The Members Make Us What We Are
Please, look at our website and social media to understand how we can help you. If you like what you see, please join us.
We would love to have you as a member! If you have never been a USPCA member, click on the below link. If you have been a member in the past, please contact Secretary Ruopp and she will walk you through the process of renewing. Please do not create a new profile if you have been a member in the past.
Police Dog Training Qualifications
A police dog trainer must have patience and an affinity for working with dogs, along with an intuitive sense of what motivates a dog. These professionals must be able to evaluate the animals to determine if the animal is able to successfully execute expected tasks. Dog trainers must be good communicators, using their voice and hand gestures to communicate to the animals. Training requirements vary by state, but some states require that police dog trainers have experience as K-9 handlers on a police force.
You May Like: Can I Get A Police Report Emailed To Me
How Do I Make My Dog A Police Dog
The course to qualify as a police dog is arduous, and the dog and handler must undergo periodic booster training. The dog is run through simulations including being able to find hidden objects in a large area, tracking down a suspect, navigating environments such as schools and subways and detecting bombs.
We can train them by using commands like sit down, stay, close, come, go, shake hands, etc. The training process will take some time depending on the breed of the dog and the way how they understand our commands. So in training it is must that we should be patient enough to make our dogs the best in obeying our orders.
Recommended Reading: What Do You Need For Police Academy
Check Your Ego At The Door
Ego often interferes with good dog training. Much of the often inhumane actions inflicted on dogs are based on the handlers need to feel dominant over the animal.
You can shoot yourself in the foot if you take it personally when the dog doesnt listen to you, says Bingaman. If a dogs not listening, I need to step back and look at how I need to adjust my training its the human end of it thats missing something. The dog is a simple-minded animal. Theres no conspiracy going on in the dogs head, no matter what people think.
The problem with ego is compounded by the general human misunderstanding that dogs have the logical capability to know right from wrong to a degree that they can make a logical decision. Dogs make behavioral decisions, not logical ones. The dog will only do what the dog wants to do. As White often explains it, whenever you ask a dog to do something, the first thought that goes through his mind is, Whats in it for me right now?
The dog has to have the desire to do it, reiterates Eden. If he doesnt get a reward for what hes doing, hell only do it to avoid punishment. When you have a dog whos constantly under stress and doing things to avoid punishment, he wont work as intensely, as efficiently, or as stress-free as one who does it because he understands and knows what he needs to do to get the desired result.
Are Therecertification For Police Dog Trainers
Actually, some professional organizations give certificates to police dog trainers. The National Tactical Police Dog Association offers a Professional Handler/Trainer Proficiency Certification, and both civilian and law enforcement dog trainers can qualify.
Furthermore, the North American Police Work Dog Association accredits NAPWDA Trainers and NAPWDA Masters Trainers. In fact, anyone applying has to be a serving or retired full-time law enforcement officers in a K-9 department.
Donât Miss: What Is The Best Handheld Police Scanner To Buy
Don’t Miss: How To Become A Diver For The Police
Using Treats Is Effective For Dog Training
Dogs are easily motivated by food. Thats why many trainers use dog treats to reward dogs for performing commands. Small dog treats allow for several repetitions before the dog becomes disinterested. More often than not, youll be the one cutting them off.
To avoid creating a bribe instead of a reward, keep the treat hidden. This way, the dog wont expect the treat until they perform the command.
Related:How To Teach A Dog To Speak
Youll also want to be careful about what treats you use. Many dog treats have high calories or can disrupt your dogs digestion if they get too many while training. Its important to choose training treats that are small and fragrant to motivate your dog.
Week 4 Training Your German Shepherd Puppy
| Socialisation exercises to do this week | Training to do this week | Husbandry Tasks to do this week |
| Meet another dog |
Here, the goal is to have your puppy lie down and relax, but they might as well move around or stand up. But what this exercise will teach them eventually, is that sometimes theyll just have to settle next to you.
Read Also: How To Get Police Report On Car Accident
How Do Police Dogs Know Who To Chase And Attack
Police dog training takes a lot of time and hard work, and it continues daily even after a K9 team has been fully certified and deployed. Only then will the handler be confident that the police dog knows who to chase.
This type of specialized training needs to be refreshed before and after every workday and it continues until the K9 duo retires.
When its time to apprehend a suspect on the field, police dogs are fully under their handlers control.
The dog knows to wait for the appropriate command before attacking the right person or showing aggression. He also knows that he needs to remain calm and submissive towards people the rest of the time.
The K9 handler is the one in control of the situation and is the one who decides if the police dog has to be unleashed. The handler makes sure that the dog is fully zoned in on the right person to chase, bite, and attack before the dog is released its generally easy to tell who a dog is focusing on through body language.
Police dogs have trained with distractions all around and are thoroughly socialized with people of all ages. They know to go after a person attacking a police officer, and they know to stay away from bystanders that are just acting normally.
The K9 handler knows they have to be completely clear on who their dog needs to track and chase after before releasing and to make sure that the dog is completely focused on the suspect.
You May Like: Is Being A Police Officer Worth It
End Training On A Positive Note
Remember, training is supposed to be fun, and you and your dog should look forward to training, not dread it. Make a command that youre sure your dog will succeed at. Do this every time, and training will remain fun.
Image Source: Kachalkina Veronika / Shutterstock.com
Police canines become a member of their handlers family. These two partners spend more time together than with their family, and the bond they form is strong. They are treated as police officers because they are, and when one dies, they get the full procession of a police officer. Training should be fun to keep your dog actively involved, but its serious work for a dangerous job. So, next time you see a police canine, show a little respect for these courageous animals.
Recommended Reading: How Can I Join The Police Force
Essential Tips During Police K9 Training
Heres how to train your dog like a CIA officer. Below are the CIAs 10 most important tips for training your dog:
- Make it enjoyable
Training is something that both you and your dog should enjoy, and as a dog owner, you shouldnt forget this. Always approach training in a happy mood. Show your dog that good behavior leads to rewards.
- Capitalize on what gets the dog motivated
Rewarding always doesnt have to be treated trying something different and sticking to it will motivate your dog, playing with your dog, providing his favorite toy, or even other pets will be great.
Reward your dog directly every time they improve in each command.
- Work Hard, Play Hard.
Training can be a tough time, but one thing to know is that taking breaks is essential. Thatll help both you and your dog get ready for the next session. So dont forget to get some breaks.
- Be Keen On The Dogs Patterns
If you spot any patterns, disrupt them! If youre the one who commands the dog to sit every time before having a meal try commanding one or two other commands. In addition to that, thatll help to avoid ruts training routine.
- Challenge The Dog
Spice things up, increase the difficulty of the tasks each time your dog gets it right. For example, if your dog has now mastered the down command, you can now increase the difficulty by mixing it up with distractions taking place nearby and asking him to hold the position for longer.
- Consistency is Essential
- Match The Training To The Dogs Energy Levels
How Do Police Departments Obtain Their Dogs
According to the National Police Dog Foundation, most K9 units do not take in dogs from the public. They often get them from specialized breeders in Europe. This tradition has been in place for decades. Unfortunately, many police departments donât have a budget for K9 units. As a result, in many areas, agencies raise funds to acquire police dogs.
Police dogs must be intelligent, have a strong sense of smell and possess a willingness to work. Dogs that are innately shy or anxious donât make ideal police dogs. However, intensive training that begins at an early age can help foster certain traits in a dog. Socialization and obedience training are also important since dogs in K9 units must follow challenging and complex commands in demanding and stressful environments. Some police departments acquire dogs with basic obedience training and then assign them to more intensive training to bring them up to speed. In other cases, the police purchase dogs that have already undergone police dog training.
Regardless of how the dog was trained, itâs important for the police handler to develop a relationship with their canine. Once both the dog and its human partner are adequately trained, they are certified to work in the field.
Don’t Miss: How To Make A Fake Police Report
At What Age Can Dogs Begin Police Dog Training
As anyone whos successfully trained a dog knows, training begins the day that you bring your pup home, which is typically around 8 weeks old. For police work, dogs usually begin the first step of training as young as possible, which is also around 8-10 weeks old, depending on the breed. When a litter of potential puppies is born, they are evaluated and closely monitored to check if they have any special, desirable characteristics that make them stand out from the pack.
These puppies are closely watched for how they eat, their intensity during play, and their temperaments. This evaluation can determine which puppies may have the highest chance of completing training. They are exposed to various sounds, challenges, and situations, and how they react to these is also closely monitored by trainers. This is to help desensitize the pups and prevent them from becoming skittish to new sights and sounds. As is the case with any dog, they are taught basic commands first, such as sit and stay, and only then move on to more complex training techniques.
How Police Train Their Dogs
The police need certain attributes in their police dogs. You wont need all of these and so you may wish to train different breeds. Police need dogs with lots of stamina for all day searches, police need dogs that are large, muscular and intimidating. They could probably train a Shitzu but would a fleeing criminal be intimidated and stop? Here are the most popular breeds used by police but there are lots of others. Poodles were used in Germany during WW2 and are used extensively in Japan. You can use any dog for your police command projects.
Don’t Miss: Can Police Search My House Without A Warrant
German Shepherd Police Training Tips
German Shepherds are strong dogs that are born with hunting skills. These dogs need a lot of activity to keep them mentally and physically fit. Police work is an ideal job for these dogs. However, one must understand that police training is far different from any other type of dog training. Such type of training needs to be provided by professional trainers only. Schutzhund club is one such club which specializes in police training to German Shepherds. However, not every dog gets approved by this club, as they look for particular qualities in a dog which might give them an edge over others. Hence, before you approach any club, it is imperative that you impart basic training to your dog.
How Long Does It Take To Train A Police Dog
Actually, some trainers begin testing and training litters of puppies when they are 6 weeks old. An example of testing a puppy at a young age is to roll a ball under a couch. Many of the puppies will give up trying to get the ball since it is out of reach.
However, the one persistent puppy that continues to try to get the ball for several minutes shows a high natural prey drive that is critical for police dogs.
Thus, when a dog is selected by a department to be their next K-9, their initial patrol training takes several weeks. Narcotic or Explosive detection school usually takes 3-4 weeks. After the initial training, the K-9 teams will train consistently in order to maintain their skills. All of their training is documented in logs for court purposes in the future.
Don’t Miss: How Do I Look Up A Police Report
K9 Positive Training: Overview
1. Do your best to eliminate compulsion from your training. Look for every opportunity to reinforce your dog for increasingly better efforts.
2. Support your local police canine foundation theyre often a source of funding for police K9 units.
Stephanie Colman is a writer and dog trainer in Los Angeles. She shares her life with two dogs and actively competes in obedience and agility.
The Old Way To Handle K9s: Compulsion Wears Out Fast
When Phoenix police officer Vince Bingaman joined the department 10 years ago, compulsion was the name of the game.
With the types of strong dogs we deal with, thats how you got an animal to do something, he says. He was forced to do it and there was a negative repercussion if he didnt. When the dogs did well we praised them, but we were really into compulsion to force strong-willed dogs to do what we wanted them to do and it led to a lot of conflict.
The conflict between dog and handler led to many handlers sustaining serious bites. The idea of compulsion and punishment leading to increased bites is not limited to working police canines. Many pet dogs react the same way, especially when punishment techniques are employed in an attempt to modify aggressive behavior. The agency eventually turned to Bob Eden, who, over three months, helped transform the canine department with amazing success.
Compulsion adds a lot of stress to a dog and we had difficulty getting ideas across to the animal, says Bingaman. With compulsion, because the dogs were forced to do what we asked them to do, the results were quicker, but they werent long-standing. It was a cycle. The dog would work for us for a while and then there would be some negative side effects of the dog falling back into his old ways and then the compulsion would have to come back in and the dog would comply and the cycle would continue. When we trained the dogs in a more positive environment, the training stuck.
Also Check: How Do You Get A Copy Of Your Police Report
The Importance Of Bonding In The K9 Training Experience
Although honing the physical and mental abilities of each and every dog we work with is of the utmost importance, there is one factor which is even more important to the long-term success of a dog and handler team. Because of the highly personal nature of the handler-dog relationship, bonding can be the most integral part of the K9 training experience.
A good patrol dog will attack without command in the event of an attack on its handler, and in order to have that kind of trust, there is no substitute for a properly executed training regimen. At Global, we focus heavily on the understanding that a handler must be able to rely upon his or her dog, and that in return a dog must be able to rely upon its handler as well.
Also Check: How To Search Police Records