NCJ Number
166560
Journal
Illinois State Police 10-43 Magazine Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Dated: (1996) Pages: 19-21
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The Illinois State Police use a new approach to training police dogs; the new approach is called motivational training and has replaced the previous compulsion training based on avoidance of pain.
Abstract
The changes in training of police dogs parallel the training changes for police recruits. Motivational training takes advantage of the dogs' drives, instincts, and mental capacities instead of focusing on its fear and avoidance instincts. The dogs develop skills based on their longstanding behaviors such as sniffing for food and tracking down prey. The dogs are purebreds bred specifically for security and police work and imported from Eastern Europe. Each costs between $1,100 and $1,500. Dogs and handlers are carefully matched in recognition of the crucial role of the relationship between the dog and the handler. The State trooper who is the handler is the only one to feed and groom the dog and takes it home on weekends. Thus, they form an emotional bond and become a team. Training is progressive and rests on the principles of confidence building and reward for performance. Dogs achieve proficiency in eight areas: obedience, area searches, article searches, controlled aggression, agility, building searches, tracking, and narcotic detection. Case examples and photographs