These Are the Cutest Police Recruits You’ll Ever Lay Eyes on

It’s hard to believe these fluffy labrador pups will ever fill the uniforms of the New Taipei Police Department K-9 unit. However, police work runs in the family. Their mom is an officer in the same department, and their dad is a bomb-sniffing dog. So, following in their parents’ paw prints, the 2-month-old puppies are preparing for intensive instruction in bomb and drug detection. If they pass the rigorous training, these police pups will be ready to protect and serve the people of New Taipei.

The Best Breeds for Police Work

It’s not “all work and no play” for these new recruits. Although they follow strict routines, trainers emphasize that the puppies need to have fun to bond with their handlers. A spokesman for the New Taipei Police Department explained that Labradors typically have steady temperaments and are good with people. So, this makes labs easier to train in drug and explosives detection, evidence collection, and search-and-rescue.

However, Labradors aren’t the only pups that are in demand. German shepherds and Belgian malinois are two of the most popular police dogs in the world. Their herding instincts make them ideally suited for protecting officers and restraining suspects. Yet they can also seem threatening. This is another reason the New Taipei police favor Labradors. Labs are known to be friendly and affectionate, which is more reassuring for the public.

Law enforcement agencies in the U.S. also sometimes use Labradors in their K-9 units. Trainers not only appreciate their sniffing abilities, but they also praise the dogs’ willingness to please and calm demeanor. Bloodhounds and beagles are likewise sought after for their superior tracking abilities.

K-9 Training

The puppies will be eight to twelve months old before they officially join the police force. All police dogs must pass obedience training, which can take up to six months. At two months old, the pups can begin learning simple commands and socialization skills. Training on specific skills typically does not start until dogs are 12-18 months old, although bloodhounds often start training as early as eight weeks.

Once the dogs have completed the initial work with professional trainers, they are paired with a handler. K-9 teams train together for another 3-6 months. However, the dogs will continue to train with their handlers until retirement.

Some dogs specialize in a particular skill, but others train for multiple tasks. Dogs trained for apprehension learn how to bite and restrain suspects. Detection dogs are trained to recognize scents such as explosives, drugs, blood, and even land mines. Dogs trained for search and rescue can track living people, as well as the remains of the deceased.

Joining the Force

Trainers in the New Taipei police force say that only about a quarter of the trainees become police dogs. K-9 units serve around four to seven years, and the dogs average around seven years old at retirement. Police departments in the U.S. also commonly retire K-9 dogs between 7-10 years of age, depending on the dog’s health.

When their term of service ends, K-9 dogs often retire at their trainers’ homes. Unfortunately, that is not always feasible. However, these new recruits will never lack a loving home when they’re ready for retirement. The New Taipei City Government holds a popular adoption event to find families for all retiring dogs. The city also gives the hard-working pups a party, awarding them medals for their dedicated service to the community.