GREENSBORO, N.C. - If you want to become a police officer, you have to undergo strict training and tests. It's the same for police dogs.
Police dogs are trained to protect their handler, sniff out drugs, patrol areas, and much more.
Each job requires different skill sets and training.
For about 34 years, the Greensboro Police Department's K-9 Unit has been used as a support function for patrols and citizens. It includes 10 handlers and 14 dogs.
The dogs are imported from Europe and GPD selects the dogs from a vendor in the U.S.
Before the dogs are selected, police make sure the pups have the right personaility for the job.
The dog must be social, alert, calm, obedient, and smart to get the job done.
"Aside from bonding with the handler, the dog must also learn narcotic odor detection," said Corporal Dwayne Diaz. "It's something that is fun for the dog and police can get a lot of repetitions in easily."
All dogs cannot become police dogs.
Certain breeds, such as Bloodhounds, are more talented at searching and detecting goods.
"Karson is a 16-month-old Bloodhound in the K-9 Unit," said Corporal Diaz. "Karson is used to locate children and missing people. He started off training in the art of trailing."
German Shepherds, on the other hand, are genetically wired for protection and patrolling tasks.
"Brando is an 8 1/2 year-old German Shepherd," said Corporal Diaz. "He has the same training as Karson The Bloodhound, and some. In addition to being able to track human scent, Brando can find people hiding in a building, find narcotics, find evidence, and apprehend violent felons."
Trailing is when a dog follows human scent to track a suspect or victim.
All police dogs must undergo basic obedience training.
It involves basic commands, such as sit, stay and lay down.
During training, the dog will be evaluated to see if it has passed the test.
If the dog does not pass, then it cannot move forward into the full training program.