Police Dogs And Training
Dogs for Law Enforcement believes a well-trained canine team is essential to deterring criminal activity and for assisting police departments in locating illegal drugs and explosives, in tracking fugitives, and with finding missing persons. Our goal at Dogs for Law Enforcement is to assist police departments in purchasing trained police canines through established vendors who provide excellent service and warranties. Another goal is to sponsor seminars for canine teams to attend around the nation to enhance a canine teamâs working ability.
The Training Of The Handler
The other part of the training goes on with the canine handler. The handlers need to go through a process of training to ensure that they will train the dog to the best of its ability. First, the canine handler has to complete the requisite police academy training and one to two years of patrol experience before becoming eligible to transfer to a specialty canine unit.
This is because the experience as an officer allows prospective canine officers to gain valuable experience in law enforcement.
However, having dog knowledge and training outside of the police academy is considered to be an asset, this could be dog obedience, crowd control, communicating effectively with animals and being approachable and personable since having a dog will draw attention from surrounding citizens.
What Are The Roles Of A Police Dog
Those traits are important for police dogs because of the various roles that they are needed for. The roles of police dogs are always growing and evolving, and this is another reason that GSDs are the perfect dogs for the job, as they are adaptable and easily trainable.
With that in mind, there are four main roles of police dogs:
- Search and rescue. In this capacity, police dogs are used to search for criminal suspects or missing persons. They are also used in rescue situations, where they are used for their amazing sense of smell, helping locate victims of earthquakes, lost or missing persons, and victims of fallen buildings.
- Detection dogs are used for their powerful olfactory abilities to sniff out drugs, firearms, or explosives carried by suspects, as well as other illegal objects, like exotic animals or accelerants used in arson.
- Cadaver dogs. These dogs can detect the odor of dead bodies. GSDs have such a powerful sense of smell that they can sniff bodies under piles of rubble or even underwater.
- These dogs are used for the general protection of the public to track down and apprehend criminals, rescue hostages, and locate crime suspects. Police dogs are trained to bite down on suspects and hold them hostage while officers arrest them.
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History Of German Shepherds In Law Enforcement
The history of the German Shepherd line began during the 1890s in Germany.
Their beginnings as a herding dog turned into worldwide fame and favor because they were prized for their ability to get the job done with practically no training at all. These dogs were naturally proficient in sheepherding and only needed slight direction to complete their tasks.
From there, breeders cultivated specific traits that further developed the GSDs instincts, intelligence, obedience, and drive.
In 1901, the German Shepherd Association, known as the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde , developed the Schutzhund trials as a means to assess and control the German Shepherd breeding stock.
They wanted to make sure that only sires and dams that pass the Schutzhunds strict standards were allowed to breed. By doing so, they safeguarded not only the pedigree but also the attributes that made these dogs superior.
German Shepherds were used widely as military dogs during the two World Wars. Their service to the military led to a number of different working applications, including as police dogs.
Today, they are considered the best choice for most types of police work because of all the careful selection and breeding done by the breeds enthusiasts over the past century.
Why Pitbulls Are Not Police Dogs
The American Pit Bull Terrier has been bred for hundreds of years to be non-aggressive toward humans and to bite-and-hold when they do attack something. That is not what we want in a police dog. In a police dog, we want a dog that is somewhat suspicious or aggressive toward humans under the right circumstances.
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Handguns Shotguns And Rifles
The first practical police firearm, the multishot revolver, was patented in 1835 by Samuel Colt. In the 1850s the British gun manufacturer Beaumont-Adams introduced the self-cocking double-action revolver. In contrast with the Colt, which needed to be cocked before firing, the double-action revolver could be fired by just a direct pull on the trigger. This allowed for quicker fire, at the expense of precisely aimed shots. In the United States and throughout the British Empire, the double-action revolver became, with few exceptions, the police sidearm of choice for more than a century.
In Western-style democracies, the standard police sidearm is strictly a defensive weapon. For offensive operations such as gunfights, more powerful firearmse.g., shotguns and riflesare necessary. Shotguns are capable of firing a variety of ammunition, including buckshot, slugs, tear gas, baton projectiles, and grenades. The pump-action shotgun, which was widely used in police departments from the early 20th century, began to be replaced by the semiautomatic shotgun in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Reasons Why German Shepherds Make Good Police Dogs
There are actually lots of reasons why German Shepherd dogs make such good police dogs, and we are going to explain some of them here for you. One of the first reasons why German Shepherds make such good police dogs is because they are one of the most intelligent breeds of dog, which makes them more than capable for the task at hand. As well as this, they are able to work long hours without getting tired, and as herding dogs, it is only natural for them to want to protect.
German Shepherds are a dog breed that has above-average strength, and they even have the ability to keep calm in difficult situations. In addition to this, they are really good at following commands, and they are both quick and athletic, which are two qualities that any good police officer will need. Finally, these dogs are extremely loyal, and they will always have your back when you need them to.
These dogs will be given lots of training to make them fit for police work, from learning when to step in to help to learning how to become an excellent tracker, or being able to sniff out illegal substances.
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Why Is The Belgian Malinois Replacing The German Shepherd In Law Enforcement
It all comes down to certain characteristics of the Belgian Malinois that make it better suited for this type of work. The reforms in requirements of the police force have made them go for a dog with self-control, grit, and athletic abilities. Belgian Malinois is the perfect dog with all the required traits.
Why Are German Shepherds Good Police Dogs
First and foremost, German Shepherds are used as police dogs and prized among law enforcement for their confidence and temperament. When highly trained, they are capable of dealing with high-risk situations, remaining calm, alert, and ready to respond and react to their handlers commands.
For many breeds this line of work can prove stressful, however, this is not the case for German Shepherds, who thrive under pressure.
In addition, German Shepherds are relaxed and well-tempered dogs who will allow strangers to approach them if their handler gives the go-ahead. They will rarely show aggression unless their job requires it, making them a trusted breed for more delicate types of police work, such as detection of drugs, missing people, and search and rescue.
When it comes to loyalty, German Shepherds are second to none, quickly forming lifelong bonds with their owners and handlers. Furthermore, they will defend those they have bonded with fiercely if the need arises, fighting tooth and nail to protect them.
As you can imagine, these characteristics are why police dogs are usually German Shepherds rather than other breeds.
In terms of athleticism, German Shepherds are regarded as highly athletic dogs, being able to perform impressive feats of stamina and endurance when the time arises.
Whilst larger breeds of dogs are known to struggle with their stamina, limiting the roles they can carry out in the police force.
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Why Do They Use German Shepherds As Police Dogs
German Shepherds are famous for working with police. German Shepherds are calm-under-pressure, theyre highly intelligent and trainable, and they love to work. This makes the breed well-suited for working in high-stress situations, and its no surprise theyve been used in police work for more than 100 years.
Police Dog Breeds That Help Law Enforcement
Dogs have been formally called on to help police fight crime and track down suspects since the late 1880s, though their role in serving and protecting humans goes back many centuries earlier than that.
More recently, police dogs work has expanded to mirror almost everything their human counterparts dofrom apprehending suspects and patrolling, to assisting on search and rescue missions, to sniffing out drugs, guns, and bombs. Its nuanced and demanding work, requiring a special temperament and skillset, which is why youll see certain breeds used as police dogs again and again.
Still, experts agree that breed alone doesnt automatically qualify a dog for police work, nor does a less common K9 breed rule one out. Yes, were drawn to certain breeds because we know what their characteristics usually are, says Shana Parsnow, manager of working dog programs for Highland Canine Training, LLC. But the characteristics of the individual dog are really the most important thing.
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What Is The Worlds Best Guard Dog
Our List of the Top 10 Best Guard Dogs Bullmastiff. Known for physical strength, protection instincts, courageousness and extreme family loyalty, the Bullmastiff is one of the best guard dog breeds to have. Doberman Pinscher. Rottweiler. Komondor. Puli. Giant Schnauzer. German Shepherd. Rhodesian Ridgeback.
Meet The Belgian Malinois Dog
According to the American Kennel Club , the Belgian Malinois dog is the 43rd most popular companion canine .
These dogs look larger than they are, simply because they are so lean and tall. The Belgian Malinois can weigh anywhere from 40 to 80 pounds and stand anywhere from 22 to 26 inches tall.
One trait that is rather unique in the Belgian Malinois breed is that males and females can differ in adult weight by up to 20 pounds.
Malinois also has an unusually long life expectancy for a large dog breed 14 to 16 years.
Like the German Shepherd, Malinois comes from a herding dog background. And like the GSD, the Malinois had to find new work when using dogs to herd and guard livestock became less common.
Today, the Belgian Malinois is one of the top canine picks for police dog work, military K-9 service, and private sector protection and security work.
As the American Belgian Malinois Club explains, the New York police force is widely regarded as the first police organization to incorporate the Belgian Malinois into their ranks.
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Why Are German Shepherds Used As Police Dogs Explained
- Time to read: 5 min.
German shepherds have a history of hedging sheep or managing flock. This role has changed over time. Today, they are used in law enforcement work such as the police and military.
Its difficult to imagine that any dog would be so critical to police work. For almost as many years as the breed has existed, the German Shepherd dog has valiantly served not only in wartime but also in routine police work.
The many traits of the breed, from intelligence to trainability to courage, allow it to serve admirably in a role that few other breeds, let alone people, could adequately perform. To understand the German Shepherd dogs importance to police work, its worth noting the critical roles that police require and how the German Shepherd dog effectively fills these roles.
Want To Train Your Dog With Peace Of Mind
If you havent trained your dog properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your shepherd has, whether its barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.
The training program I love and highly recommend is Brain Training For Dogs.
With Brain Training For Dogs, youll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog wont listen, youll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and most importantly, thats given proven results. Not to mention the fact, youll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.
So instead of worrying about whether theyre going to be well-behaved or not, youll only have to worry about how much fun youll have with them!
And in most cases, its still going to be:
- Cheaper than hiring a professional.
- Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
- And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.
Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your dog completely and never worry whether theyll be naughty or not. Instead, youll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them will always be there, EVEN IF YOURE NOT.
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Why A German Shepherd
People do often wonder why a German Shepherd is used as a police dog? What are the characteristics that make a German Shepherd eligible, appropriate, and most suitable to be trained as a police dog?
First and the foremost thing is the large and giant size of a German Shepherd that is enough to horrify a criminal. The strong and muscular body of a German Shepherd is an indicator of its internal strength and power.
Secondly, German Shepherds are famous for their excellent work and stay calm under pressure. They are the most intelligent, sharp, and trainable dogs. They love to work and can do extremely good work in high-stress situations.
Why Do Police Use German Shepherds As Police Dogs
German Shepherds are famous for working with police. German Shepherds are calm-under-pressure, theyre highly intelligent and trainable, and they love to work. This makes the breed well-suited for working in high-stress situations, and its no surprise theyve been used in police work for more than 100 years.
Can police buy German Shepherds? Police cant afford to buy and train dogs only to have a high percentage of those dogs fail to meet the criteria of a working dog. Thats why the German Shepherd is such a valuable breed.
Why is a German Shepherd a good police dog? The German Shepherd is one of the Successful Police dogs because of his honesty, intelligence, Aggression, Strength, and Sense of smell. There is a number of advantage compared with other breeds to choose German Shepherd as a Police Dog because they can be trained German Shepherd as a protection dog, attack dog,
What dog breeds are police dogs? German Shepherd, Belgian Malionis, Bloodhound, and Dutch Shepherd are the most common breeds used as Police Dogs. And it just happens that German Shepherd is the first breed trained systematically on a large scale for police work in Europe continent.
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Roles And Duties For Military Working Dogs
Throughout history, dogs have been deployed on the battlefields around the globe.
In addition to being valued combat soldiers, adding dogs as team supporters can enhance the capabilities of the entire squad by providing additional assets.
They possess olfactory sensory and visual abilities that are well above that of a human, they can go into spaces soldiers cannot, and can often frighten and subdue an enemy combatant more rapidly without using lethal force.
Because of these traits, they have been successfully deployed for numerous military duties and roles by modern military branches.
Over the years dogs have had many roles with the military, but in more modern times, specific responsibilities have been defined where dogs can provide the best assets to the roles they are assigned.
Here are some examples of assignments for K9s in the military.
Sentry Dogs Sentry dogs are trained to warn their handlers of the approach or presence of enemies and are utilized for guarding airports, military bases, and other vital installations.
These dogs are worked on a short leash and are taught to give warnings by growling, alerting, or barking.
They are especially valuable for working in the dark when an attack from cover or the rear is most likely. Their use has proved them to be valuable in any place where security against enemy soldiers must be maintained.
The presence of the dogs with patrols greatly lessened the danger of ambush and tended to boost morale.
Why Is The German Shepherd Used As A Police Dog
The main reason that officers use German Shepherds as police dogs is because of their intelligence. German Shepherds can retain knowledge much quicker than other breeds. Furthermore, the German Shepherd has excessive energy, and they are eager to please their companions.
Whether they are learning a new specialty technique or in the field completing police work, German Shepherds aim to make their partners proud.
German Shepherds have many applications in the field, like their optimal tracking abilities. This breed is fast, with a faster running speed than humans and a sharp bite that can rip chunks from human flesh.
From the wrong breeder, the German Shepherd can be unpredictable. However, police officers purchase their dogs from trusted breeders and train their German Shepherds to obey precise commands. The strict and obedient behavior of these dogs makes them the perfect contender for enforcing the law.
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