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Controlled Aggression

Controlled Aggression

Written by: Jerry Bradshaw
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 Want to learn about K9 obedience, police dog training, learning theory and more? Jerry Bradshaw has been a sports competitor and police dog trainer for 25 years, and as the executive director of the Protection Sports Association he's been around the world competing and training K9s. Welcome to the Controlled Aggression podcast.
Episodes
  • Idealism vs. Pragmatism in Canine Training: Behavioral Science with Dr. Stewart Hilliard

    Idealism vs. Pragmatism in Canine Training: Behavioral Science with Dr. Stewart Hilliard
    Jan 8 2026
    In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and Dr. Stewart Hilliard discuss: Why your dog training should be based on theory, pragmatic results, and experience. Theoretical vs intuitive dog training. How is idealist training different from pragmatic training? Why you should not be removing all stressors from your dog training. Control and learned helplessness. Key Takeaways: Dog training is a long series of lonely decisions. You are a team of one training your dog, and even if you have a coach, in the moment, you are the one making each decision based on the problem facing you in the moment. Technical training is great, but you do need to be able to generalize the training for different locations and situations for the best results. If, in the course of doing its job, your dog will face adversity, then having a background in overcoming some adversity in training is going to stand the dog in good stead. There is considerable discussion and data that speak to the point that the ideal state for an animal to develop in is not necessarily one that is free of stress. Aversive control can be used without producing bad welfare for the subjects of the training. On the flip side, excellent positive reinforcement technicians also produce really good results in dog training. Animals in avoidance are not running from something; they are running to something safe. "If you want to engage with dogs intellectually, they're a very rich topic for intellectual engagement, because they're super interesting. And you can look at them at any level you want; you can look at dog training at any level you want. And for some people, the pathway to getting really good is becoming theoretically very, very strong." — Dr. Stewart Hilliard Episode References: Go to Kynology.org now and start an account to stay up to date on Kynology events, upcoming resources, and products! Get Jerry's book Controlled Aggression on Amazon.com Contact Stewart: Website: https://www.caninetrainingsystems.com/ Book: Schutzhund, Theory and Training Methods - A Book by Susan Barwig and Stewart Hilliard, Ph.D. - https://www.amazon.com/Schutzhund-Theory-Training-Methods-Reference/dp/0876057318 Contact Jerry: Website: controlledaggressionpodcast.com Email: JBradshaw@TarheelCanine.com Tarheel Canine Training: www.tarheelcanine.com YouTube: tarheelcanine Twitter: @tarheelcanine Instagram: @tarheelk9 Facebook: TarheelCanineTraining Protection Sports Website: psak9-as.org Patreon: patreon.com/controlledaggression Slideshare: Tarheel Canine Calendly: https://calendly.com/tarheelcanine Tarheel Canine Seminars: https://streetreadyk9.com/ Tarheel Canine Student Portal: https://tcstudentportal.com/ Sponsors: ALM K9 Equipment: almk9equipment.com PSA & American Schutzhund: psak9-as.org Tarheel Canine: tarheelcanine.com The Drive Company: thedriveco.com The Drive Company Instagram: instagram.com/thedrive.co Dog Armour: dogarmour.com Dog Armour Instagram: instagram.com/dogarmourpro Rogue Arsenal: roguearsenal.com Rogue Arsenal Instagram: instagram.com/rogue_arsenal_official Train hard, train smart, be safe. Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.
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    1 hr and 38 mins
  • Training the PSA Carjack Exer

    Training the PSA Carjack Exer
    Jan 1 2026

    In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:

    What judges are looking for during the PSA Carjack Exercise.

    Safety precautions and training progressions for decoys, dogs, and trainers.

    Keeping your dog focused in the right place.

    Rewarding, capping, and knowing your dog's limits.

    Key Takeaways:

    In training, you should be training in neutrality as you prepare for your PDC. Just because they have the skills in the exercise does not mean they are prepared for the neutrality between exercises.

    If you are able to, get a vehicle to train with your PSA club on these Carjack Exercises. There are a lot of progressions you can do as you work up to the full exercise.

    It is the first impression of the aggression that's going to catch the judge's eye.

    Spend time focusing on transitions. Even in PDC, there are transitions you can work on. A good transition can help you be well prepared.

    "One of the big mistakes I see is rushing into the vehicle without doing the proper neutrality to the vehicle when they're younger, not doing the proper neutrality to the vehicle, where they now have to experience the bite work, in addition to the unstable footing, and in addition to the enclosed area, the tight space of the vehicle. All of these things impinge on the dog's experience during that carjacking exercise." — Jerry Bradshaw

    Episode References:

    Josh Kirby at Kirby K9 / Demanet: www.k9irby.com

    More information on the Kynology Seminar with Dr. Stewart Hilliard: https://kynology.org/

    Get Jerry's book Controlled Aggression on Amazon.com

    Contact Jerry:

    Website: controlledaggressionpodcast.com

    Email: JBradshaw@TarheelCanine.com

    Tarheel Canine Training: www.tarheelcanine.com

    YouTube: tarheelcanine

    Twitter: @tarheelcanine

    Instagram: @tarheelk9

    Facebook: TarheelCanineTraining

    Protection Sports Website: psak9-as.org

    Patreon: patreon.com/controlledaggression

    Slideshare: Tarheel Canine

    Calendly: https://calendly.com/tarheelcanine

    Tarheel Canine Seminars: https://streetreadyk9.com/

    Tarheel Canine Student Portal: https://tcstudentportal.com/

    Sponsors:

    ALM K9 Equipment: almk9equipment.com

    PSA & American Schutzhund: psak9-as.org

    Tarheel Canine: tarheelcanine.com

    The Drive Company: thedriveco.com

    The Drive Company Instagram: instagram.com/thedrive.co

    Dog Armour: dogarmour.com

    Dog Armour Instagram: instagram.com/dogarmourpro

    Rogue Arsenal: roguearsenal.com

    Rogue Arsenal Instagram: instagram.com/rogue_arsenal_official

    Train hard, train smart, be safe.

    Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie

    Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • Low Profile Equipment

    Low Profile Equipment
    Dec 18 2025
    In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses: Bridging the gap from training to deployment with low-profile equipment. Comparing traditional and modern low-profile equipment. Mistakes to avoid with low-profile equipment. Importance of having properly fitted equipment. Training progressions with low-profile equipment. Key Takeaways: Ideally, low-profile equipment contains both lower visibility and lower odor profiles. It is critical for the dog to feel the human underneath the equipment. While you should have protection, training the dog to find the human is also important. If a dog can't be satisfied with the bite they are getting on a suit, they may look for the human underneath and bite outside of the typical areas, such as ankles, which can cause more harm. Use training techniques like equipment shredding drills to improve the dog's ability to find and get a successful bite. "When we're introducing the hidden equipment, usually we want to introduce it in such a way that we can maximize the dog's experience, including having them in the right mood that we want them in when they're experiencing this hidden equipment. We also want to have decoy safety." — Jerry Bradshaw Episode References: Josh Kirby at Kirby K9 / Demanet: www.k9irby.com Thad Peterson at Seynaeve US: www.seynaeve.us & www.ringsuits.com Dog Armour: www.DogArmour.com More information on the Kynology Seminar with Dr. Stewart Hilliard: https://kynology.org/ Get Jerry's book Controlled Aggression on Amazon.com Contact Jerry: Website: controlledaggressionpodcast.com Email: JBradshaw@TarheelCanine.com Tarheel Canine Training: www.tarheelcanine.com YouTube: tarheelcanine Twitter: @tarheelcanine Instagram: @tarheelk9 Facebook: TarheelCanineTraining Protection Sports Website: psak9-as.org Patreon: patreon.com/controlledaggression Slideshare: Tarheel Canine Calendly: https://calendly.com/tarheelcanine Tarheel Canine Seminars: https://streetreadyk9.com/ Tarheel Canine Student Portal: https://tcstudentportal.com/ Sponsors: ALM K9 Equipment: almk9equipment.com PSA & American Schutzhund: psak9-as.org Tarheel Canine: tarheelcanine.com The Drive Company: https://thedriveco.com/ The Drive Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedrive.co Dog Armour: http://www.dogarmour.com/ Rogue Arsenal: https://roguearsenal.com/ Find out more about Hold The Line Conference 2026 at https://htlk9.com/ Train Hard, train smart, be safe. Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.
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    1 hr and 19 mins
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