Hello,

My name is Isabelle Schmelzer and I live on the West Coast of Newfoundland, Canada in a rural area. I share my life with an almost 3-year old male GSD, Kapvik. I'm an avid outdoors person and my dog joins me on many, if not most of my forays be it by mountain bike, on skiis or snowshoes or on foot. He is an accomplished tent sleeper and an effective bear alert--heck, he's even learned how to bird watch (though his ID's are a little off...). As we live in a wintery climate, he is trained to ski-jor (where the dog is harnessed to a skier) and runs in the 'wheel' position (right in front of the sled, reserved for the most powerful dogs)in a a 4-5 dog recreational mushing team.

I have been a member of a local ground search and rescue team for years and when I learned about K9 SAR through SAR colleagues of mine I jumped at the chance to train with a team and to learn more about this discipline. After spending some time ( a year) with this team I eventually took the plunge and invested my money and life in a working-line GSD. For those of you interested in these sorts of things, K's sire is Dasko von Geney (a son of Falk von den Woelfen) and his dam is Unica's Gaby, daughter of Joy von Narnia (a well-known working line kennel in Ontario). We have been training in wilderness air scenting, and my approach to his training has been conservative in the sense that I want to ensure that his drives to both victim and handler are strong, that he performs reliably under different search conditions and most importantly that he loves the work. If we do not manage to certify than I'll love him no less and we'll continue to share many adventures.

I would like to thank the moderators and members of this forum for sharing their knowledge and insights so freely-I've learned a lot and look forward to future insights.

My response to my first few weeks with my pup are summarized in the post you'll find at the end of this note. I include it as undoubtedly many of you can relate!

If you'd like to view some photos of Kapvik (and my other dog, now deceased, an ACD-border collie cross) feel free to visit http://picasaweb.google.com/torngat/TheFourLeggers?authkey=65HSvTRAGX0#


Most of you know that I spent my 'vacation' with a new furry, independent-minded, very vocal being who likes to put his mouth on me--for those of you wondering about the species, it's a DOG, not a new boyfriend..;-) His name is Kapvik (pronounced KAAA-VIK, or 'Havoc', depending on the day...), meaning wolverine in Inuktitut, mostly because he looks like one and has the teeth to match, and also because I have spent so much time studying them over the past 2 years.

Kapvik has joined me due to my growing interest in and fascination with canine wilderness search and rescue training. This means that he stems from strong-working line german shepherds (his parents are both german, like mine!). I have made several observations over the past 2.5 weeks; please allow me to share them with you: I have learned that while 'working lines' may sound impressive on paper, it also means that your dog has a very keen and active mind and body, and that an 8-week old active, stubborn puppy is fully capabable of exhausting a 34-yr old fit and occasionaly dim-witted human. Currently, he explores his world through his teeth, tasting, tugging, chewing and licking everything he can get his little jaws on. Especially if it squeals. I have also learned that the term ' milk teeth' is a misnomer: a more apt term is 'razor-teeth'. I have learned that (despite what all the books say) the only thing that qualifies as truly 'puppy proof' is a room with 4 bare (soundproof) walls made of concrete or steel, and a floor to match . If necessary newspaper can be glued to the floor so that it cannot be consumed. I have learned that when it comes to house-training, getting up 4 times in the night is definitely more fun during the summer, and that it's easiest just to sleep in all the clothes you will require for the outside visit except the jacket NOTE: to those of you who are couples unless you are living in Hawaii this can be a definite damper on a relationship as it requires wool socks and long underwear in Newfoundland, for starters. I have learned that puppies do not pee sooner just because you are standing outside in a blizzard-especially if they like snow. I have learned that in a practical sense, 'prey drive' means that you can't mop your floor and have the puppy in the kitchen at the same time, and that from a dog's point of view any bipedal mammal must be subdued by lunging for their calves with paws and teeth. I have also learned that no matter how angelic your attentions, and how fervently you believe in positive training, it is impossible not to feel that your dog is flipping over the water dish on purpose when it happens for the 4th time in a 30-minute period (and to utter a few appropriate curses while fighting the urge to place the dog in the water bowl). On the up side...hmmmm....let me think about this for a second.....don't worry, I'll think of something....just kidding. Believe it or not, socializing a new puppy makes up for all the stuff previously mentioned (but ask me again in 1 month). Their expressions and response to new noises, people (especially with skidoo helmets on!), dogs, and to you are wonderful. That, and the hope that all of your efforts will result in a stable, loving well-adjusted dog who who loves to work and will enjoy hiking and camping as much as you do.

How is Kate (who'll be 15 in March) handling it all? With grace, as she's handled virtually everything else in her life (OK, granted, she's got a weakness for compost and gut piles, but I s'pose that's just the canine equivalent of dill pickle chips). We still go for solo rambles on snowshoe (albeit for shorter distances and at a slower pace), the most recent in Gros Morne National park a few days ago. How am I handling it all? Well, my beer-and-chocolate consumption has risen sharply (consumed on the run, while walking/training/socializing/feeding/cleaning up after/ the puppy). My hobbies have been temporarily reduced to one. My social life has been compartmentalized into 2 hours segments. My stack of Christmas fiction reading lies relatively untouched, replaced instead by 10 or so dog-training books, the 'dealing with an active dog' and 'problem behaviours' sections badly earmarked, and read and reread in panicked snatches. Thanks to the kind donations of equipment (kennels and books) and sage advice from friends who know far more about this sort of thing than I do, I have managed to keep it together.

Here's to living our lives fully (whoever wrote that probably didn't intend it to be interpreted literally, in the sense that all your time is now taken up, but but the phrase feels right). And remember, my door is always open. At least 4 or 5 times a night....

Welcome from a SAR dog handler on the other side of Canada!

My BIL and FIL just bought places on the East Coast of NF. I would love to visit the rock sometime....I think I would be a West Coast girl myself if I ever moved there.....beautiful.

Isabelle, welcome! I loved your post and your pictures. Your b/c - acd cross was a beautiful girl and at 15 must have lived a very full life.

Good luck w/ your SAR training and keep us posted on Kapvik's progress...

Welcome to the forum!

And viewing your pictures, I thought to myself "man, those dogs have really have *jobs*! "

Now that was an awesome introduction....very cool!!

Welcome to the forum.

Great pics, and it's great to see another SAR K9 handler here as well.

Thank you all for the warm welcome!