K-9 Are The New Breed of Cops

K-9 Are The New Breed of Cops

We have all seen them in movies, some have even experienced their work up close and personal, and some have wondered — what are these dogs actually used for? Are they in fact going to be the ‘next generation’ of police officers? While their expertise is definitely welcome in the law enforcement world today, I doubt they will replace humans, but there are many police officers that prefer working with K-9’s and rank them as the highest on loyalty and trustworthiness.

The training of K-9’s is a meticulous and often strenuous process. There is quite a lot of education that goes into their training, as well as training the handler of the K-9. It all begins with the selection process of each and every dog that is hand picked for training as a police tracking dog. Not all dogs chosen will actually succeed, but the high majority of them do. It takes a special dog, quick witted, healthy, and mentally efficient, to graduate from any course as an official K-9 police tracking dog. Currently, the most popular breed of dog chosen as K-9’s are firstly, the German Shepherd, then following close behind is the Belgian Malinois, and for passive police work, Labrador Retrievers are commonly used.

German Shepherds are commonly chosen for police work, mainly for their amazing level of intelligence as well as their size and stamina. They are known for being enduring animals, and lasting through much more than the average breed. Not only are they intelligent, they are also capable of being aggressive when necessary. German Shepherds are trained to use their noses the same way, but far better than, the way we use all of our senses. This is required for the ability to track down perpetrators by following either a fresh or cold trail. Some of these dogs have been known to follow a cold trail, and end in success. The aggressive part is necessary as protection for themselves as well as protecting their handler. Not only are the K-9’s used as drug finders, but also as explosive finders, as well as simply being a partner to their handler, and protecting them much in the same way another human partner would. The breed of Belgian Malinois looks much like a German Shepherd, but slightly more sleek and smaller in size, but not by much. These foreign dogs are imported from Holland, and are known for their keen sense of smell, as well as their high intelligence rate. They are the second most popular breed preferred for police work, due to their agility as well as their speed, and their endurance. They are used abroad as sheep dogs, which enables them to be natural herders. This used with police tracking training, makes an excellent combination. Labrador Retrievers are sometimes used as K-9’s, but mostly in non-aggressive situations. These dogs are well known for their retrieval instincts, and their gentleness. They are the best choice for interaction with children or community jobs. When using labs as police tracking dogs, they have shown success in explosive retrieval, and narcotics retrieval. They are more widely accepted by people in general due to their being one of the most popular choices by families as a companion for their children.

Although it may seem slightly dramatic, more and more law enforcement agencies are adding to their police force by incorporating K-9’s into their daily duties. Using K-9’s can be expensive for any department, considering the purchase price of the dog, as well as upkeep added to frequent training courses with a professional trainer, to keep the K-9 in top form. Both the handler and the K-9 must be trained properly, and will more often than not, be partners for life. Using dogs as a compliment to actual officers on the police force just might be one of the more genius ideas known to man. K-9’s are definitely rising in popularity, and could very well be the next ‘breed’ of cops.

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