Philosophy - Fala Woods, K9 Training and Developmental Center

He is your friend,
your partner,
your defender,
your dog.

You are his life,
his love,
his leader.

He will be yours,
faithful and true,
to the last beat of his heart.

You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.

-Anonymous

Beliefs

All training at Fala Woods, be it boarding and training, private lessons, or classes, is always conducted in the same manner. Our methods are based on consistency and repetition with corrections given when appropriate. We believe that a consequence must be given for misbehavior. Before undesirable behavior is corrected we must first be certain that it does not stem from confusion of what is being asked. Each new command is physically shown to the dog repetitively and consistently. When the dog starts to anticipate the commands, he or she is showing their understanding of what is being asked, and at that point you can expect the dog to execute the command on the first verbal request. We believe that when the training is being conducted the whole family should work together with the dog or dogs. This will ensure that the dog is receiving the same signals from everyone in the family. If the dog is receiving different signals from each family member, the dog will not respond in a proper manner. So, one of the most important goals of the Fala Woods training staff is to have the dog and family work together in a sure and positive manner, which will produce a relaxed and enjoyable dog for the family.

We at Fala Woods do not believe in using food to make a dog respond to training. We would like the dog to respond to the owner for who he or she is, not for what he or she has. Once the dog is working for the owner for this reason, you will see a very consistent, happy working dog.

We at Fala Woods also believe in starting dogs at a young age, usually at 3 1/2 to 4 months of age. When starting training with a dog at a young age, you are starting with a dog that has hardly had any time to develop bad habits. This makes it easier for the dog and owner to work together. When starting a young dog in training, we believe in using the hands and the leash working together to place the dog into the command given. Once the dog has full understanding of what we are trying to do, then and only then will we begin to use only the leash for the training of the dog. At this point, the hands can become an instrument of praise. This gives the dog a reason to respond in a positive manner". Starting training with a dog at a young age of 3 1/2 to 4 months old cuts your working time down by half, if not even more, compared to starting with a dog at the age of 8 months to 1 year. Therefore, we believe in starting a dog at a very young age for best results.

One of the most important beliefs to us at Fala Woods is that while training a dog, the leash should always be loose. This is a very important point to remember. The reason for having the leash loose is to give the feeling to the dog of being off leash. When you get to the later stages of training, which will be off the leash, you will see the positive results you will have from always having worked the dog with a loose leash. So remember, the leash is used for correction, not control.

It is important to remember that obedience is the key to all training. Obedience is not just a way to make your dog respond to the commands being given. Obedience is a way to communicate with your dog. Through proper obedience training, you will develop respect, thus giving you control. That control will enable you to do things with your dog that in most cases, the dog would not have enough trust in you to attempt. Without respect, trust and control, it is impossible to have a true bond between you and your canine partner. Complete unity is very, very important, not only in a service / working dog, but it makes for a much better family pet! companion.

Final Goal

Our final goal at Fala Woods is to work on having your dog be an enjoyable member of the family, as well as a service / working partner. One part of reaching the final goal is having a dog that has a very good obedience foundation. The second part is having a dog that is very well mannered. These two things go hand in hand. Having a dog that is obedience trained but who does not have an understanding of how to use the obedience in everyday life will not give you a completely enjoyable family dog or working partner. We would like to give you some examples of little things that mean a lot.

How should your dog respond to a car ride?
If you are taking your dog for a walk, and out of nowhere another dog comes running up and barking at your dog, how should your dog respond?
How should your dog react approaching any kind of doorway, be it a car or a building of some kind?
Let's say you are walking down the street with your dog and someone comes up to talk to you.
How should your dog react?
If your dog is uncomfortable in an environment and does not have enough trust in you to relax, how can that dog be expected to work in that environment?

Now let's move on to the house and think of some things, such as:

How the dog should respond when the family is sitting down to eat dinner.
How the dog should react when a visitor comes to the front door.
If your dog is not comfortable enough to remain in the company of new visitors, how can you expect him or her to protect you?

These things seem like minor things, but they are very, very important. There are many more examples where obedience will play a big role in everyday living, and we hope Fala Woods Canine Training and Developmental Center can help. So, Fala Woods' final goal is having the dog be an enjoyable member of the family, and having the family wake up every day looking forward to having their dog be there.

Street Dogs

The biggest misconception about working dog training that I have dealt with in the last twelve years as a professional dog trainer is that most people, including some of the most recognized dog trainers in the country, have no clue as to what role the canine plays in executing the task the trainer is teaching it to perform.

The context I think of a street dog (commonly referred to as a personal protection dog) being utilized in is equivalent to the role of a personal bodyguard. Speaking from personal experience in the business, I know how important it is to have a bodyguard that is a knowledgeable, capable individual, with the ability to react quickly and decisively under stress, all the while looking out for your safety. Most working breeds, including the American Bulldog, are qualified to be trained as personal protection dogs, as well as police k-9’s, security patrol dogs and of course, Schutzhund and Ringsport contestants.

A personal bodyguard, whether human or animal, should be thoroughly trained for the specific job at hand. A police officer wouldn’t always make a good bodyguard, just as a good bodyguard wouldn’t necessarily make a good cop. Why? The answer lies in their training. Even though both police officers and professional bodyguards carry guns and are trained in hand to hand combat, this does not make their job the same. A police officer’s mission is to fight crime and protect society, while a bodyguard’s mission is to protect his client and keep him alive at all costs. There may be some similarities in these two professions, but I want my bodyguard to be trained in how to keep me alive, not how to catch criminals. The bottom line is that the same should apply to street protection dog training. If you want a dog to be able to work in the street, you must train it for the street.

Some trainers, and many misinformed clients who have a real need for a street protection dog, try to utilize retired police dogs, imported border patrol dogs, Schutzhund III or Ringsport dogs to do the job of a street protection dog. Although dogs with these training backgrounds may have the ability to bite, this factor is not sufficient to use the animal as a street protection dog. Why? Training. A border patrol dog has spent most of its life being a sentry dog on a chain. A retired police k-9 has spent most of its life being a cop, tracking criminals and finding drugs. Schutzhund and Ring dogs have gained their experience as contestants on a playing field with judges and rules. There are no rules on the street, and the only judge is the good Lord above or the one that presides over your trial if you survive.

The street is an environment unto itself, and one that must be very specifically trained for. None of the dogs mentioned above have learned in their training how to proficiently protect their handlers in a street situation. The street is different from all of these other environments - it is about survival and self defense. Do you see a pattern yet?

The rules should be no different in canine protection training! Serious Schutzhund dogs spend years being trained to bite a protective sleeve on the opposite arm from that which is holding the schlaze stick. This could be a fatal mistake in the street. How do you think that dog would react to a threat with no sleeve and a real weapon? A potentially life threatening scenario, but nonetheless easily trained for by a knowledgeable trainer with a hidden sleeve and a starter’s pistol. This is a situation where you could have the toughest biting dog in the world, but if he/she doesn’t know how to respond properly, the consequences could be devastating. Just because Vinny is seven feet tall and has a fully automatic sub- machine gun, that doesn’t make him an effective bodyguard.

Another example of training that defies common street sense is trainers that encourage protection dog handlers to shake hands with the agitator, known in the arena of sport as the "decoy", and sometimes even let the "decoy" pat the dog at the conclusion of a training scenario. Get real! When will this ever happen in real life? In the street there are no "decoys", only good guys and bad guys. If your dog bites a good guy then you screwed up, and you’d better call an ambulance and your lawyer. I highly doubt that the victim will insist on making friends with you or the dog that just mauled him. If it’s a bad guy, the last thing you want is to have a protection dog that relaxes (in anticipation of making friends) after an initial conflict, giving the offender precious seconds he could use to access a weapon that may be utilized to initiate a secondary attack, or flee the area. Some trainers have justified the use of this practice as a means to reinforce control during protection work. My idea of control is having your dog on a perfect down-stay while you move in and handcuff the offender to the nearest object while pounding him in the head. Humans do not typically want to shake hands and make friends with a person that has just tried to physically harm or kill them. Why should your protection dog think any differently?

Sport trainers and clubs do a fine job of building the confidence level of novice dogs and their owners. This is beneficial to both the animal and the skill level of it’s handler. Any type of sport training will many times improve the relationship between dog and master, cultivating loyalty and trust. But make no mistake about it - the street is unlike any sport. What I call protection training is very different from any protection training you might see as part of some other job or contest. I consider protection training an ongoing education for you and your canine bodyguard, limited only by your imagination and your bank account. You must expose your dog to a multitude of scenarios in just as many different environments, and even then there is always more to do. Your training must be as realistic as possible and as unpredictable as the situations you may face. Only after this is understood, will people realize that no title, certification or rank can facilitate the achievement of this goal. The only solution is to focus on your specific needs and objectives, and select a trainer and training method that is committed to help you achieve your goals. But most of all, when it comes down to dealing with a protection dog trainer for you, make sure they give you the straight scoop.

A Dog's Purpose - from a 4 year old

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why." Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long." Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply, Speak kindly.

Author Unknown

A Little Perspective

Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes. He stays up for days on end.
-- --
You take a warm shower to help you wake up. He goes days or weeks without running water.
-- --
You complain of a "headache", and call in sick. He gets shot at, as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.
-- --
You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends. He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.
-- --
You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket. He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.
-- --
You talk trash on your "buddies" that aren't with you. He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.
-- --
You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls. He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.
-- --
You complain about how hot it is. He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.
-- --
You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong. He does not get to eat today.
-- --
Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes. He wears the same things for months, but makes sure his weapons are clean.
-- --
You go to the mall and get your hair redone. He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.
-- --
You are angry because your class ran 5 minutes over. He is told he will be held an extra 2 months. ---- You call your girlfriend and set a date for that night. He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.
-- --
You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday. He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.
-- --
You roll your eyes as a baby cries. He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.
-- --
You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything. He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own government and remembers why he is fighting.
-- --
You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of the men like him. He hears the gun fire and bombs.
-- --
You see only what the media wants you to see. He sees the bodies lying around him.
-- --
You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't. He does what he is told.
-- --
You stay at home and watch TV. He takes whatever time he is given to call and write home, sleep, and eat.
-- --
You crawl into your bed, with down pillows, and try to get comfortable. He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be woken by gun fire.
-- --
You sit there and judge him, saying the world is a worse place because of men like him. If only there were more men like him

Our Morals and Beliefs

Beliefs

Final Goal

Street Dogs

A Dog's Purpose - from a 4 year old

A Little Perspective