Quote: david c.frost

"Then again i have more interest in training the dogs then i do working them."

Well I know one Trainer slot that will be open in about a year or so, ha ha.

DFrost

Hm... well i am getting out of the military in 2010.....

I just read through this post and it had some interesting aspects. Our department will not accept dogs unless they are stable temperament. Most Police Service Dogs will be protiective of their car and it carries over to their kennel at home if that is where the dog is kept while off duty.

We require that our dogs are kenneled for the beginning of their career and only the handler is handling them at home. We don't want kids letting the dog out to play etc. That is a recipe for disaster. Another thing we don't allow is any type of protection work at a handlers home. The dogs in our unit belong to the PD and they are not for home protection. It is our feeling when the dog is off duty at home he is just that.

Our officers have to have at least 3 years on the department, but most likely they will have 6 or 7 years as an assignment to K9 is competetive and there is very little attrition. The next handlers are generally officers who have been decoys for the unit and we actually have a selection process for that. It gives the unit supervisors to see the dedication and apptitude the decoys will have as handlers. In this day and age of constant litigation you have to have your ducks in a row.