Top dogs training in the Okanagan

It is where the top dogs go to get the training they need, and it’s taking place right here in the Okanagan.

This week, the Kelowna RCMP is hosting a police dog training camp. Thirty police dogs and their handlers, representing 20 different Canadian and American police forces, practiced their skills in tracking and capturing suspects.

The dogs seem to enjoy every minute of it.

“As soon as he sees the other dogs, he knows it is training day and he can’t wait to go to work,” said Cst. Joel Tuininga from the Vancouver Police Department.

“The dogs love it. The dogs are so well trained. This is their bread and butter. This is what they live for, other than their food and love from their handlers. They can’t wait to get out of the truck and show what they can do,” said Cst. Sue McLeod from the Victoria Police Department.

Most of the dogs are naturally friendly to humans but a command from their trainer can instantly turn them into balls of controlled fury.

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In one exercise of Thursday, police dogs had to follow the trail of an armed suspect down a busy downtown alley and into an abandoned building.

Some dogs are trained to do a number of different asks, like searching for narcotics. Their trainers say the workshop is just as important for them as it is for their dogs.

“You can learn a lot from all the different handlers and the way they operate and train. You can always pick up little things and bring them back to your department,” said Tuininga.

The cops say the more they work with dogs, they more they realize just how smart and brave the animals are.

“It is just amazing to me how we can harness the ability of the dog to really make us successful and efficient police officers,” said Brad O’Neil, deputy sheriff with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

Not all of the dogs at the training sessions were from police departments. Some were from the Border Services Agency, Corrections Canada and the Department of National Defense.

Although police forces around the world have experimented with many different types of dogs over the years, German Shepherds are still considered the best overall police dogs.