THE PUDA DECOY

In an official PUDA Trial, the Head Judge shall pick the Decoy of his choice.  He shall act as the helper of the judge in assessing the performance of the dogs in cases where important observations are hidden from the judges' view. He can make suggestions where it deemed necessary in rendering a decision that would spell the difference between passing or failure.

The decoy's "work" during the trial must reflect the exact instruction of the judge. He is the judge's total responsibility and must obey the judge's instruction to the letter.

All decoys that work in an official PUDA trial must be certified by the PUDA.  Certification requires an oral, written, and practical examination. It is expected that all certified decoys must know the PUDA rules and regulations by heart.

Once certified, the decoy shall be issued a DECOY BOOK. The Decoy Book shall keep track of the decoy's carreer in the ring and must bear the signature of the trial judge on which he had worked with. The Decoy Book shall also serve as his license in working in an official trial and is renewable at the PUDA office every six (6) months to one (1) year.  Failure to renew the Decoy Book shall render it null and void.

Certified decoys are classified into three (3) categories:

CLASS A Decoy.  Authorized to work dogs in levels 1, 2, and 3.

CLASS B Decoy.  Authorized to work dogs in levels 1 & 2.

CLASS C Decoy.  Authorized to work dogs in level 1 only.

THE ATTITUDE OF THE PUDA DECOY.

The appropriate attitude of a decoy working in an official PUDA trial is to test the dog's nerve, and the training that it underwent. He must bear in mind that the dog must convince him, and the judge, that the dog is deserving of the PUDA title that it is working for. Regardless of his club affiliations, the PUDA decoy must also bear in mind that he is working under the responsibility of the judge during official trials. Therefore, impartiality, fairness, self control and consistency is expected in working all the dogs in the trial.

DECOY'S WORK DESCRIPTIONS & LIMITATIONS

The decoy is not allowed to enter his own dog in the same trial where he is the decoy.

He should not involve himself in any conspiracy, fraud, anomaly, and unsportsmanlike behavior inside or outside the trial ring.

During combat, once the dog releases its bite due to fear or avoidance, the decoy must continually threaten the dog by using his voice and body posture to prevent it from biting back.

During combat, no matter how minimal the Decoy's movements are, it must reflect a spirit of confrontation to the dog, not passive and submissive, but posing challenge and intimidation.

In exercises where the use of stick is necessary, the decoy must work the dog with the stick in a manner specified by the judge. In Level 1, he is not allowed to hit the dog with the stick while the dog is off the bite. He is neither allowed to hit the dog at the head, legs or tail, or to rub the stick in any part of the dog's body.

In exercises where the use of gunshot is necessary, the decoy is not allowed to hit the dog with the gun throughout the duration of the exercise.  He may fire the gun pointing towards the dog provided that the dog is at a distance of not less than three (3) meters away from him. In close distance (3 meters or less), he must fire the gun pointing upwards or at the opposite side of the dog.

In cases where the dog hesitates to bite because of avoidance to the gun fire, he may fire another shot to prevent the dog from biting.

In cases where the dog hesitates to bite on the first entry because of fear or avoidance to the distraction materials held by the decoy, he must continue to pressure or threaten the dog using the said distraction material (including his voice or body posture). However, he is not allowed to hit the dog with whatever distraction materials he has while the dog is off the bite. 

In cases where the dog hesitates to bite because of lack of focus, the decoy is not allowed to "invite" the dog to bite by using his voice, body posture and/or the distraction materials that he is holding.  He must remain motionless until the judge signals the horn to end the exercise after the allowable time expires.

In exercises where the decoy is required to act aggressively towards another decoy, they are not allowed to stare directly at the dog's eye to cause agitation. Where the decoy is required to act aggressively towards the handler, he must show his aggressive behavior towards the handler, and not towards the dog. In Level 1, staring directly at the dog's eye is prohibited. In the higher levels (2 & 3) the judge may opt to specify otherwise.

During recalls the decoy must remain motionless upon hearing the handler's command to "out".  He must remain motionless until the judge signals the horn to end the exercise.

During Defense of Handler exercise (Level 1), the decoy must push the handler unmistakably, from a distance of an arms length. He must push the handler with a considerable amount of strength that would cause the handler's body to move. He must also initiate the conversation with the handler in a manner that would justify the role that he plays in the exercise, but without directly provoking the dog to make the attack.

In the Noise Barrage-Courage Test exercise (Level 1), the decoy is not supposed to hit the dog with the plastic container throughout the duration of the exercise. He may shake the plastic container anywhere around the dog in accordance with the judge's instruction.

During Sleeve Bait Attack exercise, the decoy must present the sleeve upon the dog's entry.  Once he released the sleeve, he is not suppose to move from his position to invite the dog to transfer its bite. As soon as the dog transfers its bite, he must continue to work the dog in a manner specified by the judge.

In exercises where the decoy holds a distraction/obstruction material between him and the incoming dog, he shall allow the dog to pass through the obstruction material during the first entry in order to get the bite. If the dog hesitates or moves sideways to avoid the material, he shall prevent the dog from coming through by facing him squarely and putting the material in between them. He shall continue to do so until the judge signals the horn to end the exercise.

In the Hold and Bark exercise, he shall hide himself behind the specified blind and must remain quiet, motionless, and out of the dog's sight. If the dog bites upon entry, he shall continue to remain motionless until the judge signals the horn for the Escort exercise. If the dog failed to locate him after the allowable time expires, he shall wait for the Judge's signal to give a cue to the dog by making a sound specified by the Judge. The sound shall last for approximately two (2) seconds, after which, he shall continue to remain motionless and quiet from where he hides.

During the Escort exercise, he must walk in accordance with the instruction of the judge.  If the dog commits a "dirty bite", he shall continue to walk until further instruction from the judge is given. In cases where the dog loses its focus during the escort, the decoy shall walk at the opposite direction away from the dog. If possible, he must hide himself (in a blind) from the wandering dog until the judge signals the horn to end the exercise.

In the Object Guard exercise, the decoy shall attempt to steal the object from the dog three (3) times without provoking the dog to attack. If the dog bites, he shall stand still for approximately three (3) seconds, after which, he shall move backwards dragging the dog outside the five (5) meter circle.  If the dog releases its bite before reaching the five (5) meter circle, he shall continue to move back until he steps out of the five (5) meter circle and wait for the judge's signal for the second attempt.

If the dog rebites before the decoy could step out of the five (5) meter circle, he shall stand still for approximately three (3) seconds, after which he shall continue to drag the dog out of the five (5) meter line. If the dog continuously hangs on to bite and was successfully dragged by the decoy outside the five (5) meter circle, the judge shall signal the horn to end the particular exercise/attempt.

In the Call Off exercise, the decoy shall invite the dog to attack before it is sent out by the handler. As soon as the handler releases the dog to attack, the decoy must remain motionless, unless otherwise specified by the judge.

The role of the decoy in Levels 2 and 3 exercises are flexible in nature and will depend on the discretion of the judge. All dogs entered in one and the same trial shall undergo the same test using the same distraction materials.

DECOY SANCTIONS

In the event that the decoy unfortunately failed to comply to the instructions of the judge, a replacement may be deemed appropriate. If after a thorough investigation, the decoy is proven guilty of disloyalty to the cause of the organization for which he is assigned to work, the PUDA may revoke his license and prohibits him from working in future PUDA Trials.