FruityBud
02-13-2008, 01:08 AM
Police dog trainer Jan Ballard assembles packets marked "marijuana," "cocaine" and "meth," saying: "You have to train them on the real stuff."
Ringo -- a lean German shepherd police-dog-in-training for the Minnetonka Police Department -- is her pupil today.
The 18-month-old dog, leashed by his handler, officer Troy Denneson, bounds into the church classrooms where Ballard has hidden the narcotics. He is ready for the hunt.
After 12 weeks of patrol training with 12 other dogs in classes run by St. Paul police, Ringo has learned to track suspects, search buildings and respond to Denneson's commands. Now he is completing his formal education with three weeks of narcotics training provided by Performance Kennels, run by Steve Pearson of the Brooklyn Park Police joined by Ballard, a former Minnetonka police officer.
A crucial tool for police
At a cost of $7,200, Ringo was imported when he was 13 months old from the Czech Republic, where he was bred as a work dog -- not as a show dog, as so many dogs are in this country, Denneson said.
Minnetonka pays $70 per month for his food and covers vet bills as they arise. He lives in a secure kennel outside the Denneson family home, and Denneson feeds and cares for him as if he were his own.
Minnetonka added police dogs to its staff in 1976 and over the years has had 17. The city currently has one other dog, Kreiger, also a German shepherd, who has been working the street for a year and a half with officer Ryan Piper.
Surrounding communities that also have police dogs include Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina, Plymouth, New Hope, Brooklyn Park and Minneapolis.
In Minnetonka the dogs are brought in to search buildings anytime a business is burglarized, and dogs stand by anytime the officers are making an arrest, Denneson said. "Usually people don't run away from police dogs. It's common sense."
The department also uses the dogs on a spot-check basis to search for drugs in school lockers. "The kids see us in the halls and they know why the dogs are there, so it's a deterrent."
Though the threat of a dog attacking can intimidate a suspect into cooperating, only rarely are dogs permitted to bite, Denneson said. Their primary purpose is to locate suspects or contraband, and they are only allowed to bite on command -- with one exception: "If I am being personally attacked by another person, then they are allowed to bite without that command."
Denneson volunteered for canine duty because it "brings two of my favorite areas together -- working with police and dogs."
Dogs have unique personalities like people do, he said. "That is what is fun about it."
Training weeds out dogs that do not have the right temperament for police work. Typically, 20 to 25 percent of the dogs in any class don't have what it takes, Dennesen said. "It would be like hiring any other employee -- they don't all work out for the job they are assigned to do."
Denneson said Ringo appears to be suited for the job. He has been trained to find people who run from a crime or people who are hiding in a building. "Dogs are able to clear areas and buildings by themselves without us having to expose officers," he said.
Hide and seek
To guide Ringo through the drug training, Denneson slides his hand over the surfaces he wants the dog to sniff, taking him to all levels of the room, even lifting him up to check the top of high cupboards.
When Ringo finds the narcotics that Ballard has hidden, he touches the packet with his nose and sits down.
Praise is critical, says officer Pearson, who is training two dogs for his department.
To make the lessons stick, handlers must be enthusiastic and fun. Dogs like bubbly, perky reinforcement, Pearson says. "That's why a lot of men fail as handlers. They lack perk."
Dennesen pops a tennis ball into Ringo's mouth while hugging him, petting him and repeating, "Good boy. That's a good boy." Ringo is clearly pleased with his reward.
Although Ringo's classes are nearly finished, training never really ends, Denneson says. "To develop them to their fullest potential, it takes years."
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/15495046.html
Ringo -- a lean German shepherd police-dog-in-training for the Minnetonka Police Department -- is her pupil today.
The 18-month-old dog, leashed by his handler, officer Troy Denneson, bounds into the church classrooms where Ballard has hidden the narcotics. He is ready for the hunt.
After 12 weeks of patrol training with 12 other dogs in classes run by St. Paul police, Ringo has learned to track suspects, search buildings and respond to Denneson's commands. Now he is completing his formal education with three weeks of narcotics training provided by Performance Kennels, run by Steve Pearson of the Brooklyn Park Police joined by Ballard, a former Minnetonka police officer.
A crucial tool for police
At a cost of $7,200, Ringo was imported when he was 13 months old from the Czech Republic, where he was bred as a work dog -- not as a show dog, as so many dogs are in this country, Denneson said.
Minnetonka pays $70 per month for his food and covers vet bills as they arise. He lives in a secure kennel outside the Denneson family home, and Denneson feeds and cares for him as if he were his own.
Minnetonka added police dogs to its staff in 1976 and over the years has had 17. The city currently has one other dog, Kreiger, also a German shepherd, who has been working the street for a year and a half with officer Ryan Piper.
Surrounding communities that also have police dogs include Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina, Plymouth, New Hope, Brooklyn Park and Minneapolis.
In Minnetonka the dogs are brought in to search buildings anytime a business is burglarized, and dogs stand by anytime the officers are making an arrest, Denneson said. "Usually people don't run away from police dogs. It's common sense."
The department also uses the dogs on a spot-check basis to search for drugs in school lockers. "The kids see us in the halls and they know why the dogs are there, so it's a deterrent."
Though the threat of a dog attacking can intimidate a suspect into cooperating, only rarely are dogs permitted to bite, Denneson said. Their primary purpose is to locate suspects or contraband, and they are only allowed to bite on command -- with one exception: "If I am being personally attacked by another person, then they are allowed to bite without that command."
Denneson volunteered for canine duty because it "brings two of my favorite areas together -- working with police and dogs."
Dogs have unique personalities like people do, he said. "That is what is fun about it."
Training weeds out dogs that do not have the right temperament for police work. Typically, 20 to 25 percent of the dogs in any class don't have what it takes, Dennesen said. "It would be like hiring any other employee -- they don't all work out for the job they are assigned to do."
Denneson said Ringo appears to be suited for the job. He has been trained to find people who run from a crime or people who are hiding in a building. "Dogs are able to clear areas and buildings by themselves without us having to expose officers," he said.
Hide and seek
To guide Ringo through the drug training, Denneson slides his hand over the surfaces he wants the dog to sniff, taking him to all levels of the room, even lifting him up to check the top of high cupboards.
When Ringo finds the narcotics that Ballard has hidden, he touches the packet with his nose and sits down.
Praise is critical, says officer Pearson, who is training two dogs for his department.
To make the lessons stick, handlers must be enthusiastic and fun. Dogs like bubbly, perky reinforcement, Pearson says. "That's why a lot of men fail as handlers. They lack perk."
Dennesen pops a tennis ball into Ringo's mouth while hugging him, petting him and repeating, "Good boy. That's a good boy." Ringo is clearly pleased with his reward.
Although Ringo's classes are nearly finished, training never really ends, Denneson says. "To develop them to their fullest potential, it takes years."
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/15495046.html
