K-9 regulations with the Police or Boarder Patrol?

Question

What are the regulations for K-9 dogs that work with the police/border patrol? Do the dog's have to be a certain breed? Does the animal's training vary state to state for different circumstances? What about the age? If you can give me some websites for training and other information about this subject that would be great. Personal experience is even better. To give you an idea I'm looking into a career as a BP agent with K-9 unit after I finish my bachelors in Criminal Justice.

Answer 1

I can't speak for the specifics of K9 use with the BP. I do know however that they do have a K9 Unit.
Many other law enforcement agencies have K9 Units as well, and the choice of breeds is usually left up to the individual agency. At our department for example, we deploy Belgian Malinois, a Dutch Shepherd, and Labs. Most agencies also certify their dogs through an outside association. This give the dog team extra credibility in court.
Most of the dogs start their training at 18 mos-2 yrs...although that can vary depending on the individual dog and the assignment.
There are a lot of websites that can give you info on working K9s. Check out Bob Eden's site policek9.com. There are a lot of links there. If you type in police dog training into your search engine, you will get a ton of responses. Remember, for every 100 so-called "trainers" you will get 100 different theories and methods, many of which may be workable, and some that are jokes. Do your homework and stay with reputable people. A hint: keep your eyes and your mind open to different ideas.
Good luck as a handler, it's a lot of work. Stay safe!

Answer 2

The Border Patrol do use the abilities of canine (k-9) in their duties.

The duties of canine vary from search and rescue, patrol, cadaver, and narcotics detection.

Each state that employs the use of canines have specific requirements for canine "certification." The certification is normally an annual event of which the dog must pass stringent tests to maintain its certification or ability to be used in the field.

There are numerous websites concerning "police dogs" and "border patrol" that are available to you.

As an officer with a narcotics K-9, I look forward to seeing you join the "force" and hope to see you "pushing a puppy" in the near future.

My K-9 also sends you a "High Paw."

Best wishes!