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Introduction to Kynology With Dr. Stewart Hilliard

Release Date: 11/04/2025

Idealism vs. Pragmatism in Canine Training: Behavioral Science with Dr. Stewart Hilliard

Controlled Aggression

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...

Training the PSA Carjack Exer

Controlled Aggression

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...

Low Profile Equipment

Controlled Aggression

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...

Prosthetics for Street Readiness

Controlled Aggression

In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses: Pros and cons of prosthetics for canine training. The importance of teaching your dog to find the human being in the bite. Why training biting across different textures is key. Tips for safely and effectively utilizing prosthetics in training. Key Takeaways: When you’re trying to approximate down in training and are using equipment, you want to use equipment that is as thin as possible, but as thick as necessary. If you’re beginning training with prosthetics, the arms can be a little easier to work with at first. ...

Introduction to Kynology With Dr. Stewart Hilliard

Controlled Aggression

In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and Dr. Stewart Hilliard discuss: The debate between purely positive training and balanced training. How Kynology goes deeper than just basic dog training. Ways in which the scientific process in research can go wrong. The role of a canine trainer is to teach their dog to handle stress. Stewart’s two answers to the question “Why do you need aggression?” Key Takeaways: While there are about 25 research studies that create the canon of dog training, a lot of them are based on pure science or theory alone and do...

Creating Independence: The Hunting Game

Controlled Aggression

In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses: Canine independence - identifying the problem and how to solve it. Why you might need to be doing less obedience training. Training independence behaviors. Creating hunting games with progression for puppies of all ages. Working with your dog near and away from you so they are comfortable in both positions. Key Takeaways: Balance the inward and outward focus in your puppy training. Wind plays a very important role in the hunting games. The windier it is, the narrower the scent cone; the less wind,...

Learning to Adapt with K9s Talking Scents, Cameron Ford

Controlled Aggression

In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and Cameron Ford discuss: The creation of PSA and evolution of dog sport. How the rigidity in traditional dog sports has led to innovation and creativity. Being open to adaptation not fighting against it. Increasing complexity in training detection. The responsibility of having an online platform for your dog training. Training based on experience and on research. Key Takeaways: PSA exploded in popularity the last decade due to the prevalence of younger trainers and social media. A lot of traditional dog sport is...

Brad Gillespie - Signaled Punishment

Controlled Aggression

In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and Brad Gillespie discuss: Positive and negative punishment in police dog training. Pros, cons, and balancing the use of punishment markers. Intentional and unintentional markers. The importance of consistency in punishment. Marking for clearer communication. Biting through the muzzle. Changing one variable at a time and reducing the number of variables in training. Key Takeaways: In some cases, marking punishment may be more important than marking with positive reinforcement. Following the punishment marker with...

The Evolution of Police Dog Training with Dr. Stewart Hilliard

Controlled Aggression

In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and Dr. Stewart Hilliard discuss: The influence of European sport dogs in early North American working dog training. Benefits and challenges of introducing KNPV-trained dogs to the American market. Evolution of Eastern European working dog trade. Sourcing and importing working dogs. Institutional breeding programs, increased costs, and decreased quality. The future of dog training with kynology. Key Takeaways: KNPV (Royal Dutch Police Dog Association) dogs were the gold standard for transitioning sport dogs to dual-purpose police dog...

Engagement

Controlled Aggression

In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses: Why engagement is important, what it means, and how it differs between puppies and older dogs. The importance of rituals in engagement, no matter the location. Developing engagement and engagement rituals. Creating and maintaining an emotional connection with your dog, no matter your emotional state that day. Key Takeaways: If your dog is not in the right state of mind, you’re not going to achieve your training goals in a particular session. If it happens too many times, you won’t be moving forward in...

More Episodes

In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw and Dr. Stewart Hilliard discuss:

The debate between purely positive training and balanced training.
How Kynology goes deeper than just basic dog training.
Ways in which the scientific process in research can go wrong.
The role of a canine trainer is to teach their dog to handle stress.
Stewart’s two answers to the question “Why do you need aggression?”

Key Takeaways:

While there are about 25 research studies that create the canon of dog training, a lot of them are based on pure science or theory alone and do not actually understand the practicality of dog training.
Research is often not replicated enough to know if the original model and data were structured and analyzed properly.
Punishing behaviors into existence is not really a thing that happens in real life, human, ethical training.
Good practitioners don’t teach with adversives. They use aversives to facilitate generalization of behaviors that are established using positive reinforcement and generalization of those behaviors to different physiological and emotional states.

"You and I, in February, are going to run a seminar under the aegis of kynology. It’s an effort…to provide really good, solid, formal education to other kynologists - which means people who are really, really interested in dogs, dog behavior, and learning. Not in a casual way, but those who want to know everything they can." — Dr. Stewart Hilliard

Episode References: