General Requirements

• Canine officers work as regular law enforcement officers and, after a certain amount of experience in the field, they can apply to work on the K9 unit. Canine officers are required to be as physically fit as their K9 partners because they both train to run, climb, and jump as part of their duties. In addition, canine officers must practice public speaking skills. Canine officers and their dog partners are commonly asked to speak with community groups and schools about satefy. Officers learn how to train their dogs to conduct demonstrations at large events.
  
  Officers must receive training and certification before they are allowed to work with police dogs in the field. There are three large training facilities for officers and dogs run by the Customs and Border Protection Agency. These facilities train not only the officers of the CBP, but other state, local and federal law enforcement.
  
  

Salary & Benefits

• The K9 officer's salary and benefits is similar to that of a regular police officer. The Bureau of Labor Statistics's Police and Detectives salary report for 2010 shows that the median salary for general police officers, including K9 officers, is $58,739.
  
  

Types

• The exact nature of a career as a K9 officer and trainer depends on the officer's type of work environment. For instance, larger police departments such as the LAPD and NYPD have their own canine units. Federal agencies include the CBP, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Local police units use police dogs to track and find individuals. CBP officers will train their dogs to work at borders and check for smuggled humans and drugs. TSA police dogs may be assigned to check airport baggage for illegal drugs and contraband. DEA canine agents will be use to sniff out drugs and to search for humans in natural disasters and terrorist attacks.
  
  

Dog Training

• According to the K9 Global Training Academy's website, obedience and teamwork are among the most important aspects of training police dogs. The officer is responsible for the actions of the dog; therefore it's important to train the dog well to understand and obey all commands. The officer must teach the dog basic commands such as "stay," "sit," "lie down" and to release an object. The dog must also be trained to go around, crawl under and jump over objects on command. The dog must be able to go up and down stairs and sometimes ladders. Also, the police officer must train the dog in more aggressive measures, such as biting methods that effectively stop a suspect while also avoiding serious injury. Typically, a good police dog will be large, strong and young un-neutered males because of their aggressive personalities.
  
  Often, K9 officers become the owner of their dogs and invite them to live among their families. This helps train the dog to adjust to different environments and conditions. For example, the officer can socialize the dog with many different people, allow the dog to adjust to crowded spaces, loud noises and busy traffic.
  
  

Problems

• K9 units inside police departments carry a huge liability concern because improper actions by K9 officers and the dog can lead to lawsuits. Generally, problems can be traced back to the lack of proper training and certifications of police dogs or the officer. Eden Consulting, a canine law-enforcement consulting firm, states that the improper pairing of handler and dog, insufficient training and misuse are the leading factors in lawsuits again K9 police units.