This book focuses on the how-to aspects of K9 explosives detection training. It examines some of the major training systems used by North American police departments, then offers an approach that combines the most effective features of each. Designed to produce handler/dog teams that can conduct searches in any setting and under a variety of conditions, the book emphasises the gradual build-up of learning experiences and ongoing problem-solving. Some problems areas, such as working with other police speciality units, administrative issues, and working with non-police personnel, are also discussed.

A comprehensive guide to training and certifying K9 explosive detection teams Learn how to: - Train your K9 to detect and safely alert for explosive substances. - Conduct operational searches in buildings, vehicles, ships, and planes. - Train your dog for the specialized work of mine detection. In the high stakes realm of explosive detection, where even the smallest mistake can have fatal consequences, the margin of error is zero. Well trained dog-handler teams can play a key role in explosive detection, but only if their training is top notch. Dr. Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak have worked with police departments around the world to help them establish and improve their K9 explosive detection training programs, and in this book they share their expertise with handlers and trainers looking to enhance their own performance. They teach how to pick the right dog for explosive detection work, how to train the dog to detect explosives, and how to properly execute a variety of training and operational searches. They also provide some of the background knowledge you'll need about common explosives and the many factors that can influence a K9's work. Along with essential health and safety precautions for you and your dog, you'll also learn how to test and certify dogs and handlers to ensure excellent performance in the field.

At the rate that government and nongovernmental organizations are clearing existing landmines, it will take 450-500 years to rid the world of them. Concerned about the slow pace of demining, the Office of Science and Technology asked RAND to assess potential innovative technologies being explored and to project what funding would be required to foster the development of the more promising ones. The authors of this report suggest that the federal government undertake a research and development effort to develop a multisensor mine detection system over the next five to eight years.

Readers will discover how detection dogs are able to use their noses to find everything from people, both alive and dead, to explosives to . . . whale poop. These working dogs work to please, work to play, and work for love. Nonfiction for ages 10 to 14.

Since Canis lupus familiaris first shared a fire with man more than 15,000 years ago, dogs have been trusted and valued coworkers. Yet the relatively new field of canine ergonomics is just beginning to unravel the secrets of this collaboration. As with many new fields, the literature on working dogs is scattered across several non-overlapping disci

A leading reporter offers a tour of military working dogs' extraordinary training, heroic accomplishments, and the lasting impacts they have on those who work with them. People all over the world have been riveted by the story of Cairo, the Belgian Malinois who was a part of the Navy SEAL team that led the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound. A dog's natural intelligence, physical abilities, and pure loyalty contribute more to our military efforts than ever before. You don't have to be a dog lover to be fascinated by the idea that a dog-the cousin of that furry guy begging for scraps under your table-could be one of the heroes who helped execute the most vital and high-tech military mission of the new millennium. Now Maria Goodavage, editor and featured writer for one of the world's most widely read dog blogs, tells heartwarming stories of modern soldier dogs and the amazing bonds that develop between them and their handlers. Beyond tales of training, operations, retirement, and adoption into the families of fallen soldiers, Goodavage talks to leading dog-cognition experts about why dogs like nothing more than to be on a mission with a handler they trust, no matter how deadly the IEDs they are sniffing, nor how far they must parachute or rappel from aircraft into enemy territory. "Military working dogs live for love and praise from their handlers," says Ron Aiello, president of the United States War Dogs Association and a former marine scout dog handler. "The work is all a big game, and then they get that pet, that praise. They would do anything for their handler." This is an unprecedented window into the world of these adventurous, loving warriors.

In Afghanistan, sometimes all that stands between coalition troops and death or serious injury is a dog. Highly trained dogs and their handlers search for improvised explosive devices or hidden weapons out on patrol with combat troops. It's a perilous job, often putting them right in the firing line, and making them high priority targets for the Taliban insurgents they're fighting. Shane Bryant, a former Australian Army dog handler, has spent the past four years in Afghanistan working with elite American special forces alongside his faithful dog. War Dogs is his story; a riveting account of the hidden war in the mountains and cities of the world's most dangerous conflict, and the comradeship between man and dog that has saved numerous lives.

The first in-depth study of the role of canines in WWII Britain, an “important but hitherto under-represented subject,” with photos included (Society of Army Historical Research). The Second World War allowed for the use of an unprecedented number of dogs for military duties, both internationally and among the British Armed Forces. On the British Home Front, civilians responded to calls from the British Army’s War Dogs Training School and the Ministry of Aircraft Production Guard Dog Training School by donating their canine pets for military training and employment “for the duration.” As dogs were instructed in roles with the British Army, the Royal Air Force and the London Civil Defence Region, the distinction between pet and trained working animal became increasingly unclear. While civilians and servicemen alike continued to view military dogs as pets, many also saw trained canines as human-like soldiers “doing their bit,” a depiction promulgated by both the military and the wartime press. Yet, historians have paid little attention to the subject. In the first comprehensive scholarly account of the employment of British military and Civil Defence dogs in the Second World War, Kimberly Brice O’Donnell traces the story from the belated establishment of the short-lived War Dog School and the Messenger Dog Service of the First World War to the more recent employment of canines in Iraq and Afghanistan. With a focus on WWII, Doing their Bit examines why and how dogs were trained and employed, and how humans shaped and perceived their use. Using archival material, O’Donnell analyzes the performance of guard, military police, patrol, mine detection, and rescue dogs in training and on operations by considering the advantages and disadvantages of canines in such roles. Military and Civil Defence dogs offered a number of advantages over humans and technological equipment, and the experience gained by dog trainers and handlers led to the continued employment of canines in the postwar period. While the use of horses and other animals has since diminished, World War II marked a turning point in the history of the British military dog, ushering in the seemingly permanent training of dogs for police and military roles.

Dogs that become demonic around the food dish, snarly on the sofa or grouchy when chewing on a bone are all too common. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you recognize, evaluate and treat resource guarding in pet dogs.