Dogs are extremely versatile and are by far not only suitable as ordinary family dogs. In addition, they are also used as police dogs and support their two-legged colleagues there in many ways.
What the work of a police dog looks like, which breeds are suitable for the police service and where the animals are trained, you will learn in the following. We will also explain to you why nutrition is so important for the health of a police dog and what is important when it comes to feeding animals according to their needs.
Police dogs are used in very different areas. Among other things, they are used as sniffer dogs to detect narcotics, explosives and other dangerous substances. Apart from that, the police also make use of their good sense of smell when searching for people, the so-called mantrailing.
In addition, however, many police dogs also work as guard dogs, whose task is, for example, to pursue and place fleeing suspects.
The police authorities take over the training of their future police dogs themselves. To this end, they usually buy the animals when they are between one and two years old.
Before the training can begin, the four-legged friends must pass an aptitude test. On average, only one out of every 100 animals is certified as fully fit to be a police dog.
The basic training in the police dog school, which the prospective service dog goes through together with his future handler, lasts 70 days. During this time the four-legged friend learns all important basics, which he needs for his future task.
After his training the police dog must prove his abilities in an examination. As long as the animal is on active duty, the test must be repeated once a year so that the suitability of the four-legged friend can be guaranteed permanently.
Every police dog has a dog handler as a permanent reference person. However, the police dog handler is not only responsible for the four-legged friend during missions. In addition, the animal usually lives with him at home, so that he is also his master and therefore takes care of the police dog around the clock.
The costs for dog food or visits to the veterinarian are of course borne by the respective police authorities. If a police dog is too old for the active service at some point, he can normally spend the rest of his life with his dog handler or his family.
As not least also the high failure rate with the aptitude test makes clear, not every four-legged friend is suitable long as a police dog. Finally the animals must be physically efficient and be able to show completely certain character traits, as for example a high nature firmness, a good obedience and a pronounced courage.
In addition, however, various other pedigree dogs and hybrids can theoretically also be trained as police dogs, provided they have the basic suitability for this. As sniffer dogs are suitable for example also different hunting dogs like Spaniel, Terrier or Retriever.
Apart from the character suitability it is of course necessary that a dog intended for the police service is absolutely healthy. Finally, the four-legged friend expects a strenuous work, which demands a lot from him both mentally and physically.
Animals with complaints like joint problems or other physical restrictions are therefore not suitable as police dogs.
Service dogs, which are used by the police and other authorities, such as customs and federal police, have to cope with special challenges every day. Their daily lives are often not only marked by increased physical activity. In addition, they are often exposed to stressful situations, which represent a burden for the animals that should not be underestimated.
In order for a police dog to be able to perform its tasks optimally and to avoid damage to its health from the strenuous service, a diet tailored to its needs is of crucial importance.
In this connection it is necessary to consider the increased energy consumption of the four-legged friends among other things. A high-quality dry food such as Bellfor Premium PUR Aktiv is perfectly suited to cover this.
The gluten-free food contains a lot of meat and fish as well as rice and maize as digestible sources of carbohydrates to provide active dogs with optimal energy.
In addition to feeding Bellfor Premium PUR Aktiv, it often makes sense for utility dogs and police dogs to use suitable food supplements as support when feeding. In this way, the health and well-being of the reliable animals can be optimally promoted.
A police dog has to endure a lot and is often under stress for many hours during missions. Bellfor Shiimun Calm can be a useful dietary supplement to take this into account and to help the animals to get to rest.
Shiimun Calm is a completely natural preparation with Shiitake and is perfect for reducing nervousness and stress to help police dogs survive the challenges of their daily lives.