• Subscribe
  • Interested Authors
  • Blog
    • All Posts
    • Media Appearance Archives
    • WildBlue Press Author Bios
    • Crime Fiction Books
    • Fantasy Books
    • History Books
    • Horror Books
    • Mystery Books
    • Romance Books
    • Science Fiction Books
    • Thriller Books
    • True Crime Books
  • About Us
    • Catalog
    • Privacy Policy
  • Partners
    • BookBub (author resources)
    • bookshop.org
    • The House Of Mystery with Al Warren
    • ImaginePublicity
    • MacGregor Literary
    • Open Road Media
    • Tantor Media
    • True Crime Uncensored with Burl Barer and Mark Boyer
  • Contact Us

WildBlue Press

Great Reads from Exceptional Authors

Great Reads from
Exceptional Authors

  • Home
  • Business
  • Fantasy
  • History
  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • Thrillers
  • True Crime
  • Science Fiction
  • Reader Favorites
    • Award Winners
    • Bestsellers
    • Box Sets
    • Coming Soon
    • New Releases

S.L. Ditmars On Writing About Dogs

author photo

S.L. Ditmars, author of the "Big Dogs Series"

I’m a dog guy. I love dogs.

I’m the type of guy that, when out walking through the hills here in Prescott, stops and pets other people’s dogs.

Why not? Dogs, for the most part, have an incredible capacity to give.

I also write about dogs. Well, not just dogs, but they are principal characters in my stories. I could write just about dogs, but they are just so much more enjoyable with people. My specific area of interest is police dogs. I was a handler for over six years and the unit supervisor for another two and a half years. Then later, I returned to supervise a project in cooperation with the government.

old flyer featuring author and dog

Steve and Asko featured in a vintage flyer

A lot of people have dogs. Over half of American households have dogs, so I believe they are pretty popular. My wife and I currently have two. They’re rescues, and have issues, and are nowhere near the capability to be working dogs. Depending on the task, working dogs need to be very specific in certain qualities. I have worked with patrol and detection dogs and have been around many trailing dogs. For example, a detection or trailing dog doesn’t need to be courageous enough to take on an attacker that is twice its size. I don’t want to talk about cross-trained dogs because that will just muddy the water.

When I decided to write Big Dogs, I consciously chose not to humanize the dogs in it, at least too much. Why? One reason is that I didn’t want to make my books cute. Instead, these are realistic stories about what dogs can do and what happens sometimes. Dogs are fantastic at relaying their emotions without me trying to put words in their mouths.

I have found that dogs say more with their eyes than many people do with their mouths. When their eyes fail to get the message across, dogs find a couple of licks will tell you what you need to know.

One of the many things I did as a K9 handler was public demonstrations and talks. I have been asked many questions that gave me pause, and I will talk about those some other time, but I often got one: “Can my dog be a police dog?” My answer was almost always the same, “If your dog has the correct qualities and you are willing to put the hundreds of hours of training in it, then, sure, it could happen.”

When I wrote Big Dogs, I wanted to impress training on to the reader. It takes a ton of training to create a dog like Ares. And that’s if that dog has the inherent physical and mental qualities in the first place. I didn’t want the book to be a training manual. I actually trimmed out a lot of the repetition. You’re constantly training. When I was working with Asko, my police K9, I would throw our house keys out into the front yard every night when we got home. We didn’t go inside until he found them. Sure, it’s a small thing, but it’s still training.

Now, here’s an incredible thing. Every night I would go home, and Asko would interact with my family. He would play with my kids and do everything a normal, untrained dog would do. However, deep down inside, the police dog was waiting to go to work. It was like a switch inside his head. If I started to put my uniform on, the dog would wear out the tile between the bedroom and the door. If he saw the uniform or heard the word ‘work,’ the switch would flip, and he would change.

That’s one reason why, when I retired, I didn’t go out and purchase another working dog. It just wouldn’t be fair to the dog. Above all else, they want to go to work.

As I mentioned, when I wrote Big Dogs, I took on the task of trying to communicate all these complexities about dogs. Because I love dogs, it wasn’t too hard.

Steve

Filed Under: Blog, S.L. Ditmars Tagged With: authors, Big Dogs Series, dogs, k9, S.L. Ditmars, trailing dogs, writing
November 21, 2022 By S. L. Ditmars Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

The ‘Big Dogs Series’ by S.L. Ditmars

Buy BIG DOGS: Book One In The ‘Big Dogs Series’ now:

Amazon Kindle eBook  eBook
Hard Cover  Hard Cover
Barnes & Noble Trade Paperback Amazon Trade Paperback  Paperback
Audible Audio Book  Audio Book

INTERNATIONAL KINDLE EBOOKS
USA   UK   Canada   Australia   Germany   France   Spain   Japan   Italy   Brazil   India   Mexico

GET A FREE AUDIBLE AUDIO BOOK

Get this Title for FREE at Audible with a free trialGet this Audible Title for FREE with a 30-day free trial

GASPING FOR AIR

Buy GASPING FOR AIR: Book Two In The ‘Big Dogs Series’ now!

Amazon Kindle eBook  eBook
Hard Cover  Hard Cover
Amazon Trade Paperback  Paperback

INTERNATIONAL KINDLE EBOOKS
USA   UK   Canada   Australia   Germany   France   Spain   Japan   Italy   Brazil   India   Mexico

Listen to author S.L. Ditmars on Darkness Radio’s True Crime Tuesday

Read More From S.L. Ditmars

book cover

GASPING FOR AIR: Book Two In The ‘Big Dogs Series’ by S.L. Ditmars

SL Ditmars writes another fast-paced, page-turning police procedural... I love the characters and the dogs, Ares and Addy, who make the story even … [Read More...]

Crime Fiction Author S.L. Ditmars Answers: “Why are your bad guys so bad?”

If you have read my blog posts before, you know I spend a lot of time making my stories feel real and accurate. It is why I have such a large beta … [Read More...]

Author S.L. Ditmars On Writing Book Two In The ‘Big Dogs Series’

  We're back!  It seems like forever ago that I wrote about my first book, Big Dogs-Book One of the 'Big Dogs Series'. But, in reality, it … [Read More...]

logo with 2022 Recap text

WildBlue Press 2022 Year in Review: Part 2 of 2

8 New Fiction Novels 4 New Series Started Countless New Crimes & Cases In 2022 WildBlue Press launched 22 new books. Eight of those were … [Read More...]

Book Cover

BIG DOGS: Book One In The ‘Big Dogs Series’ by S.L. Ditmars

About The Book Rule One When Hunting Serial Killers: Don't Become the Next Victim There is a serial killer up there! Lieutenant JW North, of the … [Read More...]

Book Cover

“So, you want to write a book?” Debut author S.L. Ditmars on embracing the process

I had an idea in my head... After I retired, I had an idea in my head for a book. It was loosely based on my work with the Long Beach Police … [Read More...]

author photo

Get to know author S.L. Ditmars

Writing is something new to me. I didn't grow up wanting to write a book or be an author. Prior to this book, I had mostly written term papers for … [Read More...]

More Crime Fiction From WildBlue Press

Reader’s Guide For Ron Franscell’s DEAF ROW

Visit ronfranscell.com for the latest from the author including a download of this guide for book clubbers! … [Read More...]

Book Cover

NYT Bestselling Author Ron Franscell Delivers A Crime Mystery With Shocking Twist: DEAF ROW

About The Book As you read along, be sure to dog-ear the pages bursting with Franscell's gritty descriptions - a sentence, a paragraph or a page - of the silver-haired people and … [Read More...]

book cover

GASPING FOR AIR: Book Two In The ‘Big Dogs Series’ by S.L. Ditmars

SL Ditmars writes another fast-paced, page-turning police procedural... I love the characters and the dogs, Ares and Addy, who make the story even richer... I very much and … [Read More...]

Crime Fiction Author S.L. Ditmars Answers: “Why are your bad guys so bad?”

If you have read my blog posts before, you know I spend a lot of time making my stories feel real and accurate. It is why I have such a large beta reader team. I don't want my … [Read More...]

Ron Franscell Answers “Which is harder to write: true crime or crime fiction?’

DEAF ROW will be available in hardback, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats on February 14, 2023! … [Read More...]

Author S.L. Ditmars On Writing Book Two In The ‘Big Dogs Series’

  We're back!  It seems like forever ago that I wrote about my first book, Big Dogs-Book One of the 'Big Dogs Series'. But, in reality, it was only a couple of months … [Read More...]

Genres, Types

New Releases
Featured Books
Coming Soon
Award Winners

Business
History
Horror
Mysteries
Romance
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Thrillers
True Crime

eBooks
Paperbacks
Audio Books
Box Sets

Available

Biography
• Dances With Donkeys
• Secrets Of A Hollywood Private Eye
• Stealing Manhattan
• Escape From Mariupol
True Crime
• The Delphi Murders
• Death By Talons
• Lou And Jonbenet
• Hidden Demons
• Love Me To Death
• By The Side Of The Road
• Going Under
• I Don't Like Mondays
• The Last Jewish Gangster, The Middle Years
• The Tuskegee Strangler
• The Decision To Kill
• All Along The Watchtower
• Ted Bundy
• The Last Jewish Gangster, The Early Years
• Carmine And The 13Th Avenue Boys
• Vampires, Gators, And Wackos
• The Curse Of The Turtle
• Deadly Associates
• Jane Doe 9
• Watch Me Die
• Mystery At The Blue Sea Cottage
• The Wheels Of Justice
• 16 Minutes
• Terror Town, Usa
• Raging On
• Grilling Dahmer
• The 'Peyton Place' Murder
• Cold Blooded
• Faith Based Fraud
• The Real Mr. Big
• The Son Of Seven Mothers
• 'The Son Of Sam' And Me
• Serial Killers
• Satin Pumps
• Out Of The Mouths Of Serial Killers
• True Crime Chronicles Volume Two
• The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers Volume Three
• The Enigma Of Ted Bundy
• True Crime Chronicles Volume One
• Killing Women
• From The Mob To The Movies
• The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers Volume Two
• To Kill Or Be Killed
• No Angels
• Monster
• Under A Full Moon
• 'Til Death Do Us ...'
• The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers
• First Degree Rage
• The 'Supreme Gentleman' Killer
• Beast Of New Castle
• The Garden State Parkway Murders
• How Now, Butterfly?
• The Encyclopedia Of The Ted Bundy Murders
• Survival
• Missing ... And Presumed Dead
• Wrong Numbers
• Tantamount
• Playing Dead
• Mothers And Murderers
• Dead Reckoning
• Underworld
• Gabacho
• The Gangster's Cousin
• Race To Justice
• Ted Bundy's Murderous Mysteries
• Travesty Of Justice
• Railroaded
• You Have A Very Soft Voice, Susan
• A Family Business
• Pathological
• Wrecking Crew
• The Last Man Standing
• My Son, The Killer
• Inconvenience Gone
• Toxic Rage
• The Killing Game
• Shots In The Dark
• The Case Of The Golden State Killer
• His Garden
• The Crate
• Burned
• The Case Of The Zodiac Killer
• A Murder In My Hometown
• Bullied To Death
• The Beast I Loved
• Summary Execution
• The Shawcross Letters
• Better Off Dead
• Sidetracked
• My Brother's Keeper
• Targeted
• Held Hostage
• Room 1203
• A Special Kind Of Evil
• Brooklyn's Most Wanted
• Outlaw Los Angeles
• Unsolved No More
• She Is Evil
• The Rise And Fall Of A Casino Mobster
• Outlaw Southwest
• A Clockwork Murder
• Raw Deal
• The Bundy Secrets
• Betrayal In Blue
• The Politics Of Murder
• Murderers Row
• Rough Trade
• Daddy's Little Secret
• Murder In The Family
• Failure Of Justice
• Ice And Bone
• Smooth Talker
• The Trail Of Ted Bundy
• A Taste For Murder
• Sketchcop
• Body Of Proof
• Kentucky Bloodbath
• No Stone Unturned
• Repeat Offender
• Dixie's Last Stand
• Vampire
• Man Overboard
• Bogeyman
• Murderers Row Volume Two
Thriller
• Gasping For Air
• Big Dogs
• The Shadowmaker
• A Nest Of Snakes
• Blood Red Ivory
• No One Will Hear Your Screams
• The Screaming Room
• Bone Thief
• Sword Of The Caliphate
• Last Son Of The War God
• The Strait
• Enemy Of The People
• The Reckoning
• 16 Souls
• Borderland
• Paper Wings
• Lockout
• Pitfall
Mystery
• Deaf Row
• The Humanzee Experiments
• The Killing Machine
• Murder At Mardi Gras
• The Right Thing
• Raven's Ridge
• Raptor's Ridge
• Napa Noir
• Melia Ridge
• Emerald Ridge
• Crevice
• Headlock
• Identity Crisis
• The Obituary
• Naked Addiction
• The Deadline
Horror
• Four
• Acadia Event
• The Red Son
• Highwayman
• The Equinox
• The Pure And The Hated
• Savage Highway
Science Fiction
• Tribulations
• Crux
• Leviathan
• Happenstance
• Cain
• Dark Visions
• Hunter
• Created
Fantasy
• Dawn Of Legacy
• Destruction Of Justice
• Blunt Force Magic
History
• Fields Of Fortune
• Legion Rising
• The Korean Crisis
• Tempest Tost
• Saving Sandoval
• Killing Rasputin
Politics
• The (Redacted) Mueller Report
Romance
• When Fall Fades
Business
• Leaderology
• The Age Of Pluralism
• Bamboo Strong
• Corporate Superpower
• Wordpress Websites For Business
• Productivity Tools For Business
Cookbook
• Frank Cullotta's Greatest (Kitchen) Hits

New Releases

Death By Talons Book Cover

Author Tiddy Smith Explores ‘Owl Theory’ and North Carolina’s Infamous ‘Staircase Murder’ in DEATH BY TALONS: Did An Owl ‘Murder’ Kathleen Peterson?

It was not enough to suggest that Kathleen began to bleed outside. It was not enough to point to prior owl attacks on humans. Larry needed a smoking gun. And he would find it. -from DEATH BY TALONS by Tiddy Smith On December 9, 2001, Kathleen … [More...]

Lou And JonBenet book cover

In LOU AND JONBENÉT, Author John Wesley Anderson Reveals the Inside Story of the Failed Police Investigation Into the Kidnapping and Murder of JonBenét Ramsey

On Christmas Night 1996, six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in her family's home in Boulder, Colorado. A ransom note was found in the home, but it was hours before her father, John, found her body in the basement. She had been strangled with a … [More...]

Book Cover

NYT Bestselling Author Ron Franscell Delivers A Crime Mystery With Shocking Twist: DEAF ROW

About The Book As you read along, be sure to dog-ear the pages bursting with Franscell's gritty descriptions - a sentence, a paragraph or a page - of the silver-haired people and the gray places of rural Colorado in this raw, wintry crime novel." … [More...]

book cover

GASPING FOR AIR: Book Two In The ‘Big Dogs Series’ by S.L. Ditmars

SL Ditmars writes another fast-paced, page-turning police procedural... I love the characters and the dogs, Ares and Addy, who make the story even richer... I very much and highly recommend this book. -K.L. Peacock, author of THE CROSSINGS series and … [More...]

Coming Soon

book cover

SECRETS OF A HOLLYWOOD PRIVATE EYE: A Rollicking No-Holds Barred Expose Of Tinsel Town by Fred Wolfson and Burl Barer

Famous Rock Stars, TV Celebrities, Stone Cold Conmen, A Daring Rescue of Kidnapped Kids, And More! Ready to uncover the truth behind Hollywood's elite? SECRETS OF A HOLLYWOOD PRIVATE EYE is your ultimate source for the juiciest stories, scandals, and … [More...]

Book Cover

New From Burl Barer with Punch Stanmirovic—STEALING MANHATTAN: The Untold Story of America’s Billion Dollar Gem Heist Masterminds

Punch Stanimirovic insists: "My father, known as Mr. Stan, is the greatest gentleman thief who ever lived-a true genius." Punch was raised to be an exceptional diamond thief. He could work magic on a safe that would have sent Mandrake the Magician … [More...]

book cover

PRECIOUS FEW CLUES: The True Crime Investigation Of Kansas City’s “Precious Doe” Murder

On an unseasonably warm April evening in 2001, the headless body of a tiny girl was found discarded in a makeshift dump site in the woods on the southeast side of Kansas City, Missouri.    One long night turned into four long years for … [More...]

Recent Posts

  • The San Diego Reader Features Author James Stewart, Highlighting the Glamour and Grit of the City During a Tumultuous Era
  • SECRETS OF A HOLLYWOOD PRIVATE EYE: A Rollicking No-Holds Barred Expose Of Tinsel Town by Fred Wolfson and Burl Barer
  • Acquisitions Team Sign-Up
  • Street Team Sign-Up
  • Enjoy a Slice of South Brooklyn—”Playing the Numbers”—By Author Craig McGuire
  • THE SHADOWMAKER by T.J. Champitto Is Now Available In Audiobook—Experience the Heart-stopping International Thriller Preformed by Brandon J. Peterson
  • Author Tiddy Smith Explores ‘Owl Theory’ and North Carolina’s Infamous ‘Staircase Murder’ in DEATH BY TALONS: Did An Owl ‘Murder’ Kathleen Peterson?

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

eZine SignupJoin our email list and be the first to get hot deals, new releases and...
* Author updates
* Free eBooks
* Free audio books
* Enlightening and entertaining posts
* Advance notice of book deals, special offers

Follow Us

Blog Tag Cloud

best true crime books Bogeyman Bradley Nickell Brian Whitney Burl Barer Caitlin Rother Cold Case crime Crime Fiction Crime thriller Detective Detectives Facebook True Crime John Ferak Kevin Sullivan Las Vegas memoir Murder murder book murder mystery Mysteries Mystery mystery thriller Non-Fiction Serial Killer serial killer books Serial Killers Steve Jackson Suspense suspense thriller Ted Bundy Thriller Thriller Books True-crime truecrime True Crime True Crime Authors true crime book true crime books True Crime Original true crimes true crime stories True Murder WildBlue Press writing

Privacy Policy

As Seen On:

Our Authors Have Been Seen On...

Interested Authors Click Here
See Our Entire Catalog
SSL Secure Connection

Copyright © 2023 WildBlue Press. All rights reserved.
Website design by Denver Local SEO Marketing Company
S.L. Ditmars On Writing About Dogs

Join our newsletter for awesome content, free offers and launch notifications!
Loading