K9 Teams Share Tricks of the Trade in Course at Naval Base

Police officers aren’t generally known for their whining, but then again Gunther isn’t your average cop.

Standing just over 2 feet tall and weighing almost 70 pounds, the dark-haired German shepherd K9 officer from the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department whimpered Thursday as he watched a group of other dogs scale a 6-foot wall at Point Mugu naval base’s canine obstacle course to retrieve a tennis ball.

“He just loves tennis balls,” Gunther’s handler and partner, Sheriff’s Deputy Brad McVay, said while scratching behind his partner’s ears. “He’ll get his turn soon enough.”

Gunther and McVay were among the more than 80 police officers and dogs who participated in the weeklong K9 Academy for Law Enforcement. Hosted by the Ventura Police Department, the seminar brought officers and dogs from across the country and Canada to both learn and relate their knowledge on the latest techniques of canine law enforcement.

In addition to exposing dogs and handlers to tactical situations that test skill and teamwork, like the wall that required handlers to bend down and act as a step for the dog to leap over, they practiced techniques on how to apprehend suspects, clear buildings, deliver first aid and how to behave during a shootout.

“I think everybody’s been able to get something from this,” McVay said. “Personally, I’ve seen a lot of new ways to apply the canine units.”

McVay and others said one of the most valuable aspects of the program was getting the opportunity to talk to officers from around the country and see how they work with their furry partners.

“They’re the ones who are out on the street everyday and a lot of them have come up with ways to use the dogs in new or even better ways,” McVay said.

Bob Eden, a constable at the Delta Police Department outside Vancouver, Canada, who runs these seminars during his spare time, credited the K9 units with being one of the most effective law enforcement tools available to officers and said constant training is necessary.

“K9 units have a much higher propensity to encounter violent situations,” Eden said. “So we always have to be training in order to deal with these kinds of volatile situations.”