Editor’s Note: The City of New Ulm presents a weekly column highlighting activities in different departments in the city government. Once a month the city will answer questions from readers. Questions on New Ulm city issues can be sent to comments@ci.new-ulm.mn.us.

The New Ulm Police Department took possession of the third K9 service dog, Booker, in March 2017. Booker when received by the New Ulm Police Department was approximately 1.5 years old in March. Previous K9’s at the New Ulm Police Department were Thunder and Juneau. Both Thunder and Juneau retired after approximately eight years of service, due in part to the aging process and peripheral health issues associated with aging.

Booker, along with newly appointed handler-Officer Erik Byro, began three months of training starting on March 27th, 2017 in Blaine, MN. Officer Byro and Booker received instruction and training from Mark (Mac) McDonough, owner and lead trainer at McDonough K9. Mark McDonough has 22 years of K9 handling and training. View McDonough K9 @ http://www.policek9training.co/

The first few weeks were a new routine for Booker and myself. A definitely a wake-up call, due to the intensity of K9 training for the approximate 12 weeks. The training days usually started around 7 a.m., with the first several hours consisting of physical training (P.T.) such as push-ups, sit-ups, long runs, and much more. After daily physical training, Booker and I began the long hours of dog training. An eight-hour day was rare as most of the training days were ten hours on average.

For the first few weeks, Booker and I spent a lot of time training on how to track human odor. Offender tracking is one of the most common and important tasks that Booker will be used for as he serves the City of New Ulm. Booker will not only be able to track and find a suspect after they try to run-hide to avoid capture, but Booker will also be a great resource to help find missing, lost children or vulnerable adults.

One of the most time consuming items we focused on was obedience. In order to certify with the USPCA (United States Police Canine Association) a minimum score of 84 out of a possible 120 points is needed to pass. The test is broken up into three sections worth 40 points each. All tests are completed with the dog unleashed. The first section is called the heeling phase. This test consists of walking in a big square and having to keep the dog’s shoulders and the handler’s legs in line. While walking during the heeling phase test, a handler varies from a fast gait to slow gait. The varied speed of the pace trains the dog to adapt to the handler’s pace.

The second part of the obedience test is the walking control test. This test consists of walking with the dog and asking it to sit, down, and stand. When the dog completes the command the handler will continue to walk around as the dog stays in the requested position. The handler will make a turn back to the dog and have him complete the other two positions needed.

The last part of the obedience is called distance control. Distance control consists of placing the dog in a seated position. The handler will face the dog from a distance of fifty feet. The handler will then give the dog four commands. The commands consist of a verbal down, verbal sit, hand down, and hand sit. Once that portion of the test is complete the dog will be asked to recall. A recall consists of calling the dog to heel and then giving it a verbal or hand command as it approaches the handler. The goal is the have the dog stop halfway in the requested position.

Other tests included are agility, suspect search, and articles. The agility test is a test that requires the dog to climb, jump, and crawl various items that he might come across in his career. The suspect search is a 92 foot by 92 foot area with six total boxes. The boxes measure approximately four foot by four foot. The dog must then be able to alert to the box that an individual is hiding in within four minutes.

The article test is a 30 foot by 30 foot outdoor training pad with grass at least twelve inches tall. A total of two retrievable items with human scent are thrown into the outdoor training pad. The dog, through scenting, must locate the two items within three minutes.

The last test is part of the Patrol Dog One (PD1) test is the criminal apprehension test. The apprehension test shows that the dog has the drive and ability to bite a suspect if need be. The dog must also be able to disengage from the suspect upon command. Another aspect of the apprehension test requires the dog to engage a suspect the moment the handler is assaulted. The criminal apprehension test needs a minimum score of 238 out of 340 possible points to pass.

Lastly Booker was trained and certified in narcotics detection. Booker is trained on the odors of marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. Narcotics training consisted of countless hours detailing vehicles, lockers, buildings, and other items to allow Booker to get accustom to each odor. Narcotic detection will be the most common use for Booker during his career. Booker and I really enjoy and have a strong commitment to remove illicit drugs from our community. Continuous, on-going training for narcotics detection is necessary for annualized recertification.

Booker and I would like to thank the citizens of New Ulm for their support and kind words both during and after completion of training. It is our goal to be one of the absolute best K9 teams in the State of Minnesota and to make the community of New Ulm proud.