Issue link: http://trmagonline.epubxp.com/i/117780
Less-Lethal I New in Less-Lethal SPECIAL REPORT K9 Standards & Training l K9 Training Must Keep Up 1. When confronted by a suspect, don���t just use the dog. 2. Send the dog in conjunction with multiple less-lethal options such as: multiple bean bag rounds, pepper ball, fash-bangs, gas, and even 37 or 40 mm less-lethal rounds. 3. This gives the dog a better chance of survival in confronting armed suspects one on one. 1 2 or the dog is distracted with ofcers standing next to the handler. My response is the dog needs to adapt to how you want him to work, not to how the dog wants to work. 3 fast pace for a while, but through repetitive and proper training, it can be done. For your own safety and your family���s well-being, you must slow your dog down to a quick walking pace so you do not lose your backup ofcers during the track.�� Tracking Speed One of the biggest complaints I hear from handlers is they lose their backup ofcers very quickly after starting a track. When I ask them why they lose their backup ofcers, their response is they can���t keep up because the dog tracks at a very high pace. When I asked the handlers why they let their dog track so fast, I am constantly told that���s how they were taught and they were told to let the dog track at his own speed. Once again, how we are taught to track in K9 school does not always translate into a safe and tactical deployment in real-world operations. When I ask handlers if they have ever tried slowing their dog down on a track, some say they have tried, but the dog did not like it. Once again, make sure the dog adapts to how you want him to work, not to how the dog wants to work. Tracking with Backup When I ask the handlers what they do when they lose their backup offcers on a track, almost everyone says they continue to track alone, without backup. In the last few years, there have been several handlers and dogs shot and killed while tracking alone. No suspect is worth dying for. It will not be easy to slow your dog down if he has been tracking at a 18 Tactical Response Mar-Apr 2013 Know Your Limitation Tink back to when you graduated from the basic police academy. Remember how young and inexperienced you really were for the street. It took time for you to get acclimated to police work and to be able to function at a level that other ofcers trusted you. Te same is true for a new police dog but unfortunately, ofcers don���t realize this. Tey think their dog should be ready to go and perform as well as other dogs. With any luck, your frst night or even your frst few weeks on the street, you and your dog will not be thrown into a highrisk situation. Hopefully, you will have time to train your dog on how to perform in a high-risk operation. As a K9 handler, you must be prepared mentally and physically. If you fnd yourself in a tactical situation with your dog, you must ask yourself, are you and your dog properly trained and ready to handle this situation? Depending on the situation, before you deploy with your dog, you should ask yourself some questions. Have I ever trained for this kind of situation before? Have I ever trained to conduct a K9 tactical search with patrol or SWAT ofcers? Do I have the control that is needed to conduct this kind of search? Do I have the proper safety/tactical equipment I need?