Helper Dogs...updated

A few months back I picked up our new Pup, Banshee at 8 weeks of age.

A Rottweiler bred by Mary at Stevmar kennels whose blend of genetics I have been waiting years for.

Banshee will be my main helper and trigger dog for consults and classes once she is ready for task and this will allow Pepper and Emmy to retire and have a slower pace of life.

A helper dog needs to be much more than just a 'pet'. They need to be very stable, non reactive, brave, outgoing, handler sensitive but also able to make good choices on their own as well. They need to be able to communicate clearly and take cues from their handler despite maybe preferring another pathway. They need to be able to assess a client dog and learn how to layer in pressure and when to diffuse a situation by calming signals.

Essentially they need to be kind but also cautious.

Emmy does this by being mainly oblivious to any aggression directed towards her, then using a baleful stink eye to communicate her thoughts on the dogs behaviour. She is quite dismissive and rude with her body language, an old aunty to a tee.

Emmy came to us at age 6 from Albury pound and was already quite damaged by life. High levels of anxiety as well as struggling with reactivity and learned helplessness. Her pathway through pressure was to shut down totally, not brave at all. Not ideal for a trigger dog, a wrangler dog or even just a pet yet she has managed to find her brave and will leave this world a stronger spirit. She has achieved so many life goals and I am very proud of the little red rodent dog, my only wish that we had a lot longer together.

Pepper varies her response depending on the dog we are working with and she will let me know if we have a legitimate 'murder dog' on our hands or if the dog is just young and damaged by life and needs a helping hand to know how to be around canines again.

Her initial response is to ignore a dog no matter their response to her and then she gradually layers in 'pressure' by side looks to direct stares of alternating duration and intensity.

This will get the dog reacting and allow the handler to work through the training scenario under direction from me.

We can then add more energised movement to the picture as well as vocals of GSD squeaks and barks.

If the client dog is a teen then Pepp will often start to 'flirt' and create a level of engagement with them through her body language. If the dog is still a puppy then she is even more animated with her play behaviour.

Parallel walking at the end of the session often see's the former reactive dog settle into a comfortable new alliance and as long as the critical distance is not breached and the dog leaves the training session feeling safe and calm then we have a winning situation for all involved.

Face to face greetings are not advised as this can just reset the original trauma and loss of handler trust for the dog.

Raising a helper dog is a juggle between making them as brave as possible but with clear boundaries for their behaviour. We don't want to squash their personality but there needs to be brakes and steering in place for drive.

Banshee has mighty big shoes to fill coming after Pepp and Em, those two have been amazing and have helped not only hundreds of dogs over the years but also their owners.

For four years they were also on the road with me teaching people to be Dog Trainers and had to be part of day long classes and be handled by hundreds of different people of pretty diverse personalities.

Exhausting and stressful work for all of us as well as life on the road living out of a backpack and spending way too much time in the car.

I am enjoying this transitional period with my girls as the old guard pass on learning to the new student and watching the interplay, how Banshee is learning to moderate her demon ways with our pack. It saddens me though to see how much my girls have aged and knowing that with Emmy her time is now limited.

Fingers crossed Pepp has a few more years of her sassy input and can keep an eye on young Banshee as she matures and learns her skills from the matriarchs.

If I am to keep working in this section of this industry then a great helper dog is essential.

UPDATES:

Well it is now August 2026, we have lost our dear Emmy dog at age 16 about 2 years back, our Rodent girl is gone. Vale Emmy. The rose over your grave flowers beautifully each summer in the same shade flower as your red coat.

We lost our Bert dog (gold sable gsd) too at age 10, way too young and the gap he left was cavernous in our hearts.

In came Kenny the JRT Puppy at 9 weeks...the grief puppy to heal all of our hearts.

Banshee took awhile to figure out that the little 'rat' was actually a dog and have since bonded as tightly as she was to Bert. We now have a 'Rodent dog' again so the sheds are being cleared minus any poisons, much more ecological.

Kenny has also stepped into the role that Emmy left, small trigger dog. This is a critical role in counter conditioning dogs to offleash attacks from midget terrors or for dogs that are genetically wired for a light trigger into predatory drift...meaning they see small breed dogs as prey.

Kenny also helps with the tiny breeds that are new to class as a little wingman if they are feeling overwhelmed by the bigger breeds. He is typical of his breed, forthright and sometimes a little argumentative...short man syndrome.

At 16 months now he is learning to regulate his big feelings and can do a mighty stink eye to control a situation without escalating it to aggression. There is also the 'small dog factor' and he does get dressed up in ridiculous outfits to act as trigger in the classes. This allows our regular dogs to see him as novel, possibly hilarious but not as a threat...despite maybe looking like a dinosaur etc.

Now enter young Thomas, 5 months ago this young lad joined the team and he has been the easiest dog in a very long time to integrate into the pack here. His breeding, raising and prior learning at aged 8 weeks was exemplary.

He is nephew to Banshee and has filled that big dog play mate void that Banshee has had since we lost Bert.

The play between the two Rotts and the Jacky is loud, hilarious and very interactive. Each dog learning play rules and boundaries of the other dog...then pushing those boundaries shamelessly before being pulled up and told to calm the farm.

Old Pepp is still going and has passed her 13 birthday, not bad for a hard working GSD that has lived large.

Watching the Pups grow under her Matriarchy has been beautiful and she has shaped this next generation in critical ways. I am for ever grateful for all her help and for the legacy she has passed on.

Each pup has learned to temper their play around an old fragile dog, to engage at more Nanna levels and to include her despite her being far less able bodied now. They bring her gifts of bones, chews, toys and love to share her bed and snuggle with her. If they have been apart then they all rush to greet and check on her welfare.

I really feel that having such a timeline of dogs helps them to be more fulfilled socially but also in their behaviours of engagement. If Big dogs only play big dog games then that limits them in life as well as work applications.

If little Rodent dogs are triggered and angry at big dogs then they become a vulnerable target, if they cannot play safely and get out of the way then they will suffer injuries. Kenny no longer tries to block 48kg with his little 7kg body, life lessons.

As they say, every dog is a therapy dog...some just don't get paid.

Well every dog has the capacity to be a helpful trigger dog that can put out the right signals and de escalate situations rather than inflame them. A steady head, a calm demeanor and a no nonsense stink eye when needed to communicate that the other dog is being a dick.

If the dog world had less entitled thug dogs with no impulse control or manners then the dog owning community would have an easier and happier life. Think about what your dog puts out there...could it be better?

Definitely think about what influence your current dog will have on the raising of your next one...scary hey?

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