Interview Milan Galic. Training Cane Corso

IPO system of dog testing has been increasingly popular lately. What is it and how can it be useful for your dog? Let’s get insight on it together.

IPO is a 3-level dog trial which includes FCI-approved Tracking, Obedience and Protection stages. IPO consists of 3 phases in general – IPO – 1 – basic stage, IPO – 2 and IPO – 3, the last one is the hardest. No test for the next level is allowed without a diploma certifying that the previous-level test has been passed. There are also age restrictions for taking the tests – IPO – 1 – only when the dog is 18 months, IPO – 2 – 19 months, IPO – 3 – 20 months. But even IPO-1 is not easy to get. The dog requires long and serious training. And this training should be provided by an expert who has profound experience with a particular dog breed, rather than by a regular trainer.

Many Cane Corso owners are deterred by tracking exercises. What do they imply? A 350-pace long (IPO-1) track is laid: it means that a person will just walk across the field taking two right angle turns. They will “lose” two articles on that track – in the middle and in the end of the track. At the 1^st level, the track will be laid by the owner, at other levels it will be laid by a stranger. In that case, the owner will not know which way the track is laid, and everything hinges on how well the dog is trained. So, the track is laid. But, there is more. Level 1 requires 20-minute waiting, and level 3 – one-hour waiting before the search starts. This time is needed for the smell to fade making this exercise much more difficult to complete. Once the signal is given, the owner lets the dog smell the beginning of the track and remains standing where he/she is. And only once the dog is 10 meters away on the track, he/she can follow the dog. At last, the dog tracks the corner and takes the turn, and after some time it lies down, sits or stops. This is how it points out to its owner that it found the article which belongs to the track layer. The owner will approach and hold the article high showing it to the judge, and then they will continue searching for the second article.

The second phase is Obedience. This is the phase which is full of surprises, because it includes the largest number of elements. The dog will go alongside with its owner as if sewn taking various routes both on leash and free. It will sit or stop when the owner keeps on moving. It will go or run forward without looking back. It will easily go through a group of moving people, stop and sit beside its owner in the middle of that group. The hardest element of Obedience is forward send-away. The owner will give the voice command and show the direction, and the dog will run fast in that direction until it hears “down” command. It might be difficult to explain to the dog that it must run “nowhere”, but similar skill is used in Protection phase to send away for shelter search.

The third phase is Protection & Attack. Shelters are positioned in a staggered fashion on the field with an Offender hiding in one of them (also called a Player, or a Helper). A handler positions himself with a dog. He moves quietly for some time and then by moving his hand and saying short “Go out” command he/she sends the dog to search shelters. It must find the shelter with the Offender hiding inside and point this out to its owner with barking. Frontal attack: the Player goes or runs towards the dog holding a stick high. Only tough dogs are able to stay where they are and stop the attacker with a firm grip. During the arrest, the Offender delivers several hits with a flexible stick, and the dog must not be afraid and must not loosen the grip. In IPO, the dog grips one arm, and in the national guard dog training the dog will release and grip the attacking arm.

This is a summary of everything the dog needs to be trained to pass the first IPO level. However, it is not as hard as it may seem at first. By the way, Cane Corso dogs handle the assigned tasks excellently. But... Cane Corso dogs are not Shepherd Dogs! First of all, they need a trainer who has great experience specifically with Cane Corso and will be able to reveal all wonderful skills which are increasingly forgotten.

I had a recent conversation on this subject with my good friend from Serbia. This is a professional dog trainer Milan Galić. As we spoke, I arrived at idea that this person should be introduced to a larger community of Cane Corso owners. I asked him to share the basics of his skills and qualification with Cane Corso. And Milan Galić kindly agreed.

So, exclusively for the PetS magazine, Ukrainian National Cane Corso Club, Kalabrias Mafia breeding kennels, and for all Cane Corso owners: the President of Cane Corso Club in Belgrade (Serbia), International FCI judge in particular breed groups, professional dog trainer Milan Galić.

Milan, you possess an enormous experience in dog training and education. What is the secret of successful training? What breeds do you prefer to work with?
Dear Cane Corso owners, breeders, and fanciers.
I am greatly pleased to address you, and I hope I’ll be able to help you with education of and communication with your dog.

I have been engaged in dog training for almost 38 years, professionally – 30. I got interested in this as a boy thanks to my father who worked with the police. As a kid, I had a Jagdterrier. His name was Arap. I was 5 then. I recall vividly when he brought my Teddy Bear that I had thrown angrily. I took it and threw it again, and he fetched my toy again. I was very much surprised… As a result, I devoted by whole life to dogs. They are the love of my life.

There are no two identical dogs. And everything I have done so far, I did with great love, care and pleasure. I’ve neither applied force, nor starved the dog. Employing of current, choke collars, whips and sticks is not appropriate to me… They are living creatures who have feelings, too.

Successful dog training requires knowledge of its psychology. This is what successful training is based on!!!

I possess profound experience both with dogs and their owners. Sometimes they are stubborn, vain, “know-it-all”… Patience is what this mutual cooperation needs. Everyone is unique. There are neither two identical people, nor dogs. It is very important to set a contact between the owner and the dog. People differ by their education, character, temper, social status. And I, as a trainer, need to be inventive, persistent, creative, control continuously how the owner handles his/her dog. This control is of particular importance at the initial stage of training. I prefer individual exercises. Working in groups, one rarely manages to get a good result for every dog. I had Samoyeds for whom we managed to achieve excellent results in attack and protection, despite the fact that this is not a working dog breed. I have also experience with Cane Corso, Doberman, Caucasian and German Shepherd Dogs, Huskies, Terriers, Beagles, etc. Unfortunately, many Cane Corso owners neglect excellent working skills of these dogs and pay more attention to their exterior. This is wrong.

I had a very interesting experience of wolf training – this was exciting. Its nature is hard to be fully controlled.

Please, describe how you arrived at the idea of establishing the Cane Corso Club?

20 years ago, I met a person who bought a Cane Corso dog in Italy. The dog was shy, and he came to me to eliminate or minimize this fear. He said that when he purchased the dog, it wasn’t like that; he believed that this damage was caused during the flight from Italy to Serbia. I helped the dog recover successfully. This is a very smart breed and currently quite popular. Cane Corso Club was established a year ago in Belgrade. I found like-minded people who wanted to train Cane Corso actively and became the first person in Serbia and, probably, in this part of Europe, who trains Cane Corso dogs according to IPO 1 program. We plan to conduct international competitions with Cane Corso dogs under IPO 1 program in Belgrade next year. Everyone is welcome…

Last year, on September 20, 2014, we conducted the first dedicated Cane Corso exhibition in Belgrade. It was held in the historical place Kalemegdan where the ancient Romans, legionaries, used to stay. We picked it for a particular reason. We wanted to highlight the history of this magnificent breed. The judge was Mr. Alberto Cuccillato from Italy, who highly appreciated our event. This year, the dedicated Cane Corso exhibition will be held on September 19, 2015, in Belgrade. If you take interest in this exhibition, please, refer to the club’s address or to the club’s Facebook account.

Moreover, the club offers workshops and classes, both in Serbia and other countries. We are always open to any cooperation when it has to do with dogs and, specifically, Cane Corso.

I am being interviewed by a friend of mine, Elena, who loves and appreciates Cane Corso dogs… She is concerned about the problem of the current status of the breed and very weak desire of the owners to promote the inherent skills of these dogs.

Elena and I are willing and ready to aid Cane Corso owners in revealing the breed’s entire potential. Cane Corso dogs deserve that – this is in their blood.
They show high skills during training, sometimes even higher than many other dog breeds. Thank you, Elena…

Well, the first IPO exercise:

TRACKING Exercise

This exercise is quite interesting. It is mostly done with other dog breeds. However, I will be very much pleased to show that Cane Corso dogs perform it brilliantly!

Nature prevails… Every living creature, both humans and animals, is encrypted with initial codes… Take a closer look at the nature around us. You will see how animals behave and communicate… How they are scared of some sounds and other signals. An important link in this natural chain is a desire for hunting… Pursuing and searching for prey are the natural gift of any animal who wants to survive. Dogs developed a strong sense of smell. This is how they read the world around us.

The dog’s behavior on the track is evaluated by the judge on the basis of general impression from the overall performance and the starting point smelling, going along the straight distances, corners and pointing out articles. The most important aspect is the dog’s ability to track without any help, in a focused manner, using its ground sense of smell. Circling at corners, hesitating, shuttling at straight distance, incorrect pointing out the articles, accelerated or irregular pace constitute errors. Searching with upper sense of smell, handler’s continuous help or mechanical stimulation, missing the articles, considerable deviation from the track constitute gross errors. That’s why the entire process of the dog training should be divided into stages with gradual progress from simple to more difficult tasks… IPO rules prescribe that to pass the test, the dog will need to follow its trainer’s track at least 300-pace long. The starting point is identified with a flag or a board. The track has three straight distances and 2 corners (about 90°). Two articles are placed on the tack by the trainer (10 cm x 2 cm x 2 cm): one article will be placed on the first or the second straight portion of the track, but at least 100 paces away from the starting point, the second one – at the end. The track will be 20 minutes old. The dog will be given 15 minutes to complete.

The recipe for success, in the first place, is the trainer’s qualification and patience, rather than the dog’s heredity.

For this exercise, we will need: treats, toys, 2 articles (cigarette lighter size), 2- and 10-meter leashes. Clothes: rubber boots or high boots, preferably water-proof pants, and waterproof jacket. There are lots of training methods, and every trainer has their own secrets not to be disclosed; as the magazine provides a little space, I will try to be as brief as possible to be able to address the two other IPO phases – Obedience, Attack & Protection. I will describe only one method of training a dog how to track: with treats and a toy.

The best time for track training is early in the morning: between 06:00 and 08:00 AM. This interval is perfect to train a young dog. Smell lingers longer. It is preferable to find a place where no people or animal have passed yet. An area with low grass or well broken ground will be perfect for track laying.

It will take about 3 months – approximately 50 hours of dog training – for the dog to learn the Tracking exercise effectively, excluding really poor weather conditions when a young dog is not trained to track (strong wind, heavy snowfall, flood, etc.). Once your dog has learned to complete this exercise well enough, it is recommended to change plain landscape for more advanced one (high dry grass, sand, swamps, stubble fields, burnt field grass, etc.).

Tracking Work

Tracklaying is a crucial moment; it should be taken very seriously.

First of all, a dog needs to be hungry on the tracking routine day. It is brought to the field and tied to an object (a tree, a stump) so that it could see how the handler lays the track. Once the dog is tied, the handler takes the treats and toys and shows them to the dog, then goes to the starting point so that the dog could see him/her perfectly.

The handler sets a mark to identify beginning of the track (a stick, a flag, etc.). He/she leaves many footprints on that place and leaves several treats. Then he/she moves along a straight line away from the dog, treading the track well, especially if it is grass. It is done to make the smell linger a little longer. While moving, the handler looks back at the dog showing the treat to the dog and putting it in his/her every footprint. The first track shall be straight and 30 paces at most. In the end, the handler places an article and some treat (meat, cookies, etc.). Some extra reward the dog likes (a toy) may be placed. Such a reward will stimulate the dog’s further desire for completing this routine once more. Avoid putting too many treats as the tracking routine should be completed 2-3 times in one morning. When the dog reaches the article at the end of the track, let it eat it all. Hide an article and a treat and step away from that spot. Do not unleash the dog, otherwise it will return to the track and will start looking for the left treats in a random and uncontrolled way. Do not repeat the track you have already completed. Let the dog rest, play with it, the routine may be repeated in 15-20 minutes. It is preferable to train the dog at least three times a week. Extend the length of the track you lay with every routine. But it shouldn’t be tiresome to the dog and should allow it complete the task easily. This is a quite difficult routine for the dog, because the field soil is full of various smells of wild animals which catch interest of and distract the dog.

Be patient, never train the dog if you are unwell or in bad mood, if you are nervous or sad. The effect of the routine will be quite the opposite. That is my recommendation.

This is the initial stage of the dog training for tracking. A lot can be said on this subject. I will describe tracking routines in detail in my book. It is still in process, as new details adding to what is already written appear all the time and within the book on history of Serbian working dogs.

I hope we will have a chance to talk, and I’ll be able to describe the training process and various methods and paths of the tracking routine in detail.

OBEDIENCE

Every dog has to be well educated and obedient. Extent of socialization it needs will depend on many factors. In an urban setting, the dog needs to be trained to move easily alongside with its handler in noisy places. The educational process needs to be started once it becomes a member of your family. Cane Corso is a serious dog and must obey you promptly.

Obedience is the first brick of a solid foundation required for further more substantial training. Use various objects, toys, treats or anything else which brings joy to your pet, to train your dog. You can give small pieces of meat, liver, cheese or other products that it likes. The dog senses the tone of your voice quite well. Always praise your dog for every command that it executes in a right way! This is an excellent motivation for it. When you learn a new voice command, it may make mistakes. Do not be hard on your dog, because it doesn’t know how to exercise it in a right way. It is you who needs to know when and how to correct your dog if it does something wrong. Be patient when working with dogs!!!

Do not train the dog if you are nervous and vexed, under influence of opiates (alcohol, drugs, etc.), if you are sick, and less focused. It is better to miss several trainings and continue when you are ready.
Do not start the routine if the dog is sick or injured. Keep in mind the dog’s (puppy’s) age and progress when choosing a training program and routines. Dogs are living creatures, they are not robots, always remember that.

Prior dog training under BH - BEGLEITHUND – Companion Dog – will be an excellent basis for IPO – Obedience training. The test consists of the two phases: “A” – general obedience, and “B” – dog’s behavior in urban setting. Minimum age of the dog to pass the test will be 12 months. In Ukraine, some analogues are available – Obedience Trial and A Dog in the City 1 and 2.

At IPO competitions, both quality of the dog’s performance, and its precise interaction with the handler are evaluated. Consistency in the interaction between the dog and the handler and the style of the performance are of great importance.

One of the IPO competition features admired by absolutely everyone is prompt and active execution of voice commands and the dog’s focus on its handler, willingness to obey his/her first voice command. Strong, continuous focus of the dog suggests its ability to fulfill long and intense work, ability to tolerate corrective actions of the handler during routines. To fulfill the following voice commands: “down with recall”, “down under distraction”, “sit in motion”, “stand”, “retrieve over the hurdle” promptly, the dog requires balanced processes of excitation and inhibition. I would like to emphasize the importance of Obedience phase for Protection phase completion, because IPO is a contact-free training mode, the owner will control the dog using no leash, collar or anything else.

Skipping some training aspects, I’d like to mention that the apparent simplicity of movements is a result of a longstanding, hard work of the owner, the trainer and the dog.
Professional trainers pay particular attention to the Obedience phase as a foundation of all further training steps.

ATTACK & PROTECTION
First of all, I would like to discuss factors that may influence the outcome of the dog training.
- Choosing a puppy or a grown-up dog. (This choice shall be made by an expert with profound knowledge of dog breeds or by a person who has rich experience with dogs). Some tests exist that could help you understand whether the dog is appropriate for further training under the selected program, in particular, IPO.
- Dog’s housing conditions, quality of nutrition.
- Level of the dog’s prior education and mind (beginner, a dog trained under some programs). Here, it is important to give correct evaluation to the knowledge planted into the dog. Readjustment and retraining of the dog often take much time if it was poorly trained before.
- Expertise of the dog trainer if you want the best possible results. Expertise with a particular breed is essential. Every breed has its own features. The trainer must have many theoretical and practical skills related to dog psychology and have profound practical skills in training.
- Type of dog training – in groups or individual. I prefer working with the dog and its owner individually. This gives a potential for better control over the owner’s and dog’s actions, better response to possible mistakes, and praising for well completed routine. No choke collars, current, no dog hitting or starving are allowed during the training. Furthermore, it is important to take into account the dog’s character and temper. This affects the amount of time and resources to be used for training.
- Dog training spot.
- Weather conditions on the day and at the time of the dog training.
Let’s discuss some aspects of the dog training for protection and attack.

At this dog training phase, the main person is the helper. The helper is a person who provokes and vexes the dog. With his/her actions, he/she increases the dog’s desire to retrieve an object he/she is holding. When being trained, the dog must wear a chest strap and must be on a leash (do not use choke collars!!!). The helper waves a jute cloth in front of the dog in attempt to invoke its desire to grip this object. Whereas, the owner who holds the dog on the leash stands in place and doesn’t move towards the helper. Dogs may develop various responses to the attacker, and the owner must support the reaction to grip. Dogs who lack confidence will require more time and patience. In this case, every further routine will bring positive results. Duration of the attack and protection routine shall not exceed 30 minutes. Remember, the dog uses much strength and energy, both physically (barking, jumping, contact with the helper and other elements in the course of the routine) and mentally. The dog often appears to be unwilling to continue the routine. By that point, it has received sufficient exercises and physical load.

At first, the dog is only irritated by the jute cloth like a catch that it is not allowed to grip. When the dog is clearly ready to grip the catch (jute cloth) firmly, you can let it do so, but in motion, passing by the dog held by the owner on the leash. Once the dog grips the cloth catch and pulls it several times away from the helper, the trainer lets it go and gives it away, the owner praises his/her dog for good job and a trophy it got. This routine may be repeated 3-5 times at most during several hours of training.
The next training stage has a similar scenario. Except that you will use the same jute cloth as a catch only rolled, you will then let the dog take it away from you.
The third training stage employs a soft sleeve made of a jute fabric. It allows both developing attack and bite instincts, and enhancing grip strength.
Unfortunately, over 20 years of my career, I’ve met many Cane Corso dogs who were coy. Some of them to a lesser, and some to a greater degree. I’ve analyzed this situation and come to conclusion that many breeders, for some unknown reasons, are not interested in developing working skills in Cane Corso, they take more interest in the dog’s appearance – exterior. This isn’t good.
History of this breed is quite curious… It displays Cane Corso as an excellent working dog; as a loyal companion of legionaries in Roman legions; as a dangerous rival for other animals and gladiators in popular arena-based games of that time. As ages go by, Cane Corso dogs slowly lose their initial designation. Due to combination of Cane Corso with other dog breeds in the past, rather than selection, we can see today both differences in appearance of Cane Corso dogs and unusual temper.

With proper professional approach, the dog’s shyness may be eliminated or decreased significantly. However, to do this, you will need to identify the factor that was a cause of the dog’s fear.

In any case, it takes patience, efforts, time and persistency. And you will be rewarded for your efforts!


 Autor - Milan Galic - President of Club  Cane Corso in Belgrade (Serbia),
 the international judje FCI, Professional Dog Trainer
Translation : Elena Kaverzina - President of Ukrainian club cane corso,
kennel Cane Corso «Kalabrias Mafia»
Photographer : Den Denda (Serbia)

This interview was published in the March 
release of the Ukrainian magazine "Pets" in Russian