Gandhi is a KNPV PH 1 & PH 2 German Shepherd import from Holland. Gandhi earned his coveted KNPV PH 2 degree in July of this year with a near perfect score of 418 points.

Gandhi is also the father of our newest German Shepherd puppy Sting, who is turning out to a amazing Dog. Aesthetically Gandhi is stunningly beautiful to look at, he is a big robust dog with a head like a lion, with a straight back that walks straight on his toes, and NOT on his hocks like you see in so many German Shepherd in today’s world. In his protection he is absolutely devastating, he comes in fast and hard with a bone crushing bite. Gandhi is a very head strong dog, with nerves of steel, but at the same time he can be very sociable, affectionate, and loves to hang out with children. He is very calm in every day life and great in the house.

Gandhi will now go through our Elite Family Estate Protection Dog Program. This is a one in a million opportunity, he definitely was phenomenal find.

Ear mites are very common in German Shepherds, but should be taken very seriously anyway. If they are left untreated, it could cause severe damage to the ear canal and possibly even hearing loss. If you see any kinds of signs that your dog could have ear mites, take them to the vet right away. It is always better to be safe, rather than sorry. When your dog is diagnosed, a cotton swab is used to sample the dog’s ear wax. The vet will look for both mites and mite eggs, under a microscope. For treatment it is important to carefully clean out the dogs ears very gently, this goes a long way in trying to fix the problem. Dog ears are very sensitive, so any type of harsh movements could damage the ear drum. Next, a topical medication is applied to the ear. The medication contains anti-inflammatories to soothe the ear, anti-bacterial to minimize any other infection and an anti-paracidicital to kill the mites. This process of cleaning the ears and applying the medicine is usually continued for 7-10 days. The best way to prevent ear mites from every infecting your dog is to keep your guard dog away from any animal that could possible be infected. Most importantly just keep your eyes open for any strange behavior that your dog displays, and be ready to take them the the vet immediately.

Please remember that whether you have German Shepherd guard dog or any other breed of companion dog and they get a case of ear mites it’s nothing to panic about just be sure to make an appointment as soon as you can to prevent any damage to the ear canal.

We do less agility, and focus more on man – scent tracking in the deep, snowy, cold winter nights.

A good protection dog has to be well rounded and able to work in all conditions, whether it is in extreme heat or cold, day or night. This is why we at CCK9 only breed train and sell German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, for they, unlike any other breeds, can climate themselves from extreme heat and extreme cold.

Winter is also an exciting time, for this is the time when we not only celebrate the holiday season with our family and friends, but also a time of the year when we breed our female, for a new generation of fetcher personal protection dogs.

We have zero tolerance for food aggression, handler aggression and dog aggression. However, in all of our protection dogs, and guard dogs, we always recommend a female if you have a male. This is because the females are usually a lot sharper and will indicate a lot sooner than the male, while the male usually has greater size for intimidation. They will work together as a team and feed off each others energy.

The amount of work it would take to care for two protection dogs would be the same as one, for if one would have to walk one dog, to walk two would be the same. To feed two would be also be the same as one. The big different of having two protection dogs would be in the positives. If one dog can come out of the gate at 40 miles an hour to take down an unwelcome intruder, could you imagine what it would be like to have two protection dogs working together to protect you and your family?

Cloning mammals is not new.  The technology, called nuclear transfer, involves transferring genetic material into an egg that has been stripped of its own DNA.  It’s a method that has been around since the 1950’s and has resulted in the cloning of rats, pigs and even sheep.  Dog cloning, however, has proven more difficult since canine ova are less mature when released from the ovary than other mammal’s.  Unpredictability of the canine ovulation cycle made egg collection complicated. The material is hard to work with and thus dog cloning was stunted – until now.

The first clone was an Afghan Hound in 2005.  The South Korean firm that accomplished this is now partnered with the California business Bioarts International.  Together, they are responsible for cloning Trackr, which resulted in five doppelganger puppies. I’m excited about the new technology, especially the implications it has for other types of cloning such as human organs.

Genetics plays a vital role when it comes to selecting dogs for protection work and really is the foundation on which our training rests.  I like to think that all of our CCK9 dogs possess the genetics to make them ‘cloneable’.

Cloning is expensive and not within everyone’s reach  yet. The technology costs about $140K.  Jim and Sue are aware of it but it doesn’t make a difference.  And really, with a German Shepherd like Dexter, how could it?

We’ll focus on the Dutch Shepherd in this post and in the coming weeks the other varieties will be detailed (promise).

Dutch Shepherds have been distinguished from the other varieties of working line shepherds in a relatively short period of time, a little over a hundred years.  Originally used by human shepherds to herd, guard and defend flocks of sheep on the flat fields of Holland, they were prized for their workability and guard drive.

The late nineteenth century brought a reduction in the amount of sheep herds in Holland and therefore a loss of work for shepherds and their Dutch Shepherd dogs alike.  Interest started to develop in owning and showing these highly intelligent dogs and the Nederlandse Herdershonden Club (Dutch Shepherd Dog Club) was formed as a result.  Early members included founders of the K.N.P.V.

Attention started to be paid toward creating standards for the breed, including color, coat length, bone density and size. Formal breeding practices evolved to produce dogs that met the criteria.  “Undesirable” traits, especially pertaining to coloration, were bred out as much as possible. As a result, Dutch Shepherds became more common in appearance.

Traits that have always been a part of the Dutch Shepherds’ genetic makeup include a high degree of intelligence, adaptability, courage and natural born guard drive.  With the proper training foundation, they make excellent protection dogs.  Also great with children, they love to socialize and especially exercise with their handler.

I do not receive as many requests for Dutch Shepherds but a small percentage of my clientele insist on owning nothing but.  One of my clients has four CCK9 Dutch Shepherds and claims that they are more watchful and alert than her human bodyguards.

Versatile, beautiful and most of all protective, Dutch Shepherds have proven themselves to be among the best of the working line shepherds.  CCK9 only breeds or imports the cream of the crop; please contact us if you have any questions.