A working K-9 question

All this reminds me of something that happened at a campground in the Ozarks last month. At the very beginning of our 9 day stay there was a couple pulled in a couple sites down from us with a beautiful German Shepherd with them. This dog never bothered anyone we chatted several times during the week and the dog just wanted his share of love but was never a bother. We had our 2 small dogs with us and when other dogs bark they will totally ignore them.

Anyway about half way through our vacation another couple pulled in right between us. Well one day when the couple with the GS was walking him, they went buy this trailer and the dog started barking insistantly. I at this time had no idea what was going on and didn't think alot about it other than the GS just didn't like them.

The next morning the couple was out for a walk and came up to us at our site and apologized for there dog's behavior. He explains that he was a LEO and the GS was his retired K9 partner and sometimes forgets he's retired. Seems the barking was his way of alerting that there was drugs in the trailer. After talking a bit he said he was now going next door and explain his dogs behavior, :B and see what kind of reaction he gets from them since he was very suspicious of them to begin with.

About 5:00a.m. the next morning i heard something outside, it seems the couple was packing up and leaving several days before they were scheduled to depart. :h Guess they didn't like there neighbors.

I'd surely keep in on a leash. Cause if you don't, he just might go over to teach the guy/gal how to hide it better! ... :S .... :B


Sorry Mr. Lakeside, couldn't help myself! ... :B



Anonymous Jr.

CA POPPY wrote:
If the K-9 was reacting bigtime to a neighboring campsite or gathering, would you be inclined to make a phone call?

Only if it was a meth lab. Otherwise, I think I'd be making friends.

Dog Folks wrote:

lakeside013104 wrote:
We will soon be retiring a working narcotic K-9 and hitting the road. To those of you who travel with a retired narcotic detection dog, have you encountered any issues with the K-9 “sniffing” the air while sitting around your campsite? I would rather avoid any “uncomfortable” issues with the K-9 while my family is present. Maybe I need NOT be concerned?

Thanks.

Lakeside

No Problem. If he alerts, command "leave it." Eventually the dog will relax.

Our leave it command works really well for our high prey GSD pup (19 months old) when we come upon unleashed cats.

Poor thing, I just worked on her leave it last night with dinner (steak) and she was able to leave it completely.


~ Dori ~

No, no, wyo......you are not....it took us years to stop cringing from the ring of a phone....22 out of 30 years as a resident leo......24 hr a day, gets to you... :)

CA POPPY wrote:
Just curious. If the K-9 was reacting bigtime to a neighboring campsite or gathering, would you be inclined to make a phone call? :@

Hard to turn your back on a felony. Otherwise I don't see anything. Drugs? I thought my wife and I were the only ones in the whole world that didn't use drugs. Seems that way in this 21st century.

Just curious. If the K-9 was reacting bigtime to a neighboring campsite or gathering, would you be inclined to make a phone call? :@

lakeside013104 wrote:
He will soon "retire" from his previous duties, but it may take him a while. It took me a couple of years, but now I can hear a siren and not give it another thought.


This is exactly what I had hoped to hear from experienced folks.

Thank you.

Lakeside

Took a while for me to get over 100 mph code 3 runs. Probably take your K9 a while also.. Whata job. Takes a while to slow down. Miss it but wouldn't go back.

Not likely to be a problem unless he was actively sent to "work". The way scent works, it's not likely he would indicate just by catching a whiff of a neighbor's stash on the breeze.

If he does alert on something at a campsite, you can play it a couple of different ways. You can call him off (leave it, or whatever word he was taught), or, when he indicates, you can just give him his toy --that's what most K-9's are working for.

Dog Folks wrote:

lakeside013104 wrote:
We will soon be retiring a working narcotic K-9 and hitting the road. To those of you who travel with a retired narcotic detection dog, have you encountered any issues with the K-9 “sniffing” the air while sitting around your campsite? I would rather avoid any “uncomfortable” issues with the K-9 while my family is present. Maybe I need NOT be concerned?

Thanks.

Lakeside

No Problem. If he alerts, command "leave it." Eventually the dog will relax.

Great advice. Thank you.

Lakeside