Is it the menacing look? Is it their amazing abilities? The character? Maybe, all of these combined? There’s something about the German Shepherd dog (GSD), that makes them the perfect dog breed for public service. Being a Police Dog is one of them.
Chey Shepherd
But what is so special about the German Shepherd? The quality that turned a relatively common herding dog into the ultimate crime-fighting companion for police forces?
Police dogs are common in the US, as well as practically all police forces around the globe.
This tradition is also a quite long one. In fact, some sources claim, that it may be well over 100 years since the first organized police-dog service originated. A police department in Ghent, Belgium, introduced a program of utilizing dogs for police services as early as 1899!
Nowadays, best known as the K-9 unit, we can see these dogs being used in a variety of ways – as part of border patrol units, drug, weapon, bomb detection, search and rescue units.
Famous for their intelligence – German Shepherds are a natural choice for intense and very demanding roles, such as a police force dog. Their instincts, physical abilities, character, and intelligence allows German Shepherds to cope with the most difficult situations, be alert and at the same time, to control their aggressiveness, and be responsive to the handler.
Well-trained German Shepherds are known to be extremely safe.
These dogs have it in their genes to manage herds of sheep without harming them. This is why they are perfect family dogs and police service dogs. They will not attack unless provoked or ordered to, and they are usually friendly to people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 4.5 million people in the United States are bitten by dogs each year, but dogs like German Shepherds are not to be blamed for this. It’s because of their rigid discipline they are much less likely to cause an incident or a vicious attack.
While it is obvious, that people rely on dog’s agility, strength, ability to detect illegal drugs and weapons, bombs and so forth – a lot of precautions are taken to protect the dogs.
Almost all dangerous police operations require using specially trained dogs.
At the same time, the level of sustained injuries is relatively small, due to highly effective dog training.
German Shepherds have it in their blood to be a protector and a guardian. Even if you’re not looking for a dog that will defend your home or take down criminals – it will be against the dog’s nature not to train them in this manner. Even a simulation that will evoke basic instincts of German Shepherds will be stimulating for their development and their health.
Movies and TV series don’t do justice to all the great work and service the police dogs are providing.
But ordinary people and fellow police officers do. Communities across the US praise these devoted amazing dogs for their effort to guarantee order on the streets. German Shepherds, being one of the core elements to police dogs units, are definitely among the best dogs police can have within their ranks.
