Equipment Fixation

Unlike with dogs trained for sport, it is dangerous for a police dog to be overly fixated or gratified by equipment.  Police dogs must be taught to get satisfaction from the fight, from winning the encounter, rather than from attaining a piece of equipment such as a sleeve (or sweatshirt or coat).  There are many useful tools and training methods to achieve this end (muzzle work, civil agitation, hidden sleeves and wraps, etc.).  In this video, Bob Campanile and I work on a drill to teach his dog to immediately spit out the equipment (sleeve) offered to him and reengage the man.  This is the early stages of this process with future drills to phase in hidden sleeve work, wraps and no equipment what-so-ever.