Sit, stay, and fetch the TV remote tomorrow (Tuesday 28 January) when the first episode of Dog Squad: Puppy School airs on TVNZ 1.
It’s a spinoff of Dog Squad, a long-time, paw-some family favourite now in its 11th year.
But it’s a long road from floppy-eared pup to sniffing out offenders – this series takes you along on that journey.
Produced by Greenstone, Dog Squad: Puppy School features pups and people from New Zealand Police, Corrections, MPI and other organisations working with visually impaired people or those who benefit from mobility assessment dogs.
You’ll meet the people behind the training, including staff from the NZ Police Dog Training Centre (DTC) in Trentham, as well as dog handlers, foster pup families, and specialist vet support.
Dog Squad: Puppy School follows the journey of several puppy litters, mostly German Shepherds, at the DTC.
It’s a busy place, with around 100 puppies born each year. Trentham is their home until they leave at eight or nine weeks, to be fostered by mostly Police families. Some pups leave Trentham and go directly to other agencies for them to develop.
Inspector Todd Southall, National Co-ordinator of Police Dogs, says Police has a high international reputation for our breeding and training of police dogs.
“We have about 140 operational dog teams working in demanding, difficult and often dangerous environments,” he says.
“We work hard to ensure our dog breeding lines give us what we need, supported by a quality development and training regime.”
Dog Squad: Puppy School takes you behind the scenes to see how the pups are cared for at the DTC, go through early puppy testing, then leave their siblings for new homes for the next stage of their development.
Police officers who want to be dog handlers must foster puppies as a pre-requisite, but pups are also fostered by other Police families. It’s a 24/7 commitment caring for and socialising the puppies – all while coping with the chewed shoes, punctured footballs and muddy pawprints familiar to every dog owner.
“We can’t do what we do without the help we get from people in districts across the country, including the foster dog families,” says Todd.
During this period, both the DTC and experienced Dog Section supervisors are in regular contact with foster families, teaching and guiding progress as milestones are reached – and failed.
Those that make it are assigned to a handler for operational training – but there are still more hurdles ahead before a dog becomes operational. Who will make the grade, and which pups just won’t cut the mustard?
- If you’ve fallen in love with some of the stars of #FridayFloof, a popular feature on NZ Police social media accounts, tune in to Dog Squad: Puppy School. Tuesdays, 7:30pm, TVNZ 1, and on TVNZ OnDemand.
- If you can’t wait, click here to check out the trailer… (with thanks to Dog Squad: Puppy School/TVNZ)