SUPPLEMENT FOR DOG BEHAVIOR FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM 2 Dog Behavior for Law Enforcement ©spcaLA. All rights reserved. Table of Contents Course Creators ................................................................................................................. 04 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 05 Articles Sued for Shooting a Dog ............................................................................................................. 05 Can Police Stop Killing Dogs? ...................................................................................................... 10 Canine Dominance: Is the Concept of Alpha Dog Valid? .............................................................. 16 New Study Finds Popular “Alpha Dog” Training Techniques Can Cause More Harm Than Good .............................................................................................. 18 AVSAB Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals ............................................................................................... 20 Whatever Happened to the Term Alpha Wolf .............................................................................. 26 The Top 10 Dog Behavior Myths.................................................................................................. 32 When We Need a Human: Motivational Determinants of Anthropomorphism ............................. 34 Think Your Dog Has A “Guilty” Look? Think Again ....................................................................... 44 Illustrations .......................................................................................................................... 47 This publication is property of spcaLA. No part should be used without permission. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles 3 Course Creators Eleasha Gall, CPDT-KA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles’ (spcaLA) Director of Animal Behavior and Training, Eleasha Gall, CPDT-KA, began her training career in South New Jersey in the mid-1980s volunteering for the Ocean City Humane Society. After moving to Northern New Jersey, Eleasha volunteered with numerous groups and fostered over 150 dogs and cats. In training and caring for litters of foster puppies, she realized how early learning impacts a dog for the rest of his life. In 1998, Eleasha started a pet sitting and private training service. She switched from traditional training to positive reinforcement becoming what is referred to as a “crossover” trainer. Then in 2003, Eleasha opened Sit. Stay. Play! Dog Training and Day Care in Union, NJ, Union County’s first dog training and day care facility. In addition to daycare and training classes, Sit. Stay. Play! also offered massage sessions and REIKI. Many of Eleasha’s clients earned their Canine Good Citizen Award and became therapy dogs, including Eleasha’s dog, Gunner, a rescued Rottweiler, who worked with autistic children. Eleasha moved to Pennsylvania where her focus shifted to animals in rescue groups and shelters, and she began working with Bucks County SPCA. In 2011 Eleasha was chosen as 1 of 4 trainers in the country to participate in the Train to Adopt Program by Sue Sternberg and Petfinder. Through Train to Adopt, she saw how simple, quick training methods positively impacted shelter dogs in the long term. It was then she dedicated herself to the pursuit of animal training in the shelter world. In 2012, Eleasha began her career with spcaLA, where she positively impacts the lives of hundreds of shelter animals every day, and offers training classes to the public as well as private training. She has become an integral part of the staff, charting rehabilitative paths for shelter animals as well as animals held in protective custody by spcaLA. Cesar Perea, Lieutenant spcaLA Director of Animal Protection Services, Lt. Cesar Perea began his law enforcement career at the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department as a Deputy. Upon graduation in 1994 from the 19th Corrections Academy at the San Diego Regional Public Safety Training Institute at Miramar College, he was assigned to George Bailey Detention Facility. Perea joined the San Diego Police Department the following year, completing the 32nd Regional Police Academy at the San Diego Regional Public Safety Training Institute at Miramar College in 1995. As an officer, his patrol assignments included Northeastern Division, Northern Division and Central Division. While at Northeastern Division, he began work as the Migrant Liaison Officer patrolling the migrant community that was abundant due to the agriculture existing in the North County of San Diego. This sensitive assignment demonstrated Perea’s ability to gain and maintain trust with workers — most of whom were undocumented and in the United States illegally — while at the same time effectively balancing the needs of the residential communities surrounding the farming fields and migrant camps. Perea eventually expanded the Migrant Liaison Unit to two divisions and was integral in the formation of an alliance between community groups and outreach organizations, which succeeded in mitigating crimes perpetrated against migrant workers. While assigned to the unit he earned top accolades, and was awarded two Commanding Officer’s Citations — one for his involvement in 4 Dog Behavior for Law Enforcement a high-profile hate crime investigation in which five elderly migrant workers were brutality beaten by teenage boys, and another for planning and coordinating a large-scale, mutual-aid operation to combat human trafficking for the purpose of prostitution. Perea was also instrumental in creating and conducting a course curriculum to teach police recruits sensitivity when dealing with issues relating to migrant workers. Concurrent with his assignments at the San Diego Police Department he was part of Operation Lengua, which provided support to Department of Homeland Security Agents interrogating suspected narcotics smugglers who were arrested at United States/Mexico ports of entry. He was also involved with the International Police Training Program (IPTP), which fostered law enforcement training with police agencies from other countries. He earned a Commanding Officer’s Citation for his role with IPTP. Other specialized assignments with the San Diego Police Department included: the La Jolla Bike Team, which patrolled Downtown La Jolla and the surrounding beaches; and C Squad, which patrolled Downtown San Diego’s historic and popular Gas Lamp District. A 10-year veteran in 2005, Perea made the decision to transition from the police department into the private sector in order to pursue and achieve a lifelong dream of owning and operating a working equine boarding facility. In that capacity, he managed all aspects of ranch operations. His love for horses and his entrepreneurial spirit proved fruitful as he grew the business tremendously and eventually sold his shares for a significant profit. In 2008, with a strong desire to return to law enforcement and continue working with and for animals, Perea joined the San Diego Humane Society & SPCA as its Investigations Lieutenant. Concurrent with his 100% conviction rate in the prosecution of offenders, and his hands-on involvement in a variety of animal rescues, Perea also taught at the Humane Academy, and supervised the Investigations Department and Animal Rescue Reserves. Recruited in 2010 to return to ranch management, he was contracted to oversee a 3,500-acre equestrian and organic cattle operation. Such a complex endeavor was challenging in that he was tasked both with improving the housing areas of the horses as well as implementing livestock fencing that ensured the health and welfare of all of the animals. From that successful assignment, Perea has returned full-time to law enforcement with his current assignment as Director of the Animal Protection Services Department for spcaLA. In that leadership position he continues the venerable organization’s 137-year history of preventing cruelty to animals by overseeing its animal cruelty investigations, notable of which is the 2012 “Ewing Guard Dog” case in which the defendant was found guilty in 2013 of four felony counts of animal cruelty. Perea has been successful in fostering relationships with other law enforcement and animal welfare agencies, has developed a landmark Dog Behavior for Law Enforcement course to better prepare police officers in the field for encounters with family pets, and has provided training at the annual Animal Care Conference, the Advanced Humane Academy at the San Diego Humane Society & SPCA, and the American Humane Association. Perea also oversees spcaLA’s, Animal Cruelty Investigations, Disaster Animal Response Team, Border Puppy Task Force, LAX Animal Importation investigations, and more. Course Introduction Dog Behavior for Law Enforcement is a course designed for officers to properly evaluate dog behavior and modify their own actions and appearance for more favorable outcomes with regard to officer safety, the safety of the public, and the well-being of the family pet involved. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles 5 Sued for Shooting a Dog The stakes can be very high when grieving dog owners seek redress against officers and agencies. By David Griffith | November 4, 2014 There was a time in this country that when a law enforcement officer killed a hostile pet