- Email: [email protected]
The US Border Patrol breeding and puppy-rearing program
Abstracts state, or if the range is unsuitable for the German shepherd breeding stock in New Zealand. The objectives of this study were to measure the serum cTLI in all police dog stock to establish the prevalence of EPI, and to develop a reference range for unaffected NZ police dogs. In addition, it is planned to track the progress of dogs whose cTLI concentration is in the suspicious range for EPI to determine if they develop clinical EPI. Ultimately, it is hoped that better recommendations for future breeding can be made. Serum samples were collected from 159 police dogs, and cTLI concentrations were assayed by a commercial laboratory. To indicate the presence or absence of clinically significant maldigestion, information was collected from each handler regarding the diet, feeding frequency, food intake, and most recent fecal score (1 to 5) of each dog. The range of cTLI concentrations was from 0.3 to 26.9 mg/L. There were 4 dogs with cTLIs less than 2.5 mg/L, and 3 of these 4 dogs had been gifted to the police. There were 3 dogs with cTLI concentrations between 2.5 and 5 mg/L, and none of these dogs showed evidence of maldigestion. There was no association between dietary or fecal variables and serum cTLI concentration. Currently a large number of dogs (33) are at the low end of the current reference range (5-7 mg/L), and no reason is evident to exclude them from breeding. The reference range for this population will be determined by following the dogs in this study and determining which ones subsequently develop EPI. Dogs with cTLI levels in the suspicious range will also be followed to determine whether they develop clinical EPI or not. Key words: exocrine pancreatic insufficiency; police dog; trypsin-like immunoreactivity 15 EARLY NEUROLOGICAL STIMULATION Carmen L. Battaglia, PhD* American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery, Roswell, Georgia *Corresponding author: [email protected] Surprising as it may seem, it is not capacity that explains the differences that exist between individuals, because most seem to have far more capacity than they will ever use. The differences that exist between individuals seem to be related to something else. Researchers have studied these phenomena and have looked for new ways to stimulate individuals to improve their natural abilities. Some of the methods discovered have produced lifelong effects. Today, many of the differences between individuals can now be explained by the use of early stimulation methods. Early life is a time when the physical immaturity of an organism is susceptible and responsive to a restricted but important class of stimuli. Because of its importance, many studies have focused on the first few months of life. Newborn pups are different from adult dogs in several respects. When born, pups’ eyes are closed, and their digestive system has a limited capacity, requiring periodic
183 stimulation by their dam, who routinely licks them to promote digestion. Other mammals such as mice and rats are also born with limitations, and they also have been found to demonstrate a similar sensitivity to the effects of early stimulation. Studies show that removing them from their nest for 3 minutes each day during the first 5 to 10 days of life causes body temperatures to fall below normal. This mild form of stress is sufficient to stimulate hormonal, adrenal, and pituitary systems. When tested later as adults, these same animals were better able to withstand stress than littermates who were not exposed to the same early stress exercises. As adults, they responded to stress in ‘‘a graded’’ fashion, whereas their nonstressed littermates responded in an ‘‘all or nothing’’ way. The results show that early stimulation exercises can have positive results but must be used with caution. In other words, too much stress can cause pathological adversities rather than physical or psychological superiority. Key words: puppies; early life; neurological stimulation 16 PEDIGREE ANALYSIS Carmen Louis Battaglia, PhD* American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery, Roswell, Georgia *Corresponding author: [email protected] Two basic methods are useful when analyzing pedigrees. The first is called depth of pedigree, which focuses on the ancestors in each generation. The second is called breadth of pedigree, which means that emphasis shifts to the littermates of each ancestor, because they serve as good indicators of the traits or diseases found in their pedigree. Over the years, 3 kinds of pedigrees have emerged, each with its own special purpose. The most popular pedigree is called the traditional pedigree. It has many shortcomings because of the importance it places on the names and titles of the ancestors, which are not heritable. The second is called the stick dog color chart pedigree, which color-codes and ranks the traits of conformation. The third is called the symbols pedigree, which is used to track health and special traits of interest. The latter 2 combine breadth and depth as a means to breed better dogs by knowing more about the traits carried by the ancestors. Key words: dog breeding; pedigrees; breeding partners 17 THE US BORDER PATROL BREEDING AND PUPPY-REARING PROGRAM M. Devaney*, R. Syverson United States Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Office of Training Development, El Paso Canine Center, Texas *Corresponding author: [email protected]
184 The El Paso Canine Center has a breeding and puppyrearing program that supplies working canines for the US Border Patrol. This program was started in 2003 and was patterned after the successful breeding program of the Landespolizeischule fu¨r Diensthundfu¨hrer (State Police School for Service Dog Handlers), located in Stukenbroch, Germany. In this program, working canines are bred and the puppies whelped at a breeding facility at the Canine Center. Starting at the age of 4 weeks, the puppies are exposed to various situations and exercises on a daily basis, including slick floors, elevated surfaces, expanded metal flooring, catwalks, and crawl tubes, along with a variety of noises. Also starting at 4 weeks, the puppies are exposed to several behavior and drive-building exercises such as encouraging pursuit of reward objects that are dragged using a fishing pole and stimulation of chase and retrieval of hard and soft reward objects that are tossed for the pups. These exercises are introduced with the puppies in a group and then repeated for each individual puppy. As the puppies grow older, environmental visual and auditory distractions are incorporated into the exercises. This infant training and testing is conducted from the age of 4 weeks to between 8 and 13 weeks. Two to 3 times per week, each puppy’s responses to the various environments and behavior-building exercises are scored. These scores are averaged at the end of the infant training period, and each puppy receives an overall rating. The puppies are then placed with experienced canine handlers and instructors in working field offices throughout the United States. These puppy raisers volunteer for the program and are allowed to take the puppies into working environments. The raisers must send a weekly report to the Canine Center and administer prescribed tests at the ages of 4, 7, 11, and 14 months. Puppies return to the Canine Center between 10 and 14 months of age for formal detection training. This breeding program has an overall success rate of 85%, where success is defined as the percentage of puppies that are successfully trained, certified, and deployed in an operational capacity. Taking a puppy into field situations early on improves the success rate and quality of canines produced by providing socialization, early exposure to working environments, an opportunity to learn by observing working adult canines, and basic training during critical developmental periods. Conclusion: early environmental enrichment and fostering of puppies by experienced handlers with working adult canines maximize the opportunity for success in rearing canines for law enforcement work. Key words: behavior traits; detector dog; breeding program; puppy testing; environmental enrichment 18 OKETZ (‘STING’): THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (IDF) K9 UNIT Ilan Frank* Israel Defense Force, Gedera, Israel *Corresponding author: [email protected]
Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Vol 3, No 4, July/August 2008 The primary objectives of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) K9 Unit are inhibiting terrorist actions and preventing injuries to ground forces. The main breeds used are the Belgian Malinois and the German shepherd. The majority of dogs are obtained in Europe, as the IDF K9 unit’s breeding program is in its early stages of development. The training program averages 10 months to qualify the canine and 8 months to train the handler; this is the longest time period for armed forces training in the IDF. The canines are instrumental in: (1) locating explosives, ordnance, and terrorists; (2) preventing injury to ground forces from explosive devices and from personal contact with terrorists; (3) giving advance warning of terrorists, thus returning the advantage to Israeli forces; and (4) during search and rescue missions locating disaster survivors. Key words: explosives; ordnance; tracking; tactical dogs; search and rescue 19 UPDATE ON THE CANINE BEHAVIORAL GENETICS PROJECT (CBGP): PROGRESS IN UNDERSTANDING HERITABLE FEARS AND ANXIETIES Karen L. Overalla,*, Donna J. Dyera, Arthur E. Dunhamb, Lee Schechterc, Steven P. Hamiltond a Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Psychiatry Department, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania b Biology Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania c Wyeth Neuroscience, Princeton, New Jersey d Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, UCSF, San Francisco, California *Corresponding author: [email protected] The Canine Behavioral Genetics Project (CBGP: http:// www.k9behavioralgenetics.com) is devoted to collecting data on and understanding heritable patterns of behaviors in all breeds of dogs and in mixed breeds. Because it is often easier to define and identify a range of problematic behaviors than to do the same for ‘‘normal’’ dogs, our initial focus has been on phenotyping and genotyping behavioral pathology. Behavioral conditions examined to date include impulse-control aggression, fear, separation anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, noise reactivity and phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. All conditions were assessed using rigorous published diagnostic criteria. Here we report on how the results of studying 5 groups of dogs with heritable fears or anxieties have informed our thinking on defining ‘‘response surfaces’’ associated with each form of these conditions. Dogs examined to date include: ‘‘nervous’’ pointers, ‘‘nervous’’ pointer crosses, ‘‘shy’’ huskies, ‘‘worried’’ cockers, ‘‘fearful’’ beagles, and a set of patients exhibiting 1 of 3 conditions: separation anxiety, noise phobia, or normal, unaffected dogs. For all of these dogs,
183 stimulation by their dam, who routinely licks them to promote digestion. Other mammals such as mice and rats are also born with limitations, and they also have been found to demonstrate a similar sensitivity to the effects of early stimulation. Studies show that removing them from their nest for 3 minutes each day during the first 5 to 10 days of life causes body temperatures to fall below normal. This mild form of stress is sufficient to stimulate hormonal, adrenal, and pituitary systems. When tested later as adults, these same animals were better able to withstand stress than littermates who were not exposed to the same early stress exercises. As adults, they responded to stress in ‘‘a graded’’ fashion, whereas their nonstressed littermates responded in an ‘‘all or nothing’’ way. The results show that early stimulation exercises can have positive results but must be used with caution. In other words, too much stress can cause pathological adversities rather than physical or psychological superiority. Key words: puppies; early life; neurological stimulation 16 PEDIGREE ANALYSIS Carmen Louis Battaglia, PhD* American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery, Roswell, Georgia *Corresponding author: [email protected] Two basic methods are useful when analyzing pedigrees. The first is called depth of pedigree, which focuses on the ancestors in each generation. The second is called breadth of pedigree, which means that emphasis shifts to the littermates of each ancestor, because they serve as good indicators of the traits or diseases found in their pedigree. Over the years, 3 kinds of pedigrees have emerged, each with its own special purpose. The most popular pedigree is called the traditional pedigree. It has many shortcomings because of the importance it places on the names and titles of the ancestors, which are not heritable. The second is called the stick dog color chart pedigree, which color-codes and ranks the traits of conformation. The third is called the symbols pedigree, which is used to track health and special traits of interest. The latter 2 combine breadth and depth as a means to breed better dogs by knowing more about the traits carried by the ancestors. Key words: dog breeding; pedigrees; breeding partners 17 THE US BORDER PATROL BREEDING AND PUPPY-REARING PROGRAM M. Devaney*, R. Syverson United States Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Office of Training Development, El Paso Canine Center, Texas *Corresponding author: [email protected]
184 The El Paso Canine Center has a breeding and puppyrearing program that supplies working canines for the US Border Patrol. This program was started in 2003 and was patterned after the successful breeding program of the Landespolizeischule fu¨r Diensthundfu¨hrer (State Police School for Service Dog Handlers), located in Stukenbroch, Germany. In this program, working canines are bred and the puppies whelped at a breeding facility at the Canine Center. Starting at the age of 4 weeks, the puppies are exposed to various situations and exercises on a daily basis, including slick floors, elevated surfaces, expanded metal flooring, catwalks, and crawl tubes, along with a variety of noises. Also starting at 4 weeks, the puppies are exposed to several behavior and drive-building exercises such as encouraging pursuit of reward objects that are dragged using a fishing pole and stimulation of chase and retrieval of hard and soft reward objects that are tossed for the pups. These exercises are introduced with the puppies in a group and then repeated for each individual puppy. As the puppies grow older, environmental visual and auditory distractions are incorporated into the exercises. This infant training and testing is conducted from the age of 4 weeks to between 8 and 13 weeks. Two to 3 times per week, each puppy’s responses to the various environments and behavior-building exercises are scored. These scores are averaged at the end of the infant training period, and each puppy receives an overall rating. The puppies are then placed with experienced canine handlers and instructors in working field offices throughout the United States. These puppy raisers volunteer for the program and are allowed to take the puppies into working environments. The raisers must send a weekly report to the Canine Center and administer prescribed tests at the ages of 4, 7, 11, and 14 months. Puppies return to the Canine Center between 10 and 14 months of age for formal detection training. This breeding program has an overall success rate of 85%, where success is defined as the percentage of puppies that are successfully trained, certified, and deployed in an operational capacity. Taking a puppy into field situations early on improves the success rate and quality of canines produced by providing socialization, early exposure to working environments, an opportunity to learn by observing working adult canines, and basic training during critical developmental periods. Conclusion: early environmental enrichment and fostering of puppies by experienced handlers with working adult canines maximize the opportunity for success in rearing canines for law enforcement work. Key words: behavior traits; detector dog; breeding program; puppy testing; environmental enrichment 18 OKETZ (‘STING’): THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (IDF) K9 UNIT Ilan Frank* Israel Defense Force, Gedera, Israel *Corresponding author: [email protected]
Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Vol 3, No 4, July/August 2008 The primary objectives of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) K9 Unit are inhibiting terrorist actions and preventing injuries to ground forces. The main breeds used are the Belgian Malinois and the German shepherd. The majority of dogs are obtained in Europe, as the IDF K9 unit’s breeding program is in its early stages of development. The training program averages 10 months to qualify the canine and 8 months to train the handler; this is the longest time period for armed forces training in the IDF. The canines are instrumental in: (1) locating explosives, ordnance, and terrorists; (2) preventing injury to ground forces from explosive devices and from personal contact with terrorists; (3) giving advance warning of terrorists, thus returning the advantage to Israeli forces; and (4) during search and rescue missions locating disaster survivors. Key words: explosives; ordnance; tracking; tactical dogs; search and rescue 19 UPDATE ON THE CANINE BEHAVIORAL GENETICS PROJECT (CBGP): PROGRESS IN UNDERSTANDING HERITABLE FEARS AND ANXIETIES Karen L. Overalla,*, Donna J. Dyera, Arthur E. Dunhamb, Lee Schechterc, Steven P. Hamiltond a Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Psychiatry Department, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania b Biology Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania c Wyeth Neuroscience, Princeton, New Jersey d Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, UCSF, San Francisco, California *Corresponding author: [email protected] The Canine Behavioral Genetics Project (CBGP: http:// www.k9behavioralgenetics.com) is devoted to collecting data on and understanding heritable patterns of behaviors in all breeds of dogs and in mixed breeds. Because it is often easier to define and identify a range of problematic behaviors than to do the same for ‘‘normal’’ dogs, our initial focus has been on phenotyping and genotyping behavioral pathology. Behavioral conditions examined to date include impulse-control aggression, fear, separation anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, noise reactivity and phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. All conditions were assessed using rigorous published diagnostic criteria. Here we report on how the results of studying 5 groups of dogs with heritable fears or anxieties have informed our thinking on defining ‘‘response surfaces’’ associated with each form of these conditions. Dogs examined to date include: ‘‘nervous’’ pointers, ‘‘nervous’’ pointer crosses, ‘‘shy’’ huskies, ‘‘worried’’ cockers, ‘‘fearful’’ beagles, and a set of patients exhibiting 1 of 3 conditions: separation anxiety, noise phobia, or normal, unaffected dogs. For all of these dogs,