Randy's Police K-9 Experience
Awesome
1985 - 1996
For twelve years (between 1987 to 1999) I handled three different
self trained Police Dogs working as a full time law enforcement K-9
handler. I cannot
imagine training a Police Dog for another department without having
obtained that experience. I am not referring to being a reserve officer
with a dog that works every so often. I am referring to living the experience
day-in and day-out for many years. In that time I have experienced the
unbelievable feeling of what it is like to be on the verge of being
hurt or injured and the dog coming to assist in just the nick of time.
The feeling of tracking a criminal or finding evidence that never would
have been located if it had not been for the well trained Police Dog.
The all out pride and excitement that comes with the dog finding a huge
load of dope that never would have been found without the dogs positive
alert. I remember vividly the feeling when my well trained Police Dog
indicated the odor of narcotics coming from a box that contained 26
Pounds of US currency totaling $220,000.00. The departments gratitude
that the dog not only paid for himself many times over but also allowed
the department to purchase badly needed equipment to continue the "War
on Drugs". I recall situations where a large crowd with the potential
to turn violent seemed to contain their emotions as the dog made his
presence known. The fleeing felon who would have escaped had the dog
not captured him and those who surely would have run had the dog not
been leaning over the seat watching every move. I remember sharing those
experiences with school kids and how their eyes would glow just at the
sight of the dog and how the dog closed any gap that may have existed
between the kids and Law Enforcement. These are memories and experiences
that I would not trade for any in life.
 One
of the only negatives for someone who has had the opportunity to work
an excellent dog is the fact that the dogs life span is but a fraction
of our own. I remember all too well the agony and pain of making that
long trip to the vets office when a decision of euthanasia was the only
option. Somehow I always felt that I owed it to my dogs to be there
when this happened even though I knew how badly it would hurt. I remember
them slipping away and thinking at the time about their tremendous sacrifice
during the events mentioned above, and how all they ever asked in return
was love and enough food to fuel their tremendous drive for the work
that they absolutely lived for.
I am thankful for having handled some very nice self-trained police
dogs presently and in the past. The ability to accomplish this comes
only with the type of experiences that I shared both on this and previous
pages. The only way to obtain this experience is to actually walk the
walk. You can't steal it, it doesn't just appear, and you can't buy
it with all the money in the world. You have to EARN it. Having been
in the training business for many years I have seen all types. There
are trainers out there that know very much what they are doing, and
there are those that are "Overnight Legends" in their own
minds . Likewise there are handlers with police dogs who quickly learn
that there is more work involved than what they bargained for. They
handle the dog only because it is a job and neglect the dog and their
responsibilities. Ultimately, the dog is the one that ends up losing.
 It
is for the reasons mentioned above that I train as I do. At one time
all I wanted to do was train and sell police dogs. Now that I have
earned
the experience and gained the knowledge, police dog training still
interests
me, but not to the extent that I would want to limit the type of training
I do just to Police Dogs. My goal is to train and sell 25 to 35 quality
Police Dogs per year while never sacrificing quality. This allows me
to spend more time with the dog and enjoy the training. This also allows
me to continue training in competition obedience, Schutzhund training,
and helping private citizens with their dogs.
In the choosing of a trainer consider this advise; As the three most
important things in Real Estate are Location,
Location, and Location... believe me when I tell you that
the three most important things in "Police Dog Training" are
Experience, Experience, and Experience.
A Police Service Dog trained by an EXPERIENCED and REPUTABLE trainer
is a tremendous asset to any department. One trained by an "overnight
expert" is an expensive lesson and a liability not only to the
department but also to the handler.
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