The Human factor and it’s impact in the K9 Environment.

The selection of suitable handlers has mostly been a academically driven argument, one based on years and age, very few departments actually take cognizance of real world factors. Real world, in your face, experience will teach you that the dog will draw from the handler, his best and his worst behaviour and traits. Secondly, if the handler is not fit the dog will logically suffer the same fait, and not be fit either, if the handler is sloppy the dog will be neglected, and so on. The dog will also draw from the innate aggression of the handler and the dog will only become as aggressive as what the handler is aggressive.

Aggression is described as the drive that sets the dog into motion, or triggers him, into hunt – (tracking), protection, or search – (substance detection) mode it is not necessarily an attack, it is rather how decisive and persistent the handler is, to commit. If the handler has low “aggression”, low work ethic, blows calls, looses interest; the dog will fade likewise, or will become uncontrollable.

Therefore it is very important to choose the “right” character, or frame of mind, I call it a Predatorily frame of mind, as first criteria, and then only look at its attributes, his or her other skills and experience. Police members will tell you those four years behind a desk vs. four years on the street yields quite different qualifications and results. Characteristics like Resilience and Continuity cannot be taught, you have it or you don’t, you are prone to violence or not…

A “Minimum Criteria”- a must, a prerequisite for recruitment in to any K9 UNIT.

MOTIVATION: The need to screen candidates for the K9 unit has become essential due to the unit specializing; with the amount of time effort and money invested in training teams, it becomes essential.

The type of person that makes a good handler is someone that is spontaneous and that loves the outdoors, “nature”- the green and brown stuff, and who has built in drive, a person that can stick with routine, and follow orders, and a person that can laugh at him self.

The unit is all about team work, the first level is the bond between handler and dog, if the handler cannot relate or respond to the animals needs and has the belief that the dog is just another job, he will never be able to perform up to par.

The handler needs strong survival instincts, and must be able to adapt to all the forces of nature and still be comfortable working. This is what separates k9 handlers from normal Police Officers their ability to perform under less than optimal circumstances IMO.

For example if it rains, he will have to get out there and into the bush and look for the assailants, regardless of the weather, threat, circumstances or terrain. If we cannot get people with this “Can DO” mind set we will fail.

The candidates should also poses natural skills; swimming has become essential due to the fact that on patrol a handler and dog could be faced with streams, rivers, dams, swamps, even swimming pools where assailants try to take cover from dogs. Especially at nighttime, a handler drowned in Kwa-Zulu Natal South Africa after he was pulled in to a dam and could not swim well. Dogs take to water and love to swim (some don’t), but if he gets into trouble or get stuck the handler must be able to help.

Other requirements are that the handler should not suffer from phobias, this could endanger other officers, the handler, and the dog.
If you ask, you’re self-why? – well the men will see so much carnage and senseless murders and killing in there careers as handlers, that they become mentally numb to violence. So you have to push now, to see who will break, it’s better to be mind full of your peoples mental make up than to be oblivious, or ignorant, remember a k9 unit is a specialized unit, cop suicides and family murders are reminders of the minds holocaust left after having to deal with all this criminality, violence and anger, all by one self. It only takes one bad incident to scar a human for life and render him, in effective.

Back to the stuff, K9 men are made off, if you do not stress your people mentally, and every thing is squeaky clean, lean and friendly. The don’t kill the earth stuff, then you will be putting your people in harms way. Remember not every citizen is a villain, but within every citizen resides one, and it only takes so much to make any good man loose his senses, circumstances, dictate. Non of us can prepare our selves for every eventuality, but by reading subject matter on serial killers, and murderers, cop killers and what prompted them to kill, one would be amazed to see how little it takes to get a man to pull the trigger. So get the right-minded people – the predator.

Just my personal opinion...

I knew all those years of deer hunting would come in handy <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I couldn't agree more. Good to see that you are stil with us.

Howard