Wife called me in to watch. The dog that got the ISIS guy was at the White House with the President and VP Pence.

The dog would NOT leave Pence alone. As soon as he stopped petting him, the dog would paw at him or nudge Pence's hand with his nose, demanding more attention.

Just one more bit of evidence to support my theory that dogs are fine judges of people.

Yes, good video.

I noticed that too, dog liked Pence.

Last year my wife went to the Navy SEAL museum, it happened that day they were having a demonstration of what their dogs could do, and how they trained them. At the end of demonstrations they were taking the dogs back and mentioned that they would not pay attention to the audience, well till they passed my wife, they did a u turn, and headed right to her to be petted. To be fair, we have 6 dogs of our own, and when ever we are around dogs, they always seem to gravitate to us.

Yep, you could tell Pence was very drawn to that dog. Good stuff. Conan is quite a looker for sure. I also saw a story earlier tonight that CNN did not cover the presentation with the dog. Just shameful.

I was actually surprised at the level of comfort the VP showed while petting the dog.
Conan is not a pet, but a military working dog.
These dogs have been known to bite even their handlers when excited
And with all the flash and noise of a press conference the dog could have been a little amped up.
It seems Pence is familiar with dogs, letting the dog get his scent before petting.

I saw that too and thought, I hope Pence gets his hand back.

Dog handlers I've spoken to said some of their dogs are so mean they brief all the other officers. "You will be working with Goro today. Do not pet the dog. Do not look at the dog. Do not think about the dog.". .

Conan is a Good Boy, though.

I love that video.

Conan is a Good Boy girl , though

edit
Now being reported Conan is a male dog.

strike my strike

https://www.breitbart.com/poli...n-is-actually-a-boy/

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sdy,

quote:

Originally posted by PeteF:
I was actually surprised at the level of comfort the VP showed while petting the dog.
Conan is not a pet, but a military working dog.
These dogs have been known to bite even their handlers when excited
And with all the flash and noise of a press conference the dog could have been a little amped up.
It seems Pence is familiar with dogs, letting the dog get his scent before petting.

In my younger days in Southeast Asia we had Sentry Dogs, which due to their training were ass eating beasts. Always muzzled until they got on post. Training and selection methods have changed dramatically to produce a patrol dog with a dual personality that can grip a burglar at night then be petted in a kindergarten class the next day. Socialization is important. Their personalities vary widely and some are still prone to unbidden aggression, but most are so well trained and controlled that the handler knows what they will do under given circumstances. I am sure the handler was confident Conan was not going to bite the First Lady or the VP before they came to the White House. And yes they are great judges of character.

This article "A warrior's best friend" starts with the history of using dogs in battle:

https://www.washingtonexaminer...warriors-best-friend

Speaking of history, the current K9 training area at Lackland AFB was originally a nuke storage area called Medina Base. It's across the highway from the main base and is now called Medina Annex.

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
In my younger days in Southeast Asia we had Sentry Dogs, which due to their training were ass eating beasts. Always muzzled until they got on post.

I kind of like the IDF method:



-Rob

^^^ that picture is awesome.

I am also wondering if the guy in the blue tie was a Secret Service habdler, or maybe Conans real handler.
I would figure the dogs form a bond with their handlers, making them better behaved/more at ease in their presense.

Does anyone have a link to the event?

Working dogs (military/law enforcement, etc) are bred for extremely high working drives (fight, play, defense) while at the same time being well-balanced so that they are able to fight to the death to protect their handlers, run through gunfire, explosions and assaults to get bad guys, and then lay down at night with a handlers family or get petted and poked by three dozen booger eaters.

The sentry dogs of the Vietnam era were one-person (the handler) dogs. Their sole purpose was to find and destroy bad guys, and anyone other than their handlers were the bad guys. They worked solo posts with their handlers and were minimally socialized around other dogs.

Current K9s are the result of years of evolution in training, breeding and socialization.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
Does anyone have a link to the event?

She's a good girl, and a brave warrior. Maybe Pence had a porkchop in his pocket?

Please communicate to your friends and families that Mals are for experienced handlers and should not be pets. You see the incessant behavior towards Pence? That's because Mals don't rest until you wear their asses out. It's a GSD on steroids 24/7. Even after I've worked mine, hard, every day, I'll be in the bed, watching tv, and she will do the same thing as Conan. She'll nudge my hand incessantly. They just don't stop moving until they go to sleep. We are seeing families, etc, buy them from breeders that know better, and the family can't deal with the energy drive. They are working dogs not pets. I've got 20 years experience training dogs, with the last 11 with working k9's, some schutzhund and SAR work, and my Mal wears me out. I met a bomb detection cop last year and he even said "you have one? Got damn" because his working k9 in his unit wears him out. That's how they are and what they are bred for. He couldn't believe I rescued one and was able to deal with her until I told him about my experience. It's a massive commitment. Much of my personal time revolves around taking care of her and making sure she gets her work. Rain, sleet or snow, she has to exert a lot of effort every day or she is a nightmare to deal with. Tired of getting calls from the shelter, and talking to trainers and breeders seeing the breed getting screwed over because Joe and Shelley Doe couldn't deal with the one they bought. A good breeder won't even sell you one. Mil and LE only unless you have some experience and credentials.

Kudos to Conan. The Mals are the elite.