something i seen yesterday

John Mason

I was walking down Abbey Street (Dublin City Centre) yesterday evening and noticed loads of Gardai and a man being handcuffed and put in the back of car.

Two of the Guards had the most beautiful GSD with them. I was just wondering if there were sniffer dogs or chase down the suspect dogs ?

For no reason really except being nosey

source

Generally in policing, shepards are used as "attack" dogs or as you put it, "chase down the suspect" dogs.

usually labs, and spaniels are used as sniffer dogs.

This is a general guide though, and not always the case.

John Mason

well, if that is the case, i really dont think the use of attack dogs at 5pm on a busy street in the city centre is very good idea:eek:

Zambia

We* have K-9's and I would have no qualms about them being in public. The level of training they is very intense and ditto for the handler.

In fact a GSD pet would be a lot more of a risk.

*Not AGS

John Mason

Zambia232 wrote: »

We* have K-9's and I would have no qualms about them being in public. The level of training they is very intense and ditto for the handler.

In fact a GSD pet would be a lot more of a risk.

*Not AGS

i not saying that they would be dangerous or anything but if you let them off the lead to chase someone down a really busy street,there is a strong likihood of them knocking someone over.

Or in the case of my OH, if he was walking down the street and this big dog came bounding in his direction, he would probably have a heart attack and drop dead on the street :D

GSD are lovely dogs with great temperments and i wouldnt consider them a risk as a pet but them i woudnt consider any dog a threat as long as it has been trained and loved.

Zambia

irishbird wrote: »

i not saying that they would be dangerous or anything but if you let them off the lead to chase someone down a really busy street,there is a strong likihood of them knocking someone over.

Or in the case of my OH, if he was walking down the street and this big dog came bounding in his direction, he would probably have a heart attack and drop dead on the street :D

GSD are lovely dogs with great temperments and i wouldnt consider them a risk as a pet but them i woudnt consider any dog a threat as long as it has been trained and loved.

Yeah I would agree.

I did the short K-9 course we do here and it would be a bot of a no no to let the dog go chasing people in a crowd allright but with the handler I would see it as a valid use of force.

Sometimes the appearance of the dog can change an offenders mind. When you saw the dog was it restrained by the collar or very close to the collar?

ectoraige

irishbird wrote: »

i not saying that they would be dangerous or anything but if you let them off the lead to chase someone down a really busy street,there is a strong likihood of them knocking someone over.

Or in the case of my OH, if he was walking down the street and this big dog came bounding in his direction, he would probably have a heart attack and drop dead on the street :D

GSD are lovely dogs with great temperments and i wouldnt consider them a risk as a pet but them i woudnt consider any dog a threat as long as it has been trained and loved.

Intimidation is often all that's needed, and that's something GSDs excel at. I'm sure there are situations where the handlers will decide it is unsafe to release the dog, but if I were the suspect under arrest, it's not something I'd be making bets on.

Shield

irishbird wrote: »

well, if that is the case, i really dont think the use of attack dogs at 5pm on a busy street in the city centre is very good idea:eek:

Do you know where they were beforehand? Do you know if they were given information that led them to believe an attack dog was needed? Were they actually "using" the dog, or was it by the handler's side? <Lots more questions>

You're leaving yourself open to a barking (excuse the pun) by serving members by commenting on something you really know very little about. After all, by your own admission, you were simply walking by when the guy was being cuffed, meaning it was all over.

irishbird wrote: »

i not saying that they would be dangerous or anything but if you let them off the lead to chase someone down a really busy street,there is a strong likihood of them knocking someone over.

I'd say Dog Handlers would be aware of the dangers of letting a dog loose in a crowded public place, this being one of the most obvious.

John Mason

psni wrote: »

Do you know where they were beforehand? Do you know if they were given information that led them to believe an attack dog was needed? Were they actually "using" the dog, or was it by the handler's side? <Lots more questions>

You're leaving yourself open to a barking (excuse the pun) by serving members by commenting on something you really know very little about. After all, by your own admission, you were simply walking by when the guy was being cuffed, meaning it was all over.


I'd say Dog Handlers would be aware of the dangers of letting a dog loose in a crowded public place, this being one of the most obvious.

i only came in to ask a question,i wasnt complaining about it - just wondering

personally i thought it was a great idea if they were sniffer dogs expecially on abbey street where dealing is done in broad daylight.

the charter doesnt say that i cant ask a question if i dont know the full facts - apolgies.

padunne

Hey guys,

i hope any serving member can respond please. have always wanted to enter guards or army or something as a dog handler. have treid researching it and cant really get much. have sent emails and all but not much back. what are the requirements to enter ags dog handling unit. how many are in ireland as in is there much recruiting. do you just become a member and after apply or something.
i was told by a few members of the army to apply to limerick battalion and go from there. do my basic and then apply as they are trained for more as in bombs and such. don't know how true this is.
would having mech eng degree do anything in favour to getting in.
thanks

Zambia

In all services I reckon dog handling is one of the most sought after.

Dont rule out the RAF or British Army

cushtac

I've never seen dogs being used by the Defence Forces.

Alpha Papa

Hi padunne

From a law enforcement purpose dogs are used as follows in Ireland/NI

The services i know that use them are

Revenue Customs (Drugs/Tobacco/Money) dogs

An Garda Siochaina (General Purpose/Drugs/Firearms etc..)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIXlnl8VIlE

Has already been posted previously on this site but i think its a great video

Airport Police Service (General Purpose/Drugs/Firearms etc..)

The APDU is half the size of the AGS dog unit nationally and based in Dublin Airport but can deployed to any of the state aerodromes in support of APS/AGS.

Irish Prison Service operate a Drug detection unit at the states prisons

Police Service Of Northern Ireland (General Purpose/Drugs/Firearms etc..)

sorry not much info on these

I presume NI prision service and customs operate a similar drug detection dog unit

Some fire services may operate them aswell for use in victim recovery and obviously in the private security industry some companies would utilise them.

From my experience in the Defence Forces the only dog that are in use are as unofficial mascots used by different battalions think the 2nd infantry battalion in Dublin had one at one stage think i remember it being an Irish wolfhound or similar but defo not any other other dogs used in EOD role or the like.

Hope this info helps in your career choice.

In reponse to OP, I for one am delighted to see deployment of AGS dog unit members being deployed on the streets to assist officers. I think the AGS should follow on the UK trend in police dogs deployment as Airport Police have and use them as force asset on patrol in high visable and mobile vehicles ready to respond to calls throughout the district in public order role or search for persons etc..

Delancey

padunne wrote: »

Hey guys,

i hope any serving member can respond please. have always wanted to enter guards or army or something as a dog handler. have treid researching it and cant really get much. have sent emails and all but not much back. what are the requirements to enter ags dog handling unit. how many are in ireland as in is there much recruiting. do you just become a member and after apply or something.
i was told by a few members of the army to apply to limerick battalion and go from there. do my basic and then apply as they are trained for more as in bombs and such. don't know how true this is.
would having mech eng degree do anything in favour to getting in.
thanks

If accepted as a Dog handler you won't be allowed sit on the couch

Seriously though , I understand that in the Gardai , P.S.N.I. and indeed all UK Police Forces Dog Handling is very sought after with many , many more applications than places available.

I asked a Garda Dog Handler once what the biggest attraction of the role was , he replied : '' my dog will never stab me in the back '' :rolleyes:

padunne

Thanks guys,
At least now ive some idea of where to look. Ya iv never had the chance to speak to an actual handler. If i ever see one i will try approach they if they arnt busy. Always loved dogs and have always had them on farm at home so have a bit of experience with training them. Considering joining the guards or fire service before college but just kinda stumbled into college. If i find anymore info i might post it to help any others with questions.

Shield

You're always welcome to ask questions. Problems will arise when you say things like:

irishbird wrote:

well, if that is the case, i really dont think the use of attack dogs at 5pm on a busy street in the city centre is very good idea:eek:

...because you're inferring they were used, when in all likelihood, they were just there as a deterrent.

irishbird wrote: »

i only came in to ask a question,i wasnt complaining about it - just wondering

personally i thought it was a great idea if they were sniffer dogs expecially on abbey street where dealing is done in broad daylight.

the charter doesnt say that i cant ask a question if i dont know the full facts - apolgies.

You're welcome back any time. Nobody was offended by your question, but it is my job to establish and clarify facts in posts, as they could very well turn into points of contention.

arybvtcw0eolkf

padunne wrote: »

i was told by a few members of the army to apply to limerick battalion and go from there. do my basic and then apply as they are trained for more as in bombs and such. don't know how true this is.

I've never heard of the Defence Forces using dogs for anything other than a mascot.

Dog units will often go on foot patrols. It gives the dogs a chance to stretch their legs and get some fresh air. It's possible while doing this the dog unit came across something and got back-up to take a prisoner. Thats all.

Dog unit is very hard to get into. You won't see it early in your career unless the commissioner is your dad!

Irish_polizei

foinse wrote: »

Generally in policing, shepards are used as "attack" dogs or as you put it, "chase down the suspect" dogs.

Just to give an idea.

German shepards are the general purpose dog.... tracking humans..PO incidents etc....



The labrador/Spaniels are used for a wider variety of cases..Drug Detection, Victim Recovery/Blood Detection, Firearms Recovery and Explosives Detection.....

And the belgian malinois are used for conflict resolution...

Just to give an idea.

Dog Unit info

eroo

foreign wrote: »

Dog units will often go on foot patrols. It gives the dogs a chance to stretch their legs and get some fresh air. It's possible while doing this the dog unit came across something and got back-up to take a prisoner. Thats all.

Very good also for a Community Policing viewpoint. Kids seem to love police dogs and horses!

Delancey

Irish_polizei wrote: »

And the belgian malinois are used for conflict resolution...

..... otherwise known as ' shock and awe ' tactics....;)

shampon

Irish_polizei wrote: »

German shepards are the general purpose dog.... tracking humans..PO incidents etc....

Have had the pleasure of seeing the German/Belgian Shepard in action...Amazing they can clear a road quicker then anything.

Zambia

shampon wrote: »

Have had the pleasure of seeing the German/Belgian Shepard in action...Amazing they can clear a road quicker then anything.

You shouldnt feed them beans dude its not fair on anyone....:(

RMD

Police dogs would be a great idea to add to foot patrols, especially around the Abbey / Talbot / Marlborough street region. Would probably put the **** up the junkies and if there was also a trained sniffer dog present would cut down on dealing in the area very quickly.

2 Gards on patrol aren't intimidating, no offense intended to any AGS members but it's relatively true, throw a GSD into that patrol and you'll have people ****ting themselves once there's a GSD present and barking.

MagicSean

They could definitely do with increasing the dog unit numbers. They are one of the best tools in the job. Every divisional drug unit should have a handler and dog attached permanently.

meathstevie

eroo wrote: »

Very good also for a Community Policing viewpoint. Kids seem to love police dogs and horses!

Those mechelaar/malinois lads are brilliant...being petted by schoolkids at 2 in the afternoon and hanging of the arm of an eejit going mental at 10 in the evening....

480905

The Prison Service has a wide rang of Dogs available to them now. Passive and Active Drug Detector dogs and also Conflict Resolution Dogs. All GSD's as far as I'm aware. Big article on the news on monday past about them.

eroo

meathstevie wrote: »

Those mechelaar/malinois lads are brilliant...being petted by schoolkids at 2 in the afternoon and hanging of the arm of an eejit going mental at 10 in the evening....

Fingers crossed they never get confused!

I think it would be great to have a dog and it's handler attached to every city unit(i.e. A, B, C, D). A dog would be a major asset in PO incidents and searches.. outside of Dublin it can be pretty hard to locate burglars in fields at 2am!!

Not to mention the Community Policing aspect of having a dog on patrol.

Corcioch

It may have been a Belgian Malinois that you saw . .just as easily as a GSD . . .they are similar ish looking.

AGS uses the Belgian Malinois too . . . . great dogs

There are huge issues with GSD's . . .the way they have been bred, the costs involved in getting good quality dogs that wont have hip dysplasia in a few years . . . etc etc

GSD's can be very much hit and miss when it comes to aggression too . . . . some are complete cowards, the Belgian Malinois, though slightly smaller is a far more lively and aggressive dog. . . . .which it needs to be for Public Order situations when the dog is surrounded by large numbers of violent and much larger human beings.

Delancey

Corcioch wrote: »

It may have been a Belgian Malinois that you saw . .just as easily as a GSD . . .they are similar ish looking.

AGS uses the Belgian Malinois too . . . . great dogs

There are huge issues with GSD's . . .the way they have been bred, the costs involved in getting good quality dogs that wont have hip dysplasia in a few years . . . etc etc

GSD's can be very much hit and miss when it comes to aggression too . . . . some are complete cowards, the Belgian Malinois, though slightly smaller is a far more lively and aggressive dog. . . . .which it needs to be for Public Order situations when the dog is surrounded by large numbers of violent and much larger human beings.

I was speaking to a Dog Handler in the Northern Ireland Prison Service and he siad exactly the same - hip dysplasia is a problem and above all , increasing numbers of GSD's lack the '' raw courage '' required for the job.

meathstevie

eroo wrote: »

Fingers crossed they never get confused!

I think it would be great to have a dog and it's handler attached to every city unit(i.e. A, B, C, D). A dog would be a major asset in PO incidents and searches.. outside of Dublin it can be pretty hard to locate burglars in fields at 2am!!

Not to mention the Community Policing aspect of having a dog on patrol.

I'll second that, especially since a tracking dog can not be acused of having any sort of a bias against individuals...they just follow human scent.