variety that emits a noise that dogs abhor, so it too works to stop the barking. There is even one that combines both deterrents.

Underground  electric fences: These electric fences are made from an electric line buried to create a boundary perimeter  to keep your dog inside a certain area. The hidden wire is  hooked up to a monitor that sends a signal to your dog’s electronic training collar (part of the kit). As your dog gets close to the perimeter the collar emits a warning signal to let the dog know a shock is coming if he comes any closer to the boundary. Your dog will quickly get the idea. There is a training process to teach your dog his new  “fence less” boundaries, but after that, the fences are very effective.

Pet Training Mats: These are devices that will prevent a dog from entering a doorway, or jumping up on furniture or tables and kitchen counters-(looking for a snack, maybe). They work by emitting a shock when touched by your dog’s paws.