Picking the Perfect Dog Handler

by

Dr. David “Lou” Ferland

Chief of Police/Dog Handler/Dog Trainer (Ret.)

Executive Director, United States Police Canine Association (USPCA)

There are approximately 10,000 to 40,000 K-9 Handlers in the USA[1]. Assuming that the average dog’s working life span is 8 years[2], you will see that there is a need to replace anywhere between 1,250-5,000 K-9’s each year just in attrition[3].  Not all dog handlers will continue in K-9 so there will be a handler attrition rate as well with new handlers entering the field. These facts do not even touch upon the future growth of K-9 programs to assist National Security primarily for explosive and narcotic detection. Some estimates have the industry adding an additional 5,000 detection dogs in the next five years or in other words an increase of 1,000 new dogs teams each year in addition to the 1,250 dogs needing replacement. 

            While there are government programs, private vendors, congressional committees, universities and non-profit organizations working on finding, screening or breeding enough quality working dogs to fill our future security needs[4], this piece is designed to help Police, Military and Private Security Leaders find and select quality handlers to work these dogs.  Much has been written about selecting the perfect working dog but little can be found about picking the perfect dog handler. A well-trained dog must also be paired with a quality handler to bring about success in the field. The choice of handler becomes a critical part of the successful team and thus a secure community.

            There are 20 common skills and traits that superior dog handlers possess[5]. Some of these are:

1.     Professional-commitment to agency’s mission statement.

2.     Displays and manifests high ethics.

3.     Self-Motivated/requires little supervision.

4.     Great communicator.

5.     Terrific writing skills and oral expression.

6.     Physically fit.

7.     Patient.

8.     Kind and gentle demeanor. 

9.     Has ability to problem-solve.

10.  Brave.

11.  Knowledge of Policy- General and K-9 Policy.

12.  Command/leadership skills.

13.  Budgeting adherence and preparation skills.

14.  Espirit de-corps.

15.  The ‘go-to’ person. One who gets a job done and done right.

16.  Care for agency image/reputation.

17.  Great representative of the agency.

18.  Has low to no citizen complaints.

19.  Work product and behaviors are unquestionably justified and completely compliant with law/department policy. 

20.  Candidate is a future leader of the department. 

What comes next is the system or process for selecting quality handlers. The screening tool used for selecting the superior handler must be as important as the screening tool used to select the K-9 partner. Much attention and openness to professional feedback should be used to insure the best person is selected. 

Simply relying upon a written test, seniority in the agency or the personal choice of the boss are terrible single reasons for selecting the handler. A systematic process should be established and followed to vet those truly capable of enduring the rigors and stresses of the handler position. Some of this process should include questioning and testing of the candidate. I am often asked by K-9 leaders what are some sample oral board questions to ask candidates and examinations to undertake when selecting a K-9 Handler. 

In no particular order, here are 40 that I wanted to share with you. Some are questions that I have thought of that could reveal skills and traits that I look for in handlers, some are questions that I have heard others ask and some are from candidates that were asked what they thought they were going to be asked. 

1)   Why are you the best candidate for the position of dog handler?

2)   What qualities would you bring to the unit?

3)   What would you consider the most important trait a dog handler possess and explain how you manifested this trait in your job performance?

4)   Explain your home life and how the Police dog would fit in?

5)   Have your spoken with ALL members of your family and what do they think about having the dog at home?

6)   What steps would you make if the dog were not compatible with other family members?

7)   What is your past experience with dogs and dog training?

8)   How would you rate your field and investigative activity compared with other members of the department?

9)   If the K-9 does not work out, would you be able to break the bond with the dog?

10) How would you rate you ability to keep accurate and timely records?

11) Do you own or rent home? Do you have permission of landlord to have K-9?

12) Describe the home environment you plan on having the dog in.

13) How far away do you live? What is your call-out time?

14) How do you feel about being called out?

15) Have you ever had a dog before?

16)What is your experience with the (insert agency name here) Dog Teams so far? How have you helped them out?

17) What shifts do you normally work? What shifts do you enjoy the most?

18) Describe your public speaking ability and experience.

19) How would you describe your patience level?

20) How do you feel about a barking dog in your ears?

21) What is your competition background? We would expect you to have a champion dog. How do you feel about this?

22) How would you describe your police work in 2 sentences?

23) What level of dog training/handling skill do you have now?

24) What is your favorite type of deployment call?

25) What is your greatest fault? How are you working to improve upon this?

26) What is your greatest attribute? How do you manifest this in daily life?

27) How will you react when your dog tracks in a completely different direction than where the suspect went? Or searches and indicates upon an area that did not contain contraband?

28) Explain your level of volunteerism and what was the last activity you volunteered.

29) What is "BLOAT" (or other K-9 related medical emergency).

30) What interests you most about handling a working dog?

31) What books have you read on dog training?

32) What have you done to prepare yourself for this interview?

33) Usually a scenario or two to judge how candidate would deploy the dog.

34) What do you consider your greatest achievement, responsibility or skill related to your work?

35) Candidate submits letter of interest with three copies of reports he/she 

has written; one a self-initiated call for service, one narcotics/explosives case, and one involving use of force.

36) Physical screening process (PT) test such as the Cooper Institute of Aerobics Test; 1.5 mile run, strength assessment (push-ups, etc.), and obstacle course (approx. 400 yards).

37) Candidate is instructed to do a brief 3-5 min presentation as 

if doing a K-9 demo to school kids talking about his/her experience and what it

takes to become a member of the agency and a dog handler.

38) Performance reviews from superior officers and reviews from peers.

39) Level of experience in the profession and with dog training in general.

40) Intangibles.

Agency leaders are wise to properly vet candidates for the dog handler position. The highly visible and accountable officer will directly reflect upon the agency and its ability to professionally secure a large gathering, a high value target, or a family just wishing to shop at a mall. The stakes are high and there can be no margin of error. A mistake today in selecting the wrong handler can lead to catastrophic results tomorrow. Develop a system to select the best, seek outside help and advice, and screen candidates with the help of these questions and steps pointed out in this article. If you would like to add some oral board questions or steps to make this even better, please reach out to me at [email protected]

NOTE: This article published in K-9 Cop Magazine Issue 53 Dec/Jan 2019

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[1]Testimony of Dr. Cynthia M. Otto, Director Penn Vet Working Dog Center; October 3, 2017 to the Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Transportation and Protective Security and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Affairs joint hearing ‘Innovations in Security: Examining the Use of Canines’.

[2]America is Running Out of Bomb-Sniffing Dogs by Kate Murphy, New York Times, August 4, 2017.

[3]This attrition is just for police dogs and does not take into account dogs needed for military and private security use. 

[4]The Domestic Explosives Detection Canine Capacity Building Act (H.R. 4577) Senate Committee has heard testimony to improve Airport Security. Part of this testimony included baseline capacity, current and future demands of suitable working dogs, their acquisition and training needs. The Bill also creates a “working group on behavioral, medical, and technical standards for explosives detection working dog breeding and training.”

[5]These skills are additional to those desired skills/traits of a superior Police/Military/Security Officer such as honesty, reasoning, empathy and so on.