This is my first post on this board, and I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I work for a small city Dept (11 officers) in east central IL. We have a narc detection lab that is being retired, and I have been picked to handle our first ever patrol dog. I don't have the dog yet, but I will be heading to the handler course in about a month. I have read most of the PSD section of this board, and it has been very intesting and informative. I hope that I can learn alot from all the experienced handlers that hang out here.

I will be getting a Czech import GSD, and we will be certifying through USPCA. Several area departments have taken dogs from the same vendor/trianer, and all have been very sucessful. The dog will be very young when I get him(12-18 months), and the handler course will only be 6 weeks, so I am trying to get as much info/assistance as possible to build on what we do there, and build a good training program. I am interested in all the information I can get on TTD, as rural tracks will be one of our biggest jobs, other than narc work.

I really want to learn as much as I can, but there is so much information out there. Glad to be a part of this site.

Hey someone from my neck of the woods. Josh I sent you a PM

-Jason

I suppose since I am new as well...I should introduce myself.
I found Leerburg while training my 2 show dobermans about 5 years ago, but never really went online or got involved until now. I work with my dogs in agility, tracking, obedience, conformation.
I am a full time student & hope to be in the academy by fall'06. Detroit is not hiring (but laying off by the hundreds) so I may have to move out of state. my plan is to become a K9 officer ASAP!
if anyone has any advice for me, I am open to hear what anyone has to say & eager to learn as much as I can.
I am currently writing a speech fo one of my CJ classes & my topic is K9.
happy to meet everyone,
be safe out there!
Leah
S.E. Michigan

Josh, sorry this is late, i only saw it now:

From the word go, it is always important to get to know more about the field you would like to make your career in, you are saddling up a fast horse here, getting a patrol dog and getting it to track on rural surface is no joke, especially if it is done just in six weeks it seems like a huge task, however not impossible. Ask someone to teach you how to do visual tracking. Having said this, I wish to explain why, for one, patrol dogs are a totally different kettle of fish from detection dogs, they require more socialization, and prepping. For one thing they hunt, there adrenaline levels are high, and you need to have your wits about you when you become a patrol dog handler… this is no remote control dog – like a nark dog for instance, that works on command and you just follow – no, you have to look for the threat just as hard as your dog, gauge the terrain and still read the dog all the same.

If I was in your shoes, I would get a fresh dog, and start joining some ppd training, anywhere, whilst you are waiting for the new dog, just to become use to the methodology in training a ppd, or patrol dog with –you will find many diverse views. I don’t know if your department allows you to duel with dogs, in other words, you run two dogs, one on and one off lead in rural areas on a track; we did it here with great success. When it comes to methods, I don’t care much for which method you start up with, as long as you get the product you desire with the first dog, after that we get doohickey with types of training. The Czech dogs and especially GSD are my all time favorites. I don’t think you will get anything better in GSD. So good luck….and have fun.
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

I, too, am new to the board but must admit that i've been lurking the past few days reading everyone's opinion. My experience mantracking goes back to the Viet Nam War where I was a member of the 25th ID Combat Tracker Team. In the beginning we were called Hunter-Killer teams but the press and the Mother's of America felt that the name didn't represent those things that America stood for...whatever that means.

I'm presently a tracking contractor with the USMC. We, as we did in Nam, use visual and canine tracking together on teams to form one team with only one purpose...to find the bad guys at the end of the track and deal with them but one time. We use what we call 'low tech' (the dog/handler/visuals) and blend them with 'high tech'...FLIR, thermal,UAV's etc...and it works pretty well.

Anyway, it's a pleasure to be here and soak up information concerning tracking and canine in general. I've found that what we all do is a continual learning process and to think otherwise only shows our ignorance.

That just sounds bad to the bone.

Semper Fi