LEVEL 2 PROTECTION DOG

Course Content

Puppy Development and Training Readiness

Introduction to the GPK9 Level 2 Protection Dog Programme
Puppy Development and Early Learning
Choosing Suitable Training Starting Points
Choosing Suitable Training Starting Points
Establishing Basic Obedience and Handler Communication
Recognising Readiness and Individual Limitations
Welfare, Control and Legal Responsibilities

Socialisation and Calm Environmental Behaviour

Body Language, Drive and Emotional State

Reading the Whole Dog
Recognising Fear, Anxiety and Avoidance
Understanding Prey Drive, Play and Food Motivation
Stress, Arousal and Loss of Control
Defensive Behaviour and Misinterpreted Reactions
Observing, Interpreting, Deciding and Reassessing
Establishing Behavioural Baselines
Unusual but Harmless Behaviour
Controlled Suspicious-Looking Scenarios
Distinguishing an Alert from Proof of a Threat
Risk Assessment, Boundaries and Stopping Criteria

Controlled Decoy Socialisation

UK Environmental Familiarisation

Houses, Front Gardens and Property Approaches
Suburban Streets, Cul-de-Sacs and Residential Roads
Urban Streets, Town Centres and High Streets
Council Estates, Housing Developments and Communal Areas
Schools, Parks, Sports Grounds and Community Facilities
Public Transport and Passenger Areas
Retail Parks, Business Parks and Commercial Areas
Industrial Estates, Warehouses and Working Yards
Villages, Rural Roads and Isolated Properties
Farms, Smallholdings and Equestrian Properties
Woodland, Forests, Fields and Open Countryside
Ponds, Lakes, Reservoirs, Rivers, Streams and Canals
Coastal, Harbour and Marine Environments
Vehicles, Car Parks and Travel
Indoor Environments and Everyday Property Activity
Surfaces, Weather, Lighting and Seasonal Changes
Generalising Training Across Different Environments
Applying Environmental Familiarisation to Controlled Scenarios
Environmental Hazards and Public Safety
Environmental Hazards and Public Safety

Course Content

Puppy Development and Training Readiness

Introduction to the GPK9 Level 2 Protection Dog Programme

Puppy Development and Early Learning

Choosing Suitable Training Starting Points

Choosing Suitable Training Starting Points

Establishing Basic Obedience and Handler Communication

Recognising Readiness and Individual Limitations

Welfare, Control and Legal Responsibilities

Socialisation and Calm Environmental Behaviour

What Socialisation Means in Protection-Dog Training

Socialisation Through Repetition and Generalisation

Socialising Around Adults and Unfamiliar People

Socialising Around Children and Families

Clothing, Appearance and Carried Objects

Sounds, Sudden Movement and Environmental Change

Socialisation Around Dogs, Animals and Wildlife

Calm Behaviour, Disengagement and Recovery

Body Language, Drive and Emotional State

Reading the Whole Dog

Recognising Fear, Anxiety and Avoidance

Understanding Prey Drive, Play and Food Motivation

Stress, Arousal and Loss of Control

Defensive Behaviour and Misinterpreted Reactions

Observing, Interpreting, Deciding and Reassessing

Establishing Behavioural Baselines

Unusual but Harmless Behaviour

Controlled Suspicious-Looking Scenarios

Distinguishing an Alert from Proof of a Threat

Risk Assessment, Boundaries and Stopping Criteria

Controlled Decoy Socialisation

The Role of a Neutral Decoy

Introducing the Decoy in Familiar Environments

Neutral Decoy Movement and Position

Neutral Decoy Clothing, Voice and Appearance

The Decoy in Different UK Environments

When the Dog Is Worried About the Decoy

Assessing Readiness for Controlled Scenarios

UK Environmental Familiarisation

Houses, Front Gardens and Property Approaches

Suburban Streets, Cul-de-Sacs and Residential Roads

Urban Streets, Town Centres and High Streets

Council Estates, Housing Developments and Communal Areas

Schools, Parks, Sports Grounds and Community Facilities

Public Transport and Passenger Areas

Retail Parks, Business Parks and Commercial Areas

Industrial Estates, Warehouses and Working Yards

Villages, Rural Roads and Isolated Properties

Farms, Smallholdings and Equestrian Properties

Woodland, Forests, Fields and Open Countryside

Ponds, Lakes, Reservoirs, Rivers, Streams and Canals

Coastal, Harbour and Marine Environments

Vehicles, Car Parks and Travel

Indoor Environments and Everyday Property Activity

Surfaces, Weather, Lighting and Seasonal Changes

Generalising Training Across Different Environments

Applying Environmental Familiarisation to Controlled Scenarios

Environmental Hazards and Public Safety

Environmental Hazards and Public Safety

Rewards, Decoy Behaviour and Recovery

Rewards, Decoy Behaviour and Recovery

Handler Rewards and Decoy Associations

Decoy Movement and Planned Withdrawal

Recovery After a Training Exercise

Repetition, Records and Preventing Setbacks

Controlled Alerting and Individual Readiness

Assessing Readiness for Stage 4

Controlled Alerting and Individual Readiness

Level 2 Completion Assessment

Course Completion Principle