K-9 Appreciation

What Does it Take to Become a Police Dog?

Well firstly, you have to be a dog. If you're not one, then you're out of luck. These dogs begin with a obedience course so that when on a mission, they are as cool as cucumbers and receptive to any orders by their partner. They may be trained for single purpose, such as for backup or personal protection, or dual purpose, where they take on all responsibilities as a single purpose K-9 as well as learn to detect explosives or narcoticts.

Fact: K-9s begin training at just a few weeks old!

Breeds Can Vary

As with the picture above, you might think of police dogs as german shepards or other similar breeds, but these aren't the only that qualify. "A successful [K-9] should be intelligent, aggressive, strong, and have a good sense of smell". Both male and females are employed as police dogs, however the males usually play more aggressive roles while the females are tasked with roles such as rescue, tracking, and locating. Below are some of the popular breeds and some of their specialties.

Fact: There's more than 10 different dog breeds of all shapes and sizes that can be K-9s!

Beagle

Locating bombs and drugs

Labrador Retriever

Protection, attack dog, and locating

Doberman Pinscher

Protection and attack dog

Quick History

Dogs have been used in policing and law enforcement dating back to the Middle Ages, over 1,000 years ago! In the modern era, Sir Charles Warren (Metropolitan Police commisioner) attempted to use bloodhounds to find serial killer Jack The Ripper in the 1880s. Soon after in 1899, the first organized K-9 program began in Ghent, Belgium. Fast fowarding to today, K-9s are used all around the world!