You can teach an old dog new tricks, says dog handler

Apart from taking the working dogs to a dog training centre for a walk in the early morning, the other daily walk that this dedicated dog handler enjoys is an energetic march with her own dog, Brizbi.

Bianca Fourie, a former learner of Hoërskool Centurion and Laerskool Louis Leipoldt, believes you can teach an old dog new tricks.

And this is exactly what she’s achieved with her 12-year-old Jack Russell, Brizbi. These lively short-legged dogs are known for their investigative nature and lionhearted bravery.

Fourie wanted to teach Brizbi some of the tricks she uses daily as a volunteer at a training centre for dogs and handlers.

“Brizbi and I have come a long way since 2012. Even though I’ve been working with dogs for a couple of years, I never really taught and trained him like we train working dogs. Recently, I taught him to find hidden objects. One-two-three, he finds it and now he’s just as clever as the working dogs. Every dog has his day and Brizbi had his when he mastered all kinds of tricks,” she says.

This is also why she started playing hide and seek with Brizbi. Soon it was one-two-three block yourself for this clever little dog.

He did so well that he recently qualified for a Canine Good Citizen award and now can complete several skill games on the obstacle course.

To qualify for these, a dog needs to demonstrate certain character traits, such as working with people in a sympathetic manner, as well as mastering certain skills.

“Sometimes when I forget how the obstacle course works during a brain fog moment, the dogs often remember the layout of the course. Brizbi also has a good memory for this,” laughs the nature lover.

She is tuned into nature and believes it necessary to walk a fair distance with the working dogs, especially in the morning, so that the dog can focus its energy for the day ahead.

“Nature helps me to recharge,” says Fourie.

She believes a dog’s obedience is born of confidence developed through interaction, play and exercise.

She developed an interest in a career around dogs after being exposed to Dave Harris’ training academy for sporting dogs.

Participation in canine sporting codes tests a dog’s working ability, intelligence and endurance.

Thereafter she trained as a dog handler at the Genesis K9 Group, where she currently is volunteering.

Dog handling as a job is something she especially recommends to new job hunters this year.

Fourie relates how the dog training company trains working dogs who have a strong desire to work, and to demonstrate courage, intelligence, trainability, protection instinct and a good sense of smell.

Some of these dogs have been employed by security companies countrywide as sniffer dogs to, for example, enable a team to declare a building explosive-free.

They also provide training to dog handlers in the Kruger Game Reserve and municipalities such as the Overberg Municipality, where they teach dogs to sniff out abalone.

At one stage she was interested in an animation career, but her love for dogs and their training led to her deciding to become a dog handler.

“When I was little I was simply crazy about dogs,” says the bubbly Fourie, who grew up in Pierre van Ryneveld Park.

She lives with the team on the site in Pretoria east where the dogs are being trained.

Fourie believes you should use your energy to motivate a dog to listen to your commands.

“You have to prove to the dog that you are positive about him and your relationship and relate to him in a lively way. You can’t be a lifeless, boring person and hope that dogs are going to obey your commands. You can make an end to behaviour best avoided by ignoring the animal and looking away. It is ultimately the tone of your voice that ties it all up. Remember, everything is a game to your dog.”

She also believes in using the proper equipment to train dogs, such as the correct harness.

It is important for Fourie to be fit and strong to fulfil all her duties as dog handler. She also believes in having a quiet time every morning after she’s walked the dogs, fed and given them water and cleaned their cages.

“Our leader at Genesis K9, Thys Kleyn, teaches us through a proper exercise programme how important it is to maintain fitness and a good balance in your life. I’ll soon be telling my friends: ‘Forget about the gym, rather go for a walk like Brizbi and me.”

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