17d • General discussion
So you think you have a potential police dog?
This is a very common misconception. A lot of people buy puppies from working lines without realising just how much energy these dogs have — and how much training and mental stimulation they actually need.
Because of the work and dedication required, most people simply don’t have the time, ability, or inclination to provide it. They think that because of the dog’s genetic potential, it could make a good police, government, or security agency candidate.
Due to my experience working with police, military, and security agencies — and supplying trained dogs — people often approach me thinking I can do a bit of training with their dog and then on-sell it to the police or government agencies.
The reality is that almost all of the dogs brought to me by owners who originally bought them as pets lack the development and socialisation needed before a trainer like myself can even think about presenting them to an agency.
When I’m purposely raising a pup or dog for this kind of work, the training and socialisation goes far beyond what the average pet dog receives. These dogs must be exposed to many different types of sounds — gunshots, explosions, all sorts of environments, and crowds of people. They may have to work in front of children, drunk people, drug addicts, violent individuals, and those who are emotionally unstable.
These dogs must also be good with other animals — particularly other dogs. They need to be comfortable living in a kennel environment with lots of other dogs around them, crate trained for car and plane travel, and comfortable working with multiple handlers.
If a dog hasn’t been raised in this type of environment, almost all will struggle to adapt. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with dogs living like this, but it’s exactly what life looks like for police and agency dogs.
That’s why most agencies are now buying puppies and raising them themselves. While there are vendors around the world who do this for a living, these dogs typically receive at least a couple of hours of training each day, plus all the environmental and physical conditioning required before being presented to an agency.
If the socialisation and training is poor, regardless of how well bred they are, the dog will not make it past the initial assessment.
Working dogs that are poorly raised will always have some sort of behaviour problem. This is definitely something an agency will spot and reject the dog for.
Before buying a working line dog, make sure you're fully aware of the dedication it takes to raise a dog with these genetic traits. Otherwise, the reality for dogs like these is often not good at all. It's extremely sad, but true.
1
0 comments
So you think you have a potential police dog?
