ABSTRACT
When I was asked to contribute to this book, I thought that this would be a great opportunity to share the stories of lessons learned from experienced K-9 handlers out in the eld.* I wanted to create a chapter that could benet those who think they may want to be a K-9 handler one day, may be new
Introduction 173 Training the Handler to Stay out of the Way 174 Advanced Warning 176 Second-Guessing Every Move 178 Sometimes You Have to Search the Police Car 181 Avoiding Outside Experts 182 Clear and Concise Communication 184 When to Call o a K-9 Search 185 Let the Dog Tell You Where to Go 187 Imagination: A Dog’s Only Limitation 187 Taking the Bus 188 e Dog’s Nose Knows 189 inking Outside the Box 191 Know Your Limitations and Capabilities as a K-9 Team 192 More than Just a Tool 193 A Real Cat-Tastrophe 195 A Special Bond 198 e Power of a Dog’s Eyes 199 “Finding Your Passion” 202 Addendum 207
to the K-9 eld, or just love stories about dogs. Instead of sharing a chapter of entirely my own stories, I decided the readers of this book would be best served by reading stories from multiple K-9 handlers in the police, military, and federal service not only in the United States, but from around the world. erefore, I reached out to a variety of K-9 handlers to make this chapter as diverse as possible. is chapter includes stories from several seasoned and highly respected K-9 handlers from places such as Denmark and the Philippines, as well as many stories from K-9 handlers in the United States. My goal in putting together this collection of stories was to show potential police ocers or K-9 handlers the joys, trials, and tribulations of being a K-9 handler. I have included photos of some of the dogs and their handlers to help bring a face or muzzle to some of these stories. Being a K-9 handler has been the highlight of my career, and I have had the pleasure of handling over een partners operationally and being involved in the training of hundreds of working dogs for law enforcement, military, and force protection entities at all levels worldwide. It has been by far the most rewarding thing I have ever been involved with professionally. I hope you enjoy these stories and lessons learned gathered from the eld and maybe hold a newfound respect for our four-legged partners.
