MYAKKA — A 40-acre plot of land is the perfect playground for any dog, but a stay at Von Asgard K-9 Center means more work than play.
Von Asgard in Myakka City boards and trains dogs to serve as pets, perform police and military work and compete in five different European sports.
Whether the dogs are trained to help fight crime or protect their owners, they are playful until it’s time to perform, said training director Cedrik Merlet.
“We train the dog in such a way that the dog only responds on command or aggression,” he said.
Merlet, a native of France, quit college to join the French Foreign Legion, where he gained experience in training and handling dogs.
Merlet specializes in police and military dog training, personal and family protection and competitive sports training. He is also certified for FEMA search and rescue.
Founded by Linda Werlein in 1979, Von Asgard has been located in Myakka City for the past 15 years.
Werlein trains dogs for competition in five European sports.
One sport, called Schutzhund, began in Germany 100 years ago, she said. Disciplines tested in the sport include tracking, obedience and protection — on and off a leash — retrieving and more.
Von Asgard breeds Dobermans and Belgian Malinois.
The latter, which resemble German Shepherds, account for about 50 percent of all police dogs in the United States, she said.
Genes, she said, play an important role in a dog’s abilities, whether it’s curiosity, tenacity, or picking up scents.
“You have to start off with the right genetics to do this because you can’t make a dog into what it’s not,” she said.
Von Asgard is an affiliated Service Dog Rescue, a no-kill, nonprofit organization that rescues, rehabilitates and trains the working dog breeds. Once evaluated, the dogs are trained to serve in military or police work, or as a family pet.
The family pet also can benefit from training at Von Asgard. Pets sent to K-9 Boot Camp with certified trainer Christie Fletcher stay at the kennel for seven to nine days. They receive intense training, which includes three exercise periods each day and playtime. After the dogs are trained, their owners are brought in for a two-hour session on how to give the basic commands.
“Believe me the toughest part is training the people,” Fletcher said.
Many times, people don’t provide structure in their homes and the dogs end up running the household. That’s when Von Asgard helps restore order to the house by helping owners take command. The dogs then fall in line.
“It’s all about making everybody happy,” she said.
For more information, call (941) 322-0705.
Jessica Klipa, Herald staff reporter, can be reached at 708-7906.
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