Axel, Sgt Dave Raymond and the beloved toy. Photo by Anna Rogers, Cairns Post
Welcome to our 13th edition of Paw Enforcement where we follow the progress of puppy-in-training Axel. He may no longer look anything like a puppy but he is definitely still in training and at this stage looks set to head to Brisbane sometime early next year to undertake the official police dog course.
Thanks for sticking with us. We love reading the great comments posted about Axel and his adventures. This ‘Dog with a Blog’ certainly has created a very big fan club!
Now for a word from Axel…
He tries and then he tries again but Dave still hasn’t had much success with hiding that toy from me. Check out the video, as if those bins were going to get in my way!
Put shoes on me, hide my toy in a cupboard, make me jump through car windows and even make me run after pretend bad guys… I can do it all, but just don’t give me a bath too often! Yep, I’m still recovering from that ordeal.
Each week, I get bigger, stronger and smarter. I am absolutely loving all of these challenges that Dave gives me. Paws crossed it pays off in the end!
Till next time
Axel
Handler’s note:
- Police dogs are faced with many different obstacles that they are required to negotiate operationally. These include jumping fences, jumping through windows, searching roof cavities, searching through small drains etc.
- As handlers we try to expose the dogs at very early stages in their training to working in confined and obscure spaces.
- Firstly we let the dog attempt to work it out themselves or problem solve. If they are unsuccessful, we show them how to do it. We rarely need to show the dogs how to do such things. Like Axel, most of the dogs are so driven through a love of their toy that they will work out a way to get to it very quickly.
- The dogs easily remember these types of training scenarios when it comes to a real life scenario when they are tracking an offender. It is however important to regularly conduct training scenarios like this with the dogs to keep it fresh in their memory.
Sergeant Dave Raymond, Officer in Charge, Cairns Dog Squad.
