Police Dog Information

Throughout time, man's best friend has been a hunter, protector and companion. Dogs have fought side-by-side with soldiers, served as the front line of attack during combat and guarded prisoners. Realizing the value and importance of working dogs, more and more police organizations have created K-9 units to assist in riot control, sniff out drugs and explosives and for tracking.

  1. History

    • The early Greeks and Romans used war dogs to send ahead of the troops when entering combat. They would equip the dogs with spiked collars around their neck and legs and would starve them before unleashing them on the enemy. The breed most used during these times was the great Molossian dogs of Epirus, who were specifically trained for battle. Spaniards brought dogs with them to America to use against the Native Americans. Working dogs have been used in many wars, including the Civil War, World War I and World War II.

    Dog Breeds

    • Intelligence, strength and controlled aggression are just a few characteristics that make good working dogs. However, dogs with great scent, tracking and retrieving abilities, such as bloodhounds, are also used in police work for drugs, weapons, evidence and dead body detection. The most popular breed of dog used for police work is the German shepherd. Several other breeds are also used, including Doberman pinschers, Akitas, boxers, Labrador retrievers and terriers.

    Training

    • Police dogs and their handlers are put through a rigorous K-9 training course that can last four to five weeks. Training starts with basic obedience such as sit, stay, down, heel and come. Police K-9s are trained to maneuver an obstacle course that would simulate actual situations with jumping over obstacles, crawling under obstacles or squeezing into narrow spaces. Handlers are trained to control their dog with verbal commands and the dog will learn to wait for a command before reacting. A good police dog is trained to stay focused, avoid distractions and protect its handler.

    Police Dog I - Certification Testing

    • A certified PD I, or Police Dog I, must be tested with a passing grade of 70 percent or more in the areas of obedience, agility, searching and criminal apprehension. A handler and dog will not be allowed to immediately retest if there's a failure. The team will be required to retrain before attempting another certification test.

    Heroic Dogs

    • On Sept. 11, 2001, approximately 900 police search and rescue dogs were used during the recovery operations at the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon. One dog, Stryker, was responsible for 108 finds during this rescue. During his career, he helped in 113 drug arrests that resulted in $152,923 worth of drugs being confiscated.