Rookie K-9 in training already winning awards

By DAWN SLADE
Mille Lacs County Times
Posted 5/15/03

K-9 Tracker is almost ready to hit the streets of Mille Lacs County. The new dual purpose dog has been in training for the past several weeks preparing to take K-9 Keeyaıs place next to handler and Mille Lacs County Deputy Terry Boltjes.

The German shepherd, which hails from Czechoslovakia, was purchased in January thanks to generous donations made by area individuals and businesses.

³If it wasnıt for all the donations from the community, we wouldnıt have been able to purchase such an exceptional dog,² Boltjes said.

Leroy Lessard, a community service officer for the Mille Lacs Tribal Police, is working with Boltjes and Tracker in the training process.

Lessard, who was a K-9 handler with the Mille Lacs County Sheriffıs Office for 17 years, has trained four other K-9 dogs.

³These dogs stop more problems just by their presence,² Lessard said.

The 23-month old dog is being trained for tracking, narcotics, criminal apprehension, building searches and handler protection.

³Heıs super,² Lessard said of Tracker. ³This dog is not afraid. He wants to please you and heıs a happy dog.²

The first and most important aspect of training, according to Lessard, is the obedience training.

³If you donıt have obedience, you donıt have nothinı,² Lessard said.

While obedience is continually worked on throughout training, the drug sniffing exercises are the second aspect of training followed by the obstacle course.

³It shouldnıt be called an obstacle course,² Lessard points out. ³It should be called a confidence course.²

Finally, agitation work is brought into the dogıs training. Officers suit up in protective gear and act as the ³bad guy² to allow the dog to tackle the bad guy, make bites, and release the person when commanded to do so, with the handler maintaining control of the dog at all times.

Mark Sloat is assisting with the agitation training and tracking work with Boltjes and Tracker.

During a training session in April, Lessard pointed out that the dog shouldnıt work until itıs burnt out or hurt, but a session shouldnıt end unless the dog has completed the task at hand.

³You always finish with him doing what you last wanted him to do,² Lessard said of the dog.

³I feel the training that Tracker and I have attended has been well worth the time and effort,² Boltjes said.

Tracker will be one of two K-9ıs that work for the sheriffıs department. Deputy Bill Hawley is also a K-9 handler with a dual purpose dog. K-9 Taz has been on the force for five years.

Both Taz and Tracker certified for narcotics, an annual certification, at the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) Region 12 Spring Seminar and Detector Trials in April.

Boltjes and the rookie dog placed first out of 30 teams in the group with a score of 197.33 out of 200. Boltjesı brother Bryan, a Fairmont Police Officer, took second at the event with his dog Spike.

Tracker also took first place in the new dog category.

Because of the dogıs standing at the Region 12 competition, Boltjes and Tracker went on to compete at the National Narcotics Detector Dog Trials in Lakeville Monday and Tuesday, May 5 and 6.

Tracker is now nationally certified in narcotics.

³I really appreciate Leroy volunteering to help train Tracker,² Boltjes said. ³His experience in training four K-9 dogs that worked in Mille Lacs County has greatly helped me in preparing Tracker to replace Keeya.²