Bark and Die

BARK AND DIE

One of the most dangerous exercises that have flowed over from the sporting world into law enforcement is called the Bark & Hold. I call it the Bark & Die. There are many such exercises one can see on the sporting field. This is a very, very stupid exercise to bring to the street. Many officers and sporting enthusiasts will ask, "What if it is an unarmed child we are pursuing and the dog bites this suspect?" I will tell you that with proper training of handler and dog, this will never happen.

For a dog to approach an armed suspect with adrenaline flowing and a weapon in his hand, and then to sit and bark at him is telling the officer to approach. I know of several cases where the officer and the dog have been shot. That is why I call it the bark and die. A dog can and will distinguish between a weapon and non-weaponed hand. It takes training and communication, unlike the bark and die which takes programming.

When we program a dog we stop his ability and desire to think. The word think means he can make a conscious decision. Many trainers do not believe this. They believe they must program the dog to function. If this were true, we would not be facing the multitude of problems we have on the streets today. The ball, the towel tug, the sleeve are all aids in programming a dog. In fact these so-called aids actually diminish the dogs desire to think, because he is being praised and rewarded for being goofy.

Just think if you and your human partner were chasing an individual. Your partner runs ahead of you and around the corner of the building. The suspect is stopped, has a weapon and is pointing it in your direction, waiting for you to come around the corner. Your partner is standing in front of him, staring starry eyed, looking totally incoherent as to what's happening and is yelling, "Here he is, here he is, here he is", over and over again. You come around the corner and the rest is history. Your human partner would have to be an idiot to respond in such a way. Not only in his communication to you, but in his entire reaction to the situation. I would say, he would have to be an unfeeling, unthinking, totally useless individual.

We use terms like sharp, hard, driven and yet we blind ourselves to the truth. We must train for real problem solving. The dog and handler must be a team. I have heard from several K-9 handlers that at the end of a shift, they can't wait to kennel the dog and the dog they believe feels the same way. These people should not be K-9 handlers. The next time you see the bark and die, think exactly what is it good for.

E-mail Mike with questions or comments.