Active police K9 ??? - Page 1

I know breeders in the US don´t need to breed to SchH titled dogs, it´s their own choice ...

1. Some don´t care at all
2. Some follow the rules of SV ( thank you for that)
3. Some use "police K9´s"

I don´t want to discuss 1. ....

An active police K9 may be a

1. SAR
2. drug dog
3. tracking dog
4. protection dog doing daily street work

My question: All of these dogs do their job, but why should these dogs be breedworthy without further proof? The jobs 1., 2., 3., don´t need defense, only prey. These jobs can be done from a lot of breeds, not only German Shepherds.
On the other hand some 4. dogs  don´t have let´s say the best nerves ever.

In my personal opinion it´s much better to breed to a K9 than to a nothing,  but even a K9 should be evaluated in some kind -- nerves, drives, structure. health !!!

 Susie;  where's that 'like' button, Oli ?

Susie,
A dog with incorrect structure will not be able to search for hours on end.
A dog with poor health (joint wise) will not be able to search for extended time through uncertain terrain.
A dog who does not have the correct nerve is washed out of K9 programs.
A dog that does not have the correct drive is washed out of K9 programs.

#1,2,3 The dog may not need defense, but it still must be temperamentally stable, willing to work for his handler, trainable, problem solver, non aggressive in non threatening
situations. Also, just because a dog does #1-3 does not mean it doesn't possess defense.

IMO, real work weeds out those who are unfit.
Also, not all Sch titled dogs are breed worthy anyway, so why would all K9s be?
I would choose a working patrol dog (or single purpose dog that I was able to evaluate in person) over a schutzhund dog for breeding.
I work my own dogs in Schutzhund because that is what I have access to. My goals for the tiny breeding program I have is to produce
dogs for K9 or other real work, though I have no qualms with them going to Sch homes either. In order to keep the versatile dog we love,
Schutzhund cannot be the be all end all.

.02
Melissa

Melissa...................

And my 2 cents worth, a dog that is a SAR or service dog also has to have the correct nerve, intelligence--self thinkers--and drive for their jobs...............

hello susie, there are organizations in the U.S. that certify LE dogs. I attended a trial this past summer. All participants were active LE and K9 . Lots of Mals and GSD. One of the best was a Dutch Shepherd/GSD cross. Someone else may be better able to explain the value as far as breeding.

I spoke with several officers/trainers and none expressed any preference for breed. Only that the dog perform it's duties. Probably not what you're asking, but I found it interesting.

best,
Rik

A dog with incorrect structure will not be able to search for hours on end.
But this doesn´t mean that this special dog fits into the breed standard. what about teeth and seize? (we are breeding German Shepherds...)
A dog with poor health (joint wise) will not be able to search for extended time through uncertain terrain.
Some levels of HDand ED won´t limit the dog during a couple of years.
A dog who does not have the correct nerve is washed out of K9 programs.
Out of my experience-that´s NOT true. There are a lot of K9s out there with unstable nerves, but doing a good job.
A dog that does not have the correct drive is washed out of K9 programs.
A SAR or tracking dog doesn´t need any defense, so this dog will NOT be washed out, but may be great in his job.

I don´t want to implicate that SchH and breed survey is the only acceptable solution, I only try to say that not every police K9 is breedworthy only because it´s a K9.

Kind regards,
Susie

Hey Rik!

Now the stupid German: What does LE mean??? I hate this damned language barriere...

sorry susie, LE=Law Enforcement, LEO = Law Enforcement Officer.

A SAR or tracking dog needs correct drive to do his or her job. Dogs doing disaster search is VERY stressful
for the dog. A dog who does SAR has to be stable and unshakable in all situations in an unstable environment.

A dog who is oversized is generally not acceptable for SAR, tracking etc because IF the dog gets hurt, his handler
is carrying him out. Dogs must be agile to clear fences and broken logs, letting nothing get in between his or her goal.

Dogs with certain degrees of HD and ED may work for a while, yes. But according to German hip schemes, Noch Zugelassen (a3)
is still breedable, is it not?

A dog who does not have correct nerve is washed out of all of the K9 programs I have ever seen.

I do agree that not every K9 is suitable for breeding, just the same as not every Schutzhund titled dog is suitable for breeding. It comes
down to the dog itself. If I had the choice between a very nice Sch 3 male and a very nice K9, I would take the K9 every time. Thinking
about this, I would take a herding dog as well. Dogs that are titled in multiple disciplines (Sch, herding, therapy (though not a title, right?)
tracking etc... embodies the versatility our GSD were meant to have. Andy Maly Vah is the absolutle perfect example of what our GSD
was meant to be.

Le= law enforcement