It wasn’t your typical dog show.
Last Sunday, a few hundred people packed the stands of the Elk River High School athletic field to watch a demonstration by K-9 teams from throughout the Midwest.
Eighty-five dogs and their handlers, including some from as far away as North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin, took part in the USPCA Region 12 pre-certification demonstration, giving the crowd an idea what K-9 dogs can be trained to do.
“A big part of being a K-9 handler is knowing your dog and how they have to utilize their skills,” said Sgt. Brian Boos of the Elk River Police Dept. (ERPD)
The event was a collaboration between the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office and the ERPD and it was the first time the event was held at the high school, said Boos.
In order to get annual certification, dogs and their handlers must go through a series of exercises where they are judged on a point system.
Retired police officer and K-9 trainer Steve Pearson served as the announcer for the demonstration. After he introduced all 85 handlers and dogs to the crowd, he explained each exercise the dogs would be put through.
Sherburne County Deputy Trevor Tuorila and his dog Axel did a narcotics search. Axel had to locate drugs in a series of backpacks, then was commanded to find drugs in a vehicle. He accomplished it in a few seconds to the delight of the crowd.
Next came an agility demonstration where a canine had to climb a wall, then crawl under a barrier before jumping four hurdles.
The obedience test followed with walking control, distance control and heeling pattern. The dog had to sit down, stand and heel on command three different times.
“On one of the occasions the handler will pass by and the dog must remain in whatever position he was left in,” said Pearson.
During the suspect search exercise, a person hid in one of three different boxes. When the dog was commanded to find the suspect, he sniffed one box before locating the suspect in the next box. He alerted his handler by barking, then received his reward for a job well done.
Pearson said all the dogs are rewarded when they perform their task.
“We do a majority of our training through coercion, not compulsion. We make this fun for the dogs,” he said. “We don’t force the dogs to anything. Obviously, if the dogs are disobedient, particularly in an aggressive way, there’s a punishment that fits that crime. But it’s all positive reinforcement.”
In the next exercise, the dog was commanded to apprehend a suspect. In that exercise, a decoy starts running and the dog must remain until the handler gives the command to go. In part two of the exercise, the recall, the dog is given the command to go, then called back by the handler before he reaches the suspect.
“That’s a very difficult thing to teach these dogs because they are so driven,” said Pearson. “To get them to come back on their own is a very tough chore.”
In the final demonstration complete with police vehicles and smoke bombs, SWAT teams from the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Dept. and the ERPD used canine assistance to chase down and extract a suspect from a vehicle.
That ended Sunday’s demonstration, but it wasn’t the end of the week’s activities for the handlers and their dogs.
The official certification exercises took place Monday and Tuesday, and all 85 teams were required to go through each exercise to get certified again.
In order to achieve certification, a team must receive a minimum of 490 out of 700 points.
“But they also have to achieve a minimum proficiency level of 70% in the obedience phase and 70% in criminal apprehension,” said Pearson. “If they fail any of those areas of this trial, they fail to certify.”
