I have often said I was going to write a book. Years ago i started one. I found the preface. I do believe I will finish writing it. Tell me what you think. Would you buy it? Twenty years of handling a k-9 and more mistakes than I care to admit too. I took the holy grail of K-9 Search and Rescue and broke it down to four golden rules. These rules take into consideration every mistake you could make, will make and do make. I have read hundreds and hundreds of pages of manuals, books and watched a gazillion videos. The world would have you believe that a person sitting on the couch is not capable of being something greater than WHO they are. I disagree. This book is about what a mutley crew of people from every walk of life accomplished utilizing these simple principles. KISS“I prefer to keep it simple stupid.” Throughout the book you will read Army or a form of Military sayings, I would like to acknowledge them now. In a way thank those that have come before me so that I could learn from them. While military intelligence is often the brunt of the joke. The military K-9 program is not. Lackland AFB, K-9 training squadron is the center of the best of the best handlers that get recruited to produce the finest quality of handlers in the military. All services go there for their training. Now, special forces and other special ops, do not. The type of training at Lackland is designed for the military police, which spec ops do not need those particular skills. The basics of tracking, even at my prestigious Lackland, is not time efficient to teach. Tracking, whether used in hunting or for man tracking, is very time consuming. You literally have to let go of your control issues and force your body to believe in what you see, train your eyes to notice things you originally would not. You have to force your brain to stop thinking, stop and smell the roses so to speak. While your smelling the rose you need to look for a broken branch or see if the rose has been damaged by your subject or victim. The best man trackers that are school house taught are probably the marines. The best mantrackers on earth would go to the Native Americans, or someone who has honed their skills for hunting or survival. I have had the pleasure of working with several experienced trackers. I learned more in a minute, than I did in twenty years of fumbling my way with attitude. Just do not ask them to navigate. That is a story for another day. Humor is the key to learning. If you are laughing, you relax, inhale and your mind is open and cognizant to what I am on my soap box preaching bout. Yes that was a joke. A, your dog is Always right. B, mark Behavioral changes that builds C, Confidence in you and your dog, D, Don’t think. Now, that you have the keys to the kingdom of K-9 SAR, you do not need to read the rest of the book. The other pages are filled with laughter, some tears and mistakes that made me a great handler. The theory that you have to read hundreds of manuals and learn two thousand acronyms is debunk. The general population thinks is beyond their realm or reach. Take this journey of how a group of housewives, active duty military and some retired made a difference.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 01:01:43 +0000