Abandoned puppy's police training 'going well'
BBC/Steph CleasbyAn abandoned puppy's police dog training is going "really well", according to the chief inspector who rescued him.
Chief, a stray German Shepherd Malinois cross, was handed in to a shelter by a dog warden when he was spotted by Durham Ch Insp Sarah Hindmarsh, before he was assessed to see if he had the makings of a working dog.
Now 20 weeks old, he is being trained to eventually search for missing people, carry out public disorder work and track suspects.
Hindmarsh said everyone at the training centre "really loves him" and he was responding well to learning new skills every day.
She spotted him during a meeting with the rescue charity and said something about him stood out. He was named Chief in her honour.
"He's full of enthusiasm," Hindmarsh said. "He's shown loads of potential."
Durham Police's dog support unit undertook the initial assessment, where Chief "passed his first tests with flying colours".
Sgt Paul Cooper, from the dog support unit, said his team had been using treats to practice skills like navigating furniture, barking on command and searching exercises.
"Once we've got that trust between that partnership then we can really look to explore the real potential that chief has," he said.
"And everything's just kept fun, dynamic, so the dog always gets that positive connection with training."
Chief will undergo 18 months of training before he is potentially deployed across the Durham Police force area.
