Working Dogs Q&As

My question is how do we cause our k9 to alert with more intense excitement on drugs, he alerts but with a ho-hum attitude. I would like to see him fired up! During his find. I don't mind if he scratches a vehicle, It is ours by then anyway. Sonny, our K9 is very sharp but I would like to see him with more drive on alert. Thank you in advance. Rick Asst. Chief

Ed, Again I need your advice. I am training my GSD to detect narcotics. He's kept in a kennel in my fenced back yard. He works great on a scratch box and has alerted on marijuana. He has a very high ball drive. Problem is that his ball drive seems to disappear outside the back fenced yard. When I take him to K-9 training he isn't interested in playing with his ball. If I put his scratch box on the parking lot where we're training he will about tear the box open scratching an...

I own fila brasileiros and need to know a test to give them to see if they can make dope dogs. I have a litter of 10 pups 8 weeks old and wonder if they can be tested at that young age. Please advise on information or video for testing purposes. I know they can track not all but some and need the test to give and at what age. I thank you for your time. Henry

Sir, My K-9 is a Lab-X, 3 years old and has been working drugs for approximately two years. Since I work for the Department of Corrections, our searches include a lot of cells and open bay type dormitories. My dog recently has been showing signs of being afraid and timid upon entering these dormitories, appearing to be more concerned with the sounds and movements around him than the actual search of the buildings. Do you have any suggestions or training ideas to help me with this p...

Ed, Is it advisable to train an aggressive alert on narcs and a passive alert on gun power? How do I handle the idea of searching school lockers knowing there may be gun power etc. When I train on narcs I give a narc command and do not accept any other hit. How should I introduce guns and gun powder, etc.? Thanks, Mark

Dear Ed: I am a drug dog handler in South Carolina. I am having a problem with my dog cueing off of me to let him know where the drugs are. I know I can solve this by getting someone to hide the drugs for me but most of the time I can't get anyone to help me. Is it better for me to hold off on training until I can have someone hide the drugs for me or continue to hide the drugs myself and work the dog everyday. Any advise on this would be greatly appreciated, Thanks. Todd K...

Ed, I have a question about rewarding dogs on an actual search. I know some handlers who will give a the dog the toy when the dog alerts on a vehicle in a real search. The toy is given at the time of the alert before any drugs have been found. I personally do not do this. I am afraid of rewarding the dog for an alert that might not be right and reinforcing an improper behavior. Part of me says 'trust the dog' and the other part says 'don't reward what you don't know'. In tra...

Ed My dog is doing well with the introduction of (drugs pseudo). He knows the scent and what to do but his scratching could be more intense. Is this because he is just starting training? It seems like he will scratch then he stops and waits for me to open the box, knowing he is getting his reward. How can I get him to scratch better?

What is your position on this puppy narcotics training program being promoted in Texas by the Texas Police Canine Association?

What is your position on this puppy narcotics training program being promoted in Texas by the Texas Police Canine Association?

What is your position on using pseudo narcotics in training drug dogs?

I have watched your video Training Narcotic Detection Dogs and note that you use Pseudo narcotics in your training. I have purchased Pseudo for use by myself, but there were so many warnings and restrictions enclosed with it that I haven't dared use it! Warnings include instructions to wear rubber gloves and face masks when handling the powder. In total there are about eight pages of hazardous chemical warnings included in the packaging. However, I saw in your film that the handler...

Can you tell me where to buy and how to store my pseudo drugs?

How close is the scent of pseudo drugs to that of narcotics?