Targeted exercises are really a form of customized training. Most customized training is included in the cost of our advanced training programs. However, targeted exercises are time consuming to teach, and as a result are not included in the cost of dogs or our training programs. They are available to add on, provided a dog is capable of the training.
The University Dog program is designed as a response to the growing need for parents to provide a greater means of security for their grown children away at school.
We created a unique exercise called the “Safe Haven,” intended to ensure safety when entering an apartment, building or vehicle.
As your son or daughter approaches his or her car, apartment or building, on-command their University Protection Dog will turn and immediately walk backward in order to watch for a potential threat approaching from behind. The dog alerts your son or daughter to any suspicious behavior, but does not “turn on” unless instructed. This allows other students, people living in the same building or passersby to walk immediately behind the student without incident.
If a student deems any situation suspicious, he or she simply instructs his or her dog to “Secure” (to “turn on” or to show aggression while remaining at the student’s side, continuing to walk backward if necessary). Other possible commands are to “Covert Secure,” “Aggressive Alert” or “Attack,” as needed.
Perhaps just as important as having a viable means of detecting a potential threat ahead of time, and a viable means of defense should a threat present itself, is the ability to deter the potential predator.
The appearance of a highly trained German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois under complete control in the “heel” position who suddenly turns 180 degrees and walks backward while keenly aware of his surroundings clearly communicates, “wrong dog, wrong student”.
Again, most customized training is included in our advanced training programs. Each of the above exercises started as the need of one client, and we as trainers creating a solution. The training need not be as unique as the Traitor exercise. We may just need to adapt an exercise we’ve already taught to fit a client’s lifestyle.
An example of this customized training is a client who faces the risk of kidnapping, or robbery, which limited primarily to when he returns home in the evening. Most days he parks in the driveway and enter his home through the garage. We arranged for a release to be installed on the door leading from the house into the garage. As our client enters the driveway he opens the garage door remotely. That triggers the door from the house into the garage to open, but with a 10 second delay. The sound of the garage opening also instructs the dog to “turn on” aggressively. The 10 seconds provides ample opportunity for the dog to be in a peak state (the greater the amount of time, the more drive and adrenalin is in play). Once the door opens, the dog automatically runs to the owner’s side in the “Secure” mode. En route he or she is keenly aware of any potential threat. As the dog is en route to the car, the owner opens the car door to meet his protector.
Unless performing maintenance training, most days the dog is “turned off’ and this situation goes from protection to a “love fest” in a matter of seconds.
The cost of Targeted Exercises is dependent on the exercise and the specific dog being trained. We will be happy to provide a price according to each customer’s unique needs.