Police dogs have a tough job. For these working dogs, the training process is long, competitive, and stressful. And just because a dog passes certification doesn’t mean their training stops there. WTAP in West Virginia recently reported on the bi-weekly training programs that all police dogs — and their handlers — in the Ohio Valley must attend.
Weekend Training Camps
Steven Heater is an Athens County Deputy, as well as the owner and master trainer at Pine Grove Kennels in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Heater breeds the dogs for local police departments as well as trains them and matches them with handlers.
Twice a month, the dogs and their handlers return to Pine Grove to train and refine their skills, including “searching, apprehension, narcotics, tracking through the woods, agility, and obedience.” The exercises not only sharpen the dog’s senses but also reinforce the bond with their handlers.
Over the course of a weekend, dogs and people alike practice tracking human scents, narcotic search work, and more. One important exercise is teaching the dogs how to appropriately use force to help bring suspects into custody. First, the dogs practice “reasonable force,” where the dogs bite until the suspect gives officers a specific object.
For more critical scenarios, dogs hold onto a suspect until an officer stops them. Deputy Sheriff Taylor Phillip volunteered for the bite suit since his dog was recovering from surgery. According to Phillip, a trained dog’s bite is a serious thing. “These dogs are trained to bite and hold on to the suspect,” he says. “So they’re not actually trained to inflict a lot of damage by biting everywhere. They’ll bite and hold on the whole time until we come and get the dog off.”
Training Is Good for Dogs and People
Heater says the training is essential for dogs and handlers. He says, “The officer is the hardest part I guess because the dog is pretty simple…You gotta try to learn how to read this dog, and figure out what they’re doing…It’s pretty challenging to start off with.”
And the officers agree. However, Heater doesn’t make training simple, either. Interestingly, Heater teaches the German words for each command. This isn’t surprising; evidence suggests training dogs in other languages not only strengthens the bond but also keeps other people from using commands against you, which is pretty important if you’re a police officer.
At the end of the day, the training weekends are a great way for these dogs to bond with their handlers. Many of the dogs live at home with their handlers when not on the job, and anyone with a working dog knows how important consistent activity is for everyone’s happiness.
