Police Service Dog Handler Patrol/Detection
Course Outline

Syllabus

(updated August 21, 2004)

 

Introduction
Required Skills for successful deployment of a PSD team
Basic Training for the PSD
Maintenance Training for the PSD
Health and First Aid for the PSD
Standards
Police Service Dog vocabulary and behavior
Documentation Skills
Safety and Tactics
Court Testimony
Canine search and seizure & civil liability

Performance Requirements
Attendance
Quizzes
Written
Instructor inquiry/student response
Written final examination
Skills evaluation
Instructor observations
Performance examination (certification)
Options

History of the Police Working Dog
Military
United States
Europe
Civilian Law Enforcement
United States
Europe

European Dog Sports
Impact on PSD
Breeding
Training
Acquisition
Types of sports

Terminology and Behavior for the Police service Dog handler
Drives and Character Traits
Uses and limitations of current vernacular

Selection Testing and Breeds for Service work
Patrol
Detector
Breeds
GSD
Belgian Malinois
Rottweiler
Giant Schnauzer
Bouvier
Labrador
Golden retriever
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Cross breeds and misc. breeds

Standards and Certifications
PSP (North Rhine- Westfalia)
DPO
WPO
NAPWDA
USPCA
Departmental
Misc.

Health and Housing of the Police Service Dog
Routine Veterinary Care
Vaccinations
Worming
Spay or neuter?
Diseases & parasites
Feeding
Schedule
Type of food
Supplementation
Joint care
Age
Prescribed
Housing
Kennel
House
In home
Responsibility of care
Public Perceptions
Duty to a companion animal
Canine anatomy and physiology
Normal state
Heart Rate
Temperature
Respiratory rate
Olfaction
Sensitivity
Studies
Auditory system
Acuity

Emergency care for the Police Service Dog
Emergency evaluation system
Basic first aid concepts

Training Foundations
Prey drive development
Substitute prey items
Remote line
Play drive development
Need for developing
Stress reduction
Detection, evidence recovery, and tracking primary motivators

Motivating the activity of Police Service Dogs and training
Pavlovian conditioning
Operant conditioning
A model of learning
Natural behaviors
Coppinger

Skills and training for the service dog

Obedience and control
Heeling
Tactical movement
Movement under distraction
Down (stand still…stay still)
Sit
Recall
Agility
Jumping
Climbing
Carrying and hand offs
Low areas and confined spaces
Tracking
Urban
Wilderness
Trackability
Cross tracks and directionality
Evidence recovery along track (indication)
Evidence (optional)
Passive indication
Retrieval
Detection
Narcotics
Contraband (corrections option)
Explosives
Cadaver
Apprehension
Drive development
Grip development
Pursuit
Detaining behavior (B&H)
Release
Recall
Call-off
Redirect
Building Search
Entry
Search
Wind scenting
Tactical Wind scenting (option)
Directed Search
Quartering behavior (search as you go)
Vehicle stops
High risk
Unknown risk & investigative
Impact on interdiction
Foot pursuits
Seen & unseen suspects
Vehicle pursuits
Strategies
Chase or hunt?
Helicopter support
Searches
Transport

Specialty training for the service dog

Chemical agents
Corrections, Tactical Operations, and common field operations
Tactical operations (optional)
The tactical environment
Extraction techniques
High-risk locations
Team Movement
Yard to yard searches
Tracking and SWAT
Area Searches and Tactical Teams
Corrections
Cell extractions
Prisoner uprisings
Prisoner transfer and security
Search and Rescue
Disaster search
Lost persons search
Crisis intervention and the PSD


Detector Canine Development

Drive and indication development
Odor change
Indications
Chaining behaviors
Substance introductions
Primary vs. secondary systems
Primary
Secondary
Specific indication behaviors
Indication independence (trained disobedience in scent cone)
Search patterns and duration
Ritual and drive development
Residences and businesses
Packages, parcels, luggage
Vehicles
Interiors
Exteriors
Parking lots and check points
Fields and yards
Schools and government complexes
Persons
Lockers
Search strategies
Narcotics
Explosives
Cadaver
Spotter use
Multiple dogs
Proofing & Distractions (conflicts)
Extinction
Compulsive
Inducements
Compulsion
Extinction
Odor and its characteristics
Quantity Issues
Large
Small
Threshold issues
Acclimation
Pseudo training aids
Pros and cons
Simulants and micro system training aids
SOXX
Explosive simulants

Conducting the detector canine search

Search preparations
Safety
Planning
Cursory search
In custody persons
Extraneous personel
On lead or off lead?
Primary motivator delivery
Handler behaviors
Rhythm
Patterns
Planning
Control (drive vs. discipline)

Legal Information
US Constitution
Patrol Dogs and Use of Force
Federal Cases
State Cases
Protecting from frivolous prosecution and unfounded complaints
Court proceedings
Suppression hearings
Trials
Preparations
Court room demeanor
Testimony
Common voir dir questions
Detector dog case law
EDD
Cadaver
Narcotics
Federal
US Supreme Court
District Court
Tracking
Scent line ups
Blood Hound evidence

Court Testimony
Preperation
Demeanor

Documentation
Handler education
Deployments and success rates
False positives vs. unsubstantiated indications
Certifications

Public Demonstrations and Service dogs
Public demonstrations
Court demonstrations
Public relations and anti-drug
programs
Organization of demonstrations

Competitions
Usefulness
Confidence building

 

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