There is simply no substitute for experience…

For twelve years (between 1987 to 1999) I handled three different self trained Police Dogs working as a full time law enforcement K-9 handler. I cannot imagine training a Police Dog for another department without having obtained that experience. I am not referring to being a reserve officer with a dog that works every so often. I am referring to living the experience day-in and day-out for many years. In that time I have experienced the unbelievable feeling of what it is like to be on the verge of being hurt or injured and the dog coming to assist in just the nick of time. The feeling of tracking a criminal or finding evidence that never would have been located if it had not been for the well trained Police Dog. The all out pride and excitement that comes with the dog finding a huge load of narcotics that never would have been found without the dogs positive alert. I remember vividly the feeling when my well trained Police Dog indicated the odor of narcotics coming from a box that contained 26 Pounds of US currency totaling $220,000.00. The departments gratitude that the dog not only paid for himself many times over but also allowed the department to purchase badly needed equipment to continue the "War on Drugs". I recall situations where a large crowd with the potential to turn violent seemed to contain their emotions as the dog made his presence known. The fleeing felon who would have escaped had the dog not captured him and those who surely would have run had the dog not been leaning over the seat watching every move. I remember sharing those experiences with school kids and how their eyes would glow just at the sight of the dog and how the dog closed any gap that may have existed between the kids and Law Enforcement. These are memories and experiences that I would not trade for any in life.

One of the only negatives for someone who has had the opportunity to work an excellent dog is the fact that the dogs life span is but a fraction of our own. I remember all too well the agony and pain of making that long trip to the vets office when a decision of euthanasia was the only option. Somehow I always felt that I owed it to my dogs to be there when this happened even though I knew how badly it would hurt. I remember them slipping away and thinking at the time about their tremendous sacrifice during the events mentioned above, and how all they ever asked in return was love and enough food to fuel their tremendous drive for the work that they absolutely lived for.

I am thankful for having handled some very nice self-trained police dogs presently and in the past. The ability to accomplish this comes only with the type of experiences that I shared both on this and previous pages. The only way to obtain this experience is to actually walk the walk. You can't steal it, it doesn't just appear, and you can't buy it with all the money in the world. You have to EARN it. Having been in the training business for many years I have seen all types. There are trainers out there that know very much what they are doing, and there are those that are "Overnight Legends" in their own minds . Likewise there are handlers with police dogs who quickly learn that there is more work involved than what they bargained for. They handle the dog only because it is a job and neglect the dog and their responsibilities. Ultimately, the dog is the one that ends up losing.

It is for the reasons mentioned above that I train as I do. At one time all I wanted to do was train and sell police dogs. Now that I have earned the experience and gained the knowledge, police dog training still interests me, but not to the extent that I would want to limit the type of training I do just to Police Dogs. My goal is to train and sell 25 to 35 quality Police Dogs per year while never sacrificing quality. This allows me to spend more time with the dog and enjoy the training. This also allows me to continue training in competition obedience, Schutzhund training, helping private citizens with their dogs, and conducting schools to train other professional trainers and handlers.

In the choosing of a trainer consider this advise; As the three most important things in Real Estate are Location, Location, and Location… believe me when I tell you that the three most important factors in "Police Dog Training" are Experience, Experience, and Experience. A Police Service Dog trained by an EXPERIENCED and REPUTABLE trainer is a tremendous asset to any department. One trained by an "overnight expert" is an expensive lesson and a liability not only to the department but also to the handler.