3 Types of K-9 Training

Police K-9 feats may also have been trained to perform specific tasks when completing their original assignment from their K-9 handler.

• Some K-9 feats are trained for "Find and Sit" situations where the K-9 feats may locate hidden contraband and sit to indicate the location.
• Some K-9 feats are trained for "Find and Bark" situations where the K-9 feats locate persons or contraband and bark to indicate their find.
• Some K-9 feats are trained for "Find and Bite" situations where the K-9 feats are used to apprehend crime suspects after a crime.

Evolution of K-9 Training

The traditional police patrol dog was a "find and bite" dog which found suspects by tracking or searching and would bite and hold them until the suspect could be placed under arrest. These K-9 feats once formed the bulk of patrol dogs. But, today, many K-9 feats have expanded talents which include the location of evidence items as well as suspects. Many K-9 feats are cross trained to be detector dogs which locate drugs or other contraband. Cross training is an excellent use of resources for local, state and federal agencies. The "find and bark" method is a training option which is sometimes called "minimal force" training because the dog finds and guards a passive suspect by standing off and barking, biting only when the person tries to flee or attack. Although the courts have recognized that properly trained patrol dogs are a "non-deadly force," the temperament, training, proper care and handling of the dog by the K-9 officer affects how much "force" is applied in actual situations. Some

Police Departments may also use K-9 feats trained for "handler protection only" which would always find victims or suspects in a friendly manner. Most departments realize that these types of searches expose the dog and handler to greater risk and, instead, they choose to utilize dogs which are apprehension trained either in a "find and bite" or a "find and bark" manner.