K 9 Unit Facts: Dogs Specifically Trained To Assist Police

K9 or K-9 is a homophone of Canine in English and French.

K9 means a police dog trained to help a group of members of law enforcement. Since the Middle Ages, dogs have been used in enforcement. The canine trainer is called the K9 Officer or K9 Trainer, who handles the dog, gives training, and takes care of the K9.

The K9 officer's responsibilities are within his shift of duty and at home. The K9 officer is responsible for the long and healthy life of the canine partner. The police dogs are protective, loyal, and watchful of their K9 Officer, and they are irreplaceable and very important parts of the K9 units. 

The K9 unit officer and the dog partner have two duties: general police officer and specialized tasks.

Specialized Police Dogs Vs. Normal Dogs

The specialized police dogs and the normal pet dogs have a big difference. The police dog's job is mainly for tracking and apprehending the offenders, they have to be confident, but in all environments, the normal dog's owner doesn't want his pet on the counter.

A K9 is a dog that is specifically given training for the tasks required by the law enforcement department, whereas normal dogs have not gotten any compulsory training.

The K9 are 'regular dogs' that have undergone rigorous training by the K9 officer or trainer, but the normal dogs have only got training from their owners.

Proper socialization is an essential and integral part of a trained dog's education. When the police K9 is presented with another dog, the K9 will introduce itself in their special way.

A K9 is considered the law sworn Officer, whereas the common pet dog is not.

When a police K9 is ill-treated, the person will be charged with several felony convictions for the battery of a law enforcement officer, and assault along with cruelty against animal charges.

While self-discipline can be taught to a dog, prey drive and confidence are inborn skills. The dog's soundness is important for a police K9; simultaneously, running down and catching the suspects requires strength, control, and stamina, and normal dogs have less capacity for all these.

A police dog's nose is very sensitive as compared to those of normal ones as they are trained to use their nose a lot.

Dog breeds like Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd Dogs are mostly used in K9 units. American Pitbull Terrier, Beagle, Doberman Pinscher, Dutch Shepherd, Springer Spaniel, German Shepherd Dog, Labrador Retriever and German Shorthaired Pointer are few other breeds used as police dogs.

The world's number one dog, Labrador Retriever, America's favorite dog breed, is the perfect family dog. The other normal dog breeds are German Shepherds, French Bulldogs, and Beagle.

Most police dogs live out their retirement lives under the care of their handler, or volunteer families might adopt them.

History Of The K9 Unit

Law enforcement worldwide has been utilizing the agility and skills of canines as police K9s for about 100 years or more. The timeline of the dogs used in policing purposes are as follows.

In 1888, the first official attempt was made to use police dogs to trace the murderer using the amazing sense of smell of Bloodhounds breed in the U.K.

In 1899, the Belgium police began selecting and training dogs for the K9 law enforcement unit.

In 1910, more than 600 largest cities of Germany were using K9 units for law enforcement.

In 1920, the German Shepherd Dog was selected by the German police for the first training school of dogs to work for the police in Greenheide. They added the Belgian Malinois breeds later to the Unit.

In 1938, two Labrador Retrievers were trained specifically to join the South London Metropolitan Police Force to accompany officers' patrol.

On March 13, 1942, the training program for dogs started for 'K-9 Corps' or War Dog Program by the United States Army's Quartermaster Corps. This year, War Robert P, U.S. Secretary, created the first K9 Corps.

From 1970 onwards, Law enforcement in the U.S. started utilizing the K9 units.

In 1918, the K9 Unit had evolved from two dogs and two handlers. The handlers' names were Sgt and Lloyd Allen, and Detective Lydell Walland's canines were Bean and Si, respectively.

Training Process And Popular Breeds

The K9 police officer and their K9 dog undergo specialized training to detect explosives, electronic devices, corpses, and narcotics. The canine working for the police force should start their training when they are 1 to 2 years old.

The puppies of Bloodhounds usually start their training when they are 8-10 weeks old. Before training, they must also pass a physical test by a veterinarian.

Before pairing with the handler, the dog takes 8 to 12 months of training. After that, the K9 team, the pair of dog and handler together, are trained, which usually takes three to six months.

In the intensive training program with the handler, they learn over 9000 scents of different explosives.

The training method includes commands such as come, stay, shake hands, go and sit down. The training time depends on the breed and the grasping power of the K9 dog partner. While off duty, commonly, the dogs go hiking or camping with their handlers.

Training is given for trailing, tracking, cadaver locations, and air scents. The language of training should be uncommon so that the suspect doesn't understand the communication between the K9 partners, and the suspect can not control the K9 dog partner.

Most police dogs are trained using German as it is easier for the trainer to learn some German words than to train the dog in new commands.

The commonly used breeds are Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherd, Bloodhound, American Pitbull Terrier, Beagle, Doberman Pinscher, Dutch Shepherd, and German Shepherd Dogs.

The K9 unit dog partner should not be neutered or spayed when recruited for police work.

Blood hoods have a very good sense of smell, which makes them very good at tracking things, locating bombs, drugs, and evidence. Springer Spaniel and Labrador Retriever have skills in bomb and drug locating. German Shepherd Dog and German Shorthaired Pointer have the skill to find evidence and drugs in air and ground-based tracking.

Every breed of dogs can not rescue and search; only the best K9 breeds selected in the Unit can handle such responsibilities.

FAQs

What does the K9 Unit do?

A specialized group of officers who enforce the law using police dogs' skills to execute their duties like cadaver location, pursuit, drug detection, and explosive identification and apprehension of suspects is the K9 Unit.

Why is it called K9 unit?

K9 is a term derived from 'CANINE' in French and English languages, which means dog.'K' stands for 'CA' and '9' for 'NINE'.

Do K9 cops take the dog home?

Yes, a K9 Officer takes the dog home and cares for it.

What Is a K-9 Unit, and what does working there involve?

A K-9 unit has the same responsibilities as a general police officer. Additionally, they give training and care to the dog. K9 unit regularly performs duties such as finding missing persons, conducting rescue operations of the kidnapped individuals, inspecting vehicles and collecting evidence from crime scenes.

What does a K-9 Officer's Training include?

The K9 officers and K9 companions are trained for detecting narcotics, explosives, corpses, and electronic devices. They should learn and practice the patrol protocols such as releasing dogs, tracking suspected criminals, calling the dogs for backup and heeling the dogs after understanding the suspect.

What happens to a K-9 unit if its Officer dies?

When a K 9 unit Officer dies, another officer in the same unit will take the responsibility as the dog partner's handler.

What is an officer who works with the K-9 Unit called?

The officer who works with the K9 Unit is called 'K9 Handler' or 'K9 Officer'.

What is the penalty in pa for killing a K-9 unit?

For killing a K-9 unit, a penalty of second-degree felony will be given that results in an arrest or a serious fine.