Anyone who has seen a K-9 team in action—and, these days, that’s just about anyone in law enforcement—knows that it doesn’t take a human to be a hero.

Police department leaders regularly extol the virtues of police dogs, explaining that when it comes to detecting illegal substances, finding missing persons, or simply assisting in peace keeping, these highly trained animals do what people cannot.

“The speed and accuracy of a dog outweighs any human or any machine humans have built so far,” said Jeff Franklin, owner and operator of Cobra Canine, a training operation based in Loudon, Tennessee.¹

Police and military dogs are bred and trained by facilities around the world, and many products are specially tailored to assist and protect these dogs—and the officers who partner with them.

The Right Dog for the Right Job

Though the German Shepherd is one of the most widely used and likely the most recognized dog breed in law enforcement, breeds including Belgian Malinois and Labradors also are well suited for police work.

More important than breed, however, is the training itself, which can ensure that police dogs effectively perform their functions while avoiding problematic incidents.

The first step in finding the right dog, according to Franklin, is identifying a department’s need or needs for a K-9 unit. “Looking at police service K-9s, the first purpose is tracking,” Franklin said. “If a person runs from the police, a tracking dog is the best way to chase them. They can locate and apprehend fleeing suspects.”²

Patrol dogs are trained in obedience, protection, and searches, in addition to tracking and criminal apprehension. A separate class of dog is prepared for tactical situations such as SWAT or special government operations. This can require advanced obedience and control when off the leash, as well as training in specific tactical movements and the ability to tolerate gunfire or explosions.

Detecting narcotics and explosives is another important and common K-9 function, though these sorts of needs will vary by department. “In a small town, sometimes they need explosives detection,” Franklin observed, “but on a day-to-day basis they probably need drug detection dogs even more.”³

Cobra Canine understands these needs, having reared and trained thousands of dogs in its more than 20 years of operation. So, too, does Vohne Liche Kennels, a Denver, Indiana-based kennel that has placed approximately 5,000 police and military service dogs with agencies and departments in 42 different countries since its inception in 1993.

“K-9 is a relatively new industry,” said Kenneth Licklider, owner and operator of Vohne Liche Kennels. “The Vietnam War and 9/11 both served as a kind of launching pad for the K-9 industry… We started this kennel out of a living room and a garage, and now it’s the largest kennel in the United States.”⁴

According to Licklider, Vohne Liche trainers work with five or six dogs at any given time—a relatively small trainer-to-dog ratio.

Cost can be an important consideration when purchasing a trained police dog. Depending on how many purposes an agency intends its K-9 unit to serve, a single dog can cost up to $15,000, plus ongoing expenses such as food and shelter.

However, according to information provided by the National Police Dog Foundation, a Camarillo, California, nonprofit organization that helps provide police dog funding and educational resources, police departments are often able to use public or corporate donations to fully or partially offset the costs of purchasing and caring for a police dog.⁵

Training Both Members of the K-9 Team

Training is important, but not just for the dogs.

Handlers’ courses are available for police officers with no prior K-9 unit experience. Cobra Canine offers six-week handler training courses in working with detection, tracking, SWAT, and multipurpose police dogs. Customized courses also are available.

Dogs typically receive about six weeks of training with kennel trainers, then an additional six weeks of training with their handlers.

“We pay attention to what our departments want and pair them up with the right K-9 teams,” Franklin said. “That goes for the handler as well as the dog. If you don’t have a good handler, you don’t have a good team.”⁶

Keeping K-9s Safe

Sadly, K-9 injuries and deaths are not uncommon. “The death of a dog is not an easy pill to swallow,” Franklin said. “I like to think that whenever that has happened, it happened because a dog kept an officer out of harm’s way.”⁷

Fortunately, there are ways to keep K-9s safe and comfortable during the long hours and challenging conditions they often encounter.

A while back, Linda “Laz” Lazarowich, the president and CEO of ProWearGear, was affected by a story of a K-9 injury in the line of duty. During a pursuit, a police dog accidentally ran too close to a jagged piece of aluminum siding. The resulting gash required 22 stitches to close. “Twenty-two stitches is a lot for a person,” Lazarowich said. “Just imagine how that looks on such a small body, and how long that dog had to stay down.”⁸

In response, Lazarowich took action. ProWearGear, a manufacturer in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, specializes in lightweight but strong fabrics that are used in apparel targeted mainly to the law enforcement community. Her solution was K9 Pro Wear, a line of vests and uniforms for police dogs. Though each uniform only weighs about two pounds, it can resist sharp objects, including stabbings and slashings.

“No one can get a knife through it, and it’s lightweight,” Lazarowich said. “In a lot of states, there’s cactus, chain link, razor wire. Dogs get ripped to shreds on this… there was a need for something to protect those dogs that was lightweight and could protect against cuts, stabbing, and slashing… There’s also a cooling layer that is ultra lightweight, so it is very comfortable.”⁹

That key advantage—wearability—provides a marked distinction from traditional body armor. “Ballistic vests have been available for K-9s for years,” Lazarowich recalled. “But a huge number of K-9 officers said that vests were too heavy and hot, and that they would keep them in the trunk and only sometimes use them.”¹⁰

Lazarowich also markets what she refers to as “a runway for dogs,” though its goal is far more than fashion. For K-9 dogs working extended shifts while walking on hot surfaces like roadways, the half-inch-thick sheet protects paws from burns and other potential hazards.

“Dogs are waiting in line to search cars at a border crossing, but the asphalt is hot,” Lazarowich said. “I developed a foam that raises a dog’s foot by about half an inch and resists heat up to 400 degrees. It can take a high amount of weight.”¹¹

Even training may expose K-9s to danger. This is particularly true when the dogs are being trained to detect explosives—an endeavor that includes actual explosives.

“A lot of the training is scent-oriented,” said Ron Bolling, vice president of North American sales for Tread Corporation, a manufacturer and distributor of explosives-handling equipment based in Roanoke, Virginia. “You have 20 people in a circle, the dog and handler go around and you have to pick up the scent; one person has it. But, if you’re training 30 miles away, you have to store [explosives] at your facility and then you have to transport them.”¹²

Several years ago, Tread noticed that police departments were interested in small storage magazines. It turned out that agencies were purchasing the magazines for storing and transporting the explosives used in K-9 training.

All of Tread’s storage magazines are compliant with federal regulations for both indoor storage and transporting explosives, meaning one container is all a department would ever need. “You can use these boxes for both purposes,” said Jessica Dahlgren, Tread’s sales and marketing coordinator. “It’s a one-time buy because they don’t tend to wear out. If you need it, we can get it out to you quickly. We have a fabrication shop on-site.”¹³

For more information, the National Police Dog Foundation provides educational resources for law enforcement agencies interested in learning about or purchasing police dogs or establishing a K-9 unit.¹⁴ In addition, the National Police Canine Association is a nonprofit association dedicated to the training, development, and certification of law enforcement canine teams and their administrations.¹⁵ ♦

Notes:
¹Jeff Franklin (owner and operator, Cobra Canine), telephone interview, January 11, 2016.
²Ibid.
³Ibid.
⁴Kenneth Licklider (owner and operator, Vohne Liche Kennels), telephone interview, January 11, 2016.
⁵National Police Dog Foundation, “Frequently Asked Questions,” question 7, http://www.nationalpolicedogfoundation.org/#!faqs/cso7 (accessed January 15, 2016).
⁶Franklin, telephone interview, January 11, 2016.
⁷Ibid.
⁸Linda “Laz” Lazarowich (president and CEO, ProWearGear), telephone interview, January 13, 2016.
⁹Ibid.
¹⁰Ibid.
¹¹Ibid.
¹²Ron Bolling (vice president, North American sales, Tread Corporation), telephone interview, January 12, 2016.
¹³Jessica Dahlgren (sales and marketing coordinator, Tread Corporation), telephone interview, January 12, 2016.
¹⁴National Police Dog Foundation, “Our Mission,” http://www.nationalpolicedogfoundation.org (accessed February 16, 2016).
¹⁵National Police Canine Association, “Home,” http://www.npca.net (accessed January 15, 2016).

Please cite as

Scott Harris, “K-9 Units: Training and Protection Key to Keeping Dogs and People Safe,” Product Feature, The Police Chief 83 (April 2016): 52–53.