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| Carmspack Nick, approx. 7 weeks of age, approximately 3 weeks before showing up at our door. |
They are not robots and do not come preprogrammed.
My latest recruit that I will be raising for police service is "Nick" from Carmspack Kennels. Now, before those of you who wanted information on raising a puppy as a house pet decide to move on, let me let you in on a little secret. The preparation of a puppy for service is not much different than what I would recommend for a pet. What I look to create for the purposes of service is, in my opinion, key to developing a puppy into a well-rounded pet. A driven/motivated, handler-focussed, responsive dog that is neutral to strangers, neutral in the presence of other animals and a pleasure to live with. A dog that behaves in an acceptable manner in the eyes of the general public. The only variations that may be recognized throughout this documentation are that:
- I start with select animals who are purpose-bred and carefully selected
- I go to great lengths to expose the pup to new environments
- My feeding protocol may vary (raw fed) and I will not be following traditional vaccination and preventative protocols as they are not necessary in my opinion (discussion for later post)
You will also notice that there are some specialized exercises that I introduce the puppy to (eg. tracking, scent detection, retrieval, obedience, agility, etc.) that pet owners may not have an interest in doing with their dogs (but they really should, hint, hint). These exercises are fun to do, get you off the couch and help you build a relationship with your puppy. This is the foundation of what you are about to build... don't skimp on this part, but don't overdo it either.
For Those Who Do Not Know Me and Even Those That Do...
By nature, I am the type of person who prefers to work alone. I make a strong effort to avoid training clubs and groups of dog enthusiasts not because I am a snob or close-minded but simply due to the overwhelming politics and agendas of people in general. It saves me time and puts the onus on me to analyze, troubleshoot and solve training issues on my own (to some degree). This is not to say that I am too proud to ask others for help and/or guidance or that I am antisocial. I simply like to stay on task, choose my route (preferably as direct as possible), and ultimately, be successful in achieving my goals. My greatest joy comes from the breakthroughs and successes that I experience with my dogs. Whether it be a simple obedience exercise, a search exercise or simply an exercise to teach a dog to settle, the satisfaction of seeing change influenced by me is what is most satisfying. It is truly a beautiful thing when there is understanding between a handler and their dog...
I realize that others may not feel the same way and that the social aspect of dog related activities is what drives them, which is fantastic... to each his/her own. There is nothing wrong with this, just not my personal cup of tea.
(Motivation = Opportunity) x Success + Reward = Obsession
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| Carmspack Agro, PSD as a pup (photo: jclayphoto) |
In 2007 I was offered an opportunity that would change training for me forever. It revitalized my interest in doing what I loved when it had become stale. I am the type of person who needs to reinvent what they do in order to stay motivated and dealing with the pet public had become somewhat repetitive in nature, and, for lack of a better word, boring. Furthermore, I had lost interest and was disappointed with the K9 sports I was involved with which were wrought with politics, egos and just poor training. It was a learning experience nonetheless, and has reinforced, for me, the importance of patience and how crucial it is to have a true understanding of your goals and the steps to get there.
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| Carmspack Gore (renamed "Thor"), PSD at approximately 11 months old, prior to leaving for Oregon. |
After reconnecting with Carmen Duggan of Carmspack Kennels, I was graciously provided an opportunity to learn about the German Shepherd Dog, about pedigree analysis (which I am still learning), and, most importantly, I was given the opportunity to raise and prepare two (puppy) candidates for service. These two puppies (Carmspack Gore and Carmspack Agro) were an eye opener for me and, because I had an opportunity to do the majority of work with these puppies on my own, it was very enjoyable and a fantastic learning experience. It was also a chance to become acquainted with true working line German Shepherds, something that I lacked experience with. At this point I will not go into detail regarding the difference between working and showline dogs as that could make up a post on its own. However, it might be interesting to know that German Shepherd dogs make up roughly 50% of the training clients that I have (out of all the breeds out there), most of which are training with me due to behavioural issues of which the majority are aggression cases and, of all of the problem GSD's I work with, currently 100% are showline dogs... I will go into detail about this at a later time.
The opportunity that was provided to me by Carmen would result in 2 successes, each dog received initial testing, each was placed with an officer, both dogs certified after their training courses completed (one certified ahead of schedule). I had success, in my first attempts at something that I had no previous experience in... a great feeling.
See links to these dogs here:
and here:
After all of my hard work, learning, and applying what I had learned, I had success and it was extremely satisfying. My motivation to reinvent what I once loved to do developed into an opportunity. With this opportunity came success, a reward in and of itself. Couple this with monetary compensation (very minimal compensation... topic for another post) and the obsession to carry on in this field of training was set. A life-changing event indeed.
Thanks Carmen.
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| Myself and Carmspack Silva, now a certified bomb detection dog and quite possibly the best dog I have ever worked with. (photo: jclayphoto) |
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| Carmspack Stark, PSD. See Starks page here: https://sites.google.com/site/countrylanepsd/successes-references/carmspack-stark-success-page |
The Successes, Missed Opportunities and Changes of Plan
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| Carmspack Griffin, executive protection and pet in Muskoka (photo jclayphoto) |
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Carmspack Fedor with owner Simon
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Enough With the Introduction, Let's Get On With It Already!
Well, now that I have probably put-off some readers with the long introduction and potentially left most with more questions than answers, it's time to get prepared for what is to come. The puppy has been here just over 48 hours as I type these words and the following are a few observations I have made.
Let's get the "fluff" out of the way first:
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| Carmspack Nick's arrival |
- He is cute
- He has sharp little teeth
- He barks at the cat
- He sometimes run faster than his feet can manage
- His name is Nickolas (Nick)
Things that actually matter (to me):
- He is quiet in his crate (Yes, it is completely humane, don't be foolish, be sure to crate train your puppy!)
- He is, for the most part, clean in his crate (no poop or pee to clean up)
- He is raw fed
- He displays "genetic obedience" (will explain later)
- He is food motivated
- He is toy motivated
- He will venture into rough terrain or new places
- He ascends and descends stairs and deals with obstacles in a methodical, coordinated manner, no hectic scrambling up or down
- He is surefooted (see "h" regarding stairs)
- He is quite "hard" (a term I will explain later)
- His nose works well to search things out
- His appetite is good
I think that sums it up for this entry. I promise, the next entry will be dedicated to Nick and applicable to the majority of puppies out there.
If you wish, feel free to look through my (very crude, roughly constructed) website at https://sites.google.com/site/countrylanepsd/Home or www.clpr.ca
Cheers for now!
