About Dawn Spoolman Expertise I can answer any questions regarding the breed from choosing a puppy, training, raising, breeding, genetics, medical conditions & showing.
Experience Raised, shown (in all forms of obedience, schutzhund & conformation) & bred shepherds for 26 years. Have been a professional dog trainer for 26 years.
Question Hi, I am interested in breeding and training German shepherds for families and the local police yet, I have no idea how to get started. I was wondering what it takes to be certified and if their is a reputable place in which will train me. Thank you for considering my question.
Elizabeth
Answer Hi Elizabeth, There is no place to get certified, it is best to apprentice with someone who is heavily into the dog world and can teach you all the ins & outs of the business. Training for police departments takes a lot of experience working with dogs and is a totally different method than family. Police dogs have to deal with different things than the standard family dog so their training is a lot more extreme than your normal family dog training. Read lots of books, volunteer at local shelters and learn about basic canine behavior. Study how they are individually is the best way to learn. Read lots of books about GSDs and learn the different things about American & German lineage dogs. Also use a lot of common sense. There are a million different ways to do things in the dog world, just figure out what fits who you are and follow through with it. Hope this helps,
