I'm a Police Dog Handler - AMA

[Stopeatingmybiscuits]

Working tomorrow, but I'll try and answer questions in the evening.

Did you grow up with dogs? DS(9) really wants to be a police dog handler. He is brilliant with dm’s dogs and adores animals but we only have a cat. No space or time for anything else.

I find it shocking an officer didnt know the microchipping regualtions. No excuse, and I will apologise on his behalf. With regard to dog problems, I suggest your first port of call is community officers.

There are officers who are trained in the recognition of banned breeds. I admit I'm rubbish at that - i see loads of crosses about that look to me like they have pitbull in them!

I feel sorry for the breeds. It isn't their fault.
There are lots of both twatty dog owners and non-owners and I've experienced my own dog-racism (?? Apologies I just can't think of another word) with people actually picking up their dogs when they've caught sight of mine.

Personally, I don't believe all dogs have the makings of what I consider suitable pets, because of their breeding. That's not to say they are dangerous per se, but I cannot see how someone can think that when a dog's grandparents were still pulling down bears etc., they'd make a good pet.
Unfortunately it often tends to be a certain type of person who wants these dogs. For safety, a status symbol, the fact that they are banned, whatever.
For what it's worth though, I have met a few banned breeds who were lovely, but they had responsible owners who'd registered them etc.

I'm a firm believer in putting the onus on the owner, not the breed.

Dogs are allocated to us. I like to think the senior officer tries to match us as best as he can, personality wise. Certainly some of my colleagues seem to deal better with more confident dogs than others do.
I've been very lucky. I truly feel my last dog is my doggy soul mate. She was a rescue dog donated to the force, I was a bit of an emotional mess and we seemed to need each other and formed an instant bond I've never experienced before.

When I'm not with the dogs, i do regular policing work. Although I wouldn't like to do it all the time, it can make a nice change.

One of the depressing points of the job is that I spend the majority of time with little scroats.
Yes, innocent until proven guilty etc., but I am often called in to apprehend people who've jumped out of stolen cars and scarpered, or people hiding in residential gardens. Innocent people don't tend to do that too often ime.

Yes I joined with the purpose of being either a dog handler or Inspector Morse. Pretty stupid I know, but I was so fed up of my old job I had to leave before I had a complete mental breakdown.

It's took about 3 years, but as I've gotten older, my need for a 'proper' career has diminished and I've become a bit more 'as long as it pays the bills, doesn't drive me mad and leaves me time to play with the kids'. So if it hadn't worked out dog-wise, I'd probably still stuck at police work but without any career aspirations and just plodded (no pun intended!) along.
(What a waste of a private education I can hear my mother scream!)

I had a dog in my childhood and bought my own after university. Since then, yes, I've pretty much always had one.
I believe it's great for the kids and as an unsociable single parent, I like the company and tend to sleep better with a dog around. I'm always the one who looks after my siblings' dogs when they go off on their jollies as well, although that can be hard work as the police dogs I've had don't tend to be very dog-friendly. OK with other kennelled dogs, but regular pets not so much. It took quite a lot of socialisation, especially with my sister's daft slobbery hyperactive labrador. My poor dog didn't know quite what to make of him!

It's great to hear that other old dogs have found happy homes and are still proving their worth !
When we go out, my ex-retiree mutt is generally on the lead as I don't trust other dog owners to control their dogs. She won't attack, but will bark (excitedly, confused, curious, telling me she's found something) but of course most people see barking as aggression. It's quite interesting to hear when other dogs growl as mine (current and retired) don't.
The only time I have ever heard my dog growl was when another boisterous dog got near my 6 month old lying on the beach.
One of my happiest moments actually as I knew then the baby was totally accepted as part of the pack.

Training methods?

Do teaspoons and forks disappear from dog station or is it just normal coppers who are tealeaves?

Oh dear, I didn't mean to ruin the thread. I've seen lots of joking about fork amnistites and tying teaspoons to the station sink, it was just meant to be that.

《Attempts to remove foot from mouth, discovers it is firmly lodged》

MipMip I was coming on to ask something similar, if the OP is still around

Has one of the drug dogs ever indicated on another officer? What would happen if they did?

My uncle was a police dog handler. He managed to, according to him, "get his arm broken by one of the dogs". He was a right bullshit merchant though and actually had been playing the criminal in a display team, bite sleeve on and everything, and tripped over a rock and fallen awkwardly, made the local paper and was trying to blag his way out of the humiliation.

We had a retired police GSD when I was younger, he was the most amazing dog! He was retired at 4 years old due to tendon problems, but had been used previously for school visits, etc as he was so soft. I considered joining the police force to be a dog handler, but was told that as it was in such high demand it was unlikely I'd be able to do that. What advice would you give someone interested in being a dog handler?

Can I ask why you don't like huskies & wouldn't trust them round children?

MipHound is quarter husky and I have a soft spot for them but I keep him away from the full and part huskies at training. It may be just training but they all get carried away (MipHound does a bit too - I have to keep a close eye) and play very rough. I don't believe any breed is intrinsically bad but I do think they're not very good judges of their own power and when to be gentler.

I also want to ask about why you don't like huskies! Having had a GSD and now a husky I find the husky to be much most child friendly tbh! GSD was quite possessive, husky is very docile and can't bark - we do joke she's a dud though as she is nothing like everyone tells you in the books etc! However she doesn't go off lead so perhaps you mean this aspect and training? She is dog friendly and does basic commands but becomes ignorant and won't come back if distracted by another dog when out. She is not treat focused at all either but does like a clicker!

Can someone on here commit a crime to try and entice the OP back?

《Is CAT burgler to get dogs attention》