What is your opinion on Bark & Hold vs. Bite & Hold?

This is a very controversial subject in law enforcement canine circles. Everyone has an opinion and no matter what side you fall on you are going to get an argument from someone.

1- The vast majority of people who promote "Find and Bite" do so because they do not know how to properly train a "bark & hold dog (B&H)." - Strictly my opinion. I also feel they do so because they do not understand the concept of B&H. They can offer all the reasons they want for "Find and Bite,” the bottom line is that it is much much easier to train.

2- Bark & Hold is a much safer method of using a dog for the officer. Too often a find and bite dog is sent to apprehend a subject and that subject is out of sight. The dog locates the guy and bites. Unless the bad guy starts screaming, the cop doesn't know that the dog has located anyone.

I was at a K9 seminar last week and the officers discussed a case where a dog bit a suspect and the bad guy bit through his lip to stop from screaming. The cop did not know the dog was on the guy and he called the dog back to him. The dog released and went back to the officer. The bad guy was caught when he went to the hospital for dog bite. It could just as easily have ended with a dead officer.

I would like to say that a B&H dog must also be able to be told to bite on command. This means he must bite a standing still man and a man that's laying down with his hands under him and not moving.

3- A find and bite dog is also limited in its application. An officer has to be very careful in how he deploys a "find and bite" dog. Granted the certification for "find and bite" requires a "call back" after the dog is sent. But its difficult to call a dog back from something you can not see. A dog only needs to be searching a back yard for a suspect and go around a corner as a home owner steps out to have a potential dog bite on a civilian.

F&B is the easiest to train as a young dog. Some officers inherit older dogs that are already "find and bite" dogs. It can be very difficult to switch these dogs over to B&H. I know because I have a find and bite dog (OTIS) who took a calf muscle and tendons off the leg of the last guy he bit (a burglar in a building who hit him in the head with a pipe) While I do not look at a dog as deadly force, I am very very careful about what type of incident I can get him out on. God forbid a mistake would happen and this dog bites a civilian.