Puppy development scheme

Lynda Parlour a puppy walker

In response to a scarcity of good, well bred working German shepherd dogs available for police training, our police dog section set up a puppy development scheme.

German shepherd dogs are commonly used as police dogs for a number of reasons:

• willingness to please and to learn
• agility
• intelligence
• correct balance of aggression and sociability
• working drive
• appearance

Volunteer puppy walkers

At eight weeks old, we place suitable puppies with a volunteer puppy walker whose job it is to look after the puppy in their own home for one year and expose the dog to a variety of experiences.

The puppy walker is given a handbook in which to record the variety of situations the puppy has experienced, including: a bustling town centre;  a busy road filled with traffic; walking on rough terrain; a beach; a grassy park; a shiny shop floor.

The aim of our puppy development scheme is for the puppy walker to hand over a well-balanced, confident and social dog at the end of the year. If the puppy has successfully completed this stage, he is then ready to begin a 13-week course with the handler to whom he has been assigned.

Our puppy walkers must have a settled family background and a secure garden. They will undertake to regularly exercise, groom and care for the dog whilst also giving it a good upbringing in line with advice from our dog school. We will provide dog food and pay for any veterinary costs incurred.

If you are interested in becoming a puppy walker and can fit the criteria, please contact the Dog Training School on 01392 452410 for further information.