The Mounties are inviting young Canadians to suggest names for puppies that will soon be born at the police dog training centre in Innisfail, Alta.

The name can be for a male or female RCMP German shepherd, but it must start with the letter F and must be no longer than nine letters and one or two syllables.

To enter, contestants 16 years old or younger must print their name, age, address, telephone number and the suggested name for a puppy on a postcard and mail it to the RCMP's dog training centre.

Only one entry is allowed per person. The RCMP will accept more than one entry per household if each participant submits one name per postcard. The deadline for entries is March 22 and the winners will be announced on April 16.

The RCMP has 112 search dog teams across Canada.