Whether it’s searching for a suspect or leaping over hurdles, it’s all a game for police dogs. Officer Gary Heckman explained that the dogs are trained for police purposes, but every exercise they do results in reward, such as a lacrosse ball, once the task is complete. All police dogs come from Europe where they’ve been trained by professionals before they arrive at their destination to train with their new handler. The most common breeds are German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois. Dogs come as early as a year old and their careers can last for at least 10 years or more, depending on the individual dog. Check out this video below to see what training MSU police dogs go through twice a month!
