Police pup Drax kicks goals in training
POLICE dog Drax is shaping up to be one of the best patrol dogs the NT Police have ever trained.
The 10-month-old pup is a ball of excitement and inquisitive with his surroundings but on command can turn into an imposing canine ready to tackle crime.
Drax is breezing through his intensive training program and may even graduate early.
His handler Senior Constable Steve Dalrymple, who has had Drax for the last five months said he was progressing well and was far beyond where he was expected to be.
“He is doing things now that you probably wouldn’t introduce to other dogs for another three months or four months,” Sen Con Dalrymple said. “He just loves it, his drive for the game the reward, is what keeps him going.”
Sen Con Dalrymple said over the past six weeks he had been able to focus on the training of Drax.
“You can see how quickly they transition from a gumby little pup to a dog,” he said.
“I’ve got keep telling myself that he’s only a pup.”
Sen Con Dalrymple is also the handler of patrol dog Lupo and has been training dogs since 2013. He predicts Drax could graduate as early as December.
He said while Drax had been kicking goals he was weary about putting him on the frontline before he was ready. “If you put a junior dog into a violent situation and they get hurt and they’re finished,” he said.
He said only three out of 10 puppy recruits had what it took to become a patrol dog.
The newest recruit looking to follow in the footsteps of Drax is a German Shepherd named Devil; he joined the force on Wednesday.