and other nonworking days. Depending on each 

 dog's food requirements, appetite, and motiva- 

 tion, it may be given full ration (minus goal 

 food) on Saturdays and half-ration on Sundays 

 or half-ration on Saturdays and no ration on 

 Sundays. 



23. Veterinary Supervision 



Close coordination with and supervision by the 

 station veterinarian is necessary when using the 

 food-reward method. No dog should undergo the 

 preparatory food deprivation until the veterinar- 

 ian has insured that the dog's state of health will 

 allow it. Due to variations in motivation and 

 appetite, some dogs will gain or lose weight dur- 

 ing training. Close coordination with veterinary 

 personnel will prevent excessive weight loss or 

 gain. If a dog is unable to learn quickly enough to 

 earn its minimum daily ration, it should be elim- 

 inated from training. 



24. Training Pens 



Although not essential, training pens facilitate 

 the introduction of the food-reward method by 

 isolating each team while working and by reduc- 

 ing the amount of training area required. There 



should be one pen per five teams in training; 

 when necessary, up to ten teams can work with 

 one pen, but the number of trials per team will 

 be reduced. Each pen (fig 2) should be constructed 

 of any fence post material and 48-inch chicken 

 wire. Dimensions should be 10 feet wide by 20 to 

 30 feet long. One end should have a simple gate in 

 it. If pens are unavailable, conditioning must be 

 performed with the dogs on leash. 



25. The Reinforcer Word— Good 



The word "Good" is used throughout training as 

 a reinforcer to inform the dog that it has per- 

 formed an expected task properly and/or that 

 food is about to appear. "Good" is called a rein- 

 forcer, not a command, since it is normally given 

 in a low-to-moderate, pleased tone of voice rather 

 than in a commanding tone. Food is the other 

 reinforcer for training purposes. ("Good" and 

 food are called positive reinforcers; punishment 

 is a negative reinforcer.) 



26. Conditioning of "Good" 



Each handler should wear his apron filled with 

 training food. The apron is worn at the waist, in 

 front of or on the right side (fig 3). The handler 



Figure 2. Training pen. 



9 



