U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Police Textbook for Dog Handlers

NCJ Number
133923
Author(s)
B Tolhurst
Date Published
1991
Length
95 pages
Annotation
A longtime police dog handler provides step-by-step instructions for training bloodhounds, labradors, and other dogs to trail humans in rural and urban areas, recover cadavers on land and underwater, find articles, and take part in arson investigations.
Abstract
The guidelines emphasize the importance of staring training early, preferably when the puppy is 7 weeks of age, and in exposing the puppy to the environments and noises that will be encountered during police work. They also note that the problems that police dogs encounter in effectively accomplishing their tasks usually result from the handler's ineffectiveness rather than the dog's incompetence. The use of commands in American Indian language is suggested as a way of avoiding giving information to offenders close enough to overhear conversations. Instructions are also given on assessing the puppy's personality. Glossary

Downloads

No download available

Availability