Controlled Aggression
Want to learn about K9 obedience, police dog training, learning theory and more? Jerry Bradshaw has been a sports competitor and police dog trainer for 25 years, and as the executive director of the Protection Sports Association he's been around the world competing and training K9s. Welcome to the Controlled Aggression podcast.
Muzzle Aggression Progression Part 2
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Why the right training program matters more than just having the right equipment on hand.
The importance of good decoy work.
The steps of muzzle aggression progression.
What you are looking for at each progression step, and what to avoid.
Key Takeaways:
The ultimate goal is to teach your dog to bite through the muzzle.
Increase depth and duration variably over time. It is important to remember that dogs do have a limit to what they're willing...
Muzzle Aggression Foundation 1
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Teaching your dog to bite through the muzzle.
Recognizing conflict behaviors during muzzle work and how to fix them.
Five types of muzzles, their use through progression, and other prerequisites for muzzle work.
Modifying muzzles and using them safely for all involved in the training process.
Evaluating muzzle engagement and decoy work properly for muzzle fighting with your dog.
Utilizing training progression for habituation and duration, and developing muzzle training across multiple prerequisites.
Key Takeaways:
...
Decoys Stop Helping the Dogs!
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Training proactive, powerful dogs in proactivity.
Preventing early cues in training for your canine.
Teaching your dog that their actions initiate activity from the target.
Morphing reactivity into proactivity.
Having a training progression to move away from the handler and decoy help of early foundational training.
Key Takeaways:
You want your dog to be willing to initiate, even if there's no reaction or triggers from the decoy.
As humans, it is easy for us to...
Attention at a Distance
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
The importance of mandatory eye contact and how to generalize for distance work.
Moving from negative reinforcement to positive punishment to move from escape to avoidance.
Training progressions to train mandatory eye contact with your dog.
Transitioning from lure to reward to variable reward.
Key Takeaways:
To get your dog to pay attention to your face, consider putting a food reward in your mouth - like hot dogs, cheese, or chicken.
Build duration before you build distance...
Dogs Under Pressure!
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Different ways to deliver pressure reliably to your canine while tracking how the dog is doing while under that pressure.
Understanding the baseline bite pressure.
Reading your canine's body language while in a bite.
How training under pressure is a progressive thing that never ends.
Training emotional regulation in your dog from a young age.
Training under the assumption that something is going to go wrong and, at some point, something will bother your dog.
Key Takeaways:<...
Essentials of Civil Aggression
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Bringing more civil aggression into your sport or police dogs.
Utilizing prey guarding to start training young dogs for proactive defense.
The difference between uncontrolled aggression and expressive aggression.
What to look for in a patrol dog regarding civil aggression.
The three ways dogs manifest a reaction to a threat.
Key Takeaways:
In our training for our police dogs, we're concentrating on these civil aggression essentials and thinking about how that decoy can bring about some of...
Podcast Short: PSA2 Muzzle Attack
In today's podcast short, Jerry Bradshaw discusses issues with muzzle attacks in the PSA Level 2, noting that many dogs and handlers struggle with this exercise. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the fundamentals of a good muzzle fight and suggests starting with unsuited muzzle work to build civil aggression. Jerry advises limiting strikes in training sessions to manage your dog's frustrations and to gradually introduce other equipment, such as bite suits and hidden sleeves. He stresses the need for decoys to provide accurate feedback and to avoid distractions in early training sessions, especially when starting out on muzzle work. <...
Ditch Your Bite Suit!
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Keeping in mind the olfactory and visual cues of a bite suit that we don't often consider.
Reducing equipment fixation, creating habits of engagement, and training the behaviors you want into your dog.
Why your dog needs to believe the bite suit is irrelevant.
Focusing training on the most likely scenarios your dog will encounter.
Key Takeaways:
Too much suit work creates a false sense of security for your dog.
Active aggression is a trained response, usually...
Tarheel Canine Police K9 Services 2026
Today, Jerry outlines the 2026 Police Canine Services offered by Tarheel Canine Training. They offer instructor courses multiple times per year, unit canine training, and sell green dual and single canines. The selection process is low-stress, with dogs undergoing four months of training before handler courses. They also provide handler course-ready dogs and SWAT integrated canines. You can also look to Tarheel Canine for seminars that cover tracking, detection, street readiness, and high-risk deployments. If you're looking to get individualized training for your dogs and departments, reach out to Tarheel Canine.
For more information, email Jerry at...
Training for the Operational Release
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Getting your dog off the bite as quickly as you can when the threat has diminished to a reasonable level.
The importance of being proficient in more than one option for your dog when you're in an engagement.
The importance of your dog being willing to accept lower value rewards in the presence of a potential bite.
Mastering verbal, mechanical, and manual release protocols.
Transitioning from negative reinforcement to positive punishment - from escape to avoidance.
Key Takeaways:
<...Tarheel Canine Police K9 Services 2026
Today, Jerry outlines the 2026 Police Canine Services offered by Tarheel Canine Training. They offer instructor courses multiple times per year, unit canine training, and sell green dual and single canines. The selection process is low-stress, with dogs undergoing four months of training before handler courses. They also provide handler course-ready dogs and SWAT integrated canines. You can also look to Tarheel Canine for seminars that cover tracking, detection, street readiness, and high-risk deployments. If you're looking to get individualized training for your dogs and departments, reach out to Tarheel Canine.
For more information, email Jerry at...
Back to the Laboratory in Bite Work
If your dog won't counter full, won't push into the fight, or spins away when you approach, this episode is for you. Jerry breaks down exactly why these bite work issues happen and how to rebuild the foundation so your dog bites harder, fuller, and with real confidence.
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Drive channelling as a confidence builder for your dog.
Bite work problems and their solution strategies.
Inducing counter bites, getting appropriate pressure when biting, and encouraging pushing into the bite.
Reasons to train...
Attention, Direction & Draw
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Thinking about the end game from the beginning of your training.
Creating neutrality through all kinds of distractions.
Look at me, look at me, look at that, and look at that while giving commands for your dog.
Balancing the draw to fight against drift.
Key Takeaways:
Attention is the dog's anchor. Give them a point to focus on that allows them to be neutral to everything else around. You have to control a dog's eyes to control their behavior. <...
Navigating Fears and Phobias in Working Dogs
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Timing the puppy training early and with a directed purpose, and handling the fear periods in dogs.
Habituation, spontaneous recovery, sensitization, and learned irrelevance.
When to reorient and when to address fears.
Understanding your dog's phobias to learn how to solve the problem.
Common fears and phobias seen in police and sport dogs.
Key Takeaways:
Too many people restrict social and experiential learning in puppies during the critical stages of development out of fear.
As...
Liberty Leash Project
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw, Ben Searle, and Gary Dawson discuss:
There is a need for highly trained service dogs for veterans.
The origin story and vital mission of the Liberty Leash Project.
The importance of standardization and collaboration across service dog training.
Things to consider when going into the dog training business.
Key Takeaways:
Service dogs are a medical implement for people and need to be trained to the highest standards.
Training service dogs should be about collaboration, not competition. A village...
Idealism vs. Pragmatism in Canine Training: Behavioral Science with Dr. Stewart Hilliard
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and Dr. Stewart Hilliard discuss:
Why your dog training should be based on theory, pragmatic results, and experience.
Theoretical vs intuitive dog training.
How is idealist training different from pragmatic training?
Why you should not be removing all stressors from your dog training.
Control and learned helplessness.
Key Takeaways:
Dog training is a long series of lonely decisions. You are a team of one training your dog, and even if you have a coach, in the moment, you...
Training the PSA Carjack Exer
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
What judges are looking for during the PSA Carjack Exercise. Safety precautions and training progressions for decoys, dogs, and trainers. Keeping your dog focused in the right place. Rewarding, capping, and knowing your dog's limits.
Key Takeaways:
In training, you should be training in neutrality as you prepare for your PDC. Just because they have the skills in the exercise does not mean they are prepared for the neutrality between exercises. If you are able to, get a vehicle to train with your PSA club on these Carjack...Low Profile Equipment
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Bridging the gap from training to deployment with low-profile equipment.
Comparing traditional and modern low-profile equipment.
Mistakes to avoid with low-profile equipment.
Importance of having properly fitted equipment.
Training progressions with low-profile equipment.
Key Takeaways:
Ideally, low-profile equipment contains both lower visibility and lower odor profiles.
It is critical for the dog to feel the human underneath the equipment. While you should have protection, training the dog to find the human is also important.
<...Prosthetics for Street Readiness
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Pros and cons of prosthetics for canine training.
The importance of teaching your dog to find the human being in the bite.
Why training biting across different textures is key.
Tips for safely and effectively utilizing prosthetics in training.
Key Takeaways:
When you're trying to approximate down in training and are using equipment, you want to use equipment that is as thin as possible, but as thick as necessary.
If you're beginning training with prosthetics, the arms...
Introduction to Kynology With Dr. Stewart Hilliard
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and Dr. Stewart Hilliard discuss:
The debate between purely positive training and balanced training.
How Kynology goes deeper than just basic dog training.
Ways in which the scientific process in research can go wrong.
The role of a canine trainer is to teach their dog to handle stress.
Stewart's two answers to the question "Why do you need aggression?"
Key Takeaways:
While there are about 25 research studies that create the canon of dog training, a lot of them...
Creating Independence: The Hunting Game
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Canine independence - identifying the problem and how to solve it.
Why you might need to be doing less obedience training.
Training independence behaviors.
Creating hunting games with progression for puppies of all ages.
Working with your dog near and away from you so they are comfortable in both positions.
Key Takeaways:
Balance the inward and outward focus in your puppy training.
Wind plays a very important role in the hunting games. The windier it...
Learning to Adapt with K9s Talking Scents, Cameron Ford
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and Cameron Ford discuss:
The creation of PSA and evolution of dog sport.
How the rigidity in traditional dog sports has led to innovation and creativity.
Being open to adaptation not fighting against it.
Increasing complexity in training detection.
The responsibility of having an online platform for your dog training.
Training based on experience and on research.
Key Takeaways:
PSA exploded in popularity the last decade due to the prevalence of younger trainers and social media. <...
Brad Gillespie - Signaled Punishment
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and Brad Gillespie discuss:
Positive and negative punishment in police dog training.
Pros, cons, and balancing the use of punishment markers.
Intentional and unintentional markers.
The importance of consistency in punishment.
Marking for clearer communication.
Biting through the muzzle.
Changing one variable at a time and reducing the number of variables in training.
Key Takeaways:
In some cases, marking punishment may be more important than marking with positive reinforcement. Following the punishment marker with...
The Evolution of Police Dog Training with Dr. Stewart Hilliard
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and Dr. Stewart Hilliard discuss:
The influence of European sport dogs in early North American working dog training.
Benefits and challenges of introducing KNPV-trained dogs to the American market.
Evolution of Eastern European working dog trade.
Sourcing and importing working dogs.
Institutional breeding programs, increased costs, and decreased quality.
The future of dog training with kynology.
Key Takeaways:
KNPV (Royal Dutch Police Dog Association) dogs were the gold standard for transitioning sport dogs to dual-purpose police...
Engagement
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Why engagement is important, what it means, and how it differs between puppies and older dogs.
The importance of rituals in engagement, no matter the location.
Developing engagement and engagement rituals.
Creating and maintaining an emotional connection with your dog, no matter your emotional state that day.
Key Takeaways:
If your dog is not in the right state of mind, you're not going to achieve your training goals in a particular session. If it happens too many times, you...
Back to the Laboratory in Detection
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
The practical differences between direct reward conditioning and indirect reward conditioning.
Primacy of learning and conditioning hunting as a means of locating odor.
Understanding the foundations built into your dog's early training.
Utilize the quality of hunting as the barometer to show your dog's interest.
Giving varied and unique hiding places for the odor to your dog in training.
Creating sticky behavior in your dog when searching.
Building variability to maintain behavior over time.
Key...
Back to the Laboratory in Tracking
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Hard surface training for the most successful tracking.
Creating an independent problem solver in your dog.
Common issues in tracking.
Drills and approaches to shore up your tracking foundation and the problems you are facing.
Why laying a good track is a critical skill.
Key Takeaways:
Returning to foundational drills is not a bad thing - it is returning to basics to keep your tracking training progressing forward.
One of the first things to train...
Battling Equipment Fixation
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Using the right equipment for the right stage and type of training for your canine.
What equipment fixation looks like and how you can overcome it.
Equipment orientation drills and the peeling the onion drill.
Training your dog to alert on human odors and with man primacy.
Key Takeaways:
Equipment fixation leads to street failures. Focus on the human form instead of biting equipment.
Proper, methodical transitions from hard sleeves to hidden sleeves help to build confidence...
Foundations of Targeting - Triceps
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
The evolution of training targeting, different target areas, and primary vs secondary targets.
Training bites with young puppies even before they start teething and when to start grip development.
When to teach drive, grip, targeting, and outs for the most success in biting behavior.
Making the right equipment choices for the different stages of bite training.
Progressions in targeting, why you should train rear and front targets, and how they affect launch.
Key Takeaways:
Tricep targeting is...
Police K9 Utility of The Place Command
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Moving through the phases of behavior acquisition for maximum training potential and skill retention and generalization.
Developing Mark, Move, and Reward as your protocol.
Using markers, such as try-again markers, to teach your dog variations of learned behaviors.
Making place a valuable and a safe place to be for your canine.
Using the place command to train perimeter neutrality.
Key Takeaways:
Dogs say "no" all the time - we have to have a way to make them...
Problem Solving: Countering, Grip, Outs, and Neutrality
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
More content you can get on the Controlled Aggression Patreon or in the Street Readiness Seminars to to help you problem solve with your dog.
Luring and trading in training to build skills.
Staying in control and not allowing your dog to self-reward.
Leveraging every interaction with your dog.
Key Takeaways:
If you're having troubles with countering - consider training outs. It may be that your dog doesn't want to open their mouth once they get a bite.
<...Directionals and Casting
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Send the dog where you want them to go in upper-level control.
Training young (and not so young) dogs away from you, not just near you.
Using attention as a reset.
Utilizing unconventional equipment when training your dog.
Key Takeaways:
Consider training different commands for different attention and directionals to make it clear to your dog what you want from them exactly.
You need to be able to give your dog clear feedback when they are focusing...
Ten Common Outing Mistakes
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Drills to teach your dog to give up something to get something.
Utilizing multiple types of reinforcement to increase positive behaviors.
Adjusting e-collar settings to change the type of pressure on the dog.
Differences in different models of e-collars and how your dog may react to them.
Pre-empting the mistakes that you can.
Key Takeaways:
A lot of common outing mistakes have to do with e-collars and the misuse of certain functions for outing behaviors.
...
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...
Upcoming Events in 2024!
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
All the seminars packed into the first quarter of 2024!
The new handler-course-ready dogs from Tarheel Canine!
Check out https://streetreadyk9.com/ for all the events on the calendar!
Online training available
Key Takeaways:
Getting a handler-course-ready dog can save you time and manpower when looking for a new canine.
Great seminars are coming up and include amazing trainers such as Aaron Kemp, Brad Gillespie, and so many more!
For more information about foundational work, check...
Mechanics and Applications of Drive Capping
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Obedience and capping in drive.
Leveraging reward systems and using queues in drive to prepare for capping.
Utilizing different tools and training progressions to properly train drive.
Drive training with different canines.
Key Takeaways:
Suppressing the dog's behavior is not obedience or capping because it isn't channeling their energy into something. We don't want to suppress - this creates behaviors we do not want.
Dogs that are dirty in their outings are struggling in their drive capping. <...
Preparing for PSA 1 Nationals 2023
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Developing training rituals that translate to travel and trial.
Basic positions and notifying judges in basic position variations.
What judges are looking for and the difference between minor errors and larger point losses.
Why consistency, speed, directness, and attention matter during your trail.
Key Takeaways:
One of the first things the judge looks for is if your dog is coming onto the field in the right state of mind. As the handler or spotter, you want to be aware...
Notes on K9 Certification - Patrol
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Understanding the flow channel to make your dog (and you as a trainer) better.
How handlers and trainers decide the skills to prevent to the dogs at different skill levels.
Exceeding the requirements of certification and organizational policy in your training.
Training tools to make for a stronger dog in operational settings.
Setting up building searches for different scenarios, not just bite situations.
Key Takeaways:
As the skill levels grow, it is important to have a challenge...
Notes on K9 Certifications - Scentwork
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Things you need to know before starting certification.
Having a training methodology that allows for compartmentalization, repetition, and isolation of skills if needed.
Understanding rewards throughout and at the end of the track.
Creating the behavior you want to create and working around distractions.
Key Takeaways:
Run your training for certifications like you would run a real scenario.
Pay attention to all directions and information in the scenario briefing.
Be careful not to overvalue the...
Scientific Approach to Off-Leash Control
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
Understanding learning theory, types of conditioning, and systems of training.
Creating a habit so strong that it will hold up to distractions.
Consistency takes knowledge, effort, and discipline.
Having a picture in your mind of what is expected, and holding to that standard.
Reward is what replicates the habit.
Key Takeaways:
If you are struggling with certification level performance, you need to consider reaching out to get some additional help.
If you don't understand theory...
