Rosalinda van den Ham wrote 05/24/2008 07:04 PM Officers: mixed breeds as police dogs?!!?? #196197 - 05/24/2008 07:04 PM
Rosalinda van den Ham Webboard User Reg: 10-14-2007 Posts: 208 Loc: Aruba Offline	Can you believe it? Our police in Aruba got their first policedog in history!!!!!!The dog is supposed to sniff over a certain amount of money. I would give an arm (ok, my left) to meet the trainer who came from abroad, but his identity is kept secret. I have heard a rumor however that the dog is a mixed breed and that you would never guess the dog is a policedog. My question is a follows: What is the estimated percentage of policedogs that are mixed breeds and likewise for the purebred policedogs in the US?
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Cameron Feathers wrote 05/24/2008 10:29 PM Re: Officers: mixed breeds as police dogs?!!?? [Re: Rosalinda van den Ham ] #196213 - 05/24/2008 10:29 PM
Cameron Feathers Webboard User Reg: 03-11-2008 Posts: 703 Loc: VA Offline	I know that down here a lot of agencies regulate not only what breeds can be used, but what breeder you have to get them from! The Shepherds I have seen on the street are mostly nervy, sharp dogs that are too timid (IMHO) to be on the street and used as k9 dogs. I couldn't imagine them using a lab let alone a mixed breed. (And I have met some great detection labs!) When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
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Rosalinda van den Ham wrote 05/24/2008 11:19 PM Re: Officers: mixed breeds as police dogs?!!?? [Re: Cameron Feathers ] #196215 - 05/24/2008 11:19 PM
Rosalinda van den Ham Webboard User Reg: 10-14-2007 Posts: 208 Loc: Aruba Offline	Thanks for the reply.I suppose only pure breeds are used then.
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Sheila Buckley wrote 05/24/2008 11:46 PM Re: Officers: mixed breeds as police dogs?!!?? [Re: Rosalinda van den Ham ] #196218 - 05/24/2008 11:46 PM
Sheila Buckley Webboard User Reg: 07-14-2007 Posts: 1243 Loc: Offline	Rosalinda, I worked at an airport and the State Police used primarily GSD with one Mal; all males. Recently a female GSD joined the ranks and is being handled by a friend of mine; her pedigree is unknown as she was spotted by a "recruiter" (for lack of a better word) in Germany, and was purchased direct from the farmer based on her working drives and abilities. That would be the closest to a mixed breed I have heard of, though to see her she is definitely a pure bred GSD. The TSA trains dogs for detection and utilizes labs and have started their own breeding program in Texas, I believe. I have seen some mixed breeds used in search and rescue organizations but I have not seen any in police work.
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Mike J Schoonbrood wrote 05/25/2008 02:15 AM Re: Officers: mixed breeds as police dogs?!!?? [Re: Sheila Buckley ] #196219 - 05/25/2008 02:15 AM
Mike J Schoonbrood Webboard User Reg: 04-30-2005 Posts: 2784 Loc: Toronto, ON Offline	In detection work, there are ALOT!! of mixed breed dogs in the US. Lots of detection dogs come from rescues too. The dog needs stability, good drive and good persistance. There's alot of dogs out there that have these traits that don't know how to bite, but biting is not needed for sniffing drugs, bombs, currency etc. For bitework, mostly GSD's, Malinois, and GSD/Malinois crosses.
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David C.Frost wrote 05/25/2008 05:29 AM Re: Officers: mixed breeds as police dogs?!!?? [Re: Mike J Schoonbrood ] #196221 - 05/25/2008 05:29 AM
David C.Frost Webboard User Reg: 01-23-2002 Posts: 1204 Loc: Nashville, TN Offline	There are many "mixed" breeds doing police work, particularly in detection work. Depending on your strict definition of "mixed" breed there are many in patrol work as well. I currently have 5 dogs in patrol training. 4 of them are drug trained, one is explosives detection trained. Only 1 of them actually have papers indicating they are "purebred". All were purchased from a vendor. In police work, the ancestory, pedigree etc isn't nearly as important as a dog's ability. I've always said, I obtain a dog for what they can for me, not where they came from. DFrost Any behavior that is reinforced is more likely to occur again.
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Sheila Buckley wrote 05/25/2008 08:29 AM Re: Officers: mixed breeds as police dogs?!!?? [Re: David C.Frost ] #196224 - 05/25/2008 08:29 AM
Sheila Buckley Webboard User Reg: 07-14-2007 Posts: 1243 Loc: Offline	Quote: david c.frost All were purchased from a vendor. In police work, the ancestory, pedigree etc isn't nearly as important as a dog's ability. I've always said, I obtain a dog for what they can for me, not where they came from DFrost Thank you David, "vendor" was the word I was looking for, in my post and it was driving me crazy....its tough to get old I couldn't agree with you more; what the dog brings to the table should be a deciding factor in any kind of work.
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Jim Nash wrote 05/25/2008 12:19 PM Re: Officers: mixed breeds as police dogs?!!?? [Re: Rosalinda van den Ham ] #196230 - 05/25/2008 12:19 PM
Jim Nash Webboard User Reg: 12-26-2002 Posts: 329 Loc: Offline	Same here. For detection work it doesn't matter if it's a mixed breed. Only that it has what it takes to do the job. Years ago we had some mixed breed patrol K9's. 1 was a GSD/Husky mix. Very good dog. Looked like a dark grey sable GSD. My first K9 looked to be a mix. Not sure though . Had no history, only kicked butt on initially testing as a candidate. Kicked butt on the street later. We now get some mixed breed K9s from our vendor for patrol work . GSD/Mals and GSD/Dutchies. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v644/K9Mic/Card-2-1.jpg
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Shannon Reed wrote 05/25/2008 03:00 PM Re: Officers: mixed breeds as police dogs?!!?? [Re: Jim Nash ] #196232 - 05/25/2008 03:00 PM
Shannon Reed Webboard User Reg: 12-29-2007 Posts: 117 Loc: Washington State Offline	A local police officer in the area visited my kids school with his drug detection dog. It was a little pit bull. It was adopted from the local shelter at about a year of age. It had been returned to the shelter after 2/3 adoptions for being to much to handle. He exhibited wonderful obedience with his handler and now has a job sniffing drugs to keep him busy. Definitely a happy ending for this dog. Shannon
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Cameron Feathers wrote 05/25/2008 03:20 PM Re: Officers: mixed breeds as police dogs?!!?? [Re: Shannon Reed ] #196233 - 05/25/2008 03:20 PM
Cameron Feathers Webboard User Reg: 03-11-2008 Posts: 703 Loc: VA Offline	I can't wait until this area "wakes up" a bit! So much prejudice on what kind of dog can work and what can't... When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
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