What is the life of a police dog like? The dog is man’s most loyal friend. We would almost forget that there are also dogs who have to work for a living. The life of the police dog.
Police dogs
Police dogs cannot be compared to domestic dogs. Police dogs have a job. They are trained to work. During a working day, the dogs spend most of their time in a small kennel (a cage behind bars) in the back of the car. They drive around the region with their handler, who has surveillance service. The dogs go home with their handlers. There they are in a kennel in the garden. They usually do not come into the house. The dogs are not happy at all here. When you let them out of their kennel, they think they can go to work, which is what they prefer to do.
There is therefore no vacation for these police dogs. During the holidays they stay in a cage with the dog brigade. The animals are owned by the police. An experienced handler also knows that it can happen that he has to hand over his experienced dog to a new colleague. Can the dog handle this separation? Yes. A police dog is a real traitor. After 24 hours he will no longer see you. The person who feeds him and for whom he is allowed to work quickly becomes his boss.
Training surveillance dogs
When attending a police dog training session, you will initially notice that these dogs are not spoken to in an overly gentle manner during exercises, and sometimes they get a firm leash slap. But then they happily wag their tail again. Surveillance dogs must also be able to take a beating, because in work situations they can also be hit. You should not have a dog that quickly thinks: ‘Never mind, I will not participate anymore’. Then why does a dog enjoy police work? A police dog sees it as his reward that he can grab the suspect. Sometimes police dogs are so absorbed in their work that they also bite their owner.
It should therefore not be forgotten that a police dog is a means of violence, a weapon. For some dogs it is difficult to switch. For example, police dogs can suddenly go into ‘watch mode’ (the dog sits and guards a suspect. As soon as he moves, the dog can grab him by the arm or leg). Therefore, it is the policy of the handlers that you only let the dog in and out of its kennel, feed and walk.
The police are now striving to train as many social dogs as possible. These are dogs that can very easily switch from social position to working position and vice versa.
Tracking dogs
The KLPD (National Police Services Agency) has a special department that is engaged in training detection dogs. They prefer females to males, because males are more distracted. This is because males sniff more and they urinate more on the urine of other males. And that is why a crime scene is of course immediately soiled. It can therefore be concluded that males are better suited for surveillance work, because they are large and strong, but females are better suited for detective work because they are less easily distracted.
But if sniffer dogs are not allowed to attack, what is their reward? Obviously, tracking dogs are not supposed to show their teeth to a helpless drowning person or bite a kilo of hash. You would expect these tracking dogs to get a treat or a biscuit. But this is not done. Food is never used to reward the tracking dog. That doesn’t work. Because a dog always opts for the greater reward. And he would then find food more important than a drowning person or a kilo of hash. When tracking dogs have done their job well, they often get a toy. This can be a ball or a sturdy stick. In this way, they always link a reward directly to a drowning person or kilo of hash.
The commands given to sniffer dogs are clear, but calm. This is in contrast to surveillance dog commands, which are treated harshly.
Shepherd is best servant
Dutch police dogs are usually sheepdogs. Malines and Dutch shepherds are especially popular. Because they are brave, eager to learn, and not easily upset. They are mainly used as surveillance dogs. German Shepherds are more sensitive and gentle. They are especially suitable as tracking dogs: they like puzzles and are less nervous than other shepherd breeds. The best police dogs are often cross breeds.
Where else do dogs work?
In addition to the police, dogs also work for other agencies and organizations. An overview of other working four-legged friends:
Service dogs
They help their disabled owner operate light switches and electrical appliances, and they open doors, cupboards and washing machines.
Guide dog
This dog is looking for his blind or partially sighted owner.
Medical dog
This special service dog alerts its owner in the event of an impending epilepsy attack. He notices his boss’s behavior changing and lets him lie or sit to ease the attack.