Service Dogs: Top 10 Police Dog Breeds Around the World Cop Dogs – Animal Facts
Police Dog
We see him in action packed movies, and television
dramas, guarding his companion and sniffing
out buildings for substances.
The Police dog is everywhere, whether we see
him or not.
Also referred to as a K-9 dog, the police
dog helps police officers and law enforcement,
sniffing out drugs or bombs, leading officers
to missing people, and simply guarding his
masters.
While any dog could be trained to be a police
service dog, there are common breeds that
are more popular.
While this is not an all-inclusive list, these
breeds have special character traits that
specifically qualify them for police work,
each breed having his own unique abilities.
Today, we present the Top 10 Best Police Dog
Breeds.
Hi, I’m Leroy and I’m Rosie and this is
Animal Facts.
Let’s get started.
But, before we start, take a moment to like
and subscribe for more fun, fauna facts.
Let us know about your doggy in the comments
below.
10.
German Shorthaired Pointer
Like many on this list, the German Shorthaired
Pointer is a dog breed that has transitioned
from being primarily a hunting dog to police
work.
Enthusiastic, bold, and very intelligent,
this easy to train dog has long since been
used for tracking due to his keen sense of
smell.
Holding his large brown nose low, he follows
ground scents intensely.
Non-aggressiveness, sturdiness, and a strong
willingness to please his owners make the
German Shorthaired Pointer easy to work with.
The GSP likes to please his people and will
work hard for them, especially if he’s rewarded
with praise, play, or food.
9.
Bloodhound
Of course, you’ve seen prison break movie
scenes where the escapees are being tracked
by bloodhounds.
Might’ve even heard a country song or two
about it.
The Bloodhound’s ancestors were created
in medieval France to trail deer and boar.
Today, he’s a highly active and intelligent
dog whose keen sense of smell has found him
a special place in law enforcement and search
and rescue.
He is renowned for his man-trailing ability
and under certain circumstances, his “testimony”
is accepted in court.
8.
Boxer Dog
Although he might not be as popular for police
work as other dogs on this list, The Boxer
has a long history of service to mankind as
a police dog, war dog, and service dog.
In his homeland of Germany, the Boxer was
one of the original breeds accepted for police
work.
Additionally, the Boxer’s service in Germany
during World War I and World War II was virtually
unparalleled.
Today, in some parts of the US, the Boxer
is making its mark as both a narcotics dog
extraordinaire and as well as a patrol dog.
7.
Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever is yet another hunting
dog that has transitioned to a police service
dog.
He is especially skilled as a detection dog.
The perfect detection dog prospect is a dog
that has a desire to hunt and retrieve an
object.
When testing a detection dog candidate, the
trainers will gauge just how long and hard
a dog is willing to hunt for an object using
his nose.
As a result of his genetic predispositions
to hunt and locate game for a hunter in the
most extreme climates without giving up, it
is not uncommon for a Labrador to pass the
detection dog selection criteria with flying
colors.
A working Labrador is a lean, fast moving
machine whose diet is always optimized to
maintain his best health.
6.
Beagle
Yes, the Beagle.
The Beagle may not be what you’d think of
when we say Police Dog, but his unique skill
set fulfilled a very important need in protecting
national interests.
Beagle Brigade is a team of beagles and their
human handlers who, as part of the United
States Department of Agriculture’s Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service, inspect
luggage at U.S. airports searching for agricultural
products.
According to the USDA, the Beagle Brigade
program averages around 75,000 seizures of
prohibited agricultural products a year, any
of which could be disastrous to US crops.
Originally bred for rabbit hunting, the beagle
has an acute sense of smell; he can detect
smells that are too faint to be sensed by
scientific equipment.
In addition, he has a voracious and undiscerning
appetite.
The Beagle is generally friendly and gentle
with people, and, due to his small size, is
not intimidating.
For these reasons, the beagle was chosen as
the breed to be used for these airport inspections.
5.
Giant Schnauzer
This large yet quiet dog breed who is very
suspicious of strangers have been used as
K-9 officers for many years as well, but they
did enter the profession much later than other
dog breeds.
The Giant Schnauzer has a tendency to be overly
aggressive, which when tapped into and siphoned
into the right direction make him an extraordinary
tracker of suspects, missing persons, bombs,
and narcotics.
The Giant Schnauzer is also used in search
rescue, because of his relentlessness, loyalty
to the task and unwillingness to give up.
4.
Doberman Pinscher
So far this list has consisted mostly of scent
dogs of some sort, but you’re here for the
action, aren’t you?
Well, we present to you the intimidating looking
Doberman Pincsher.
He’s a breed that was developed specifically
for this type of work.
He’s not a hunting dog with a new job.
Intelligent, courageous, and beautiful, the
Doberman Pinscher is primarily used to apprehend
fleeing criminals by grabbing the arm and
pulling them to the ground.
His athletic, fast moving body is perfect
for this type of work.
It also helps that the Doberman is naturally
very lean and swift – there are very few
breeds in K-9 units that could ever outrun
him, particularly when he’s on the trail
of a suspect.
He is sometimes used as a sniffer to detect
narcotics as well.
3.
American Pit Bull Terrier
The American Pit Bull Terrier is the new kid
on the block, as police departments have only
recently started to use him for police work.
Most Pit Bulls used are rescued, which saves
on costly fees from breeders.
Due to his history of dog fighting, he was
rarely employed for K-9 units before; however,
this has been changing as law enforcement
realized his great potential.
Confident, fearless, athletic, fast and sturdy,
the Pit Bull is primarily used for detection
and patrolling.
2.
Rottweiler
The Rottweiler is considered a perfect match
for almost every job description in police
work.
He is strong, obedient, loyal, alert and loves
action.
He always wants to be in the middle of things.
A Rottweiler is often recruited in teams of
investigators who solve crimes, severe offense
cases or drug trafficking, but he can also
be trained to take care of policemen, protecting
them from any possible danger.
Because he is an active dog, his attention
span is also impressive and he can stay focused
for longer periods of time compared with some
other dog breeds.
Before we move on to number one, here are
some honorable mentions.
Belgian Malinois
Basset Hound
Bullmastiff
1.
German Shepherd Dog
It comes as no surprise that the German Shepherd
Dog comes in at number one.
Some people only know him as the police dog,
forgetting that he actually has a name or
at least don’t know the full name of the
breed, which is German Shepherd Dog, by the
way.
He is the number one K-9 officer breed in
the world, and it’s easy to see why.
Smart, fast, fearless, and enthusiastic, the
German Shepherd takes the lead by leaps and
bounds.
Because he’s highly trainable and follows
through on commands, the German Shepherd shines
when it comes to bringing down suspects.
He is an amazing all-rounder who is also used
to sniff out narcotics, cadavers, as well
as in search and rescue missions alongside
many other law enforcement units.
Want more fun, fauna facts?
Go ahead and smash that subscribe button and
hit the notification icon to not miss a single
fact.
If you like THIS video, go ahead and push
the like button, or that other button also
works.
If you’d like to help us grow, consider
becoming a patron on Patreon or clicking the
Paypal link on AnimalFacts.us.
And as always catch ya next time.
