Narc

Cool.  A friend of mine recently retired from her job working for a company that searched schools with narc dogs.  The company trained and owned the dogs though the handlers kept the dogs at their homes.  The dogs weren't supposed to be kept inside and treated like pets.  She ignored that rule completely. lol  

 Now THAT should be interesting!

Neat!

I love seeing owners be versatile in what they work on with their dogs. While I realize that some will always take priority over others, it's nice to see you branching into different areas! I wish to try Kash out in flyball and dock diving sometime, although I'm not sure that I'll ever really get to.

One of the guys we're training with fairly regularly is getting into training police K9s.  I'm not that familiar with how police K9 stuff goes but he recently got some sort of state certification.  The way I understand it is that a supplier of police dogs is willing to do business with him if he can get some experience certifying dogs.  He knows how to train detection, and I have a dog (and a possible need).  I'll have to see if I can afford the additional training and supplies (fake drugs are way more expensive than real drugs, lol!).  I work for a small college and my uncle (retired police captain) is one of the campus security supervisors.  I was joking with him and his colleagues about the school needing a narc dog for room searches - much faster and more reliable.  So now I'm asking the question more seriously, since I know that the school would never purchase and train their *own* narc dog, but would they have any interest contracting one?  Hmmm..... I chose Nikon over Pan because Nikon has already proven himself (in trial multiple times) as a clear-headed, methodical tracker.  He has very high ball drive which is perfect for detection.  He'll do a lot more difficult things than sniff drugs, sit, and point his nose for a ball!  He's very easy for me to control and also the easiest of my dogs for me to "read".  He's had the most socialization to people and environments but is also very aloof, so he's never distracted from his work by people or the environment.  Pan has more drive but he's way too easily distracted by anything that he thinks *might* be fun, which for a puppy is pretty much everything!  Nikon's still young so training him as a learning experience wouldn't be a total waste.  I wanted to try Nosework but can't find it near by, this is basically the same thing with a higher standard and more possible practical applications.  I'll probably start training him now on one scent so we can get started imprinting the behaviors before the pseudo-scent arrives.  Plus I have a few reservations about Nikon's physical problem and some of the other training we've been doing, this doesn't present as many injuries or as much wear and tear on his body.

The last high school I taught at had a narc dog visit on a regular basis.It was a gorgeous Bernese. It was always an interesting to see (1) where he hit (the sewing machine cabinet in the home ec room was a favorite--freaked the teacher out completely, but there wasn't anything there when they checked), (2) which of my students (special ed) freaked when they knew we were in lock down and why, and (3) the parking lot visit. There was some sort of court case about car searches (can't remember the case name), but at that time, it was determined the air around the cars was public space (or something similar).

Sounds like Nikon is a great candidate!

Liesje

...I wanted to try Nosework but can't find it near by, this is basically the same thing with a higher standard and more possible practical applications.  I'll probably start training him now on one scent so we can get started imprinting the behaviors before the pseudo-scent arrives... 

Well, there goes that idea- I was going to suggest Nosework.  We're fortunate enough to have a certified Nosework instructor here.  Scents- before the pseudo-scent comes, you could probably work with a little birch oil on a half a q-tip.  That's the first scent used in Nosework.  It's recommended we use the same brand as they use at trials, but I don't think it would matter for you since you'll be transitioning to something else anyway.

 One of my training associates does that with his Dutch Shepherd.  You will learn to hide things in ways you NEVER expected - and if your dogs are maniacs like his for scent, be prepared for the dog to turn over things to GET THAT THING.  You'll become very familiar with baggies of coffee grounds. hahah!

Have a great time - it's amazing to watch a dog in action like that.

FrisbyPI

(3) the parking lot visit. There was some sort of court case about car searches (can't remember the case name), but at that time, it was determined the air around the cars was public space (or something similar).