A Handlers Guide For Administrators

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No  matter where I travel in Canada, or in the United States, I hear  working K9 Officers consistently making the same comments regarding the  problems relating to their section. The first and foremost complaint of  all is that of funding. 

Second  in line is how the section is administered. The focus of this article  is to assist those in administrative positions to better understand the  needs of their K9 teams. A better understanding will not only go a long  ways towards improving the morale of your unit, it will also increase  the performance of your teams. 

When  a department initiates a dog section it automatically increases its  vulnerability to law suits. It only makes sense, when you are using  resources such as dogs to make arrests, you are going to become  susceptible. Your most major defense in this regard is to put yourself  into a position where the quality of teams which you have on the street  are of the highest caliber. 

A  major number of departments I have seen place their dog teams on the  bottom of the priority list for funding, yet use their teams 24 hours a  day. As a result, the officers learn to get by with equipment that is  outdated, and are not given the opportunity to go on advanced training  programs that would enhance their abilities. This lack of funding does  not come as an intentional effort to keep K9 teams on a bare bones  budget. Often it is due to the simple fact that the funding just isn't  available. More often than not however it comes as a result of the  administrations lack of understanding of the needs and potentials of  their dog section. 

Many  sections, particularly the departments who have recently started K9  programs, are run by officers who have no previous background or  experience with K9 teams. When the officers try to obtain funding for  training or a particular training aid, the requests are often denied  simply because the officer in charge feels there is a greater need for  the funding elsewhere, or because he is under a misconception of what  the needs of the unit are. Too often there is no real communication  between the members of the unit and the administrator. Many officers who  read this article may feel that these types of things do not occur. 

Let me give you some examples of which I have personal knowledge. 

*  An officer from a small town approaches his chief and puts together a  proposal for a dog section. He is given no funding, however is permitted  to bring his own dog to work. 

He  requests permission to attend a formal training program, which is  denied. He ends up training his service dog by reading books, and going  to seminars and training schools while on his holidays. 

*  A city with over 10 dog teams issues basic equipment to its handlers,  and provides only one agitation sleeve for the entire section, no bite  suits or scratch pants. Conversely, I have seen a dog section with as  little as 4 dog teams properly equipped with every imaginable training  sleeve, bodysuits and scratch pants. 

*  Recently a very large department, in an area where the summers are hot  and humid, denied its dog section a request for air conditioned dog  cars. Somewhere the administration had come up with an old belief that  the air conditioning would dry out the dogs nose and interfere with its  ability to track. The request was denied. They obviously did not know,  or chose not to find out that as long as the air conditioning is used  properly, and the dog has an ample water supply available to him in the  vehicle, that the air conditioning will have no affect on his track- ing  abilities. In fact a dog in a hot environment will perform in a far  superior manner coming refreshed out of an air conditioned vehicle than  it will coming out of a hot car, no matter how moist his nose is. 

*  In another department the choice of dog car and the type of compartment  built for the cars was done without the input of the K9 handlers.  Specific items had been requested, and ideas forwarded, but to no avail.  The compartments were built in a manner which could injure the dog and  had to be redone.

*  Another department refuses to support its members who wish to join and  participate in their national K9 association. This association is  intended to assist departments and members to continually improve its  abilities. By attending the seminars, workshops and competitions through  these various state and national organizations, the handler learns new  techniques from fellow handlers and experts who are brought in for these  events. It can only benefit the department to support their members in  participating. 

*  Many officers from various departments train with local dog clubs  because their department will not provide training funds for quarries,  special instructors, equipment or training time. This is very common.

These  are only a few of the many examples of problems which arise as a result  of a lack of understanding of K9 needs. Unfortunately this lack of  knowledge and subsequent lack of support often result in lawsuits as a  result of dog applications which result in bad or inappropriate bites.  When these lawsuits start the department starts to place further  restrictions on their handlers in an attempt to prevent further  problems, with the results being an even more frustrated section with  poorer production. 

All  is not lost however, there is an up side to all of this. We can turn  this around, and it does not take copious amounts of funding to do so,  although it may be necessary to open the purse strings a bit for the  initial outlay. If done properly the section can become a powerful PR  tool, with high morale and much success. With proper direction, the  potential for law suits can decrease dramatically. If you are  responsible for the administration of a K9 Unit there are a few things  which will give you true insight of what your section needs. Take  advantage of the many associations which you can join. In Canada there  is the Canadian Police Canine Association. In the United States many of  the individual states have their own association, such as the Oregon  State Police K9 Association. There is also a national organization, the  USPCA. Many of these organizations produce periodicals which include  letters from K9 handlers, new techniques of training, updates on case  law relating to dog applications, as well as medical tips on dogs. The  scope of articles contained in these magazines is unlimited. One of the  better periodicals available is the "Quarterly" which is put out by the  Canadian Association. The purposes of these associations are as follows: 

* To publish magazines relating to K9 

* Provide resource material to K9 sections and departments 

* Present seminars 

* Provide research for statistic gathering 

* Aid police departments in setting up K9 programs 

* Assist with police dog trials 

I  would encourage any officer responsible for a dog section and any other  officers that are in some way involved to join one or more of these  associations and read the available publications. This initial step will  allow you to gain a better understanding of the handlers and their  requirements, and will keep you updated on any new products or ideas  which you may be able to apply to your individual needs. There are many  K9 handlers and administrators with departments that have been operating  units for many years. Take an opportunity where ever possible to ride  with the K9 handlers from these various departments, and visit the offi-  cers responsible for running the section. Ensure you go to a few  different departments to give you a better variety of ideas. After  studying other organizations and how they operate, take an opportunity  to ride with various K9 handlers from your own department. You will find  that the way they operate on the street is a style unto itself. The  reasons why they respond to calls the way they do, how they approach  those calls and how they deploy the dogs will give you a better insight  into your section. Not only will you learn what their needs are, you  will also be showing your officers that you are taking a genuine  interest in the section. 

Handling  a dog is more than just training as a team and then hitting the street.  There is a real bonding process that takes place between the dog and  handler. Many administrators overlook the fact that the dog not only  becomes a working tool of the department, but also becomes the best  friend of the handler, and an integral part of the handlers family. When  dealing with decisions which relate to the animal you are often making  decisions which affect the officer, his wife, and his children. 

It  is still the policy of some departments to rotate dogs to new handlers  every couple of years. The reasons given usually relate to offering  other officers an opportunity to rotate into an often sought after  position that has few openings under normal circumstances. I would have  to write a manual on K9 bonding and behavior language in order to assist  in understanding precisely why this policy works against the  departments best interests. I understand that in a large department the  opportunity to enter into specialized sections is often limited, however  there are reasons why a K9 unit in particular should be exempt from  this type of policy. 

*  Although a team hits the street after a 12 to 16 week training program,  it often takes the dog and handler up to 2 years before they are fully  understanding of one anothers behavior patterns. At this point the full  potential of the team starts to flourish. Between the 3rd and 4th year  the team really starts to produce to its fullest as the bond between man  and dog has reached a point where both understand exactly what is  required of the other and each knows the others limitations. Should the  dog be reassigned during any of this period of time, he is taken out of  the family structure he started with, and placed into a new family  structure where he must learn a whole new set of rules. Sure, the  commands and work will be basically the same, however the new handler  will react to situations entirely differently than the first, will have  his own body language which the dog must learn to interpret, and will  likely have a very different style of working the dog. To add to the  stress on the animal, his new home will have new restrictions placed on  him which may have been permitted in the first home. For example, in the  first home he may have had the run of the house, however now in the new  home he is constantly getting corrected for wandering into the living  or family rooms. A small example, however only one of literally hundreds  of new stresses placed on the animal when a change of handlers occurs. 

*  A handler can work very hard at training and bonding his dog, however  only the handler that has a true loving relationship with the dog will  perform with maximum results. No handler that I know of will permit  himself to become that close to his partner if he knows that the dog  will be taken away from him and given to someone else a few years down  the road. The dog gets treated more like a machine than a living being,  and there is added stress to the officer as he has to prepare for the  time when he must give up his partner and also explain to his children  the reasons why. 

*  The most productive team is a team that is matched for the working life  of the dog. This is a proven fact. If you are going to rotate your  manpower, rotate your members through at the completion of a complete  tour by the dog. Always start a fresh handler with a fresh dog. Keep in  mind that if you are not compelled to move your manpower through the  section, you are also wise to re-assign an experienced handler a new dog  after his previous dog has retired. The knowledge and expertise derived  from his years of experience will be well placed if he is assigned a  new dog. 

When  deciding on the types of vehicles to use for your section, don't simply  decide on a style of vehicle because you think its what is required.  Talk to your men and ask them what style of vehicle they require for  their needs. You might find the answers surprising. Where at all  possible assign a vehicle to each handler. This is done to prevent  problems occurring where one dog gets sick, and other dogs using the  same car come down with the same disease. An incident such as this  occurred in a department in Canada, and even though the car had been  thoroughly scrubbed between uses, every dog in the section became  violently ill. Even after taking the vehicle apart and scrubbing it the  problem wasn't solved. The disease was of such a nature that the  department was months without a full capacity dog section and almost  lost its entire dog section. Luckily none of the animals died, however  the possibility of this occurring was extremely high. An advantage of  assigning cars to members is that they will be able to design the  interior to their own needs, and the vehicles will last many more years  in service as the officers will have a tendency to take more care of the  unit. 

*  When sitting down to do a budget, take your officers in and ask them  what associations they would like to belong to and what seminars,  courses or competitions they would like to attend. They must realize  that maybe only one or two members may be accorded the opportunity to  attend a seminar each year, however the opportunities can be rotated  year to year, and the information they bring back to the rest of the  section can be the starting point to an increasingly progressive  section. Find out what items of training equipment they feel they  require. Prioritize all requests and go after the most needed items  first, even if they may be more expensive. Remember that once you have  purchased most of your equipment, you will not have to replenish most of  it for years to come. For example, training sleeves will last for  years. All you will have to purchase is the exterior sleeve covers each  time one wears out, at about 1/6 the cost of a sleeve. 

*  Do not expect to get a good police working dog for nothing. I can tell  you that you must be prepared to spend at least $5000.00 to purchase an  animal which is of the quality required to pass the regimens of police  training. Certainly you might get the odd K9 that will cost little or  nothing, but there is always a reason why that dog is being donated or  sold cheaply. It is a rare breeder that will donate his best stock to  anyone, including a police department. What we are competing against are  many of the civilian dog sportclubs who have members that pay thousands  of dollars for a dog of high caliber. The dogs are here and available,  but if you are not willing to purchase them, there are many civilians  out there who will. From personal experience, I have learned that it is  better to spend the money up front on a high quality animal which has a  written guarantee from the breeder. 

Getting  a dog for little or no cash outlay, and then spending thousands of  dollars on extra training costs attempting to bring the dog up to  standard, or finding that the dog is incapable of passing the program  partway through the course is not cost effective.

More  money is spent when you have to replace the animal than you ever would,  had you spent money on a good dog in the first place. If you spend what  seems to be a lot of money in the beginning, you will be saving money  and frustration in the long run. 

*  Set a minimum standard for your department dog teams. If your state or  province does not have a standard which has to be met annually, then set  a minimum standard for yourself. Any major K9 unit should have some  form of minimum standard. If you do not have one, then simply contact a  few state agencies and get them to send you a copy of one. Your dog  teams should be required to meet a minimum standard annually. If they  are not meeting the standard then they should be replaced. To assist  them in meeting the standard however, you will be required to pay for  added training aids, quarry fees and special instructors where needed.  The cost of this is well spent when you consider that it will result in a  dog team that is highly trained and well controlled. The likelihood of  lawsuits from having inadequately trained teams on the street will be  decreased. 

Remember  that the initial outlay for some items may seem expensive, however once  you are fully equipped it will only be a matter of replacing some  smaller items due to normal use. If you need kennel facilities, bathing  facilities or other large cost items, prioritize them and defer them to  next years budget. You do not have to do it all at once. 

By  taking the time to study other departments, riding with your own  officers and meeting with them regularly you will be showing them that  you care. Dog handlers statistically get involved in more violent  confrontations on the street than any other member due to the type of  work they do. 

They are more likely to come across armed offenders who  have left crime scenes, and get called to every violent confrontation  that patrol needs K9 assistance at. They work more night shifts than most  members, do more call outs from home, and spend literally hundreds of  off duty hours caring for and training with their K9 partners. K9  handlers are a breed unto themselves, and it takes a special type of  administrator to work with them. You will find no greater group of  dedicated officers if you give them a little time and support. Do  yourself a favor, sit down and have a good talk with each member of your  section. You will be amazed what you will learn, and it will do your  section and your department a world of good.