NCJ Number
216489
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 33 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2006 Pages: 48,50,58
Date Published
November 2006
Length
10 pages
Annotation
After reviewing the police tasks that dogs can help perform, this article discusses the selection of a dog, the training of a K-9, training for handlers, the development of a K-9 team, and legal issues involved in K-9 police work.
Abstract
Police dogs perform a variety of law enforcement tasks, including the control, apprehension, and escort of suspects; bomb, chemical, and drug detection; tracking suspects and lost persons; and detecting real and counterfeit money, land mines, weapons, buried bodies, or fire igniters/accelerants in arson cases. Breeds that dog trainers recommend for patrol work include German shepherds, Belgian malinois, rottweilers, giant schnauzers, Bouvier des Flanders, and Doberman pinschers. Breeds recommended for scent work include various types of retrievers, beagles, cocker spaniels, and standard poodles. Both male and female dogs can do well in police work, although one trainer interviewed for this article preferred spayed females. The section of this article that addresses K-9 training notes that the training regimen will vary according to the type of work for which the dog is selected. Issues discussed include training equipment and facilities. The training of handlers should include lessons on dog health and hygiene, proper foods and nutrition, reward techniques, obedience practices, and the complexity of search situations. The building of an effective handler-dog team involves a bonding process, which requires that the handler feed and water the dog, clean the dog's kennel, and spend time with the dog in meeting its mental and emotional needs. Handlers should also be instructed in the legal parameters for how dogs are used in police work.