Keeping your car reasonably cool (not
overly comfortable or your dog may
choose not to work — instead preferring to get back in the car) and
keeping the dog properly hydrated are
vital. Prior to a deployment in the
summer, I usually crank up the A/C
and get the car cool while we’re out.
Upon our return, I’ll remove the vest
and put him in the cooled car for a
while — just until the panting slows
down a bit — before I return the
temperature to a more normal setting.
Once I do that, the vest goes back on.
My vet initially expressed some
concern about the added weight
(approximately 5 to 7 lbs for his vest,
which would be equivalent to 13 lbs
for me). Although I understand the
concern, one must weigh the benefits
of him wearing the vest. A lot will
depend on the area in which you work
and the nature of the calls you respond
to. Once again, we must tap into our
common sense bank as the dog ages. I
see no reason why a properly condi-
tioned and driven working dog cannot
wear a vest throughout his shift. The
worst thing for me would be for my
dog to get injured by something that
would have been prevented by his
vest, had we not left it lying in the
trunk of our car.
Jeff Barrett replies: It’s been my experience over the years that bulletproof
vests are more of an event-specific
piece of equipment for K- 9 than one
of routine application. Everyone in my
unit is issued a vest for his or her dog,
and we periodically train with the dogs
wearing them.
It’s important to train with the vests,
and you might be surprised at how
your dog will react the first time he has
it on. All of my dogs have needed a
few minutes to adjust to the vest’s bulk
and added weight. Generally, once you
begin doing some training that requires
the dog’s attention to be diverted from
the awkwardness of the vest, they’re
fine. Because we live in Florida, dogs
can’t work their entire shift while
wearing a vest — it would diminish
the dog’s ability to dissipate heat
adequately enough to avoid the dan-
gers of heat stroke or heat stress. Even
in specific events, such as SWAT
callouts where the dog will be used,
the amount of “wait time” before
deploying can cause the dog to over-
heat if he’s wearing his vest.
Pam Rogers replies: Organizations
have only the best intentions when
supplying vests to agencies. We have
found that there are a few restraints in
the application of the dog wearing a
vest. Heat is a serious issue and,
depending on your area, dogs become
overheated more quickly wearing a
vest. Also, the fit of the vest is normally not tailored to the individual
dog, thus it becomes a hindrance and
decreases mobility during use. And
finally, if a vest is to be worn during
deployments, it is imperative that the
handler expose the dog to wearing the
vest under any and all conditions that
could mirror potential deployment
situations. ■
trainers in this issue
Jeff Barrett has more than 21 years as
an officer with the Lakeland (FL)
Police Department. He is the senior
K- 9 coordinator/trainer for his nine-dog unit. Contact him at
jbarrett5@tampabay.rr.com.
Tracy Bowling has trained dogs for law
enforcement since 1968, including
patrol, detection, and tracking dogs.
He operates Ventosa Kennel in
Scotland Neck, North Carolina. His
new book, Police K9 Tracking: A Guide
for Training and Deploying the Police
Tracking Dog, is available at
www.ventosakennel.com. Contact
him at tbowling@ventosakennel.com.
Ron Gunton has worked for the
Mentor (OH) Police Department for
more than 22 years. He has been a
K- 9 handler/trainer for more than
12 years and works a patrol/narcotics
K- 9 also trained for SWAT applications. Ron is an accredited master
trainer of Utility/Patrol & Narcotics
Detection with the North American
Police Work Dog Association and a
canine evaluator for the State of
Ohio. Contact him at
thunderzone@oh.rr.com.
Michael Colton is a veteran police
officer and K- 9 handler with 22 years
of law-enforcement experience. He
has trained police service dogs for the
past 13 years. Contact him at
imovasko@directv.net.
Mary Davis is a K- 9 handler and
trainer for the Montgomery County
(MD) Police Department. She is a
USPCA-certified Level II trainer and
a tracking and detector judge. Contact
her at kninercop@comcast.net.
Wendell Nope is the director of the
Utah POST service dog program and
the only certified teaching judge in
the United States. Contact him at
wendellnope@sisna.com.
Pam Rogers, owner of Kasseburg
Canine Training Center, has trained
law-enforcement canines, handlers,
and instructors for 24 years. She is
located in New Market, Alabama.
Contact her at kasseburg@aol.com.
Dick van Leenen is a lieutenant with
the Netherlands’ National Police
Agency’s (KLPD) K- 9 Unit, located in
the town of Nunspeet in Holland. He
also heads the National Bureau of
Law Enforcement, K- 9 Certification,
and Quality Control, which means
that he is responsible for all Dutch
PSDs being certified.
