The newest recruit with Okotoks RCMP is already making a paws-itive impression.

Misty is an 8 week-old German Shepard pup who came from the RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre in Innisfail, AB.

Training starts for the pups at the centre once they are 8 weeks-old and paired up with their imprinter who will raise them for about 14-16 months.

Cst. Cedric Archambault, Okotoks RCMP member, is Misty's imprinter and has had her in his care for just over a week.

Archambault says he is currently working on Misty's bite development.

"We have a leather rag that we'll run with and she's got to bite it, then we'll do a little fight and she's got to basically just develop her bite, her mouth, and her jaw."

They are also doing some ground work on tracking.

"We start with little pieces of wieners, so she'll be in her crate and then we'll let her out of her crate and lay the wieners down in a straight line, then the dog's going to associate having her nose down to eating wieners. There's a mix of human scent with the food so when we remove the food she's only focused on the human scent and that's how we start the tracking."

Misty is with Archambault 24/7 and is currently learning bite development and tracking.

Misty is with Archambault 24/7. Police dog pups are brought everywhere, including buildings and crowds, and touched by other people for socialization until they are six months old. Then the socialization aspect gets cut and they are taught to remain neutral so when they are on the job they are not distracted looking to get pet.

Once Archambault and Misty's time together is up, she'll be brought back to Innisfail for more training before being matched up with a police doghandler.

There are different programs for police dogs including drug detection, explosives, and general policing.

Archambault says it can be difficult to part ways with the dogs after building a strong bond with them, but that it isn't long before there is a new four-legged recruit to care for.

"It's hard but at the same time you're happy to see that they've succeeded and they're going to go for training, and then you get a new pup and you get to start training again," he explains. "There's no time where you get bored, it's always go-go-go, you get a new pup, give your dog away and get a new pup. Obviously it's hard to give away the pup that you've had for so long but at the same time you get a new one. Then you get to start over and do it again."

For more information on police dog training, click here.

 

 

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