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To be honest, selecting a good police dog prospect is a lot easier that selecting a good K9 handler. We’ve tackled the question of dog selection before, but in this article we want to discuss the handler selection process. After 20 years of seeing and working with handlers, one of the first caveats I want to put on the table is this: the fantasy of being a dog handler is much more enticing than the actual reality of being a handler. While a prospective handler might be extremely gung-ho about collecting information, and even writing up a proposal for a new unit, once the dog is in hand, and the restrictions of the lifestyle become clear (the dog must be taken care of 24/7 and 365 days a year), many handler prospects lose their passion. Here are some of the key factors in deciding on a handler so you don’t have to replace a handler early into the K9 team’s career.

Lifestyle and Family:

A sense of responsibility for the dog is hugely important, and at the risk of scaring away interested people, the amount of work involved (training, call-outs, training on shift, annual re-certifications, caring for and exercising, feeding, and cleaning up after the dog daily) must be made clear at the outset to dispel any fantasy that may be in the prospective handler’s mind. The family must understand this is not a pet dog, and must not be treated like one. This is county/department property, and like any official piece

of equipment is the responsibility of the handler alone. Feeding, walking, exercising and caring for the dog are not responsibilities that can be delegated to family members. Spur of the moment vacations are often not possible, and call-outs at all hours will often be the case. The entire family must support this decision to enter this lifestyle of K9. Questions you should ask any prospective handler include: Is there enough room at the handler’s home and is he close enough to work where if a call out was made for a traffic stop could she reasonably get there in time? You should also investigate whether the family has other pets that might conflict with the K9. If there are other pets there must be room for an outside kennel, room for a crate in a quiet place inside if the weather is poor, and the family must understand that the dog cannot run with other animals for the safety of both the police dog and the family pets.

Use of Force:

A good handler should be one with few substantiated use of force complaints. Clearly, active, and productive officers will receive complaints. Good decisions about use of force are paramount for a K9 handler, and if an officer is in any way out of bounds, it will likely become worse with a dog. Handlers need to be clear-headed, tactically sound, and fully able to execute all facets of their job without a dog before considering giving them a K9.

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Communication: K9 handlers must be good communicators. They must be

able to communicate well with regard to training needs, and progressions with any training partners they have. They must also be able to communicate the written word effectively as well. If there are any preexisting issues at all with report writing, remember that with a K9 comes extensive documentation requirements of deployments and training. Having a K9 will only make more demands on the officer for written communication as there is a significant amount of paperwork, including complex narratives for all training records that must be properly and clearly written.

Understanding of the Law:

Because a K9 is primarily a locating tool, search and seizure law is a critical part of the job. In handler interviews it is imperative that you ask questions regarding proper search and seizure protocols. Even non-K9 handlers should know basic search and seizure law, what constitutes probable cause when it comes to use of a K9, and whether or not a positive alert means that the officer must still obtain a warrant using the K9 alert as justification, or if the alert on its own under an exception, constitutes probable cause. Failure to understand proper search and seizure law can lead to improper use of K9s. Further with patrol trained K9s it is imperative that officers are familiar with Graham V. Connor, and how that relates to the use of a K9 to make an apprehension. Improper use of a K9 on an apprehension can lead to lawsuits and further violation of 4th amendment rights of citizens against unreasonable seizure. In a department with an existing K9 unit that is called out often, any patrol officer should be familiar with these specific rules. In a new K9 unit it is important to educate not only potential K9 officers but also patrol officers working beside the K9 unit on both search and seizure law as well as the case law that guides use of force with a K9 in apprehension functions.

Physical Fitness:

K9 handling is a specialty that requires physical fitness. The best programs continue to test handlers’ fitness throughout their handling career. K9s take officers to danger, especially on tracks and other high risk deployments such as building and area searches. Tracking for miles through the woods at night, requires a handler that can keep up with the dog (as well as back-up that is physically fit and that can provide cover for the K9 handler), and when they get to the subject can still physically function at a high level, so physically every handler must work on their physical fitness as a significant requirement of their job. Inability to pass a reasonable physical fitness test should be grounds for immediate rejection of a handler. Handlers also must participate in decoy work during in-service for other handlers, and so they must be in top condition to be able to execute this part of the job.

Motivation and Initiative: We have all heard of the 5-percenters in law enforcement.

These are the officers who take every aspect of their job seriously and know that whether it is fitness, weapons proficiency, hand-to-hand combat, and just plain studying your craft every day, being the best increases your chances of surviving critical incidents. The best K9 handlers are the ones who are already the best officers. An extension of this is professionalism. Often K9 officers through DARE or other demonstrations are a high profile representative of your agency. A professional officer, with good communication skills, and an understanding that the public is often highly supportive but a little ignorant of the uses and capabilities of the K9 unit is very important. The ability to explain how the dog is a force multiplier, how it protects officers in high-risk deployments, how it is saving the town or municipality money on overtime

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and additional manpower with its ability to quickly and efficiently locate suspects as well as deescalate potentially violent or dangerous situations is crucial to keeping community support for the K9 unit high.

Motivation and initiative should extend to a willingness to learn. The field of K9 training and deployments will always be evolving, and the best K9 handlers are the ones who don’t get stuck in any tradition but rather are willing to learn new things and progress with the times and implement new and improved training and deployment strategies.

Previous K9 Experience:

Previous K9 handling experience can both be a blessing and a curse. Not all K9 training is equal. Even prior military handlers are no guarantee of quality. In fact many trainers prefer new civilian LE handlers to have no prior experience and thus no bad habits to correct during training. Everyone in the industry trains a little differently. Civilian K9 usage is very different in many ways from military usage. Former military handlers must be willing and able to adapt to different training protocols than they are used to, and learn how to handle the dog they are matched with for the usage that matches the particular agency they work for, rather than rely on what they already “know.” I have had excellent experience training handlers with prior military handling experience, and I have had nightmare experiences training prior military handlers. Those in special units that have handled dogs may have very good handling skills, but their understanding of training and civilian usages of dogs compared to what they did in theater can be very different. In the interview process, it is very important to determine that these individuals with prior experience will not go into their training thinking “they already know it all” or that the way they were taught is the only way to train. This can make for a very difficult time in the handler course. Many military handlers only know one way, the way they were taught, and there may be a number of other successful ways to train a dog of which they are just not aware. This goes for handlers hired from other agencies. Insulation from the larger dog training community is a real problem for those with prior experience. Many can be big fish in little ponds. Open minds, and a willingness to set aside pre-conceptions is key.

Following Instructions: Regardless of prior experience, an ability to follow instructions

in the moment, as events are unfolding is a key skill for a K9 handler. Many new handlers, as they attempt to manipulate leash, weapon, situation and listen to instructions from their trainer, develop a form of auditory exclusion. Too much stress from being bombarded with many things to handle at once can cause a serious problem of being able to make adjustments on the fly. Patrol experience alone can give a good indication of the ability to adapt to constantly evolving situations. This is why in most cases a minimum of 3-5 years as a patrol officer is required before one is able to apply to a specialized unit such as K9. Understanding how to deal with policing situations without a K9 first, and what the law requires in terms of use of force, and having witnessed good handling and deployments of other K9s is a key to making sure the handler will be able to adapt and adjust.

Teamwork:

Police K9 handlers must work as part of a team. Being called out to assist with traffic stops, tracking, and being part of warrant teams on perimeter requires teamwork. Often depending on the situation, if the dog will be used as the primary tool for apprehension, the K9 officer must be willing to be in charge of the team, and assign backup to proper positions. This requires the respect of other team members as well as a command authority to work well with others. The K9 handler must toggle between being in charge and being support depending on the operation.

It is important to remember that a highly productive officer before he or she gets assigned a dog will be more productive with a K9. A low productivity officer assigned a K9 will not become more productive because he or she has that tool, in fact the addition of that tool will often make the productivity situation worse.

Selecting a good K9 handler is an art. They must be respected by other officers and be leaders. They are the advocates for their dog, and if a superior orders them to deploy their dog in a situation where the handler deems it unreasonable, they must be willing to stand their ground and advocate for the K9 team. That can be uncomfortable. A good K9 handler will love being in the thick of the action, as K9 units are specialized units whose primary function is to hunt out dangerous people. If your agency wishes to improve handler selection, use the guidelines here to make sure prospective handlers have the work ethic and personality, and home support that is conducive to a successful team.

Jerry Bradshaw is Training Director & President of Tarheel Canine Training, Inc. in Sanford, North Carolina. Jerry has been training dogs for competitive protection sports since 1991, and has competed in National Championship trials in both Schutzhund and PSA, winning the PSA National Championships in 2003 with his dog Ricardo v.d. Natuurzicht PSA 3. Jerry has trained many Belgian Malinois to the highest titles in the sports in which he competed including Arrow of Tigerpaws , SchH 3, BH; Ben von Lowenfels, SchH 2, BH; Rocky de la Maison Des Lions PSA 3; and Ricardo v.d. Natuurzicht PH 1, PSA 3.

Tarheel Canine Training Inc. is a nationally renowned training facility for police service dogs, and has placed trained police dogs at federal, state and local law enforcement agencies nationally and internationally since 1993. Jerry is often a featured speaker at national police K9 conferences, and travels extensively giving seminars to police departments, the US Military, and sport trainers across the United States. Jerry has written a book, Controlled Aggression, which is rapidly becoming the standard text for understanding the fundamentals of canine aggression training for police service, personal protection, and competitive dog sports. Jerry also maintains a free blog at www.tarheelcanine.com.

Many of the training concepts mentioned in this article are covered in depth in published articles available on the Tarheel Canine website at www.tarheelcanine.com/media-area/training-articles/

Please feel free to make your handlers, trainers, and training groups aware of this resource.