How to train a dog team "Fas"?

Having got a dog, the owner should not only properly feed it and provide proper care. For the full development of puppies they need to be educated and trained. One of the important teams that need to train a dog is Fas. Having mastered it, the pet will be able to fully display the qualities of a defender. How to train a dog in this team will be discussed in this article.

It is believed that the Fas command originated from the German verb, which is translated into Russian as “grab”. By its implementation, it is understood that the pet will attack, by order of the owner, a potential “enemy” and release it only in the case of a command from its owner. Service dogs should be trained first. However, for pets such a team will also not be superfluous. It will improve the protective qualities of the animal.

It is believed that for training a dog should have the following characteristics:

• the animal should not show excessive friendliness to strangers, on the contrary, strangers should alert him;
• the dog must be physically developed and have quite impressive dimensions; this means that representatives of small breeds are poorly suited for the execution of this command;
• the dog must be courageous and at the same time be able to exercise restraint.

It is easiest to train a pet using the services of professional trainers. However, this does not mean that training at home is impossible.Self-study can take more time and effort, but this task is quite feasible. It is necessary to teach a pet with the involvement of outsiders to work out the team. It is advisable that assistants change periodically. Otherwise, the team can gain a foothold as a reaction only to a specific person.

It’s not worth starting the Fas team too early. Previously, the puppy must learn other tricks, grow up and psychologically form. It is better to start training from the age of 5 months. And also take into account the characteristics of the breed. Representatives of different types of dogs can reach psychological maturity at different ages. It is not recommended to train young puppies, first of all, because the call to aggression is not desirable for them.

In many breeds, protective qualities are genetically laid and develop gradually. The earlier manifestation of aggression can make an animal uncontrollable and unnecessarily evil. If necessary, you can teach an adult, but with the condition that the animal was previously trained in other teams. Before training, the dog must undergo a basic training course, which includes the development of such commands as “To Me”, “Next” and “Fu”. This will allow maximum control over the actions of the pet both during and after the attack on a dangerous person.

The Fas team is one of the most difficult and dangerous. Learning requires not only patience and certain skills, but also a number of adaptations. First of all, you need to get a special suit for an assistant who will protect him from the attacking dog. And also a large piece of strong dense fabric and a strong stick will be required. For training you need to choose the right place. It is desirable that the territory was fenced, and there were no strangers on it, except for a trainer and assistant. There should be a pole or an adult tree with a thick trunk on the training ground so that you can tie a pet to it.

If a professional trainer will not be involved in the training, the owner of the dog should study in detail all the subtleties of training. Before starting the basic training, the pet must be taught to understand the command “Alien”. To do this, when the protective qualities are manifested, the pet must hear the exclamation “Alien” from the owner and praise addressed to him. You can say a command every time a knock or doorbell rings. Over time, the animal develops the habit of starting to bark after pronouncing the command.

Improving skills is best done outdoors with strangers. To do this, you can use the following trick:

1. it is necessary to find in advance an assistant whom the dog should not know about meeting in a crowded place; the person must make an attempt to touch the owner of the dog with his hands;
2. the owner, in turn, must resist, pushing away the assistant, while shouting the word "Alien";
3. if the animal has learned the command well, then it will try to attack the stranger; At this point, it is important to keep the dog on a leash so as not to injure another person.

With the correct behavior of the pet in this situation, it must be praised. Encouragement by a treat in this case is not necessary. The best reward in such training for the dog would be a stranger's fear or flight.

Several different techniques can be used to teach the animal to the Fas team. The training method is selected individually for each dog, depending on its skills and character. The standard action algorithm includes several actions.

1. The animal must be well tied to a tree or pillar. The chain should be quite long and surely strong, so that the dog could not tear it.
2. The owner should be near the pet. The assistant is at a distance, but it must be in the dog’s field of vision. In his hands should be a piece of cloth and a stick.
3. The assistant begins to approach the animal, drawing attention to itself. He can scream, bounce, hit the ground with a stick and wave his hands.
4. When the pet focuses on the person, the owner should say the phrase “Fas”. The animal must instinctively begin to show aggression. If you managed to get the right reaction, the pet needs to be praised. Giving goodies does not make sense, since food in this case will only distract from learning.
5. The assistant should approach the angry dog ​​and begin to lightly hit him with a stick. The main thing is not to overdo it with the force of the blow so as not to hurt the animal. In such a situation, the pet should start throwing itself on a stick, trying to grab it and crack it.
6. The assistant must substitute a piece of tissue for the dog and allow it to grip his teeth. Pulling the end of the rag several times, the assistant must “surrender”, leaving the animal tissue, and run away, thereby admitting his defeat.
7. In the process of an impromptu struggle for a rag, the owner should periodically repeat the Fas command. To consolidate the result, the exercise must be repeated many times in one session.

You can also include additional exercises in the training program. When practicing them, the dog must be on a leash.

The assistant should approach the animal and try to pick it up. The dog should try to pounce on the person and at this time the owner needs to repeat “Fas” loudly and confidently several times.

The following exercise is well suited for slightly constrained and cautious animals, as it eliminates close contact with the assistant. Near the pet should be its owner. The helper is in the shelter and is not visible to the dog. Gradually, he begins to approach the animal.

At the same time, the owner should help the pet assess the situation by pronouncing the “Alien” command. When the assistant gets as close as possible to the animal, he should turn around and start running away, and the dog, in turn, should try to pounce on the “enemy”. At this point, the owner of the dog pronounces the word “Fas” several times.

Training Effectiveness largely depends on the observance by the trainer of the basic rules of training.

• First of all, you should make sure that the pet does not see how its owner communicates with the assistants, on which the team will be trained. The animal must think that a stranger is in front of it.
• If it was decided to train the dog yourself at home, it is still recommended that you first consult with a specialist. A professional trainer will be able to sensibly assess the pet's abilities, as well as develop an optimal training program.
• It makes no sense to train a dog if she does not obey her master and poorly performs other commands. Another condition is good dog health and good physical condition. The animal must eat properly and be active.
• Close and trusting relationships with the host will make learning more effective. During classes it is impossible to exert excessive physical impact on the animal and cause him pain. Otherwise, instead of showing protective qualities, the pet may be scared.
• During training, you need not only to attract different assistants, but also to dress them in different uniforms. If the clothes are always the same, then the dog will develop a reaction to people of a certain appearance.
• In many ways, the breed of the pet affects the duration of the training. This is justified by the genetic predisposition of some species to protect the owner and his property.Shepherd dogs can master the team in just three days, but training the rottweilers can cause problems, because they like to dominate and can resist for a long time.

Additional dog training tips can be found in the video below.