Police Dogs

Police dogs are working dogs trained to assist the police. They help law enforcement officers with things like sniffing out evidence, searching for lost people, finding explosives, drugs, or similar items, as well as chasing and attacking criminals when needed. In most English-speaking countries, police dogs are called K-9s (as in ‘canines’).

The dog’s involvement in law enforcement dates back to the middle ages. The earliest documented mention was in the 14th century when dogs were used to guard piers and docks in St. Malo, France.

Modern-day police dogs undergo incredibly rigorous and lengthy training. They usually live with the officers who operate them, which encourages loyalty and familiarity. Police dogs retire when they are 8-10 years old and often continue to live with the family of their operating officer.

List of the Common Police Dog Breeds

With proper training, various different breeds can be used as police dogs. Here are a few that are naturally a good choice for the job.

• Airedale terrier
• Akita
• Groenendael
• Belgian Malinois
• Bernese Mountain Dog
• Bloodhound
• Border Collie
• Boxer
• Bouvier des Flandres
• Croatian Sheepdog
• Doberman Pinscher
• German Shepherd
• German Shorthaired Pointer
• Golden Retriever
• Labrador Retriever
• Rottweiler
• English Springer Spaniel
• Dutch Shepherd
• Belgian Shepherd
• American Pit Bull Terrier
• Giant Schnauzer
• Beagle
• Weimaraner