Controlled Aggression: The Role of a Departmental Canine Trainer with John Kirk

The Role of a Departmental Canine Trainer with John Kirk

Jan 4, 2024

In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and John Kirk discuss:

The benefits of being both a handler and a trainer.
Societal and departmental expectations of a canine unit in a large department.
Creating good training files for handlers and canines.
Utilizing all of your tools appropriately.
Procedures, protocols, and manuals.

Key Takeaways:

As a trainer, if your hand is off the leash for too long, it does make a difference and both the dog and your trainees will know it.
It is equally as important for handlers and department heads to understand what a dog is capable of and what they are not capable of doing.
As a trainer, you need to be able to speak with both the canine and the handler.
Set up for real-world training, not just for certification training. Create challenging training that will prepare your dog for the street.
Policing is changing, standards are becoming more stringent, and all of that needs to be communicated and supervised closely to ensure everyone stays safe.

"As a trainer, I need to focus on the dog, I need to focus on any improvement that the dog needs. When it comes to training a handler, our goal is to make sure that this handler has the confidence that he needs." — John Kirk

Get Jerry's book Controlled Aggression on Amazon.com

Contact Jerry:

Website: controlledaggressionpodcast.com

Email: JBradshaw@TarheelCanine.com

Tarheel Canine Training: www.tarheelcanine.com

Youtube: tarheelcanine

Twitter: @tarheelcanine

Instagram: @tarheelk9

Facebook: TarheelCanineTraining

Protection Sports Website: psak9-as.org

Patreon: patreon.com/controlledaggression

Slideshare: Tarheel Canine