DETECTOR DOG SELECTION TEST

Originally dogs that graduated as police K9 were expected to do narcotics detection. Then along came vendors who were marketing dogs as dual-purpose, meaning narcotics and patrol. At first I thought it was a marketing scheme but it turned out the dogs I saw, were darn good.

If you look at any agency who's dogs do strictly narcotics or explosive, they inheritantly are high in 'retrieval' instinct. Dogs in the sporting field, such as the Labrador, Springer or Weimarner are generally known for their retrieval instinct. Those that generally aren't, would include the German Shepherd, Malinois, Doberman or Rotteweiler, higher in 'prey' instinct.

If you were looking for a dual purpose dog, the two main drives I would test first is 'fight' and 'retrieval'. Use the test for patrol dog selection testing. The most important part of this page reviews testing for 'retrieval' drive. Most of the time when we tested dual purpose dogs, we did not cover the remain topics. I am sure you can the revelance of why they are listed and of course they are suggested as an option.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN. Allow the dog at least 5 minutes to eliminate before beginning, water if necessary.

RETRIEVAL

You will be testing the dog on four different items. Wood. Rubber. Plastic. Metal. [Dogs are not to partial to picking up metal]. Take a position at the bottom of a small hill. The objective is to test the dog's eagerness to return any object thrown directly back to handler and continue to retrieve items even when it becomes tired or thirsty. Throw each item up the hill a short distance. When it brings the item back, it may drop the item and step back but it will not run away with the item making it a game of keep-away.

Regardless of whether you use the test outlined here, we also recommend you evaluate the following.

Any time you test a prospective candidate, it should always be in unfamiliar or neutral territory, NEVER on its home truff or a public parks they frequently visit. Review the section on Body language to familiarize yourself with the various postures and positions you are evaluating.

Your testing area should be preselected. Avoid parks and areas where public dogs frequent. You are looking for an area which has tall grass or brushes, a small hill and green grass. You may need to go to more then one site because you need to find an obstacle course, such as what is found at a school playground.

SOCIAL CONTACT.

There should be no hestitation in the dogs willingness to be approached by a stranger or a child

The handler will have their dog onlead, a stranger walks briskly up to them and shakes the handler hand. Have a short conversation for a minute and then the stranger walks off, out of sight.

The handler will have their dog onlead and walking and they approach a teenager bouncing a basketball. They have a short conversation and then walk off.

UMBRELLA.

Some dogs, even the ones who first look good, can't stand the umbrella

Stranger approaches dog and handler within 15' and opens the umbrella, when facing the dog and then drops it and walks away. The dog may be startled but should walk up to the umbrella on the ground.

OBSTACLES

The school playgrounds often have the best obstacle course to test on. Large, sturdy and accessible after hours. You should also consider the dogs willingness or aversion to slippery floors

 

WEBSITES TO VISIT

SUBJECT WEBSITE
PSP Selection Test http://users.sisna.com/wendellnope/select.htm
USPCA Selection Testing http://www.uspcak9.com/training/testdogsselection.shtml
Lou Castles - Stake Out http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/LA/castle1.htm.
PSD Selection http://www.uspcak9.com/training/canineselection.shtml
Schutzhund Working Dog Test http://workingdogs.com/dom1.htm
Discussion on Fight Drive http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/printthread.php/Cat/0/Board/78/main/92694/type/thread

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