Could your dog be a Police dog?

We can do an assessment to tell you if we think your dog is suitable

We frequently get requests from the public asking for advice on whether their dog would be a good Police dog. Hopefully this new page will answer some of your questions.

The Police do sometimes get a bad press regarding the training of their dogs and in my personal experience there are good and not so good Forces.

If your dog is very play motivated, would kill you for a toy and is confident with strangers, then yes, it might be a future Police dog!

Your dog must approach people with confidence, even excessive boisterousness, not be standing barking at them at a distance. They must be toy obsessed and not easily distracted.

Don't think that if you have a breed such as a GSD or Rottie that it has to be nasty or even to have bitten to be considered, it doesn't. As long as it is confident, even boisterous and playful, it could be good enough. If it has bitten, that doesn't automatically make it a Police dog, although quite a few dogs are given up to Forces because of aggression problems.

Some Forces are a bit over fussy... some only take uncastrated males and only GSD's. some are more flexible and even take crosses. So if you have offered a dog to your local Force and it is the wrong sex or a crossbreed, talk to us or try other Forces.

Good Forces train kindly and fairly. We deal with 3 that we have known several years and have visited their schools and met handlers and trainers. Our dogs come back if they fail for any reason.

We can do an assessment to tell you if we think your dog is suitable and help you to find a Police Force for it. It can be a great life for the right dog. Remember that plenty of dogs are needed for sniffer work, not just to chase the criminals!

Police criteria

1. Lots of different breeds are considered: GSD's, Rottweilers mostly. Also a few will take crossbreeds if they have the right look and size.
2. Most breeds of Gun Dog are considered: Spaniels, Labs, Retrievers, Weimaraners, Pointers etc. and some collies.
3. Your dog must be no more than 2 years old ( a couple of months over that in a very good dog might not be a problem). Either sex and either neutered or not.
4. Some forces will only take entire males, some any sex. All dogs usually need to be at least 12 months old.
5. Police dogs live with their handlers and in the vast majority of cases the handlers keep their dogs after retirement.
6. Note: they do NOT come and take your dog to test it. They will come to your home and do an initial assessment there and then. Only if the dog shows potential will they arrange to take it to kennels. You will be asked to sign a document stating whether you want the dog back. I recommend you do not let the Police rehome your dog.

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