Its been months, since we’ve had a drop of rain in Los Angeles. And today broke the months long streak.  I’m throughly enjoying the slow rain we’ve had and really wish it would continue a few more days. But I’ll take what I can get.

My now 5 month old puppy Gunnar has never had the opportunity to play in the rain before today. And before I was smart enough to think to get the camera, he was dashing around the back yard, chasing the leaves as they fell from the trees. And then with immense joy he dug his first mud puddle. He was up to his elbows and covered in mud from belly to butt.  Of course I was busy laughting my ass off at him and did not think to get the camera until after I had rinsed him off. Well that pretty much dampened his good time, as he really does not like baths.

Lets make a deal, I'll wipe my muddy paws, and you don't rinse me off again.

I was asked what I thought of Pit Bulls.  The question was very generic and vague but it is a good question.  I love my Pit Bulls aka bullies, pitties, AmStaffs, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Terrier or just staffies.  They are low maintenance, generally healthy, live long, have the best smiles and are fun loving doggies.  But they do have their own brand of trouble and those that are attracted to it.

I grew up with small dogs;  we were always being told “to be careful” as we might hurt the dog.  So I decided when I had children I’d have a dog that can tolerate and play with children.  My children grew up with our dog – Spike.  She was an American Staffordshire Terrier, an awesome dog that put up with everything and anything with grace and tolerance. She was the “ugly step mother” that was loved by her human step children and family.  She lived to the ripe old age of 14.

I gave Spike basic training; come, sit, stay, down and walk on a leash.  But she was one of those intuitive dogs that picked up on things – like young’ns should not be on the lawn unsupervised, nor should strangers talk to them.  She was the self-appointed lawn monitor.  If the kids went out to play, you better let her out too or she’d take the door down. Her recovery method was to grab the kids by the pocket of the pants, pull them off the sidewalk and back onto the lawn. Of course I was always watching, but it was awesome to watch her in action.  This is something that can’t be ‘taught’,  it was her natural tendency.

Personality:  Pit bulls are people pleaser’s – they are fun loving.  What ever you ask of them, they will do it to their utmost ability (be the best bad ass or a sweet heart).  They want their people to be happy with them.  What folks don’t realize when they take a pit bull home is that they are adopting an endless source of energy that must be tapped or it will be a problem.  These guys are born body builders; I know you wish you could be that ripped.  Exercise is essential to this dog!  My motto is “a tired pit bull is a well behaved pit bull”

Don’t get me wrong, they love to be couch potatoes and hang out with their people, but that is after they’ve had their daily exercise and playtime.  The energy must be harnessed or it will backfire – and then it’s a problem for all pit bulls and their owners.

Training: Training is essential for this breed.  No getting around it.  If there is no obedience, there will be no control, and this dog will walk, no stomp all over you.  I hate to see it and it happens everyday:  The dog is out in front on a long lead, the owner 6 feet behind, barely on their feet, yelling “fido stop”!  This is a bad scene and could escalate.

Socialization is also a must; get the dog into a group class where they interact in a controlled manner with other dogs. Do you have what it takes to own one? You must be the boss, but not too harsh or you’ll crush the spirit, but strong enough to be respected.

The dog needs a job, something to do for you… I train with my dogs.  I take them out to breed specific or breed friendly events.  We train and work them to harness that energy and really just to have fun.  They excel at agility, Frisbee catching, weight pulling, obedience, and defense of handler just to name a few.

But please do not take your pit bull to the local dog park – too much uncontrolled energy.  All it takes is one slip, one loud bark, or a body slam from your perfect baby and the other dog owner will freak out!  And that leads me to the next issue…

Perception: The perception is that pit bulls are fierce guard dogs or that they are man stoppers.  Genetically this is incorrect.  Pit Bulls are athletes, gladiators, fighters to the end, but  were never designed to protect property or attack people.  These dogs, in their original form, were designed to fight against other dogs or large animals.  And when the fight was over, typically the battered survivor needed mending.  The dog would have to be still for the handler while in pain; If the dog tried to bite the handler, it would have been destroyed.  Originally aggression against people was never tolerated in the breed.  I don’t think the backyard breeder throwing together two dogs takes that into consideration.

D.A. aka Dog Aggression:  This will be or can be an issue with the breed.  It can be an issue, but it does not have to be.  I’ve known pit bulls that live with many other dogs without any problems.  And then I’ve met and owned bullies that just can’t be around another dog of the same gender.  Then some that  must be in a home as the only dog and sometimes the only pet.  You must know your dog and plan accordingly.  If you can’t stand the idea of never owning a second dog, think about another breed.  You have to make the commitment to care for and protect your dog, from itself, if necessary.

They attract the wrong crowd:  There are those that have taken the pit bull and in their hands warped it into something evil.  Remember, this dog will try to be the best at WHATEVER you ask it to do.  Horrible people make monsters out of sweet dogs, crop their ears with kitchen shears, run them endlessly on treadmills to build muscle, starve them, poison them, douse them with lighter fluid and set them a flame, fight them in pits, kill them when they won’t fight, use live bait to entice them to kill etc.  Or they are left to wither away in a back yard on a damn chain with NO interaction with people.  Then the dog escapes, and is tearing through the neighborhood… would you allow yourself to be caught and returned to that situation?  Unfortunantly there is usually a small child or elderly person that gets hurt in the scenario.

Due to over breeding, poor breeding, in-breeding, and cross breeding the breed has been changed- and not always for good.  Some dog aggression may have been bred out, and that is a good thing.  But the opposite is also true – those that breed this powerful compact people friendly dog to larger breeds that tend to be people aggressive, have created some very dangerous dogs.  But to the untrained eye they’re all pit bulls.  That is very bad for real pit bulls and those that love them.

What I think of Pit Bulls is that I will always own at least one or more.  There is always one that will need to be rescued or rehabilitated and loved.

How can you not love that face?

LIVE – 2 DAY SEMINAR

October 10th & 11th, 2009

Hands on live instruction with your dog

See it in action before you decide!

Free day October 9th, 2009.  5 – 8 PM

Bring us ANY dog, even yours.

My new puppy Gunnar got a bad case of the squirts. Wow, I thought dirty baby diapers were nasty. But this is worse, because he doesn’t wear a diaper! His crate, his bedding, the floor around his crate and the other dogs crates all got a dose of gunnar. Nasty nauseating business. And the crates are in my house… so everywhere I went I smelled puppy poop. Of course this all happened with the first attack at Sunday 12:45 AM! Then 2:00 AM and then again at 3:30 AM. After that I ran out of crates, bedding and patience – all the dogs were put outside to rough it in the 65 degree night.

So Tuesday first thing we went to the vet. As Gunnar is not acting even remotly sick, no loss of appetite or energy, we can’t really determine the cause; could be change in water (Gunnar stayed for a bit with a friend), stress of the change, or a bug. So for now he’s on a wide spectrum anti-biotic and FortiFlora. This is a canine nutritional supplement – supposed to help digestive tract health. Activia for dogs?

My house got a dose of Lysol, floors mopped, carpets vacuumed and lots of Febreez. Crates were taken out and washed and bleached – bedding still coming out of the dryer – thank you Gunnar very much.

Puppies… gotta love them. Its kara; my punishment for not adopting from a rescue.

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend and the slightly cooler weather.

I am working Peter towards our first attempt at French Ring level Brevet.  We work  two times a week with a decoy who specializes in French Ring.  Peter has lots to learn about Defense of Handler, but his obedience is great.  We went for our training session,  it was a very warm day, but we worked in the shade for the most part and I supplied him with water.    I also had two other dogs with me, both working on general obedience and defense.

I worked Peter first for about thirty minutes, not any longer than normal.   He behaved normally, in fact I stopped his lesson before he was ready – he let me know by continuing to bark and stare at the decoy, so I assumed all was well.    I walked him for about 10 minutes, offered him water (he refused) and then I put him in his crate so that I could work the other two dogs.  He was still panting when I put him up.

I worked the other two dogs for about 20 minutes each, watered them, walked them for a bit and put them up too.  I took Peter out of the crate, let him pee then put him in the car to get ready to go home.  Its about a hour drive home in good traffic.  That day it was two hours to get home.

When we finally got home,  I put the dogs out to potty.  One of my dogs is a 4 month old puppy so I followed him out to praise him for going potty in his spot.  I turn around to go back in the house and I see my Peter peeing what looked like pure red blood.  To say the least I was stunned.

I called the vet and said “I”m bringing Peter in, he just urinated blood”.  Twenty minutes later Peter was in the examining room, they drew blood urine etc etc to do tests.  I was certain he had somehow ingested poison as I had never seen a dog pee blood.  The  vet came back to me to say he was coagulating so she was pretty sure poison was not the culprit.  But she was being safe and giving him Vitamin K injections.

More questions… Did he work hard today? I told her about our workout session. Starting with OB, then move to defensive work. Yes it was warm, but we were working primarily in the shade. Peter was not acting sick at all, his normal happy self.  After he worked out I put him in his crate. Yes he was still panting, but I’ve put him up a little warm before.

The vet ran a blood panel and most of the numbers were right on, but his Red Blood count was high. This leads the vet to think that this has to do with Myoglobin.  And the color of his urine was a dead giveaway that his Kidneys were working hard to get the toxins out of his system.

Taken from a Medical website “Myoglobin is a protein in heart and skeletal muscles. When a muscle is exercised, it uses up available oxygen. Myoglobin has oxygen bound to it, thus providing an extra reserve of oxygen so that the muscle can maintain a high level of activity for a longer period of time. When muscle is damaged, the myoglobin is released into the bloodstream. It is filtered out of the bloodstream by the kidneys, and eliminated in urine. In large quantities, myoglobin can damage the kidney and break down into toxic compounds, causing kidney failure.“

Peter spent a night and two days in the hospital with IV fluids to flush his kidneys. The vet says since I brought him in so fast she is certain he has lost no kidney function. But they ran tests the next morning to be certain. Thankfully Peter came out of his ordeal without any lasting damage.  And the dang dog never even acted slightly sick.  But he did lose 4 pounds – he wouldn’t eat in the hospital.

Lesson learned, NEVER EVER put your dog up hot or warm even. From what I have read, this happens to race horses when they are not cooled down properly. When the animal rests while hot, the muscle begins to break down and then the Myoglobin gets into the blood stream and then its the Kidneys job to filter the toxin out.

Now when I work Peter I take lots of water or a misting can with me.  If its very warm (and this year, it seems its always very warm) I wet Peter down before we work and I’m wetting him down as I walk him after working.  I offer water before and after but usually he refuses if he is panting very hard.  But I walk and wet him until he’s done panting.  Then and only then do I put him up.  If there is room and shade, I let him pace on a long line.  And I still wet him down until he’s cool.

Thank goodness for Pets Best Insurance – Yes Peter has medical insurance that costs me $33 dollars a month.  The total bill was $1480 and after deductible my refund was $1070.

NOW IS THE TIME TO PREPARE!
Desensitisation
Many pets are successfully helped through desensitisation. A CD is now available, which simulates the random and unpredictable noises of fireworks. It should be played several weeks prior to the fireworks season, gradually building up the volume and length of time it is played. Your pet will then gradually become used to the noises and begin to ignore them.

Distraction
While playing the CD, you should also take the opportunity to distract your pet. Either play with him, or give him some training lessons, or give him his favourite toy or chew. This will increase the effect of the desensitisation program by making your pet think on something else while the background noise is going on.

Den
However, also allow your pet some time without this distraction to hear the noise. Hopefully the CD will manage to accustom your pet to the noise so that he’ll completely ignore it. However it is really best to be completely prepared and allow him every chance to cope.

Create a safe, comfortable and quiet den area for him. Ideally, this should be in a place which is furthest from the fireworks, and where he is used to resting. The room should be able to be darkened to hide the firework flashes.

Prepare the area in advance, with lots of comfy blankets to allow him to burrow into if he wants to, and take him there several times before the event, allowing him to settle there with a chew or toy for a while, and feed him there a few times too.

Make sure however, that he is free to come and go to this area, taking care not to lock him in the room alone.

Some pets find the most unusual place to seek comfort. It has been known for them to hide under desks, in kitchen cabinets and even in the bath! Don’t be concerned about this, just work with your pet and think about how they may be finding their chosen place secure. It may even be helpful to provide a pet crate covered with a blanket or a large cardboard box, both filled with comfortable bedding, favourite toys and some water.

So, really take some time to think about this – from your pet’s point of view – and set up the area where they are most happy. Perhaps they might like to lie under a table covered with a blanket.

DAP
If you already know that your dog is scared and that he needs some further help then using a DAP along with the CD will be very useful. DAP stands for Dog Appeasing Pheromone. It’s a plug in device, similar to an air freshener, which releases calming pheromones into the air. It should be plugged in, in the room where the pet spends most time and switched on 24 hours a day for about 2 weeks prior to, the fireworks. (the DAP can be useful for other behavioural problems too).

Feliway is a similar product for cats.

D-Day
There are several additional steps which can be taken on the day of the event

• Check that the den area is accessible, and prepared.

• Take your dog for a walk to make sure he has been to the toilet before the fireworks start.

• Feed him an hour before the event, adding some potato or white pasta to fill him up and make him sleepy

• If you can, set up some rhythmic music in the room. This can help to mask out the noise, so turn it up to a moderate level. Do, however, check that he likes it beforehand – and turn it off if he doesn’t, or seems more stressed.

• When the fireworks start, take your pet to his den area and encourage him to settle there.

• Do NOT try to pat and stroke him in an attempt to sooth him if he is showing signs of stress. This simply rewards how he is behaving and teaches him that he’s right to be scared. Don’t let him know that you’re concerned.    Instead, if he’s not settling in his den, try to distract him with a game or an easy training session, but don’t force him to play.

• You may even want to consider setting up a TV in the “safe” room and simply sitting in there with him. Normal quiet, family company may help to calm him.

And a word on safety
During high levels of stress, pets can be very unpredictable. They also become unable to take account of their personal safety, and may well panic. Therefore, it is your responsibility to look after their safety needs. Make sure that they have no access to potentially dangerous items around the house, such as open fires or glass doors. Really take the time to do a house safety check. And if you need to take him outside – at any time when a firework may go off – make sure that he is kept safe on the lead.

Thanks to Brian of Southbay Bullies for the research.

In my opinion the remote collar is the most effective dog training tool that has been developed since the leash.

Without a doubt low level stimulation training is 100 times more humane and more effective than using a “CHOKE COLLAR or PRONG COLLAR.” In fact remote collar training eliminates the need for these other harsh training tools all together.  And for those of you who have used food lures (Myself included) you know what happens when the dog is full – no more attention.  If you use a toy as a lure (Myself included), you have to have perfect timing to pay that dog or you’ve lost the effectiveness of that toy lure.

The remote collar aka shock collar (I hate the term shock collar) has been given a very bad rap. It DOES NOT shock the dog at all. Perhaps 30 years ago it was a shock very much like the hand held devices cops use on unruly out of control suspects.  But in the products sold currently there is NO SHOCK involved – AT ALL.  It is a muscle stimulation that causes a very irritating twitch. You can not harm your dog with the remote collar, you can startle him, but you can NOT HURT him.

Now the Pinch Collar and the Choke Collar CAN HURT your dog. You cut off air to your dogs lungs forcing him to comply…and you think thats more humane than a muscle twitch? Pinch collars when used correctly can be effective but still the opportunity to harm your relationship with your dog is very possible.  And if your dog is aggressive and you use a Pinch collar on him, you can have more than you bargained for if he turns his aggression to the handler.

Back to today’s Remote Collars.  They are humane, they are not damaging, yes they can be used as a way to discipline your dog but that is not the intent.  Okay Stop:  I know you’re thinking it, it happens.  Yes there are people who abuse these collars.  Lets think on this, regular collars left on too long too tight can and do damage the dogs neck.  Ever see a puppy where the owners have left the baby collar on until he’s near full grown?  I have.  The collar has to be literally cut out of the dogs skin where the muscle and tissue has grown around it and all the while the dog is constantly choking.  Its disgusting.  But alas, we still have regular collars because most people use them correctly.

How about long lead chains – they should be banned because unschooled people leave their dogs on chains  24/7.  Ever see a dog that has hanged himself jumping over something while chained?  I called the police on a neighbor who’s dog hanged itself.  He never meant it to happen, but it did.  But the practice of chaining dogs 24/7 is still allowed.

Want to see inhumane – check out what happens to dogs that are left forgotten on chains, now that’s inhumane. http://www.unchainyourdog.org/FactsPhotos.htm

Okay lets continue:   The intent is to have a method of training that removes the emotion and frustration that we humans have when handling our dogs.  We want our dogs to listen to us, we talk and talk… what does your dog hear?  Blah Blah Blah (insert dogs name here) Blah Blah.  If dogs understood and spoke English we wouldn’t need any training tools at all.  We’d just talk them through it all.

What we do need is a way to keep our dogs attention and then we can teach them anything and that is what a properly used Remote Collar can do.

If you want to know more about Remote Collar training for your dog, check out my links.  Or if you’re in the local area send me an email for a demo.

Suzanne Golden

I read and really enjoyed this article. Is a good read if you have a bulldog or pitbull type breed. It covers personal protection, training methods and breed mechanics.

Lucillano Oliva American Bulldog Breeder Interview

1) Q: What is the biggest challenge facing your yard?

A: Consistently breeding AB’s with traits that make a Bulldog a Bulldog; courage, drive and stability (both physically and mentally).

2) Q: Name the two or three most influential dogs in your scheme.

A: I have four, Steve’s Hammer, Smootch Kreugger, Predator, and Woody.

3) Q: What is D.O.G.S.? please share your experience/resume as a trainer with us.

A: D.O.G.S. stands for Dienstunde Of Greater Sacramento. Dienstunde meaning Service Dog. I have been fortunate enough to be around some great dog people that have touched me with knowledge about dogs and training of dogs. I, along with my partner, Gregg Tawney, are the Trainers for D.O.G.S. I am the Training Director for the Personal Protection Dogs and Gregg for the Police Service Dogs. I am a Certified Decoy (Bad Guy) for the NAPD (National Association of Protection Dogs), K9 Pro Sports, and the WSPCA (Western States Police Canine Association). I am one of two in the West Coast Certified as a Judge in the PSA (Protection Sport Association). I am a Judge and Decoy/Helper for the WABA. Dogs that I have Trained and Coached have taken top honors in NAPD, K9 ProSports, WSPCA, and PSA. They have received high scores in Ring and Schutzhund, as well.

4) Q: Does your experience training Sport, PP, and Service Dogs help you as a Breeder? Does the process of training OB and protection teach you as much about the dog as the formal testing done after the bulk of the training is done?

A: Absolutely, it helps to recognize the traits and characteristics necessary in a working dog. The training process teaches me more about the dog than the testing itself. In training, sometimes we have to hide some of the dogs weaknesses. I will give you a little story about a dog that I trained in the process of 3 years but became one of the top on the NAPD roster. I believe you have seen this dog yourself, Dave. He came to me with the intent to compete in NAPD. There were a few things on the dog that were slightly lacking. By the end of the dogs career, the dog received an NPL II, which there are only about 10 in existence, and a 2nd place at the Nationals.

5) Q: What are your thoughts on breeding programs (such as we find in the Fila community) that seek to produce a guard dog that requires no training and will attack anyone not in its immediate family? Is it a good idea to avoid training dogs that are intended for a protection application? Should American Bulldog breeders try to create a Fila type “natural guard dog?”

A: As a fancier, breeder, and trainer, I find that very disturbing. Liability has always been one of my biggest concerns. Dogs that bite without provocation is a huge liability threat. A child walks by and gets bit, we seem to hear this more and more. Guard dogs that are confined to your home or business, well that is their job, but should be well confined from the public. A Personal Protection Dog is a social animal and should only bite when commanded by its handler. Not even a quick movement should trigger the dog to bite. After all, we as humans are supposed to be the ones with “rational thought”. This is achieved by training. I must mention, though, that a Schutzhund dog does have the decision to escalate or de-escalate in a given situation. In other words, in a Hold and Bark or Guard, if the Helper (Bad Guy) moves, the dog can bite. I’m not quite sure what you mean by this next question but here goes on how I interpret it. Many think that by training a dog for sport work, it will stay sport. In my experience, this isn’t always so. What is “protection application?” Aren’t dogs that train in sport taught to bite and bite well? This picture that the general public seems to have on protection dogs are usually their version, their own interpretation of it. A protection dog, or should I say, a dog that is trained in a protection application does not just bite anyone it comes in contact with, for example the mailman. That is usually a guard dog. First off, I must ask, have you actually seen a Fila as a “natural guard dog?” I dread the day when American Bulldog breeders create a Fila type “natural guard dog.” I’ve always preferred a good natured, fun loving, and social dog that everyone can pet. Isn’t this what attracted us to the AB in the first place? If they want to go with a “natural guard dog” go to the Fila.

6) Q: It has been suggested by Bulldog people that protection and obedience testing/training are not important to breeding protection dogs. The belief is that the dog fighting and game testing alone will produce superior protection dogs. Is animal-gameness the same as man-hardness? Does dog fighting test for the environmental stability needed to execute demanding real world protection tasks?

A: Having been around game bred APBT for over 2 decades of my life, I would have to disagree. There are certain lines that are so man shy that they actually urinate themselves when a stranger pets them or even approached. This line has a long history of game dogs. I ask you, is this what you want in a protection dog? There has always been a place in my heart for a dog that can withstand anything before it and come out victorious, man or beast. The only way you can test a good protection dog is protection work, game dogs is game test, and hog dogs on hogs. That is like making sure a child can play baseball to be good in soccer!

In my opinion and experiences, animal-gameness, as you call it, does bear some similarities with man-hardness. I feel that both are courage. In my book they are defined the same, and that is to never quit. Isn’t that the definition for courage. Pretty close in my book!

7) Q: What qualities do you look for in a Bulldog?

A: Well balanced in Prey drive and Fight drive, environmental stability, courage, and Genetically Sound. Oh and I almost forgot, good conformation helps too. LOL!

Q: How do you test for these qualities?

A: At the age of 8 weeks, I do an obedience and aptitude test. I have done this with my litters for the past 8 years, approximately, and have had great success on determining if the tests hold water. Along with this test, I have a courage test, which I will not go into detail. All my breeding stock are x-rayed, well, I prefer OFA.

9) Q: It is a common belief that Schutzhund produces a safer and more easily controlled dog than the sports based on Personal Protection and Police work, such as NAPD. Do you agree or disagree?

A: Let me just clarify one thing, Personal Protection Dogs (PPD’s) are taught to bite only when they are told. I have seen people get some equipment and try to train theirs and others dogs. I see these same guys compete, thinking that their dog is the best only to be sadly mistaken and most will never be seen again. That is probably the reason there are so many misconceptions. Too many mistake PPD’s as guard dogs, which are totally different. With that in mind, I disagree! Everyone has this preconceived notion that a Schutzhund dog is safer than a PPD, because it is a “sport” dog. Let’s not forget that a “sport” dog is still taught to bite and bite well. A Schutzhund dog is given the decision to bite if the helper (decoy or Bad guy) moves in the hold and bark. A PPD can only bite when commanded by its handler.

10) Q: What does it take for a dog to succeed as a Police K9? There was a time (years ago) when service dogs weren’t trained to out and had little control. How much control does D.O.G.S. put on a K9? Does control diminish After active duty if refresher training is not maintained?

A: First and foremost, it must possess courage, prey drive, fight drive, and environmental stability. In certain Departments, K9’s are not required to have an “out.” Well, actually in the state of California, they must have an out, according to P.O.S.T. (Peace Officers Standards Training) in order to certify. But according to certain Departmental Rules and Regulations, officers must handle their dog before the out. This insures the dog from being “dirty.” This is what we call the Tactical Out or the Hard Out. This is done by holding the dog up by the collar and choking the dog off the bite.

With the Dept’s that D.O.G.S. works with, we adhere closely with what is specified under P.O.S.T. We (D.O.G.S.) are strong proponents of the Electronic Collar. All PSD’s (Police Service Dogs) that are trained by D.O.G.S. have and patrol with an E-Collar with the exception of one Dept who is new to our program but is now on order. With the E-Collar, PSD’s are more dependable. With Dept’s large or small, dependability means less lawsuits.

Control diminishes on any dog that is not maintained. That is why every Dept is allotted a certain amount of time and money per K9 Unit into training and maintenance.

11) Q: Are the basic qualities needed to make a great service dog different than the qualities needed for a great Personal Protection dog? Should Personal Protection dogs be trained in the same way as police dogs?

A: This is a good question and can get a bit tricky. The qualities are basically the same. Both have to possess a high degree of courage and environmental stability. A PSD does not have to be that social, because in a large Dept (around 8-14 K9 Units), not all are used for public relations. Some are strictly SWAT, for example.

Most PPD’s are trained the same way as PSD’s. I’ve trained my Bulldogs the same including the field searches and building searches. Maybe on my next dog I will cross-train in Narcotics.