A Brief History of Police Dog Training

Before police dog training was even an idea, canines were recruited for law enforcement work as K-9 guard and attack. The preferred animals were strong, robust, ferocious, even vicious. When formal police dog training was first proposed, many questioned the wisdom of such an expensive undertaking.

The large Bulldog and Mastiff were guard and attack dogs in the armies of the Romans, Egyptians, Persians, Greeks and British. During the Middle Ages, Bloodhounds hunted outlaws. A Newfoundland traveled with Lewis and Clark on their expedition across America.

During the American Revolutionary War and the Civil War, canines traveled with their owners as pets and sentinels. World War I soldiers used dogs as sentinels and messengers. The largest animals carried ammunition. Located wounded Red Cross K-9 soldiers.

The dogs of World War II did all of the above and more. They worked as scouts, joining soldiers on patrol, alerting them to nearby enemy soldiers. Japanese canine guarded stores. German dogs guarded the prison camps. In America, patriots donated their pets for military service.

In 1859, Belgian officers first used dogs in street patrols, an example soon followed by the Germans, French, Austrians and Hungarians. There were no formal training programs. The pups were selected to be fearless, aggressive and intimidating. They protected their handlers, guarded the evidence, arrested criminals. By 1910, Germany had working dogs in 600 cities.

The UK followed the trend. Constables were authorized to take their own K-9s on patrol in 1914. A few years earlier, in 1908, the Northern Eastern Railway was deploying Airedales as watchdogs to prevent robbery.

In the United States, local police departments were slow to recognize the benefits. The 1970s saw the introduction of dogs. Today they work in all cities and in many rural locations. They are often protected with ballistic vests. Laws make it a felony to injure or kill a K-9 officer. More than 300 search and rescue animals assisted in rescue efforts after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Today, police dogs protect their handlers. They chase the fleeing criminals. Popular breeds in service are the German Shepherd and the Belgian Malinois. Bloodhounds and beagles, with their outstanding sense of smell, are excellent at search and rescue, and are also detector dogs for sniffing out narcotics and explosives.

Europe is the breeder and trainer of choice. A two-year obedience, agility and endurance training program narrows the field to the best, who then proceed to specialized instruction. To make the cut, a dog must be obedient, trustworthy, intelligent, energetic, and strong.

K-9 cops are well trained and socialized, not vicious. They live with the family of their handlers. They chase and cling to a person when ordered to do so. It is a well-rehearsed game that brings a reward. Police dog training sessions scheduled twice a month keep their skills sharp.