This week, the Defence Force and Police Dog Training Centre in New Zealand flew in famous Dutch dog trainer Dick Staal to train working dogs from 14 different organizations. Alan Inkpen, the Military Working Dog capability manager, stated that while New Zealand has some of the best working dogs, there’s always room for improvement. Staal, who has been training dogs for nearly 50 years, emphasizes starting training at a young age, as early as eight weeks old.
This event is unique in New Zealand, as it brings together various organizations for the first time. According to Ange Newport from the Department of Conservation, it’s a rare opportunity to meet up with other organizations and discuss their work. Aimee Hickman, from Blind Low Vision, also sees it as a fantastic chance to collaborate and learn from others.
Inspector Todd Southall stated that police used to start training dogs when they were nine months old, but now they start at about eight weeks. The training provided by Staal has been divided into three seminars covering detection, tracking, and puppy development. Southall added that they are looking to expand and develop their puppy training, as early training imprints desirable behaviors.
Hickman believes that Staal’s method of training dogs from a young age will benefit all the different organizations. She said that training their dogs early on is crucial for their role in helping people with vision loss navigate safely in the community.
