A Head to Head, 9 Healthy Pups and a Holiday!

IN THIS BLOG

OUR 2020 JANUARY INITIAL POLICE DOG PUPS GO HEAD TO HEAD

ELLA HAS 9 HEALTHY GERMAN SHEPHERD PUPS 

DINO GOES OFF ON HIS HOLIDAYS

TPD GINNY, TPD ARNIE, TPD RANA. TPD ROGUE, TPD REBEL AND TPD JAY GO HEAD TO HEAD 

TPD’s Ginny, Arnie, Rana, Rogue, Rebel and Jay are the pups for our January 2020 Initial Police dog course. They have another 7 months before their course starts but they are already very advanced in terms of the training standards that they have reached.

This week I set up a light hearted training competition to assess the standard that they are at and to help with any training needs that they may have.  Here are the puppy walkers and their pups who took part.

Left to right are TPD Ginny, TPD Arnie and TPD Rana with their puppy walkers.

Left to right are TPD Rogue, TPD Rebel and TPD Jay with their puppy walkers.

The main role of our puppy walkers is to raise and socialise their pup so that when their pup is eventually allocated to their handler at around 12 to 14 months of age the puppy is confident in meeting every conceivable environmental circumstance or situation that they encounter.

This makes for a much better-rounded and balanced future Police dog. Here is TPD Ginny confidently meeting crowds and animals at the Devon County show.

Here is puppy walker Stewart doing one of the regular visits he makes to the Haywards primary School in Crediton with TPD Jay

The type of puppy selected for the Police puppy program are nearly always very determined, confident high energy individuals.  Very often just going for walks, socialising and playing isn’t enough for some of the pups.

TPD Ginny pictured here with young Ellie is typical of the type of pup that I am talking about never running out of energy no matter how long you play with her.

It was for this reason that I started voluntary fortnightly training and development sessions to give the puppy walkers the opportunity to do something extra with their pups. This involves training the pups to do some of the early stages of Police dog training.

Our puppy walkers rarely miss a training session and it shows in the standards that they achieve. All of this extra training means the pups start their Initial Police dog course already part trained in some exercises.  Here are TPD Ginny, TPD Jay and TPD Rebel at 7 months doing a group sit stay.

This helps our Initial Police dog trainers and the handlers to reach an even higher standard on our Initial Police dog courses than they otherwise would.

TPD Rana pictured here with puppy walkers Colin and Mitzi is an extremely high drive dog and so basic control exercises make her a much more manageable and pleasant dog to live with.

For our competition I set 7 tests.

TEST 1  (TRACKING)  Each dog had to locate the start of a 75 metre track/trail and follow it to locate a toy hidden at the end. The dogs were not allowed to see the track being laid and were awarded marks for determination, accuracy and focus.

All of the dogs performed well on this exercise. Here are TPD Rana, TPD Arnie and TPD Ginny all showing those qualities.

TEST 2  (RETRIEVE A TOY) After recovering and playing with the toy at the end of the track the toy was taken from the dog and thrown 30 metres. The dog was then sent to retrieve the toy back to the handler. Marks were awarded for enthusiasm and speed of return to the handler.

Again all the dogs performed well on this exercise but the top scorers were TPD’s Ginny, Jay and Rebel.  Here are TPD Jay and TPD Rebel both performing excellent retrieves.

TEST 3 ( RELEASING A TOY ON COMMAND) The handler was required to engage in a tug of war game with their dog and the handler had to demonstrate he/she could get the dog to release the toy then pause before allowing the dog to continue the tug game.

Again everyone was able to demonstrate this important requirement with TPD Rebel and TPD Rogue scoring joint highest. Here is Lyn demonstrating a perfect tug and leave.

TEST 4   ( RECALL TO HANDLER )  I held the handlers dog while the handler walked away for 50 metres before turning and recalling their dog. Marks were awarded for the enthusiasm and actions of the handler in obtaining a fast direct return.

Again everyone scored highly with TPD Rogue and TPD Arnie both scoring a perfect 10.

Here are Marian and Jill recalling TPD Ginny & TPD Rebel demonstrating the enthusiastic non-threatening posture I was looking for ie open arms, lowered body posture and moving backwards inviting play.

TEST 5  (THE DOWN STAY ) The handler had to put their dog in the down position, tell them to stay, walk away 10 paces then return to their dog and release them.

This was never going to be easy after having just performed lots of exciting exercises but TPD Arnie,

TPD Rebel and TPD Jay all gave perfect performances. Here is Jill and Andy demonstrating this important exercise with TPD Rebel and TPD Arnie.

TEST 6   Getting the dog to bark at a person. Marks were obtained for speed of response and strength of bark. This exercise is the foundation of the person search exercise.

All of the dogs excelled at this exercise and TPD Rana was particularly impressive.

But I was really pleased with TPD Ginny because we have been doing some extra work with her on her bark, criminal work and article search which has really paid off.

TEST 7   Chase and detain a criminal wearing a large uncovered sleeve. Marks were awarded for speed and determination of attack.

All of the dogs love this exercise and it is an exercise our Initial Police dog course Instructors will do at the end of a long hard training day because it really lifts a dog spirit and leaves the dogs finishing the day on a high.

TPD Jay and TPD Rana were particularly impressive on their chase and attacks.

SUMMARY

I was delighted with all of the teams and everyone scored at least one maximum score. However Andy and TPD Arnie performed consistently well on every section and deservedly won our mini competition. ( Show Pic 22)

Congratulations to Andy and Arnie on their moment of deserved glory and their prize a doggie treat pouch to be presented on our next training day.

Everyone will get their chance for revenge on our 2nd  mini competition when we will be assessing  person searching, article searching and some focus exercises. Well done all.

ELLA HAS 9 HEALTHY GERMAN SHEPHERD PUPPIES

Ella had 9 healthy German shepherd puppies on Friday 21st of June. She had shown signs on Thursday evening and at 1215 on Friday lunchtime she delivered her first puppy. She then tried for over an hour to deliver a second pup and I suspected all was not well.
I contacted our vets and was advised to bring Ella and her pup in for further investigation. Our vet
Nick established there was a pup blocking proceedings and administered an Oxytocin injection to help Ella with contractions to help the puppy on its way.

Had this not worked a Caesarean would have been required. I expected the puppy to be born dead but that was not the case and within 15 minutes we had 3 more pups born in the consultation room. Nick confirmed by scan that there were more pups to come and so we made a dash for home with Ella and her 4 pups.

She had a fifth pup in the back of my dog van as we travelled home bringing the total to 5 pups. We were soon back home and Ella settled remarkably quickly with her 5 healthy pups.

She then had 2 more pups at 6.30pm and 7pm bringing the total to 7 pups. For the next 2 hours she was having further contractions but was becoming exhausted and so I decided to contact the vets again to assist her.

Clive the head vet came to our house gave her another Oxytocin injection and within minutes we had 2 more arrivals.

I was astonished at how fresh she looked after delivering her 9 pups.

It was then time for her to have a bath and some supper before getting back to her pups for the night.

I stayed with her overnight and saw first-hand how hard mum works through the night constantly feeding and cleaning the pups.

Cleanliness is paramount and so the whelping box needs to be cleaned regularly and bedding changed.

This is a simple matter of putting the pups in a small box cuddled up together while the work is done. It also helps when you have a strong confident female who trusts you with her pups.

Ella is a very fit athletic female with a very strong character and she just seemed to take it all in her stride.


As much as she wants to be with her pups it is important for her welfare that she has lots of breaks, time to relax and a daily wash and groom. We are lucky to have such a large garden that we can give her that freedom without having to go to areas where she could bring back an infection to the pups.

One question I always get asked is why do you have the wooden rails around the inside of the whelping box. They are to prevent mum from crushing any of the pups. The rails are mainly used for night time when we are asleep and not supervising the pups.

For the first 3 or 4 days I will sleep on the sofa next to the whelping box just to keep an eye on things.

With the warmer days we don’t use a heat lamp and as the pups cannot regulate their temperatures for several weeks it is important that mum is with them to keep them warm.
 

Once the pups are more able to regulate their temperatures and become more demanding the Sofa is an excellent place that Ella can go for some respite from the pups but can still be able to monitor them.

We don’t encourage visitors for a few weeks because as social as she is to all visitors if she hears a noise or vehicle she doesn’t recognise she will leap out of the whelping box in her guarding mode and risks trampling on a pup in the process.

Ella is my own female who was born in Germany on the 10th of February 2017 and imported by me when she was 15 weeks old.

The father of the pups is PD Drake pictured here with Ella.

I imported Drake from the Teikerhook kennels in Holland when he was 4 months old. He lived with us and Ella until he was 13 months old before graduating as a Police dog with his handler Mark Stevens in April this year.

They know each other very well and could be described as childhood sweethearts. PD Drake came to stay with us for a week when Ella was in season and they obviously successfully renewed their acquaintance.

We will be placing the pups in their coloured collars tomorrow and naming them. I will be doing a weekly blog showing their progress.

TPD DINO IS OFF ON HIS HOLIDAY   

Those of you who read my last blog or follow twitter will know that I have been looking after and training TPD Dino since I collected him from Lorokmor working dogs when he was 8 weeks old.

He is a bit of a celebrity on twitter and was definitely the star at the Devon County show. By 12 weeks of age he was tracking 15 minute old tracks with multiple changes of direction. I was really excited as to what level we could achieve.

With the arrival of Ella’s litter I had to find a temporary puppy walker for a few months because TPD

Dino would have been neglected and he would no doubt have pestered Ella.

Our friends Eamon and Karen Rogers agreed to look after TPD Dino for us. Eamon and Karen are experienced puppy walkers and Eamon is a retired Devon and Cornwall Police dog handler.

He has settled in well and this week Karen and Eamon took him on holiday with them on their canal barge.

Today the weather wasn’t so good which meant that TPD Dino had to settle for playing cards with Eamon.

I really miss this little character.

However I know that Eamon and Karen have fallen in love with him and it wouldn’t surprise me if his stay with them is extended.

In my next blog I will give an update on Ella’s pups which I hope to do on a weekly basis. There will also be an update on Nicki and Nero who have both failed their hip X rays which sadly means they have had to retire from the program and we are in the process of finding them new forever homes.
An update on how our pups PD Bill and TPD Brock are doing with their new handlers in South Yorkshire and West Mercia.

There will also be an update on the dogs who all being well will be on the September 2019 Initial Police dog course ie TPD Echo, TPD Ernie, TPD Errol and TPD Nico.

For those of you rushing around constantly on your phones finding life a little stressful take some advice from Ella and our pups ‘Relax a little’





See you next time.

The Devon County Show 2019

An enjoyable day out for our pups and puppy walkers at the Devon County Show

This year The Devon County show took place from Thursday 16th to Saturday 18th May 2019 at the Devon county showground in Exeter.

Throughout the year Westpoint kindly allow our Police dog teams to train on their site and so every year to thank them for their generosity The Police dog section put on a Police dog display for the public on all 3 days of the show.

Our puppy walkers and their pups are also invited to the Devon county show and we put on our own short display prior to the main Police dog display.

We have been bringing the pups to the Devon county show for a number of years now and in addition to supporting the Police dog display we also use the day as a socialisation and development day for the pups.

Pictured here on Thursday are puppy walkers Rod & Karen with TPD Nico, Stewart & Alison with TPD Jay, Me with TPD Dino, Henry, Chris, Lindsay, baby William & TPD Nico.

Pictured here at Fridays show are puppy walkers Lyn, John & Ian with TPD Rogue, Andy with TPD Arnie and Terry & Jill with TPD Rebel.

Pictured here at Saturdays show are puppy walkers Colin & Mitzi with TPD Rana, Marian, Keith, their children Ellie & James with TPD Ginny, my wife Diane, puppy walker Margaret with TPD

Nicki, regular helper Angie and me with that little man TPD Dino again.

Taking the pups around the Devon county show site gives me an ideal opportunity to assess how confident the pups are in what is a very challenging environment for young dogs.  

The pups will encounter huge crowds, large numbers of different animals and dogs, a very noisy fairground and a wide range of different circumstances. Here is Ginny looking very relaxed and taking it all in her stride.

Here are brothers TPD Rebel and TPD Rogue confidently watching people in giant balloons in a large splash pool. I think had they not been on a lead they would have joined them.

 

Here is TPD Nero meeting Devon and Cornwall Police mascots Juliet and Bravo for the first time.

Here is TPD Jay making a new friend.

Over the 3 days we had 10 pups at the show. Five of those pups were bred by Bernard Horton of Kazzardsway German shepherds. He is very passionate about his dogs and came all the way down from Manchester to see his pups over the 3 days.

Here is Bernard with 3 of his pups TPD Nico, TP Nero and TPD Jay on Thursday.

I was extremely pleased and proud of all of our pups and their puppy walkers throughout the 3 days. I don’t recall a single incident of any of our pups showing any nervousness or aggression to another dog, animal or person on site.

Here is the ever friendly TPD Jay showing his excellent temperament as he calmly introduces himself to an equally calm donkey at the Donkey sanctuary stand.

Here is TPD Ginny with her puppy walking family making new friends and happy to be approached and petted. This is how it should be because owning a German shepherd or any dog for that matter should be a pleasure.

THE FAIRGROUND

The fairground is an ideal place for an assessment of our pups. It is very noisy and there are lots of unusual things going on.

Pictured here are TPD Ginny, TPD Nicki and TPD Rana who not particularly bothered by the dodgem cars crashing behind them.

TPD Rebel, TPD Arnie and TPD Rogue were equally unfazed by the Whirling Wurlitzer.

Pictured here are TPD Jay, TPD Nero and TPD Nico on the Hulk ride. TPD Nico on the right did have a slight uncertain reaction to walking up onto the aluminium skirting on this ride.

However with some careful handling by puppy walker Rod TPD Nico soon got his confidence and it wasn’t a problem after that.

When we are assessing potential Police dogs one of the primary qualities we are looking for is resilience. In other words if something unpleasant or difficult happens can the dog improve and recover.

Here is TPD Nico encountering quite an extreme situation with the Twister but he coped extremely well. His nerves are clearly solid but he is a thinker and has a slight sensitivity in his nature. We have established he has resilience and so with lots of socialisation environmentally he will be fine.



You will often hear dog owners say my dog is not afraid of anything. All dogs will have something that frightens them but it is not a problem if they have the resilience to overcome and recover from it.

Here are TPD Nico, TPD Jay and TPD Nero taking in the dodgems.  TPD Nero wasn’t jumping on a stranger in the dodgem cars it was Chris’s son Henry and father in law.



All of the pups were extremely confident with everything they encountered both walking around the site and at the fairground.

Here are brothers TPD Rogue and TPD Rebel bred by Ian Morgan of Lorokmor working dogs aged  9 months and TPD Arnie aged 8 months bred by Bernard Horton of Kazzardsway showing a completely relaxed attitude.

Over the years we have had several dogs that have frozen and will not go onto some of the aluminium floors at the fairground. These dogs didn’t go on to make operational Police dogs.

No such problems for TPD Arnie, TPD Rogue and TPD Rebel as they confidently make their way over to one of the rides.



Here are brothers TPD Jay and TPD Arnie doing some environmental work on the various floors.

I am often asked why some of the dogs are wearing head collars. This is because when the dogs get to 7 or 8 months they are extremely strong and powerful.

Despite having done lots of puppy heelwork when the pups were smaller they will still try to get to certain distractions and that can be dangerous for the puppy walker and the dog. Here is TPD Rana completely under the control of puppy walker Mitzi because of the head collar.

I am not a fan of head collars unless they are used properly ie the lead is loose and the head collar is not cutting into the dogs muzzle or worse still pulling up and twisting into their eyes. 

Here are TPD Rana and TPD Ginny wearing head collars. They have all clearly spotted something of interest. TPD Nicki is on the right.

 THE POLICE DOG DISPLAY

Although the pups are not part of the main Police dog display we like our puppy walkers and their pups to be part of the occasion and so we put on our own short puppy display before the main
Operational Police dog display.

All of our operational Police dogs come from our puppy development program and so without our puppy walkers the dog section wouldn’t have as many outstanding operational Police dogs as it has.

He we all are making our way to the display arena to support the main Police dog display.

As in previous years PC Graham Attwood from the Police dog training school organised the main Police dog display and was the commentator for the whole event. I thought he was excellent and made it the success it was.
We started with 3 of our puppy walking teams entering the arena and being introduced to the crowd.

Here is Karen with TPD Nico entering the arena.

We like to explain and show the work that our puppy walkers do and to explain about our puppy development program.

The puppy teams then demonstrated some basic control positions. Here is Stewart demonstrating the down stay with TPD Jay.

Each team then demonstrated one of the many training and development exercises that we do on our fortnightly training sessions. Here is TPD Jay demonstrating going over the A frame.

Here is Chris and TPD Nero demonstrating the hold and bark exercise. This is the start of person searching where the dog is taught to bark to indicate to his/her handler that he has found a missing person or outstanding criminal.

Here is Ian with TPD Rogue demonstrating that at 9 months of age and 8 months before he starts his Initial Police dog course he is already quite advanced on his chase and attack exercise.

Here is TPD Rebel with puppy walker Terry going over the A frame.

Here is TPD Rana with puppy walker Mitzi performing the chase and attack exercise.

Here are 3 videos of the 3 individual exercises that the pups demonstrated in our puppy display.

Video 4 shows Terry and Jill with TPD Rebel completing the A frame and tunnel.



Video 5 shows Ian with TPD Rogue demonstrating the early puppy stages of the chase and attack exercise.



Video 6 shows Andy and TPD Arnie demonstrating the early stages of the hold and bark search exercise.



When you consider these are young inexperienced pups being handled by civilian puppy walkers who have only trained in their familiar training locations and have never been in front of a crowd You have to say that they were a credit to themselves and the Police force.

Our puppy walkers and pups then left the arena while I brought on our latest recruit TPD Dino into the arena.

TPD DINO

The star of the show was our latest addition to the program 10 week old TPD Dino a Malinois
Belgian shepherd bred by Ian Morgan from Lorokmor working dogs.

I have had him for 2 weeks and like most Malinois he has endless enthusiasm and energy which needs to go somewhere. I have already started him on puppy tracks and have been preparing him for the show by doing the walkway and tunnel with him most days using food titbits.

While he does the walkway he wears a harness so that he can’t slip or fall off.

Here he is going through the tunnel.

He has only had one of his inoculations and so I carry him when we are in areas where there could be a risk.

You will see from the video he certainly didn’t find being a part of the show in anyway stressful and that is probably because he has met so many people in the short time that I have had him.



My intention was to raise TPD Dino until he eventually goes to his handler. I am already very attached to this incredible little character but I have a slight complication that my female Ella might be pregnant.

I will find out tomorrow. IF Ella is pregnant it will not be a good idea if TPD Dino is with me as she approaches whelping. That is because Ella and I have such a close bond and she has such high work drive that I worry seeing me pay attention to TPD Dino could mean that she does not concentrate fully on her litter.

If she is pregnant I am looking for an experienced puppy walker or Police dog handler who could take him for me for a couple of months. At the time of writing this blog no one has yet come forward to assist.

After TPD Dino completed his part of the display all of the puppy walkers and pups joined us to go around the arena to meet and greet the crowd.

We then left the arena and the actual Police dog display took place. It was an excellent display show casing our detection dogs, our general purpose dogs and an amusing finale involving several members of the public. You can see the whole display on our force website.

TPD Nero, TPD Nico and TPD Jay were captivated watching the experienced Police dogs performing their display and would have happily joined in if they could.

I would like to thank all of our puppy walkers for all of their hard work preparing for the Devon county show and giving up their day to attend. This photo of Ian and TPD Rogue sums up what a great time we all had and what puppy walking is all about.

From Ella, Dino and me bye for now.