O.K...
Now for a little background.
My dog's name is Cerberus ("Cerb" for short), and he is an American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), as his breed is officially recognized by the UKC.
However, the AKC won't recognize the breed (they will only recognize American Staffordshire Terrier's which have been strictly breed for show and not work for the past half century or more) due to it's fighting history, so you get a lot of names that people call the breed (Bulldog, staffie, Amstaff, Yankee Terrier, etc.). Some Native American folks out by where I was staying gave me the nickname "The Staff Man" because they call the breed "staff's".
I chose this breed because APBT are one of the most athletic, intelligent, loyal, and versitile breeds out there. Depending on the individual dog, they can be trained to do just about anything. Despite popular belief as well, they don't have the genetic propensity to bite humans, but any dog will if abused or provoked. So, APBT are great for work, and great around children and people.
I am a "hobby trainer" in that I do not do this exclusively as my job. Cerb is my 1st dog that I am training, so I am learning as much as he is every time we go out. I am very fortunate to be working with some of the best trainers and behaviorists in the world, however, who are professional trainers who do everything from the house pet to police protection work and SAR.
What is nice about being a "hobby trainer" for SAR (Search and Rescue) is that your hobby could someday save a life. You train with other's, join a league or association, and you take calls just like a volunteer or paid on call firefighter would.
Cerb is still a very young dog; only 14 months old. You really can't take calls until the dog is no younger then 2 years old, but people often wait until the dog is 3 or 4 years of age. You really have to wait until the dog is mature with all of his/her adult drive in full development.
Cerb, skill wise, is just about there. His willingness to track overrides all of his other drives. He loves it, and never seems to tire from it. Last week we worked no less then 3-5 hours each day; often going on 2-4 hour hikes with tracks at a time. This is rare for such a young dog. But he loves tracking for the sake of itself, which is why he is so talented. Most dogs track to gain the reward both during and at the end of the track, which is usually a play with a toy of choice or food. Even though I reward him, Cerb tracks for the sake of tracking itself, which is both a rare attribute and important distinction.
He is also incredibly agile with spectacular problem solving skills in the field. Many dogs have to be "babysat" so to speak, especially early in training. Many dogs get spooked and won't do some of the climbing, the heights that you saw in the photo's, etc. Cerb navigated some very rough terrain. He crossed logs, climbed trees and rock faces, swam through swamps and streams with me, and travelled through some very thick vegitation without difficulty. To pose for pictures, I held Cerb on a lead to slow him down. But, most of the time while on the track I had him off lead (no leash). He is also incredably obedient and will come, heel, slow down, sit, downstay, etc., etc., when I ask, even though tracking the scent is of a higher order to Cerb then obedience is.
All and all, I am very pleased and impressed with his work over the past couple of weeks. It'll take some time, but I can't wait to take calls when he is ready!
Paul
) ...
