A Day in the Life of Police Dogs

In most major cities today, members on the force don't just come in the two-legged kind. Police dogs are used for a variety of activities that their human handlers can't do as well or at all. They track down people, criminals and missing persons, sniff out illegal materials, and search buildings. Their usefulness in protecting and serving their handlers is endless. Not only are there thousands of police dogs on the job each day, hundreds have already given their lives to the cause.

Why are these dogs used? For their nose, of course! A dog's sense of smell is over 50 times greater than that of a human being, making it possible for them to discern even the slightest trace of what they're after. Drug dogs have been keeping millions of dollars worth of drugs off the streets, and bomb dogs have quickly located explosives that would have taken humans hours of searching every inch of a building to find. To aid them even more, their sense of smell is not only highly sensitive, but also very exact. They can pick out a specific scent even when it is intermingled or smothered with other smells.

Their nose isn't the only reason why dogs are used, however. A powerful animal with a deep growl can be a powerful deterrent to criminals. They can't be reasoned with or intimidated, they're faster on foot than a human on the run, and they have enough strength in their jaws and body to hold a criminal until their human handlers can make an arrest.

This article will explore the various kinds and levels of training these dogs need to have in order to perform their jobs. Different police dogs do different things, and are therefore trained to suit the needs of their handlers. We'll explore the foundational training before branching off into specialty training.

Basic Training
A police dog is an expert in basic obedience training. In order for their natural aggression to be held in check (most police dogs are unneutered males of intelligent, aggressive breeds) they must follow their handlers' commands religiously. The handler is in control of how the dog is used, and how much force is applied to a suspect in each situation.

Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly given the facts), many of today's American police dogs actually come from Europe. The advantage of using a European-imported dog is the standard of excellence. Breeding standards are very strict; every dog has to meet very specific criteria in which to be used. Additionally, the training agencies are world renowned. Each dog bought for a police force must have an international certificate if they were trained by one of these agencies.

The handler-dog pair must work fluidly together, and therefore, even the handlers are chosen specially for the job. They learn how to care and protect their dog, as well as the commands that they will use on a day to day basis.

In addition to basic obedience, dogs chosen for police work go through endurance and agility training. They need to be able to perform the most strenuous tasks without a hitch. They are also acclimated to city life. A nervous dog won't make a good police dog so they are routinely subjected to the regular sounds and atmosphere of a busy city.

Drug Training
After a dog has gone through basic training, it's time for them to be given their specialty training. I'm going to focus on drug training because it's very similar to how the dogs are trained to search out bombs or people.

First to note, the dogs do not seek out the drugs because they are in any way interested in them. They are not addicted to them or in any way want to eat them. The dogs are far more interested in the reward they will get after they have been successful, specifically a toy that has been used in their training to smell like drugs.

In many cases this is a simple towel. Dogs love to play tug-o-war and a towel provides an easy way to train the dogs to the different smells of drugs. It begins as a simple game of tug-o-war. The scent of marijuana or any other drug is then wrapped in the towel so that the dog begins to associate the smell of the drug with his favorite toy. When the owner hides the towel, the dog can find it using his highly specific nose. He soon comes to learn that when he finds an object that smells like his toy, he'll be rewarded with a game of tug-o-war. Eventually more and more drugs are added to the list of what the dog can detect.

This is the same method used for bomb sniffing dogs. Instead of drugs, the dog grows accustomed to the various chemicals used in the production of a bomb.