The Role of a Departmental Canine Trainer with John Kirk

In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and John Kirk discuss:

• The benefits of being both a handler and a trainer. 

• Societal and departmental expectations of a canine unit in a large department. 

• Creating good training files for handlers and canines. 

• Utilizing all of your tools appropriately.

• Procedures, protocols, and manuals. 

 

Key Takeaways:

• As a trainer, if your hand is off the leash for too long, it does make a difference and both the dog and your trainees will know it. 

• It is equally as important for handlers and department heads to understand what a dog is capable of and what they are not capable of doing. 

• As a trainer, you need to be able to speak with both the canine and the handler. 

• Set up for real-world training, not just for certification training. Create challenging training that will prepare your dog for the street. 

• Policing is changing, standards are becoming more stringent, and all of that needs to be communicated and supervised closely to ensure everyone stays safe. 

 

"As a trainer, I need to focus on the dog, I need to focus on any improvement that the dog needs. When it comes to training a handler, our goal is to make sure that this handler has the confidence that he needs." —  John Kirk

 

Get Jerry's book Controlled Aggression on Amazon.com

 

Contact Jerry:

Website: controlledaggressionpodcast.com

Email: [e-mail]

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