by BabyAngelSalutations, Reader.
After three years on the roller-coaster of Corona and a Neck-Hernia, a new benchmark and entry in the Covid Diaries. Unable to perform carpentry in full capacity and possibly forced into early retirement, yours truly became a senior citizen overnight. To combat feeling utterly useless and prevent further deterioration of my health and stamina; I need to take Physical-Therapy seriously. Herewith presenting the latest Upgrade in my Training & Dog-Gear!
As an openly avowed Caninetrovert, dog training is the closest thing I have to religion!
The bond and obligation as a handler is to watch over your dog as it does over you.
The worst thing you can do for working dogs is to have them underemployed.
I train my Dog(s) to be multi-disciplined and focus on scent-work and retrieving.
Two contrasting mindsets or disciplines I believe are the building-blocks for Search & Rescue.
We Train As A Team!
Our Dog-Gear is set up as a ‘Grab And Go’ configuration that took years of trial and error to define.
Obviously, you do not need all this gear to walk your dog, and as a child, I can’t remember ever leaving the house with a leash. But those days are long gone, and Off-Leash has far surpassed being frowned upon into committing a sin of sorts.
While I am on my soapbox, there is a distinction between people with dogs and humans who walk their pets. Due to ever-growing overpopulation and the disappearance of green spaces between townships, off-leash areas decrease with each passing decade. Seriously diminishing the freedom one used to know and complicating interaction on the commons as one area closes, remaining grounds become overcrowded.
Nevertheless, our K9 comrades need to run and exercise regularly to maintain their mental and physical health correctly. So, whenever we Go Out; We make the most of it!
Training As A Team Means Training Together!
We both get our exercise in as equally possible, for me _The Handler_ it takes the form of Boot-Camp. Ever since the Coronavirus Pandemic, no one knows what the true cause of its extreme fatigue symptoms is. And regularly Long Covid is dismissed as fiction. Personally I subscribe to the notion that the malaise is caused on a Mitochondrial level, but what do I know?
However, what has proven certain these past few years is that defaulting on physical-therapy invites pain and worsens my condition. Therefore, I am invested in optimizing my Dog-Gear and Training-Equipment for both our sakes and building our bond stronger. What follows is a review of how this Training-Vest is Modified or upgraded to accommodate the gruesomely heavy weight plates. In short, my approach to training is primarily Low-Impact, thus I train like a ‘Tractor’ and not a ‘Race Car!’
Once I reach my goal, the vest will be equivalent to half of my own body mass in weight. Once I reach that benchmark, I will have finally put to use the 2022 Christmas gift from Power-Patron More-Color: 36 Kilos of Solid Steel!! *Two sets of nine-irons…
Custom Dog-Gear You Cant Buy In A Store…
Disclaimer: Please do not judge the quality of the stitching. The only criteria I abide by is “Does It Hold?” The only reason I sit behind a sewing machine is that what I want cannot be bought in a store. So it is “figure it out” and “work the problem” as I press onward with the pedal to the metal!
As you can see above, I butchered a perfectly good store-bought product for Modification to a Dog-Vest to my liking. The main reason for this massacre is that the Weight-Plate is held in place by a ridiculously small patch of Velcro. So the first assignment is securing the load by adding extra-fasteners so the bottom won’t fall out in the field?
| ITEM | NAME | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
 | MOPC Operator Plate Carrier GEN II | After extensive research I found this Best Buy Operator Vest that is reasonably easily ‘modifiable’ for Dog Patrol. |
 | Dummy-Pouch | Over time I have reduced the amount I carry around to Three. |
 | Dummies | These are Sandbags for Dog Training that double as Dumbbells for me. |
 | ACME-Whistles | Basically the Gas & Brake to remote control your dog out in the field. |
 | Tweezers *16 cm. | Essential! If you do not want to waste time recovering scent sources! |
 | Laser-Tag | For Training: *GO-TO* Command. |
What should be noticeable, the items are mainly located on the front of the vest or chest for Easy Access! Simply because you need to keep attention focused with your dog(s) in order to maintain training dynamics and energy. In other words, you can’t be a Granny and say, “Hold on a second while I search for your reward in my purse?”
The only serious Modification on the back compartment is the reinforcement of the straps and the even distribution of stress points. Again, I would hate to be stranded in the field and end up injured due to Equipment-Failure. So in the spirit of ‘Better Safe Than Sorry,’ it is worth attempting amateur surgery to enhance the Dog-Gear!
Essential Upgrades To Making It A Dog Vest.
The reason for purchasing this Operator-Vest can be found in the accessibility of the Cummerbund and possible conversion to Dog-Belt. This economic version has Velcro openings so you can place ballistic plates in the sides, this works to my advantage. After modification, I can thread the Main-Belt through the cummerbund and attach an invention I call the “Slip & Slide!”
The Slip & Slide holds your regular Patrol-Leash and secures your dog(s) to your person, allowing you to work hands-free! Why we call it the Slip & Slide is because the dog can switch from left to right without getting entangled. Generally, in urban environments and fieldwork, I have the Slip & Slide on the rear of my Dog-Gear. Only when running or tracking do I switch it to the front and allow the dog(s) to give directions.
Ingredients needed to make the Dog-Belt conversion are plenty of Webbing and sew-on Hook & Loop tape alongside the essentials below. You could call me out for having expensive taste, but once you have experienced two Maligators pulling on the Main-Belt? …I’m pretty sure you would skip the cheap plastic buckles also!?
| ITEM | NAME | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
 | Cobra-Buckle 50 mm. | The key component to keep leashes attached to the Main Belt. |
 | Cobra-Buckle 25 mm. | Used to attach the Slip And Slide to the Main Belt. |
 | Patrol-Leash | Standard attachment to the Slip And Slide. |
Auxiliary Items For All-Round Training…
Even though I prefer to keep the cummerbund – a strange name for waistband – empty and void of obstruction… There are some items that need to be prominently mounted on the MOLLE system for Easy-Access without restricting movement. The most important auxiliary pouch is the pocket I have for scent work and detection training out in the field.
Again; You do not need much to do detection work! But the whole point is to have a ‘Grab And Go’ dog-vest that contains all the tools for multi-discipline training-sessions! …Without realizing you forgot your ‘This’ or your ‘That’ out on location?
AUX-ITEM | NAME | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
 | Scent-Pocket | Besides Large-Tweezers, this contains all you need for Scent-Work… |
 | Red-Scent | Various sizes of: Red-Kong for detection. *Dices or Wedges. |
 | *Container | Where I keep the Mini-Scent Wedges! *For detection |
 | Pocket-Knife | Slice & Dice Scent-Blocks, Wedges or Slivers. |
 | Tool-Pocket *Medium | Glance at the magic of the Molle system. |
 | Flash-Light | When things get lost, it is mostly in dark places. Need I say more? |
Our Latest Upgrade To The Dog-Gear!
“Your dad is an inventor!” he said jokingly to his son… Without delving deep into dog-training, we can make a general assessment that the exercises are split into ‘Tasks’ and ‘Rewards!’ Working Dogs simply love to work, but they really don’t like sitting around a long time waiting on their wages. To keep your dog(s) engaged and eager to perform near-impossible tasks, you need to understand how to reward them. My current dog practically works for free, and thankfully, repeating the exercise is more important to her than receiving treats.
Nevertheless, the one action I cannot possibly make my dog any happier in the world with is Tug Of War! Therefor is the ‘Ultimate-Reward’ for completing missions in an outstanding manner or through perseverance, mostly exhibited during scent-work or detection.
But… I never quite got the placement on my Dog-Gear or presentation dynamic right and left the Bite-Roll at home. Until I put some effort into it and made this Custom-Pouch that can be used ambidextrous to reward the canine.
| ITEM | NAME | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
 | Drop-Down | Dangle-down center storage…. |
 | Dog-Gloves | In short; The paths we walk and train on: Bite Back! |
 | Bite-Roll | Ultimate Reward: Tug-O-War! |
What New Torment Will The Future Bring?
To wrap up this post, I feel the need to mention that this year, 2024, started unpleasantly in such a way that pain prevented me from picking up a pencil. Even so, by persistently performing physical-therapy, your faithful narrator was able to climb out of the periodic pitfalls of Long-Covid.
These past few years, I have purchased and prepared several dog vests for physical training. They can be categorized as Light at 15 kg, Medium at 27 kg, and the Heavy 33 to 39 kg. Respectively, these roughly equate to a Fifth, a Third, and Half of my own body mass in cast-iron dead weight.
It is surreal that I am able to pull that off while my hands can’t even pick up a pencil due to impinged nerves in my neck. This reveals the true Tantalus Torture your antihero must endure: Loads Of Free Time and Unable To Draw Comics & Cards!?
To keep the doctor away, we do Interval-Training; Twice A Day for about 5 K!
For the skeptics out there who think the pain is caused by exceeding the load-bearing limit, riddle me this: how come I feel and am able to better manage my day after exercising with full battle rattle, as opposed to being lazy and skipping physical training, which noticeably causes pain to return to my arms?
If I want to return back to the drawing-board; I need to upkeep my PT rigorously!
Even so, Long-Covid has an Ebb and Flood effect to it and fluctuates in daily energy capacity. So before leaving to the fields I need to decide if we are training: Light, Medium or Heavy?
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Next: Dog-Belt
