Matthew Grubb Webboard User Reg: 09-27-2002
Posts: 637
Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.
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At my PD you need to put in 4 years on the road before you can apply to any specialty position. The premise is to ensure as best possible that you know what you are doing on the street before you get involved in something where you will be somewhat a rookie again.
That said, I’ve seen some officers so squared away that they could handle the transition early on. I look at it this way…. When you get handed the leash your odds of getting shot jump way up. You gotta be at the top of your game or you risk becoming a liability to yourself and those you work with. Good luck to you…. K9 is truly the best job there is in law enforcement.
Could one or both of you describe the most challenging aspect of it? Finding time for maintenance training? Does your department use the dog as leverage against you? Does your shift get annoyed when you can't transport your own arrestees? Anything at all.
The numbers, two years, three years, etc., don't tell us much. It's more a matter of experience than years. In some jurisdictions two years will give you the experience of ten years in other jurisdictions. A K-9 handler needs to be able to handle anything that comes along because he's not going to have a human partner to assist him. He cant' be calling a supervisor every ten minutes for advice on how to handle a call he's never gotten before so he should have a very broad base of experience. He should also be good with paperwork because his partner isn't going to pull his share as human partners do.
I look for maturity, and attitude. The most important single factor is that he WANTS to be a handler. The perks such as the take home car, the extra pay should not be important.
Lou Castle has been kicked off this board. He is an OLD SCHOOL DOG TRAINER with little to offer.
Matthew Grubb Webboard User Reg: 09-27-2002
Posts: 637
Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Offline
Quote:
Thanks for your replies, gentlemen.
Could one or both of you describe the most challenging aspect of it? Finding time for maintenance training? Does your department use the dog as leverage against you? Does your shift get annoyed when you can't transport your own arrestees? Anything at all.
Maintenance training has never been an issue at my department. The administration understands that the training is a necessity and they even encourage on duty training time as well when asked for. I’m lucky in that the handlers who came before me fought these battles early on so I didn’t have to. Good dogs take time….they understand that.
The dog hasnever been used as “leverage” against me for anything. A department that’s going to use threats regarding your K9 program is probably not a department one would want to work for to begin with.
The officers I work with understand that I can’t transport prisoners. I’ve never heard any complaining about having to drive my arrests back to the station for booking. My department knows the benefits of having a dog program and are very supportive. The officers on the road will gladly transport a prisoner or two for me in return for a sniff or two around suspicious vehicles in one of our high drug areas!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
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