Adam Slater
A Little About Me
All of us who enjoy working with and
training canines desire to see our canines become highly successful. From the several different disciplines of, civilian
service dogs, detection dogs, to patrol and apprehension working dogs. The information contained here will hopefully assist
you with some ideas and aspects in creating and maintaining a highly successful training program, canine program or canine
team.
My name is Adam Slater. Although I currently
work as a tracking / apprehension K-9 Officer, it is important for you to understand many aspects of working a canine are
similar between disciplines. Please don’t let your canines discipline stop you from gaining additional knowledge
which may assist you down the road. Remember these two thoughts as you explore the following articles, “Frustration
Begins Where Knowledge Ends,” and “Never Stop Seeking Knowledge.”
As many of you, I have always enjoyed catching the “bad guy” or finding the lost hunter /
mushroom picker who may be just barley clinging to life. I had a good friend who just recently passed away, named Gil
Datan who was a very successful K-9 Officer for several years. I aspired to be very much like him, serving the public
in this very important, and what appeared to me at the time, a glamorous role. Then reality set in.
I attended my first basic handler school in October of 2013. I was told by my trainer, everyone
says they are going to be committed, but only about one of every ten dog teams really puts forth the effort and commitment.
I told my trainer that day I was going to be that “one.” Of course, as most trainers do, I am sure he hears
this from prospective canine handlers frequently. However, it provided me with the ambition to seek consistency, motivation,
energy and maximum effort in all I do with my canine partner.
My
first partner was, “Neeko.” Neeko was a solid black Shepard and had an attitude to match his looks. I experienced
his teeth on more than one occasion, as is sometimes the case with our partners. Although Neeko could be a bit aggressive
at times, I could not have asked for a better teacher. I learned early on, if I listen to the dog I will gain knowledge and
have success. From watching and working with Neeko, coupled with following and using the tools provided to me in my
basic school, we achieved very good results as a new and fairly inexperienced canine team.
Approximately two years after becoming a certified K-9 team with Neeko, my trainer, Sheriff and I had
to make the difficult decision to put Neeko to sleep after a serious complication resulting from Neeko’s back surgery.
He was defiantly my first love and will always have a place in my heart. He now rests on my property outside of his
kennel.
The community, my trainer and Department all came
together and I have been blessed to have been partnered with K-9 “Odin,” a Belgian Maligns for the past year and
a half. With both canines I have had success and setbacks along with highs and lows. I have tracked for suspect(s) and
missing people in the wind, rain, snow, sleet, and extreme heat. I have experienced the excitement of finding the suspect
/ lost person and the feeling of the, “Walk of shame”, as we head back from a track where no one was located.
To date, K-9 Neeko and K-9 Odin, combined, person finds total
fifty-one. During K-9 Odin’s relatively short service time he has accounted for thirty-seven of these finds, so
far. He has a direct capture rate of over 71% while his success rate is over 95%. The purpose of the articles
contained in this section are not to brag or instruct. It is simply to share information about things which have been
valuable to me, and lessons learned. I hope to assist in furthering your canine knowledge and building a strong, cohesive,
successful team between you and your canine partner. I also look forward to hearing from you so I can gain knowledge from
your experiences.
Thank you for sharing in my canine experience
and I hope I can offer you something to inspire or assist your own K9 career through my coming articles.
Adam
