Why do police officers use german shepherds instead of other breeds?

	Why do police officers use german shepherds instead of other breeds? What makes them the ideal K-9 officer? Asked By: Just Me - 6/15/2011

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[Megan]: A German shepherd is a person who either looks after sheep in Germany or is a German who looks after sheep somewhere. My breed's real name translates as German Shepherd Dog - 3 words in the special noun, so 3 capital initials needed, with GSD for short. [Gothamce..]: Why are you writing about non-existent critters that you call "german Shepard's"? And your "Belgian malinois" should be either "Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois" or "BSD Malinois". [Just M]: Several breeds get used by the police, by the military, by the Customs Dept, depending on which specific need is most important. But the GSD is the best all-rounder there is, and so it makes sense to use them for ALL tasks unless you can afford to train handlers to modify their methods to train a superb-at-just-ONE-task breed to do ONLY that task. This is the case with "airport baggage dogs", where it is important to detect contraband without scaring the innocent passengers, and so the checking is done by a smaller, non-threatening pooch EXCEPT when it is believed that the pers0n bringing the drugs or explosives in is a violent criminal/terrorist, in which case a GSD is brought in. It is also the case with Bloodhounds - they were developed/selected to scent-trail, not to hold a felon in place or protect their handler. The first thing for you to realise is that the true GSD is a SHEEP HERDING breed - and those breeds have been selected for millennia to take responsibility and to want to PLEASE their human. (Ignore the KC-registered pets and most of the show-dog GSDs - they were NOT bred with the instincts a sheep-dog needs.) That initiative & responsibility is vital to a PD handler - he doesn't always have the time (or breath!) to order the pooch as to what to do. That willingness to please is ESSENTIAL in a military/police/security dog - the handler MUST be able to control the dog so that it doesn't attack an innocent bystander; must be able to call it off when the felon stops fighting. Agility (to get over obstacles when chasing a felon) and small size (to get inside culverts and cars) allied with courage/determination "man-stopping power" and ease of grooming/cleaning make the GSD and BSD (the short coated varieties such as the Malinois) the best bets for almost all defence/police work. All those traits are part of the International Standard of each breed: BSD: http://www.fci.be/uploaded_files/015gb2002_en.doc GSD: http://www.fci.be/uploaded_files/166g01-en-sv.doc because those breeds are required to patrol & protect the unfenced crops from the sheep and the sheep from any predators, in all weather conditions. Note: • 1943 · Chips, a GSD x Husky x Collie donated to the 3rd Infantry Division as a sentry dog by his New York master, served in 8 campaigns that took him through North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany. On 10 July, during the invasion of Sicily, his unit was pinned down by machine gun fire. Chips charged the post and, despite taking several bullets, mauled the occupants & forced their surrender. Dwight D Eisenhower met him & awarded him a Silver Star and a Purple Heart, making him the most-decorated war dog of WW2 (The army later withdrew them, scared of the awards insulting human soldiers or their families) Although Huskies don't normally herd sheep, herding & guarding IS part of their job-description. ◙ Add http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_GSD_Source to your browser's Bookmarks or Favorites so that you can easily look up such as rescue groups, feeding, vaccinations, worming, clubs, teething, neutering, size, diseases, genetics. ◙ To ask about GSDs, join some of the 400+ YahooGroups dedicated to various aspects of living with them. Each group's Home page tells you which aspects they like to discuss, and how active they are. Unlike YA, they are set up so that you can have an ongoing discussion with follow-up questions for clarification. Most allow you to include photos in your messages. Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly "In GSDs" as of 1967 Answered By: King Les The Lofty - 6/19/2011

Additional Answers ()

German shepherds have a very strong bite and a good sense of smell. They are also fast, athletic, and aggressive by nature. Other breeds are not as intimidating as German shepherds. Answered By: Megan :~) - 6/15/2011

They are extremely smart, big but not too heavy, have an incredible bite force and tend to not let go, extremely loyal, and are overall a confident breed which is very important to be a k9 officer. Answered By: ? - 6/15/2011

Public order enforcement dogs The job these dogs hold is to chase after a fleeing suspect and hold him for officers, or detain suspects from some action by threat of the dog being released. This is the traditional image of a police dog. Akita Inu American Pit Bull Terrier American Staffordshire Terrier Belgian Malinois Boxer Doberman pinscher Dutch Shepherd German Shepherd Rottweiler Schnauzer - Standard or Giant Illicit substance detection dogs These dogs sit with their handlers in airports, sniffing the passengers from afar for illegal substances a person may carry in their luggage or carry-on items; these are most commonly drugs or explosives, although many nations also interdict foreign food items. Beagle Basset Hound English Cocker Spaniel English Springer Spaniel Foxhound Labrador Retriever Sulimov Dog Schnauzer (all sizes) Weimaraner Tracking dogs These dogs are used for sniffing the trails of lost or missing persons or objects. German Shepherd Bloodhound Coonhound Cadaver-sniffing dogs These dogs are trained to detect the odor of decomposing bodies, in order to find corpses and human remains. Their noses are so sensitive, they can even smell a body from under running water. Beagle Bloodhound Source(s): All used as police dogs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_police_dog_breeds For the people that wanted my source well google, wikipedia, and years of experience working with dogs trained for different jobs included Police work. And lets not call people out it makes you look ignorant and rude. Answered By: Mrs. Crawler - 6/15/2011

They do use other dogs. Malinois are becoming increasingly more popular. But they are suitable because of their drives and temperament. They are a good all around dog. They aren't the best at all disciplines but do excel at them. They can track effectively, are suitable for protection work, can excel at detection work, although they may not be the best breed for each of those individually. They are athletic and suitable for different climates. Availability and cost also come into play when we are talking about looking for dogs. A rarer breed may be just as good, but will cost more. That is another reason why we see the increase in use of the Mal. A good Mal is much cheaper than a good GSD. @Ms. Crawler - you are supposed to cite the sources you steal, er, quote your information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_police_dog_breeds I have never known any department to use the majority of the dogs listed. Detection dogs can be ANY breed or mix, as long as it has the right drive. @Gotham - which military? the US military uses more than just German ShepHERDs, as does the Canadian military. See the link http://community-2.webtv.net/Hahn-50thAP-K9/K9History10/ Answered By: Kaper - 6/15/2011

German Shepherds are highly intelligent (supposedly in the top three smartest dogs). They learn very quick and are very loyal. They are naturally protective (herding dogs had to be able to intimidate predators in the fields to protect the livestock), especially of their family, but also cautious of strangers. A good example of a German Shepherd will not rush to be friends with someone, but also won't show signs of aggression unnecessarily. They are bred to carry themselves very proudly and be absolutely fearless. All of these things go in to making the perfect K-9 officer, but, of course, not every German Shepherd is cut out for the job and not every K-9 officer is a German Shepherd. Belgian Malinois are used sometimes, and, in Italy, they've even employed Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs. Source(s): I Like German Shepherds A Lot... =) Answered By: Michelle - 6/15/2011

German Shepherds are sociable with other breeds, athletic(fast runners, lots of energy, etc.) and they have excellent senses (smell, touch, hearing, etc.) Also German shepherds usually bond with one person, which is their trainer or owner, so they only obey those who they are fond to. They are strong dogs and big dogs which means they can take the victim or crook down fast, without killing them, as they are trained to do and always obey commands. Source(s): Mee!!:D Answered By: Nicole - 6/15/2011

I agree with all the answers given exp. the person who gave specific breeds for specific jobs. One thing I know for sure is the military uses german Shepard's exclusively because of there temperature adaptability. They can train in say N.C. heat in the summer then transfer to a cold climate and need little time to adapt, and they can go from cold/moderate climate to the desert. You can't do this with short haired dogs like dobermans. These dogs are our partners, not our pets," Nelson said. And while they can be their handler's best friend, they can be a foe's worst enemy. When their aggression level is high and they're looking for something to bite, that's when they become "war dogs," and they can be as intimidating and formidable as any armed Soldier. The average German shepherd's bite can exert up to 1,200 pounds of pressure per square inch, Nelson said. "Seven-year-old Arrow, a German shepherd and Belgian malinois mix, has an impressive record, Nelson said. Arrow assisted the U.S. Secret Service in about 50 missions, including providing security at the 2004 Democratic and Republican national conventions. Arrow and Nelson, his handler at the time, also helped provide security for President Bush and John Kerry on the 2004 campaign trail. Fort Belvoir's team of German shepherds and Belgian malinois are dual-certified as either patrol-narcotics or patrol-explosives dogs, and are trained to detect a variety of explosives or narcotics. When commanded to search, the dogs are extremely focused and obsessively search for contraband, obeying the handler's precise one-word commands they were taught in training. The dog teams are held to high standards and are subject to monthly proficiency tests and quarterly validations, Nelson said. German shepherds and Belgian malinois are specifically chosen for the type of work they do because of their endurance, speed, strength, courage, intelligence and adaptability to almost any climate, Nelson said. Though their hearing is better than that of humans, their keenest sense is of smell. "The dogs smell the way we humans see. They can smell an infinite number of different scents in an area, just as we see many different images at once, in one place," Nelson said" Source(s): In quotes is an exerpt from Military Working Dogs: The Army's Four-Footed Heroes. It does say Malinois are used. For sentry, scout and guard, Sheppards far out number any other breed. Answered By: Gothamcentral - 6/15/2011

They have a great sense of smell and are good working dogs. Answered By: ASPCA - 6/15/2011

Theu do use other breed. In my area Mals and Belgian Sheepdogs are far more commonly used than GSD. Labs and Border Collies are also commonly used in this areas as detection only dogs (as opposed to patrol or duel purpose dogs) If Goth is referring to the US military they are incorrect. Far more Mals used be the US military than GSDs Mals, GSD and to a lesser extend Belgian Sheepdogs and Tervuians are the breeds that tend to be more commonly used as patrol or duel purpose dogs for several reasons: Their coat type makes them suitable for work in most climate (as oppose to a single coated breed or a breed with a very heavy coat which would make them unsuitable for a lot of climates) They have a size and build that provide the agility needed to do the work, the strength behind it, as well as being of a size that makes them easily manageable for most handlers to lift if needed to deploy the dog in certain situations (ie through a window or into an attic) The dogs used for the work are generally purpose bred for the work so have a suitable temperament and drive for the work, they are highly trainable breeds etc Answered By: BMTHESPIAN - 6/15/2011

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