K9 Handler Quotes

We have a saying in K9: "If you put three dog handlers in a room, the only thing that two of them will agree on is that the third is wrong.

People who think they need high-pressure methods or tools—pinch collars or electric appliances—to train a dog have no clue how to train a dog well. Training, both as a hobby and as a profession, should be pleasant for the dog and the handler. It should be a successful learning process that yields progress for both parties. If training becomes a torment for the handler or the dog, then both parties are on the wrong track.

While I was at a huge disadvantage, I realized Solo had an advantage here that he didn't have at the local kennel club. Law enforcement handlers don't expect their dogs to get along. Most of their dogs have an edge. Every dog was on lead coming and going; each dog worked separately. The warehouse rang with another warning I would become accustomed to: "Dog in!" or "Dog out!" For me, that warning was a comfort. A standardization of practice that would benefit me greatly. Working Solo, I wouldn't have to keep my eyes peeled for a shorthaired pointer to come bounding over off lead. Soon enough, Solo realized the same thing: With cops and Crown Vics around, he started to ignore sharp barks and growls and dog-permeated air. I didn't have to apologize for his personality. To the police K9 handlers, Solo wasn't a sociopath. He didn't even qualify as a jackass.

There was an old saying among K9 groups. Grief belongs to the families. Dread belongs to the handlers.

Adversity introduces a man to himself.  ~Author Unknown

Sergeant Dominick Leland was tall, thin as barbed wire, and peered at the world through a permanent scowl. A rim of steel-colored fuzz circled his mocha pate, and two fingers were missing from his left hand, lost to a monstrous Rottweiler-mastiff attack dog he fought to protect a K-9 partner. With thirty-two years on the job as a K-9 officer, Dominick Leland had served as the Platoon’s Chief Trainer longer than anyone in the history of the Los Angeles Police Department, and was an undisputed, three-fingered legend. The Officer-in-Charge ran the Platoon, but Leland was the final authority and absolute master in all matters regarding dogs, dog handlers, and their place within the Platoon. When

This beautiful, slender German Shepherd with erect ears and a cold glare stood at attention, awaiting the order. I watched the canine's handler.  The man's lips moved ever-so-slightly, and the dog was off.  EMS was going wild.  They'd apparently never seen the K9 unit in action, either.  I glanced over to the waiting room, and I swear, every last person stood with their noses pressed against the windows. When I looked back outside, the police dog was dangling from the woman's forearm.  Even then, she continued to move around and yell.  She refused to drop her handbag and swatted at the dog's head. I'm pretty sure we were all rooting for the dog. The

Oh, I can keep up.” He sounded like he was back to his usual self. “We could run all the way to Denver, and I’d still keep up. In fact, I could run even faster than you, much faster, but I don’t want to get ahead of the handler.” “Hugh.” She gave him a sharp look, knowing why Theo always seemed to be at the end of his patience.

Lassie! Go find Timmy!” Many people think search dogs are motivated by a heart-warming, tear-inspired desire to save lost humans. That is not quite true. Most search dogs are motivated by a desire to play with their Most Favorite Toy in the World, the magic toy that only appears after they have led their handler to a lost person. This is the Search Game taught to search dogs throughout the world and responsible for saving hundreds of lives every year. While search dogs are always happy to find a new human (and practice what some of our volunteer hiders call the Rescue Face Lick), most are driven by play the Search Game for the Most Favorite Toy in the World.

Runaways are the foundation for what air scent dogs do – it’s a chain of behavior we start with puppies from day one. In short, the handler holds the dog while another person runs away and hides a short distance away. The dog is released with a “go find” command, locates the subject, returns to the handler, and does a trained final response (TFR) such as a bark, jump, or tug to communicate that he has found a subject. “Show me!” shouts the handler, who then sprints after the dog, who has already whirled and is now dashing madly back to the lost person. Upon arrival, the dog’s favorite toy magically appears, a big party ensues, and the handler and training subject yip and yell to excite and reward the K9.

Indication: A trained behavior or a reinforced response by which a dog notifies its handler of a find. It is the dog’s way of saying, “Eureka! I found it!

Scent Cone: Scent molecules disperse outward from the source in a conical pattern, forming a scent cone downwind of that point. An air-scenting dog normally works across or into the wind until he locates the scent cone. The dog’s search behavior will change as he works his way along the cone until he reaches the source, which is the quarry he is searching for. The dog will then alert his handler of the find.

Change of Behavior: Any of a number of behaviors—like turning of the head or a rapid change of direction—that are interpreted by the handler to mean the dog has detected a trained odor.

Heart Dog: A dog with a unique connection to its handler, often spoken of as a “canine soul mate.

A Doberman Pinscher can sometimes spontaneously run riot, often even leaving the field entirely. After a short time, he will come back with an amazed look in his eyes and happily jump on his desperately calling handler.

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Finish: A statement by the handler to a canine scent-work trial official that the dog is unable to find additional sources of odor.

I asked the decoy what happened. He told me he heard Mattis go down a row in the distance and then jump up onto a shelf. He said he then jumped from shelf to shelf (in the dark) straight toward him at about head level. The decoy said, “I know I was supposed to be still, but he was coming at me head level, so I threw my arm up to intercept him.” The other handlers, the decoy, and I were all astounded. This was not what I had planned. This was not the lesson | wanted to teach Mattis. I laughed because he’d solved it in a manner I hadn’t considered, and in a more efficient way. This type of Mattis solution became commonplace at every training session. Throw a complex problem at him and just watch him with wonder as he comes up with a solution. We never knew what it was going to be, but we knew it was going to be grounded in determination, athleticism, and efficiency.

Military working dogs, especially ones like Clyde, train differently from K9 units. In wilderness police pursuits, you back off if your target becomes all but impossible to find and your men might get killed due to poor conditions—usually bad weather or darkness. You wait for conditions to improve, knowing that your bad guy is going to have to wait it out, too. The sheriff had been following protocol when he called us in before we'd finished searching the train. Especially after hearing from Fort Collins. But in war, a dog is tracking enemy soldiers or terrorists. Men who, if they aren't caught, disappear into their rat holes and spend their free hours planting IEDs or taking sniper shots at your men. Military dogs and their handlers don't call it a day when the going gets tough. For Clyde, the game wasn't over until he found his man.