Do you ever think about the tools we have to use in the Protection dog training world? Tools are a great way to learn the history of any type of industry or discipline. (OK quit yawning, give it a chance)
Really if you want to see what improved something look at the tools used to improve it. As humans learn more about a task at hand they build better tools to get the job done. So let's look at what has been done with bite suits & sleeves over the centuries and what that may have done for your training today.
The earliest bite equipment was plentiful, but not very re-usable, they were called captives, slaves, or losing side from the battlefield. As most of the dogs used in those days were of the mastiff variety and may have outweighed the “decoys” the equipment was not very long lasting. And from the trainers view point the way these dogs were trained was pretty much, just p#ss them off, send em!
As we moved into a more civilized time, say the Industrial revolution, the equipment reflected the progress of more modern tool making, and also the shortage of available slaves. Sharp steel needles and strong threads made it possible to stitch together horse hides (after horse removal of course) in a way that allowed the lord of the manor to reuse a few peasants to make sure their Bull mastiff, or what ever kind of mastiff, was very good at bringing down the poachers that dared hunt the lords boars and game.
Now although this was a great safety improvement for the peasants, it did little for comfort. In fact as the horse hides did not cover the entire body, and as most of the “decoy” work was done by having the peasant cowered in whatever position they thought would be safe when the dog was turned loose, there were more than a few misses. The kennel masters would tell you that when the peasants failed to get the protected part of their body into the dogs mouth it brought a much appreciated touch of realism to the training.
Forward to Police Dog Academy, Ghent, Belgium, World War I, etc. and the rebirth of dogs in military and the modern police dog in Europe. The first suits were sort of padded tube looking things, sewn together to give a real Michelin Man look to the decoy. Movement was very restricted and don't even think about running like a run away rabbit in this get up.
As bulky as they were, it sort of gave a shaved Grizzly Bear look to the decoy, but decoys finally got some real protection and they were very reusable, as these decoys had intact body parts and survived long enough to do it again. This may have been the birth of the Decoy as we know them today.
The US had borrowed dogs from England and France in WW1 but come WWII they decided to jump into the K9 game themselves. Possibly because France, Belgium and all the other experienced dog training countries had been invaded, and we couldn't get equipment from them. Maybe just because we were in too big a hurry to get over there ourselves whatever, I have never found any records to indicate US military used much of the specialized equipment of the day. Instead they improvised.
Many would put on their long underwear under their uniform, wear a type of coverall over the uniform and then wrap canvas or other dense material on their arms. If you get around Lackland Air base where the US military dogs are still trained today, you will probably here trainers still using the term “wrap”
As the dogs got better at biting wire reinforcement was added and many decoys wore hockey gloves or even masks, depending on the dog.
Now you may have noticed that I have not mentioned a flirtpole, or tug, or even a sack at this point. That is because until after WWII most bite dog work was chiefly the product of the military, or police dept. and just as in ancient Rome, the decoys were, if not expendable, at least not in a position to gripe or refuse an order.
With stories of the K9 Corp, the Marine Devil Dogs on Iwo Jima, and Rin Tin Tin on the silver screen, civilians began to look at this sort of training for their dogs. This is when the use of the burlap sack came into vogue, you can see references to it in Koehlers book on guard dog training. But we still didn't have the sophisticated equipment we have today.
About thirty years ago SchH took hold in this country and Americans had access to solid training information and all sorts of really effective equipment. For the first time we heard the words Drive.
We used a sleeve that allowed us to be mobile and quick and elicit “Prey Drive” before we got tough and drove the dog into “Defense Drive.”
Soon we had suits that were light yet protective and a whole new world of dog training opened up.
Now we have the Bungee, the Flirt pole, the crunchable sleeve, and the lickable suit! We have Prey Drive, Defense Drive, pack drive, burlap drive and the Sunday drive. All these things are new to the dog game, although many that use them “think” they are the requisites for PP training.
In fact in two thousand or so years with all the technology and science only two things have remained the same in the dog game. The dog and the decoy! So although all these great tools and equipment make training, safer, a whole lot more fun, and for some very predictable and easy to evaluate.
Don't forget those Roman dogs didn't have any tugs, or drives, and they fought lions and tigers after they pulled a few men off their horses to warm up.
Listen Well, Bit Hard!!!
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