Dog trainers are putting a new candidate through his paces as they seek to recruit a new crime-fighting canine.
Trainee Police Dog Russo, a Belgian Malinois, has had a tough start in life and found himself in the care of a rehoming charity in Essex, but is said to be showing great promise in his new career.
After impressing expert trainers at Nottinghamshire Police, he was approved for training and is currently undergoing an intensive licensing course with his handler PC Lee Huffer.
Once a dog has been assessed for its suitability, training is based on play, with exercises based on fun and reward that gradually increase in complexity as the dog is put under greater pressure.
All general-purpose police dogs must meet strict national standards and are assessed by an independent examiner before they can go on patrol with their handlers.
Existing dogs and their handlers must also pass an annual inspection to ensure they are operating at the level required.
PC Dean Allen, an experienced dog handler and trainer, explained:
“A lot of what we are doing is identifying and enhancing the dog’s natural abilities.
“Once we know we know we have a dog that is obedient and has the drive and curiosity we are looking for, we can start teaching it the things we need it to learn.
“We’re teaching it to be suspicious. We’re teaching it to search for property and for people. And we’re teaching it to track, which is actually something that all dogs can do but few actually use that skill.
“So, we’re looking at the skills that these dogs have got from nature and then helping them progress that skill so that they can assist us in tracking criminals.
“So far Russo seems a fantastic little dog and we’re very confident he’s going to get through his training.”
Nottinghamshire Police currently has 24 police dogs, a mixture of general-purpose animals for chasing and tracking; and specialist sniffer dogs for detecting drugs, cash, firearms and other contraband.
Most handlers work with a general-purpose dog and a sniffer dog, which live full-time with them to ensure a close working bond.
During operational duties, the dog is housed in a police car or van which is specially adapted for the animal’s safety and comfort.
Speaking of the unique relationship between the dogs and their handlers, PC Allen added:
“The bond they build up together is second to none. Anyone who’s got a pet dog out there knows that you can build a bond with an animal, but you’ve got to multiply that several times to come anywhere close to the sort of bond we’re building up working with these dogs day-in, day-out.
“And that bond is what carries the handlers and the dogs through a lot of the very difficult situations that they face out there operationally.”
