ecovering from a broken ankle, Puppy program a year ago, she was among Kirsten Fulk needed an incen- the first to apply. She kept seven puppies out tive to get outside and build up of a litter of 12 to enter into the program and strength. hopefully become explosives-detection dogs. RThe doctor recommended a walking com- “The program fit perfectly with my skill set, panion. Fulk, a lifelong dog lover, decided on my current breeding plans with my German a German Shorthaired Pointer. Shorthairs, and my desire to help our country Barron joined the household and was every- in whatever way I can,” she says. thing Fulk wanted in a family pet. When the breeders invited her to a field Home-Grown Noses training day, she had no idea what to ex- The AKC Detection Dog Task Force pect—certainly not that it would change her launched the Patriotic Puppy program in life. late 2018 to train and support owners who Upon seeing the pointers doing what they dedicate a year to preparing a puppy as a can- were bred to do, “I was hooked,” Fulk says. didate for advanced detection training. Gov- An AKC program gives “Fast-forward a few years, and we had pur- puppies a head-start chased a female and had our first litter of for scenting careers. pups. We helped the puppy owners train their puppies and some of their friends and By Penny Leigh their dogs. We loved it and decided to build a boarding and training kennel.” Since that day in the early 1990s, Fulk and her husband, Paul, have trained hundreds of successful hunting companions and hunt-test competitors at Field of Dreams Kennel in Oregon. But they knew the dogs’ amazing noses and work ethic could also be used for more. In 2014, Fulk began evaluating dogs for urban Dreaming Big: Detection-dog hopeful Tilly takes search-and-rescue work as well as detection a nap with her mom. Follow her progress at: @ for arson, narcotics, and medical service. americankennelclub on Instagram #AKCPuppyPack #PuppyTilly. Opposite: Learning to walk on all kinds of
When she heard about the AKC Patriotic surfaces is an important part of the curriculum. COURTESY OWNERS
1/3 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2 0 2 0 • AKC FAMILYDOG ernment agencies and most private vendors will not accept dogs until they are at least a year old. But there is a lot of preparation that must be achieved in those 12 months for the puppy to be successful. The AKC Patriotic Puppy program strives to make more puppies ready to enter the work- force and meet the growing need for detection dogs in the United States—for detection of explosives, narcotics, agricultural products and pests, arson triggers, and more. Learning and playtime overlap for puppy-in-training Fireball. The majority of U.S. detection dogs have been imported from Eastern Europe, which about the latest techniques for training has a long history of producing working future working dogs. They submit reports canines. As the entire world faces more and videos of their work with their puppies threats, the competition for the dogs is and receive coaching and feedback from high. The United States has a serious need Thomas. for more dogs to fill roles crucial to protect- The program concentrates on a limited ing national security and resources. number of two core breeds: German Short- The AKC Board of Directors established haired Pointers and Labrador Retrievers. the AKC Detection Dog Task Force in 2016 Both breeds are known for endurance, to research how the AKC could help with hunting ability, and keen noses. Owners of the shortage. other breeds may apply for the program’s “We cannot complain about the dependence adjunct-breed division and receive access to on the foreign sourcing of dogs if we are not instructional materials and data. willing to prove we can do a better job within “It is approximately a one-year process of the borders of the United States of America,” raising a dog. We need folks that are will- says Scott Thomas, consultant to the AKC ing to look at new ideas and methods for Detection Dog Task Force and manager of the raising superior detection canines,” Thomas Dog trainers Lyz Gregory (left) and Skyler Smith (right) take Angel, Apple, and Alexa on a field trip to the Eugene AKC Patriotic Puppy program. says. “These ideas are shared on a website, (Oregon) Airport. They toured the baggage claim, ticket counters, and passenger drop-o areas. The German Thomas, the former breeding program on social media, with updates provided on a Shorthaired Pointer littermates are participants in the AKC Patriotic Puppy program, an eort to prepare more American canines for future roles as detection dogs. manager for TSA, teaches participants weekly basis, and all archival information is
2/3 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2 0 2 0 • AKC FAMILYDOG also available.” distractions) breeders, trainers, and raisers and the dogs Lessons to Learn In addition to managing the program, I Socialize a dog to be able to perform that they can produce to help protect our Thomas trains his own puppies, including a tasks in the presence of other people or national security.” from Detection Dog German Shorthaired Pointer named Task. other animals North Carolina resident Sarah Burris is Task displayed his skills at a demonstration I Use of self-discovery and self-reward to a professional detection-dog handler and Trainers at the 2019 AKC US Detection Dog Con- minimize dependence on the handler and had a desire to train a dog starting at the ference. Entering a room full of people, the create high levels of independent behavior “ground floor.” She purchased a Labrador All puppies—whether family pets, show dogs, then-14-week-old Task acted like most pup- I Create an extreme desire for reward-ob- Retriever puppy from strong field lines for or sports candidates—can benefit from many pies. He wiggled, jumped, and wagged his tail ject pursuit and possession the program. Now 11 months old, Fireball of the Patriotic Puppy skills and drills. Program furiously. I Create a dog with high levels of endur- will hopefully soon be sold to a law enforce- Manager Scott Thomas says first, start with a But upon spotting a row of pots, Task ance and conditioning. ment agency, Burris says. Once Fireball is healthy puppy with a sound temperament. showed why he is different than the average placed, she plans to purchase two more pup- dog his age. He went to work scenting each Puppy Parades pies and eventually start her own breeding I Build an environmentally bold dog by one before stopping nose-down, motionless. Residents of Sweet Home, Oregon, barely program. having both home-based courses (such as A beep sounded, and he ran to a re- glance when a large group of identical pup- “The best part is having a place to go with tunnels, various surfaces to walk on, steps to mote-control treat dispenser for a reward for pies enter the feed store or walk the town questions,” Burris says. “The website is very scale, and obstacles to climb) and then take finding the pot with the correct odor. The streets. They have been watching Fulk’s pup- helpful with suggestions, tips, videos, and the dog to dog-friendly businesses. The goal reward comes from the remote dispenser to pies since they were very young as they prep articles. It’s nice not to have a roadmap but a is a dog who acts completely at home and reduce dependence on the handler and to help for the rigors of life as a working dog. lot of ideas.” comfortable no matter where he goes. develop puppies who think for themselves “We spend hours each day exposing the The Task Force strives to make the Patriotic instead of relying on cues, Thomas says. puppies to new environments, textures, Puppy program a step toward developing a I Develop an independent dog. Let the dog Patriotic Puppy requirements for raising a sounds, and people. We take them on field strong network of U.S. breeders and trainers be guided by the anticipation of reward from future working dog include: trips to the airport, local feed stores, and on producing highly skilled detection dogs to the environment, not necessarily needing I Weekly outings to expose dogs to simu- runs in our fields,” Fulk says. “We also work protect the country. assistance from the handler. lated environment and obstacles that may them each day on toy drive and odor detec- “The goal is, in the end, to have a dog be seen as an operational detection dog tion. We will be adding more puppies to the with high levels of search ability, extreme I To instill confidence in puppies, use clear I Developing olfactory acuity using re- program in the next year.” desire for the reward object, a dog with the communication and always put the dog in mote-reward and odor recognition exercises While many people in the program are independence to be motivated in search for a situation where he can succeed. Avoid I Use of home-based environmental stim- breeders, that is not a requirement. “Any- odor, and a dog resilient to stress and dis- mixed signals or situations that may prevent ulation to develop the desire to go up, over, one with a young puppy can participate,” traction,” Thomas says. FD the dog from being rewarded. around, and through exercises of proprio- Thomas says. “We are looking for people ception (floors, surfaces, noise, ramps, who are willing to help in a ‘proof of concept’ AKC staff member Penny Leigh has worked on stairs, barriers, unstable surfaces, and other that demonstrates the value of our American the AKC Detection Dog Task Force.
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