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A Day in the Life of K9
Dogs have been trained by humans for hundreds of years, and police dogs are the highly-trained set that have been used for search-and-rescue, sniffing out bombs and drugs, or simply leading police offers and rescue teams to various crime scenes. The life of K9 dogs is no simple life lounging at home and being taken care of; police dogs are trained to protect and serve, working hard with their patrol partners and K9 units on a daily basis. From covering the scene of a burglary, to sniffing luggage at an airport, a day in the life of a K9 is never the same day twice.
Police dogs are trained very differently than the average puppy that will be living in a home or shelter. Not only do they pick up essential skills for detecting, spying and hunting, but these dogs are trained to use force and aggression appropriately. Most police dogs are of the German Shepherd breed, an historically aggressive, assertive, but highly intelligent and loyal dog that is easily trained for many police dog procedures. German Shepherds have long been trained to work with the military and law enforcement, and are sociable and friendly 'off duty' to make loyal companions to their owners.
All police dogs are trained to use force when necessary, and other skills include: learning to bark specifically to deliver a message; learning not to bite or grab their handlers; learning how to hunt and sniff for suspect materials and ingredients; learning how to use scent 'cones'; being cross-trained to track down people as well as substances; and most of all, learning how to tolerate and handle different situations that can be scary or cause anxiety for most other dogs. Police dogs are trained from a very early age to work in a team environment; if they are not trained by a single owner or partner, they become more flexible to work with different police officers, team leaders, and adapt to the situations needed. Most are hardworking, independent and loyal; they can take orders from their masters and will rarely 'act out' or misbehave after they've received appropriate training.
Police dogs typically live with their police team or partner, and are part of a unit that is 'on-call' 24/7. A typical day involves waking up early to get a head start on the day's visits; they may start the day's activities at schools, prison cells, airports, or a venue where a drug search is require. Drug searches are routine procedure at many of these community spots, and police dogs are highly trained to use a specific sniffing and sensing technique to detect evidence of drugs or illegal substances.
In some cases, a dog and its partner will be required to make a court appearance. This may be necessary to deliver a testimony or defend against a claim, and these are the only dogs typically allowed in a courtroom setting. Police dogs are trained to behave and be tame in social settings, and they become increasingly better at handling new places, settings and environments.
The average day for a police dog on duty runs an eight to nine hour shift. The dogs are often called to service on an 'on call' basis during an emergency situation, and patrol shifts involve police departments and their dogs to man and patrol the streets for safety and accidents. The K9 is often found traveling in a special police car made with a backseat for their dog. These are separated from the suspect's seat and help make traveling with a K9 much easier. The K9 attends training classes each week to keep up with the latest techniques and keep their intelligence and skills as sharp as possible. Some K9 masters may also set aside a couple of hours per day to teach new techniques or skills as the project requires. At the end of the day, the K9 gets a good night's rest to tackle the next set of situations in the day ahead.