Police K9 Homepage
Southwind
Police Dog Trainers
As police service dog trainers we have a tremendous responsibility to
insure that we provide both a safe and effective tool for law
enforcement. The dog must perform reliably in order to insure the
safety of police officers and citizens. And the handler must have
complete control over the animal in order to effectively utilize the
assigned tool. It is our responsibility to be certain that both of
these goals are met prior to deployment of the canine team.
The first step in this process is the proper selection of both the
handler and canine. The selection of the handler should involve a
test of the officer's knowledge of the law and proper police
procedures, as well as overall physical ability. The handler should
be an experienced, tactically sound and physically fit officer.
The selection of a police canine prospect should involve a thorough
series of tests on neutral ground. These tests should be specifically
designed to insure that the animal has the drives and character traits
necessary to perform the task(s) that you and your agency will require.
The second step in this process is the actual training of the canine
team. The basics (proper motivation, balance, conditioning and
obedience) must be stressed during the initial stages of canine
training. A progressive, building block, approach must be utilized
with the patience to go back a step when reliability of performance is
in doubt. There can be no substitute for proper conditioning of the
police canine trainee.
The training of the handler must be broad in scope as well as thorough.
It must much more than instructions on how to properly pronounce
foreign commands. Handlers must be well versed in relevant case law,
police dog psychology, the K9 learning and communication process, basic
training techniques and philosophy, first aid and veterinarian care
and deployment procedures and tactics.
You must stay within the handler's level of expertise while constantly
challenging him/her to increase their knowledge. Don't provide a
remote training collar to a handler without providing them the
knowledge to properly use (conditioning, timing, balance, etc.) the
device.
The last step in this process is to monitor the teams level of
performance. You should constantly strive to improve the teams level
of proficiency rather than maintain minimum standards. Challenge the
team!
Southwind offers a thorough police K9 trainers certification
program. Please contact us if you would like more information about
this course.