WORKING SERVICE DOGS

A Tactical Thought

Written by Mike McConnery

One of the biggest mistakes Law Enforcement and the Military makes today is assuming that a patrol dog is a tactical dog because he is placed on a Tactical or E.R.T. team.
I will go as far as to say the vast majority of dogs in service today are:

a) Poorly trained

b) Poorly handled

c) Influenced by Sporting techniques

In order to become effective in the field we must first face the truth of our ineffectiveness.
We would not take a weak piece of rope and rappel with it. Nor would we try to fly a plane with engine problems. Yet we are constantly making excuses for our poor showing in the field of our K-9 teams.

After you get finished swearing at me and calling me names for writing this, sit down and honestly ask yourselves these following questions.

1. How effective are our dog-man teams?

2. Would you trust your life on them in a real conflict?

3. Are they stable under fire? Do you even know this?

4. Are they able to work in and around other dogs and animals?

5. Can they tell a threat from a non-threat?

6. Is the handler confident and in control?

7. Is the dog confident and in control?

8. Does the dog come under the handler's control?

9. Can the dog be trusted to work in and around person that are shouting, running or under stress?

10. Are the majority of calls completed successfully by the team?

11. Is weather, terrain age or contamination at an area used as an excuse for failure?

12. Do you train with your K-9 and the entire team?

13. Do you always train in the same place, in the same fashion and with the same dog?

14. Do you train all hours of the day and night, on all terrain and in all types of weather?

15. Do you train mostly bite work on the sleeve?

16. Is there team inter action with the K-9 and the handler?

17. Does the dog respond to commands from team members?

If you answer negatively to one of these questions your team should not be on the street.
These are but a few of the routine questions a Tactical dog- man team, must answer by action, not untruths.

Remember this, amateurs make excuses, professionals make decisions.

Read another editorial written by Mike McConnery titled "Military and Law Enforcement-Tactics and Theory."

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