Just a quick post this morning to address some issues I have seen while teaching seminars (primarily to PD’s).

For a variety of reasons, police departments often elect to go with less expensive, lower quality bite suits. These reasons can include budget, education, inexperienced decoys and more. Choosing a cheap baggy bite suit (a la Ray Allen or similar) can cause an endless number of issues in your bite work.

One critical issue I see (especially with young dogs) is dogs start to only bite material. They aren’t looking for the man inside the suit. The dogs get accustomed to just getting material during training and it translates to dogs just trying to grab clothing on the street. This is particularly concerning as we come into winter in colder climates. Dogs become satisfied with just biting the a coat and quit trying to actually find the body of the bad guy. We then see bad guys able to slip clothes and escape the grip, prolonging pursuits and endangering officers.

When you are shopping for a suit it is critical to select a suit that is tailored, and allows the dog to feel the decoy, while offering adequate protection at the same time. A custom French cut Demanet bite suit will ensure a good fit, which will translate into even better training. For questions about this issue or other don’t hesitate to contact us. mic@5fgroup.com