Midwest Malinois

Graeson


Update!


Hi, Joyce & Kevin,

I can’t believe this 70 lb. pup is one year old. In 2008 he received his Canine Good Citizen and is now allowed to participate in team demos. He also passed his first team airscent test, which is a daytime 10 acre search to locate one slight concealed subject, which he found in 6 minutes.

I use these mostly floppy ears to my advantage. When he is in scent trying to pinpoint his subject, they go straight up. Four more tests and he will become operational for our team. His reward is a Frisbee game of tug. When the subject is tired of the tug game, they toss it. He prefers to fold it, gathering leaves to create a Frisbee taco. At this point, he does not like to bring it back, so I always keep a spare in my backpack. We’re working on that, but I certainly do not mind his ownership.

Once we’re solid for live finds, I’ll begin cross training him in human remains detection. At home, his only fear is the vacuum. Outdoors he fears nothing. He will jump on rain soaked rubble piles, into demolished buildings of glass and debris.

He got his first barbed wire nose scrape last Saturday at training when he tried to run through the fence, vs under it. He’s a good boy and at the end of the day a very happy, contented pup. I enjoy staying in touch with you both and will continue to send photos.

Cheryl















Hi Kevin,

I hope you and Joyce are doing well. I had to write to tell you about this pup. I’ve had him for a month and he is everything I expected, and more. I asked for a high drive, fearless pup and that is exactly what I received. I didn’t ask for this weirdo, bite/grab/ ”hey, human, you are coming with me”; but we are working on that.

I keep waiting to see what exactly scares this dog. I joked that the dog was hard of hearing because he didn’t budge in his carrier on the plane ride home. I had to stick my toe in his kennel to make sure he was still alive because he was so quiet. As it turns out, he can hear perfectly well. He thinks it’s funny when I whisper his commands, and prefers to work for his food vs eating out of a full bowl, which to him is boring.



He got his “sits”, “downs” and beginning “crawl” and “speak” within the first two weeks. We have added the very important SAR command of “beg”, for my entertainment. At three months, he has no problem at the airport or at crowded parks. The first time he heard screaming kids, he sat down to watch these small, loud humans that ran very fast. He checks out all grates on the ground and any hole he sees. He has no problem scampering through tunnels and prefers to chew on metal vs the soft squeak toys. This is definitely attributed to your puppy imprinting process.

We took him into the hardware store and he sat quietly in the cart while chewing on a metal clip. My husband joked that we need to get a cart for the house so he is less noisy. I tell others about your dogs, how they can perform bite work and in the next moment kiss you on the face. It was incredible to see them all in person. This is exactly what I was looking for as a well-rounded search and rescue dog. He is doing well on his beginning air-scent work.

We’ll keep you updated with photos, and his progress. Thanks for a great start, and if you are ever in GA you and your dogs are always welcome at our home.

-Cheryl M.



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