# 15 month old GSD extremely immature!!!!



## WorkingK9

So my work has me brushing up training on a 15 month old GSD for patrol work. He is great on agility, bite work, scent detection, and obedience. Here's the problem: this dog performs near perfect obedience for me for the last 3 months, we think he is ready to go through his validation so we go ahead and book him.
The day of his test we have a big snowfall. The test is outside and the dogs are required to sit and lie down in the wet snow as part of their obedience evaluation. The moment I unhook his leash for an off-leash heel, he bolts and runs off to play in the snow. Calling him did no good, telling him to "down" was ignored. 
The tester said this dog is completely immature and has no respect for me. I dont understand how a dog that performs almost perfectly for me for several months can do a 180 just because of a little enviornmental hicup. The tester hinted that this dog is unbalanced and unsuitable for patrol work as he cannot be completely trusted, I feel he may be right.
I felt like he embrassed me on purpose and has no respect for me at all even though he has been part of my family for 5 months. I have been through 5 validation tests with 4 different dogs and never had an issue until now. Should I just call it quits with this dog?:help:


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## carmspack

Your evaluator pretty much said exactly that . 
"The tester hinted that this dog is unbalanced and unsuitable for patrol work as he cannot be completely trusted, I feel he may be right"

I think the key word is performs . You have trained the dog , not tapped into what is naturally present to the dog. Seems there is not a desire to work with you , the dog works for you . Big difference .
I would not rely on this dog , not trust this dog to be dependable .

got pedigree?


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## jae

carmspack said:


> I think the key word is performs . You have trained the dog , not tapped into what is naturally present to the dog. Seems there is not a desire to work with you , the dog works for you . Big difference .


do you mind expanding on this thought? 
naturally present in the dog, as in, its own drive to succeed for himself, rather than please the trainer?
I have heard someone say that dogs don't work to please their handler, but work to put themselves in the position that they are happy, which is a direct handler/dog correlation?

I take it as, dog works for you, meaning you lay down the law and it follows since you say so and will not stray from that... Then, dog works with you, meaning you train the dog to follow direction but still have independence to succeed, in the end make both of you happy? but how does one bring this trait out?


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN

WorkingK9 said:


> *I felt like he embrassed me on purpose and has no respect for me at all even though he has been part of my family for 5 months.* I have been through 5 validation tests with 4 different dogs and never had an issue until now. Should I just call it quits with this dog?:help:


No, a 15 month old dog that you've had for 5 months did not do that. 

Besides, he didn't have time to plan all of that in 5 months - and how did he know it would snow? Or did he have a plan B in case it did? Diabolical.  

But seriously - he didn't do it on purpose.


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## APBTLove

This might seem like a totally weird question. BUT, how often does he get to cut loose completely and just be a dog and PLAY? And have you ever worked in him snow? 

He's still a young dog, and it sounds like he's a very busy dog too. He has a mind and life of his own, you cannot expect him to be your robot - meaning he's going to do what he wants sometimes, not what you want. He didn't do this to hurt your feelings. It drives me nuts when people try to blame the dogs behavior on revenge, dogs don't do that! I can't tell you how many times I've told people their dog didn't poop in the house because you went on a date and he was jealous, the dog didn't go sniff your BFFs crotch to embarrass you, the dog didn't ignore you at a park and go pick a fight because you hurt his feelings earlier. Dogs don't plan out things to hurt you.


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## NancyJ

Am I missing something? He is still a bit of a puppy for serious work no? I thought most police dogs were about 2 to 2.5 before operational?

I certified Beau (NAPWDA) at 15 months but several police organizations in the states won't even consider a dog under 18 months for testing. And Beau was strictly obedience and detection. Even so he has his puppy moments.

[I admit the breaking and running was a bit much but, snow! Has his training been generalized to all kinds of different conditions?


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## llombardo

jocoyn said:


> Am I missing something? He is still a bit of a puppy for serious work no? I thought most police dogs were about 2 to 2.5 before operational?
> 
> I certified Beau (NAPWDA) at 15 months but several police organizations in the states won't even consider a dog under 18 months for testing. And Beau was strictly obedience and detection. Even so he has his puppy moments.
> 
> [I admit the breaking and running was a bit much but, snow! Has his training been generalized to all kinds of different conditions?


 
I originally thought that he is kinda young. My 15 month old loves to play and we have some snow coming today. I will be right out there with her playing. She did well in obedience and loves agility. I love watching her play and be a puppy:wub:


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## wolfy dog

So you learned that you had not trained him in various kinds of situations: in this case it was snow. 
And I agree for 100% with APBT that he did not do this on purpose. It shows that you have to study the mind of dogs more in depth so you don't have to have your feelings hurt by your dog.
Even LE dogs are not robots and most dogs go crazy in their first snow. It would have been better had you worked him in the snow, just prior to the test.
Hope you'll give him a break and not take it out on him.


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## billsharp

15 months is still pretty much puppy, especially if the training hasn't been distraction-proofed and tested (which it sounds like yours wasn't). I know of perfectly mature and rational adult humans who get giddy at the first snowfall.

And no, the dog didn't do anything "on purpose" to humiliate you. They don't think like that--"dey lib in de momen" (Cesar)


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## Lilie

WorkingK9 said:


> So my work has me brushing up training on a 15 month old GSD for patrol work. He is great on agility, bite work, scent detection, and obedience. Here's the problem: this dog performs near perfect obedience for me for the last 3 months, we think he is ready to go through his validation so we go ahead and book him.


*This is a question, and by all means does not reflect on the OP's ability to handle the dog.* 

Could the dog have reacted to too much pressure being placed on it to go through validation when it really wasn't clear to the handler if the dog was ready or not?


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## martemchik

This is an interesting question because for most of us this isn't even an issue. I've never seen a LE dog get trained and I do believe that 15 months old is very young for any type of certification into FULL police work, but if this was just an evaluation of how the dog is doing up to now, it might be a sign of things to come.

These dogs have to be the best of the best. They can't have a moment of lapse like this. Many people have trained their dogs for a BH or a CD before the dog was 1 year old so I can see how this should have been an exercise that the dog should be able to complete. But the bolting wasn't the worst part...its the not listening afterwards that is most alarming.

I don't think any of us can say that this dog doesn't have what it takes, in reality the evaluator has the most experience and the most knowledge to make such a call and he might be right in this case. What if he has seen this happen with 100s of other dogs and those dogs ended up not working out? This isn't a sport or a venue where the worst thing that happens if your dog blows you off is an NQ or a failed trial. This is a real life job and bad things happen if this dog blows off the handler.

I've been to a Schutzhund trial where a dog wouldn't stop biting the sleeve...even after it was called back to heel and the handler/helper were walking together, it went and bit the sleeve again. Well...that's just points but proves a point about the dog having self control and the want to please the handler rather than do what is fun for it.


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## carmspack

I have had dogs certified and fully operational at that age - including Stark - dual in Buffalo , and Purina Hall of Famer Keno with Metro Toronto , and several narc dogs etc etc --

it is an indication of the general mindset . 

Most dogs get evaluated in the 12 to 18 month age range and generally what you have then , tends to repeat later on if you were to go for a re-evaluation. What may improve is intensity through maturation . Generally dogs have completed the 16 week certification course as close to two years (plus a bit) as possible.


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## carmspack

jae-- you know the difference between trained and developed when you have experienced it . You can train a dog to perform something , well, but as time goes by , and difficulty increases it is the dogs inner drive that over comes exhaustion, heat stress, thirst , even fear . Those are over ridden by drive and keen intense focus.

I saw this kind of immaturity that the OP mentioned so many years ago when dogs going through a guide dog training course were taken to Toronto's downtown core , along Yonge Street , which is as busy and hectic as you could imagine - along the newly built mega mall Eaton's Centre. I had dogs that had already qualified and was continuing with a donation program of young animals for guide (which certified) , knew the trainer, new the person in charge of pup acquisitions and the breeding program which they were planning to set up.

You could see dogs which had purpose and a sense of responsibility . They took their charge seriously and soberly. There were dogs which were life-of-the party . Deviated easily when someone ewwed and awwed , sought attention, stopped to sniff the ground and check the sides of buildings , stopped to snatch up some dropped food near the waste bins from office workers grabbing a bite and not finishing it.

Those animals really never developed themselves out of that mind-set . 

When a dog is used for practical work , which includes patrol , you have to have confidence in that dog , and that dog has to think and act independantly to get the job done.
What next -- he sees a dog playing ball and he decides to be the monkey-in-the-middle.


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## NancyJ

What about lines. Don't some of the Czech lines common in police service work mature a little more slowly? Just curious.


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## Gretchen

So if your dog for some reason cannot do patrol work, can you still keep him a working dog for scent detection?

All my dog wants to do at training is play on the agility equipment. She's been like that as a pup and now she's 2.5, so I don't know if your dog will change. Last training session we practiced a recall from a long distance, my dog ran to the fun, curvy tunnel about 20' to my left instead of me, went through and then came to me. 

Our dog did not start behaving in a more mature way until she was just over 18 months, so maybe your dog is still too young, see if you can re-evaluate in 3-4 months. Sorry you felt embarrassed, can't help but think your dog must have looked kind of cute playing in the snow though.


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## Andaka

Males tend to mature later - 2 years or even older. My male didn't really mature mentally until almost 3 years of age.


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## JakodaCD OA

no expert here, but I wouldn't be to quick to wash him out..I'd give him another 10 months and re-evaluate.


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## carmspack

in 10 months he would be too old - 25 months -- the OP should have a frank talk with the evaluator , give him one or two months and then "appeal" and have him run through again . 
Detection - same thing the dog has to have focus and not be distracted by things in the environment -- nor can he give false indications -- some lines do mature more slowly but they still have the basics there - just they keep getting better and better .


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## codmaster

WorkingK9 said:


> So my work has me brushing up training on a 15 month old GSD for patrol work. He is great on agility, bite work, scent detection, and obedience. Here's the problem: this dog performs near perfect obedience for me for the last 3 months, we think he is ready to go through his validation so we go ahead and book him.
> The day of his test we have a big snowfall. The test is outside and the dogs are required to sit and lie down in the wet snow as part of their obedience evaluation. The moment I unhook his leash for an off-leash heel, he bolts and runs off to play in the snow. Calling him did no good, telling him to "down" was ignored.
> The tester said this dog is completely immature and has no respect for me. I dont understand how a dog that performs almost perfectly for me for several months can do a 180 just because of a little enviornmental hicup. The tester hinted that this dog is unbalanced and unsuitable for patrol work as he cannot be completely trusted, I feel he may be right.
> I felt like he embrassed me on purpose and has no respect for me at all even though he has been part of my family for 5 months. I have been through 5 validation tests with 4 different dogs and never had an issue until now. Should I just call it quits with this dog?:help:


Where were you doing OB that the dog was "nearly perfect"? 

Was it in brand new environments and with heavy distractions around? That can make a HUGE difference in their behavior.

So could be the dog genetically is really not suitable OR it might be the training and esp. the "Proofing" that the dog has undergone.


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## WorkingK9

I give this dog daily play time off leash where he can run and play for about an hour with me, he has never run off then and is always the first back to my car where he waits for me to open his kennel. I know that dogs don't have human traits and don't plan to embarass their handlers but as the validator said "this dog basically told you to F off today, he has no respect". I have been told that I was not firm enough with him. I feel I was though and he doesn't respond well to other trainers. He certainly wasn't spoiled though, he has one toy that I keep and is kennel kept when home, and is not allowed to play with the other dogs, as instructed.


APBTLove said:


> This might seem like a totally weird question. BUT, how often does he get to cut loose completely and just be a dog and PLAY? And have you ever worked in him snow?
> 
> He's still a young dog, and it sounds like he's a very busy dog too. He has a mind and life of his own, you cannot expect him to be your robot - meaning he's going to do what he wants sometimes, not what you want. He didn't do this to hurt your feelings. It drives me nuts when people try to blame the dogs behavior on revenge, dogs don't do that! I can't tell you how many times I've told people their dog didn't poop in the house because you went on a date and he was jealous, the dog didn't go sniff your BFFs crotch to embarrass you, the dog didn't ignore you at a park and go pick a fight because you hurt his feelings earlier. Dogs don't plan out things to hurt you.


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## WorkingK9

Normally I would agree with you on the age thing but I have worked with police narcotics K9s and my first partner was a 1 year old lab for narcotics. We had an amazing tight bond and went through a US and Canadian validation in one month and with only one miss between both (I still miss her). So anyways, they are definately metally/physically mature at 15 months. BTW, these are security patrol K9s not Police, but we are validated by the police K9 units.


jocoyn said:


> Am I missing something? He is still a bit of a puppy for serious work no? I thought most police dogs were about 2 to 2.5 before operational?
> 
> I certified Beau (NAPWDA) at 15 months but several police organizations in the states won't even consider a dog under 18 months for testing. And Beau was strictly obedience and detection. Even so he has his puppy moments.
> 
> [I admit the breaking and running was a bit much but, snow! Has his training been generalized to all kinds of different conditions?


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## WorkingK9

I agree that this could possibly be the problem, it was unavoidable though, at least on my part as I have only had him since July. This day it snowed a few hours prior to validation. I dont know if he was trained in the winter last year at all. My 5 month old GSD who is training right now is also seeing his first snow and has been really enjoying training in it. I don't own the 15 month old and I think you are correct that he was not adequately trained for different weather conditions. The validator thought it was a little extreme though, he should still have come back even if he was acting like an idiot. We had to physically retrieve him from over 500 ft away as he would not recall.


wolfy dog said:


> So you learned that you had not trained him in various kinds of situations: in this case it was snow.
> And I agree for 100% with APBT that he did not do this on purpose. It shows that you have to study the mind of dogs more in depth so you don't have to have your feelings hurt by your dog.
> Even LE dogs are not robots and most dogs go crazy in their first snow. It would have been better had you worked him in the snow, just prior to the test.
> Hope you'll give him a break and not take it out on him.


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## WorkingK9

Possibly, however he gave me every indication he was ready to test, he also went through 2 pretests prior to booking and seemed completely focussed...of course it wasn't snowing then though


Lilie said:


> *This is a question, and by all means does not reflect on the OP's ability to handle the dog.*
> 
> Could the dog have reacted to too much pressure being placed on it to go through validation when it really wasn't clear to the handler if the dog was ready or not?


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## carmspack

lack of the recall is a deal breaker -- shows there is a lack of desire to work with --


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## carmspack

when it comes to recommending dogs , no let's go back one or two steps , when it comes to working with dogs all along the way they are being tested and observed for their natural work attitude , and choices that they make , dedication to task , focus, and stability . I will reject them if there is any doubt . I like things to be there . Not created . Many many many of my dogs have gone into programs at about 11 months to 16 months , one as young as 9 months (Stark - Buffalo) and all passed certification first time round . They either have it or they don't . One of the ones that entered at around 11 months was a black sable long coat Flint Untitled who had a grand long career , winning 3 medals at the USPCA police trials shortly after joining the force , and with a very good open minded , first time handler (thank you Jeff !)
Untitled Flint lived into his 12 th year - he was special requested by FBI , to participate in an anti-terrorist round up "made to have him put down Friday.
In 1997, the then-named Lindsay Police Service introduced the force's first-ever canine unit, which served Lindsay and the now former Ops Township for seven years.
Flint was responsible for many drug seizures and arrests. In 2000, he was key in the arrest of two men who had stolen some $8,000 in merchandise from Lindsay Square Mall.
The dog also intervened when an emotionally disturbed man armed with a knife tried to have police take his life. No one was hurt.
In 1998, the pair received national recognition after winning three medals at the Canadian Law Enforcement Games in Waterloo. Flint and Wentworth were even called on for a joint anti-terrorism effort led by the FBI in 2002" 

another one - Strike - entered in training at the just past one year mark Untitled


Carmspack Keno - who entered Metro Toronto k9 at 11 months worked almost to his 11th year and at 5 years won the Purina Hall of Fame *







*

*Keno
1997*
*Service
Dog
of the
Year* ​*Toronto, Ontario Keno, a five-year-old German Shepherd, owned by Constable John Gerrits, suffered severe injures in his successful attempt in capturing a breaking-and-entering suspect. Constable Gerrits and his police service dog Keno answered an emergency call about a breaking-and-entering in progress. When they arrived at the scene, the suspect had already begun to escape from the crime area. During the chase, Keno rounded a corner and was struck by an on-coming car. Despite Keno's severe bleeding from the accident, the canine continued to chase the suspect. Keno quickly caught up with the suspect and tackled him to the ground. He then gripped the criminal's arm, allowing the officers to arrest him. As a result of the accident, Keno required stitches in his leg and suffered head injuries*​ 

They have it or they do not.


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## carmspack

so what I am saying is that I would dismiss this dog and not even wait for an official evaluation. There are some things which just need to be there without question , bond , handler interest , reliability , dependability , totally necessary . With this mindset of the dog I would always be anxious for the next goof up .


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## WorkingK9

That's why I have decided to give up on him, a refusal to recall shows me he doesn't want to work with me. Not all handlers and dogs are compatable, this dog is not the right partner for me. My first patrol partner was his mother ironically, and she would have thrown herself in front of a car to protect me, she literally never needed a leash and saved me from certain harm at least twice. When she passed away from cancer it was devestating, it took a while before I could accept another partner.


carmspack said:


> lack of the recall is a deal breaker -- shows there is a lack of desire to work with --


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## WorkingK9

Thank you very much for your informative reply, the question of whether this dog is suitable for this kind of work is something I have brought up with my boss before and he refuses to believe it. But this is my life and ultimately I dont want a partner I cant trust. There are always going to be distractions and new things but the dog needs to have the drive and desire to work through these things and focus on the job at hand. Training plays a big role but genetics and personality play a bigger role like you said.


carmspack said:


> so what I am saying is that I would dismiss this dog and not even wait for an official evaluation. There are some things which just need to be there without question , bond , handler interest , reliability , dependability , totally necessary . With this mindset of the dog I would always be anxious for the next goof up .


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## WorkingK9

Definately NOT cute, I love my dogs and there is a time for play but he knew this was time to work. I will take this as a learning expeirence though. As for his future, he may be paired with another handler as I dont think my boss is willing to accept what the validator said. I will not be re-testing with him though. I would like to see him go to good family instead.


Gretchen said:


> So if your dog for some reason cannot do patrol work, can you still keep him a working dog for scent detection?
> 
> All my dog wants to do at training is play on the agility equipment. She's been like that as a pup and now she's 2.5, so I don't know if your dog will change. Last training session we practiced a recall from a long distance, my dog ran to the fun, curvy tunnel about 20' to my left instead of me, went through and then came to me.
> 
> Our dog did not start behaving in a more mature way until she was just over 18 months, so maybe your dog is still too young, see if you can re-evaluate in 3-4 months. Sorry you felt embarrassed, can't help but think your dog must have looked kind of cute playing in the snow though.


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## WorkingK9

Thank you everyone for all your varied input, it's great to have a group of GSD lovers/experts to chat with when you feel overwhelmed. Merry Christmas to u all!aw:


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## carmspack

All Things "Dog": POST 1 - Raising the Ideal K9 Partner and the Perfect Companion -- dog working WITH


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## doggiedad

so the dog wanted to play in the snow. was it his first snow?
did you correct him and then train in the snow?


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## martemchik

I know OP answered all the questions and has made his decision...but I feel like a lot of the responses were based off of a pet GSD rather than a working GSD. Of course for any one of us the way this dog reacted to the snow would've just been funny and we'd probably join them while they're playing in the snow. But this was a different situation, I know carmen made a bunch of good points and she's probably one of the only people on here that can really make this kind of evaluation but I've been around some service dogs and its true, they either have it or they don't. And usually this is known sometime from 6-12 months. The dog might still be "immature" but it shows signs of wanting to do the work.

The OP had an evaluator tell him this dog wasn't suited for the work, and I'm thinking the evaluator has seen more dogs go through and wash out of programs like this than the rest of us can hope to have in a lifetime.

I'm guessing the dog will find a great home now? Not sure if OP will be keeping him? Would be nice to know what the program plans to do with these types of dogs that just don't cut it but would probably make amazing house pets.


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## NancyJ

I guess I am confused because now it sounds like you already had some prior concerns about the dog but the first post indicates one lapse after three months of near perfect performance. I do understand one lapse is still critical in a working police dog...and yes, the evaluator is going to see more about the dog than we can infer in a post.


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## carmspack

"We had to physically retrieve him from over 500 ft away as he would not recall." That dog was in a different zone - total disconnect . You could have gone and had a coffee and the dog would not have noticed .
this " Of course for any one of us the way this dog reacted to the snow would've just been funny and we'd probably join them while they're playing in the snow" may very well be the response for pet owners , but for a dog charged with responsibility this would have been very very wrong -- the dog does not lead the agenda . Sets a bad precedent .
"The validator thought it was a little extreme though, he should still have come back even if he was acting like an idiot: that brings the work ethic in to question. Would the dog cack out when it got stressed in a difficult taxing situation?

Stuff like this is important for raising a dog correctly and being critical enough to know when to re-route a dogs future. I am thinking of a new member , who earlier this week announced that he was bringing home a new pup , which he plans to have as his police k9 partner .
Wish I could find that post . So much goes in to the selection. I might look at the pedigree and stop right there. Then there is the selection of "the" pup, and then the development , which is not the same as a pet , which does not mean the dog is isolated, au contraire , bond and the dogs ability to bond and work with you are very important . 
The OP "knows" --"I have worked with police narcotics K9s and my first partner was a 1 year old lab for narcotics. " even the mother " My first patrol partner was his mother ironically, and she would have thrown herself in front of a car to protect me, she literally never needed a leash and saved me from certain harm at least twice" .


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## carmspack

hah - found it " *I know it's been beat to death but I still need to ask* 
I got my first German Shepherd puppy well I will pick him up January 23rd and I have been researching dog food for him. I want to go ahead and get it and take whatever I will be feeding him to the breeder so that he can just start out on it and there will be no transitioning when I get him. I am a Police Officer and when he gets old enough he will be going threw K9 training so of course I want him big, strong and healthy"


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## martemchik

When I first got my boy I thought it was really weird how some people (breeders, working people) could just get rid of their dogs when they don't pan out the way they wanted. And by get rid I mean usually find them a very good home where they will be happy. For me, a week with my boy and I knew I wouldn't be able to give him up for anything.

But once I realized how the dog isn't a pet, its a tool, and its happy being a tool. It's probably the happiest dog in the world because it gets to go to work every day, for 8+ hours, and do what it was bred to do. You realize these people NEED these dogs and they can't afford to keep a dog that doesn't work out. Money might be the issue, but mostly its a time thing, you just can't afford to spend the time with the first dog if you're moving onto the next dog and trying to train it for what you need it for.

Scares me when a police officer gets a GSD and then wants it to become his K9 partner. What happens when that dog doesn't work out? The family has become bonded, you've bonded, and now this dog isn't going to live up to the expectation you've set for it? I'm completely behind officers trying to do this, I know that in some small towns this is probably the only way a department can get a K9, but always wonder what happens when the dog just doesn't have "it." And unlike the OP, some people just don't have the experience to see when that dog doesn't have "it."

I think carmen is definitely right on the fact that you know very early on, its just like getting evaluated for Schutzhund...which happens as early as 8 weeks.


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## NancyJ

My response was really not from a pet perspective as my dog is an operational and nationally certified working cadaver dog - my second - and I have maintained certs on my first dog since 2008

It was from the perspective of - a dog who had been working "perfectly" (first post) for three months, hit his first snow and acted like a puppy. (the extent of the breach revealed later) and my observation that some of the tests by police organizations here will only test 18 months and older.


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## carmspack

right - that is the ideal age - in the case of Stark being evaluated that early was because HE was replacing a dog that washed out of training course (so apparently looked alright at the beginning?) . A younger dog Silva was evaluated the same day, he later became a bomb detection dog. But on day of evaluation both passed with flying colours -- and one half of the trainers and handlers present chose one , the other half the younger. Mike and I recommended Stark for the mere fact that he had 8 weeks more age on him so would have that in his favour when it came to man-work.

I should add that no concessions were made for the dog - he had to be on the same page as all the others . Both dogs were tracking fiends - and that was the first test , stranger track 1/4 mile , aged , multi surface .



The thing with the OP's dog is that it did not momentarily lose its thread of thought and get distracted in a instant of fun and surprise - and at 15 months the dog would have seen snow last year ! -- the dog went ape , oblivious to the handler , so much so that he distanced himself by 500 feet and had to be "caught" . 

I don't think inexperienced well intentioned people going out to buy a dog for service as a pup works out .


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## wolfy dog

carmspack said:


> so what I am saying is that I would dismiss this dog and not even wait for an official evaluation. There are some things which just need to be there without question , bond , handler interest , reliability , dependability , totally necessary . With this mind set of the dog I would always be anxious for the next goof up .


I thought about this a lot but I agree. Not complying in the snow, which is understandable in cases of pet dogs, shows that he has problems with performing in new, unexpected situations. I understand that as a LE dog, that that is a deal breaker. There are always unforeseen circumstances in that job and you need a rock solid canine partner. So actually the new snow was a good test.
He will probably be a heck of a dog for an active owner. Sorry you lost you K9 partner. It would have been awesome to continue her legacy with her son. Good luck finding your new dog. Thanks for all you guys do for the community. Be safe. eace:


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## Questforfire

I have been thinking about this dog/situation today, and I have to agree with Carmen.

From my experience, the selection process for a police dog in the UK is extremely rigorous. If any dog fails to perform in a desired way in any part of this process, it is dismissed and found a good pet home. In times of stress, a dog will revert to type and you cannot take this kind of risk in a working police dog, where lives may well depend on him.

I hope the dog in the original post finds a good home elsewhere, and it does sound as though he may be suited to some kind of work or sport home.


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