OUR DOGS ACHIEVEMENTS

Marley came to us by accident. Her current owner attended an initial consultation with us needing some help with some significant behavioural issues.

After the initial assessment it was clear that Marley and her current owner weren’t connecting as man and dog should. We created a plan however things didn’t work out and Marley was to be euthanised should we not be able to find her a home.

We saw a very different dog. This is the case sometimes. Some dogs just need different environments to flourish. So we took her.

Our initial aim was to get on top of any behavioural issues and try and work out who Marley really was. Well credit to our brilliant staff, Marley quickly became a Kaizen favourite.

She had an enviable zest for life, loads of play drive and was super trainable. However Marley seemed to be a working dog. Not a pet.

We discussed options and started putting some training into her with a small hope of making her a detection dog. It was as though Marley knew this was her ticket. Her job. No, her purpose. And every dog needs a purpose.

She quickly improved with the training and last week Marley began her career as a detection dog with the Queensland Correctional department.

She is a great little dog and she will be missed around here. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Marley is a beauty, and we are happy we saw it.

Max is a highly trainable Mal cross from BRN lines. He’s a fun, social dog with crazy amounts of play drive.

We had a lot of fun with this crazy guy. So much personality, and very eager to please.

We wish him the best in his new career with the Army Military Police!

Buddy is a highly driven Malinois from FCI breeding. He has good aggression and is very social and trainable.

Buddy is a serious dog with a good fighting spirit. He is a compact yet very powerful dog.

A very nice dog that we wish all the best with his career with the Army Military Police.

Bred and raised by us. This dog is a weapon. Born to hunt. His drives are as intense as anything we’ve ever seen. He can train for longer than we can think. His obedience is fast and powerful. His bite is intense and serious. He also loves a pat and will roll onto his back when you present the option of a belly rub.

Raised and trained by Kaizen K9. Dodge is a beast. He was born to hunt and bite. He came out of the womb that way. He is extremely possessive and highly driven. He has a natural fighting spirit. We shaped his heel and (“it was me” – Ben Geurts) missed the fact he was also snapping his teeth until it was locked in. He snaps his teeth with excitement to this very day. Oops… He has an intense pushing grip that makes decoys feel as though they are being inhaled.

Dodge served with SOCOM for a year prior to being rehomed into another agency.

Raised until 6 months by Desley, and then until 11 months by Jason Kelly. Finished by Ben and Samantha Geurts. Digga is a quirky but intense dog who loves to swim. You could leave him alone in a pool and I’m sure he’d swim for hours. He has very high play prey drives and a very hard bite. He is very social. Thanks to Nuno for giving him his first bite. He is currently serving as a Dual-Purpose Police Dog with the Western Australia Police Canine unit.

Archer was bred and raised by Ben and Samantha Geurts. Samantha was always his favourite…. And he, hers. He was a very very driven little dog. He liked to nip you when coming out of his kennel with excitement. He had an extremely hard intense bite. He was also brilliantly trainable. He was often bold to a fault, as a puppy, and had to be protected from himself. Unfortunately, Archer died whilst serving as a Military Working Dog (in Australia). He was very much loved and his lost was devastating news to us. He will be missed. RIP little mate.

Raised until 10 months by another trainer. Finished by Ben Geurts. Drago was a highly driven but very trainable dog. He loved zoomies and was a very good tracker. He was intense but loved his people. He is a current serving Military Working Dog with the Military Police.

Raised until six months by puppy specialist and expert trainer Desley Power. Finished by Ben and Samantha Geurts. And we use the term finished here lightly as when you get a dog from Desley it’s pretty much finished already. You just need to tinker with and proof the excellent behaviours she has already established. Special mention to Nuno for his excellent decoying with this dog in particular. Dug is a very large and very intense dog. Not for the novice handler. He is a current serving Military Working Dog with the Special Operations Command.

Raised until six months by Steve Williams, and then finished by Ben Geurts. Kuno, an absolutely stunning Malinois (BRN breeding) is the most extreme predatory aggressive dog we’ve ever seen. Intensely possessive, with a natural pushing and crushing grip. Kuno is currently serving as a corrections dog.

Raised until five months by a foster carer, and then finished by Ben and Samantha Geurts. Woody remains the Fabio of our dogs. He was also the most trainable. Very motivated for food, toys and praise. He had high aggression and play prey drives. He loves his people, other people not so much. A smaller dog but very intense. He is a current serving Military Working Dog with the Special Operations Command.

Raised until nine months by another trainer, and then finished by Ben Geurts. Doom is an extremely driven Malinois. He has super high play prey drive with an intense bite and extremely fast strikes. He is a large very head strong dog. He is a current serving Dual Purpose Police Dog with the Western Australian Police Force.

Indy was imported from Holland. She was a large KNPV titled bitch. She was selected as a brood bitch for the RAAF and bred some great litters before being re-teamed with Ben. She was well known for her dynamic long bites, muzzle strikes, and winged keel. Fiercely protective, fast, and hard as nails, she was a great bitch! RIP you vicious bitch!

Another PH1 KNPV dog from the Netherlands. Weighing in at 24kg’s Kaja was a sweetheart with girls but had a strong disliking for most men. She was the first dog selected in the US DoD “buy trip” Ben and Al Grossman conducted in 2006. She came to Australia as a brood bitch and was reteamed with Ben after a short period in that role. She was diminutive but had a huge heart. The epitome of the “size of the fight in the dog”. She bit more people in the kennels than fleas and would often take down 100kg decoys in the suit. She was a little weapon. She deployed to East Timor with Ben on two occasions. A real pocket rocket that hurt many egos with her intense work and refusal to accept direction from people she didn’t like. “I loved that little bitch”. RIP Kaja!

Vale Drax (Antalyas Adrax). Drax was the largest pup in the litter. He was also the sleepiest. As a baby he wasn’t all that interested in chasing balls or indeed playing tug. He was however, very brave. Not really much scared or indeed bothered him. And he always seemed older than he was.

We have always placed more importance on nerves than drive when we select our puppies, the theory being that often the drives come through later but nerves never get better. Drax was the greatest example of this. On assessment he really didn’t seemed interested in anything except sleeping. But I saw something else. I saw strength, balance, potential. I also saw some funny looks from many others during his development. They couldn’t see what I saw. They were wrong.

Drax always impressed with his nerves. His first six months were busy, including trips to Melbourne, Brisbane, and a few moves in Perth. He took it all in his stride. He was never in a hurry though. He was a diesel. He was strong and powerful but not zippy. A close friend nicknamed him “Upside down dog” cause every time he went to the back of my car to say hello Drax was sleeping hard, upside down.

I remember drinking beers with him on many occasions in my one bedroom unit during some difficult times. He was a great drinking partner…

His training progressed well in most areas. He liked training, but he also liked sleeping, relaxing, and thinking about other stuff. Sometimes he took longer than usual to grab concepts but when he did he knew them deeply.

I remember how he really struggled learning a final response for odour detection. But once he got it he could stay locked on odour for over a minute. The first time I buckled up his muzzle he refused to move. It was as though he thought it impossible due to this thing on his face.

Three days later he was charging to the training area ready to play after donning his muzzle. He was the best tracker I’ve ever trained. I remember him leaving Bart and Michael Bellon gobsmacked with his focus during a track adjacent to loaded kennels with dogs barking everywhere.

Drax’s drives steadily and consistently improved. He loved bringing the toy back and slamming into you with it. He really enjoyed physical impact. As he aged and grew I had to temper this as playing with him was becoming dangerous. He didn’t know, he was just having some fun. He grew and grew some more. Reaching over 40kgs before handover.

He also bit like a crocodile. He inhaled decoys with his massive head often causing serious heavy bruising through even the thickest suits. And he meant it. He was serious. But he was balanced. Happy to take pats from most and be handled by many. In this regard he was perfect. He loved people, and he also loved biting people.

His bite was far worse than his bark. Often decoys would be underwhelmed until he had hold of them. He pushed into you, searching for you, finding you, hurting you. He was strong as a mule!

When Drax had completed training with us he moved to his job in the ADF. He got allocated to an excellent handler who loved and cared for him as he deserved. He became a warrior! His laid back attitude remained, however, so did his sociability, strike, intent, and courage. He was made for this. He was home.

Unfortunately Drax’s career was brought to an early end due to medical reasons. He was laid to rest on his last night with his best mate and brothers by his side. He will be sorely missed.

I truly loved this dog. He helped me through some difficult times. It should get easier, saying goodbye. It doesn’t….

Valhalla awaits “Upside Down Dog”. You’ve earned it! His handler deserves the last word: “He was the strongest dog i’ve ever handled that would put his own pain and suffering aside to protect me and my brothers. A wolf at heart and my best mate”. RIP Drax

Raised by Ben Geurts, Pope is the most intense, driven, powerful dog we’ve ever seen. Pope was a calm puppy. Balanced, super social, confident with excellent food drive. His other drives started to mature around nine months of age. His play prey drive is extreme. Pope has an intensely powerful pushing grip, rock solid nerves, and lightning-fast strikes. He is a current serving Police Dog with an Australian Tactical Police Unit. He is a proper beast!

Ben received Dredd at 6 months of age. Dredd is an extremely driven Malinois. Super high play prey drive with and extremely intense bite. Dredd is a very trainable dog. Not large but a very stocky, compact, and strong dog. He is a current serving Police Dog with an Australian Tactical Police Unit.

BH, SchH3, IPO 3, VPG 3, FH 2, a State & multi-National Champion. VALE 2005 – 2019. https://nordenstamm.org/stud-dogs-hassan/

Perhaps the most successful sport dog ever produced in Australia. Ben purchased Ozzy from Nordenstaam kennels at 8 weeks and raised and trained him until 2 years of age. Ozzy got his BH at 12 months of age. Then he achieved Sch1 and 2 with Ben. Ozzy was awarded high in trial obedience at the state and national AUS championships in 2007. Due to military commitments Ozzy was sold and finished his IPO career with Jens Kollenberg, who took the
dog to state championship victory in Germany as well as many other accolades. Ozzy finished in NZ where he won competitive obedience competitions for many years. Father of numerous litters for the RAAF, Nordenstaam Kennels, as well as K9SA’s Alpha litter. Brody’s best mate. RIP Ozzy…

Bansai is the perfect pet. She has super high play prey drive but is incredibly social and well balanced. Brilliant with children and a great mother. She produced two litters for K9 Solutions Australia (K9SA). The first included three police dogs in Pope, Maygar, and Jenson, as well as the proven producer, her daughter Cash. Bansai’s second litter was K9SA’s Alpha litter which included Archer and Axe. She is amazingly trainable and extremely friendly.

Not many people know but Ben’s first dog in the Army was a show line German Shepherd named Salem. Salem was an aggressive “old school” type dog. He was distrustful of strangers but highly trainable for his handler. He also had a very high play prey drive which was not common for the breed back then. He hated the vet! He loved to bite and could track like a bloodhound. Together with Ben he was awarded the Bill Perret Trophy for the top MWD team in the RAAF in 2001.