AIRDALE TERRIER
The Airedale Terrier (often shortened to "Airedale"), also called Bingley Terrier and Waterside Terrier, is a dog breed of the terrier type that originated in the valley (dale) of the River Aire, in the West Riding of Yorkshire,England.
The modern police force have used a number of different breeds of dogs over they years based primarily on the specific abilities of that breed coupled with the needs of the police service. Historically the first police dog in the UK is generally agreed to have been Airdale Terriers employed to patrol with the officers of the Hull Docks. The article below is taken from the Dundee Evening Telegraph of Friday the 29th of July 1910
RAILWAY POLICE DOGS Are Terrors to Evil-Doers. Most docks, particularly those belonging to private corporations, are protected by unscalable walls, but Hull docks differ with others in this respect, as they are not fenced in any way and are consequently open to the depredations of thieves and the unenviable attention of tramps and others. As an additional protection to these docks, a scheme has been formulated by which the police constables of the North-Eastern Railway on night duty will be assisted by dogs.
The dogs, which are Airedale terriers, are so brave that they will attack a man even though he is armed with a revolver or a club. On duty the dogs are muzzled, as otherwise they would tear any tramp to pieces.
An officer at three o'clock one morning was passing along the quayside, says a writer in the Railway and Travel Monthly, when suddenly his dog, a favourite named Whisk, flew to a large hamper which was standing alongside several more. The dog jumped on the top of the hamper, and a voice said, "Oh my head." The owner of the voice proved to be a rough-looking navvy, who said he had walked all the way from Leeds the other day. Rough-looking fellow as he was, he was grateful when he was given his liberty.
On another occasion an offioer with his dog was passing a railway carriage when his canine companion commenced to growl and jump around him. On investigation two men were found inside the carriage. One the best and keenest dogs in the Hull kennels is " Jim," and it was this splendid animal that was responsible for the arrest of two notorious thieves who were plundering a coffee house.
Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Hautenville Richardson was the officer responsible for the development of messenger and guard dogs in the British Army. In 1906, he tried to interest the British Police in using dogs to accompany officers, for protection on patrol at night. Mr. Geddes, Chief Goods Manager for Hull Docks in Yorkshire, was convinced after he went and saw the impressive work of police dogs in Belgium. Geddes convinced Superintendent Dobie of the North Eastern Railway Police, to arrange a plan for policing the docks. Airedale Terriers were selected for duty as police dogs because of their intelligence, good scenting abilities and their hard, wiry coats that were easy to maintain and clean. They were trained in Hull to attack people not in uniform which could cause problems for their handlers when off duty. The first four dogs began patrols in Hull Docks in 1908, and the scheme was later extended to other docks policed by the North Eastern Railway Police. Other police forces followed their lead and the Airdale became the dog of choice for many police forces of that era.
Liverpool City Police C. 1920's
Following on from the example of the North Eastern Railway Police, Liverpool City Police also adopted the Airdale as the police dog of choice. This photo taken in the 1920's shows six Airdale Terriers in training with their handlers in an area known as Fairfield in Liverpool.
LABRADOR
In the 1830s, the 10th Earl of Home and his nephews the 5th Duke of Buccleuch had imported progenitors of the breed from Newfoundland to Europe for use as gundogs. During the 1880s, the 3rd Earl of Malmesbury, the 6th Duke of Buccleuch and the 12th Earl of Home collaborated to develop and establish the modern Labrador breed.
As we move on into the 1930's we find that the Airdale for some reason loses favour and the Labrador takes precedence over other breeds as the dog chosen to be trained as a police dog. It was initially suggested that a single breed of dog that could perform all aspects of police dog work was unrealistic, with Bloodhounds suggested as tracking dogs and Labradors for general patrol duties.
In modern times the Labrador is considered to be the archetype family pet and many would consider it incapable of being trained to carry out police dog exercises involving attacking and biting a human being, however the Labrador is a powerful breed of dog that has excellent prey drive and the right dog can be trained to do this type of work very efficiently with a firm hard bite.
It soon became apparent that the Labrador was capable of fulfilling the role of General Purpose Police Dog in all respects therefore the majority of pre WW2 police dogs were in fact Labradors. With the advent of the second world war progress in the formation of police dog programmes very much came to a halt and by the end of the war although Labradors continued to be used, by 1946 the 'Alsatian' or German Shepherd soon outnumbered the Labrador as a police dog by a ratio of 6-1. Labradors continued to be used as General Patrol dogs well into the 1990's but very soon found their niche as an excellent choice for specialist search duties such as locating narcotics and explosives and continue to be used in this role today.
BORDER COLLIE
The Border Collie is a working and herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep. It was specifically bred for intelligence and obedience.
Considered highly intelligent, extremely energetic, acrobatic and athletic, they frequently compete with great success in sheepdog trials and some dog sports. They are often cited as the most intelligent of all domestic dogs.
Although not one of the most common breeds associated with the police service, the Border Collie is still used as an operational police dog. At the point in the history of police dogs in the UK when decisions were being made about what breed was the 'ultimate' for police work, a Collie named 'Robber' was allocated as the first post-war police dog in the Metropolitan Police. Robber had previously seen service during WW2 with the Royal Air Force. Within a very short space of time 'Robber' was retired as he was found to be too aggressive for general purpose police work.
In the modern police dog world a small number of Border Collies compete amongst the Spaniels and Labradors as specialist search dogs. Bearing in mind the tremendous work ethic and agility of this breed it is a wonder that there are not more, however, it was once commented on that the reason for this may well be due to the fact that the Collies primary sense is sight where other breeds it's scent. This may well be a reason why more there aren't as many Border Collies as you would expect.
ROTTWEILER
The Rottweiler is one of the oldest herding breeds, possibly dating back to the Roman Empire. The Rottweiler is believed to be a descendant of ancient Roman 'drover dogs' of a mastiff-type that was dependable, rugged with great intelligence and guarding instincts. Used to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered meat to market until the mid 19th century, Rottweilers are now used as search and rescue dogs, guide dogs for the blind, guard dogs and occasionally police dogs.
The first post-war Rottweilers were imported into the UK by Captain F. Roy Smith of the Royal Veterinary Corps in March 1953. They were Ajax von Fuhrenkamp and Berny von Weyher, however, this breeding pair was unsuccessful in producing a litter. Others followed and the Rottweiler was first registered by the British Kennel Club as a breed in its own right in 1965. Various UK police forces have successfully trained and worked them as police dogs since the 1970's however the popularity of the breed has been limited. In a similar vein to the Doberman Pincher, it is considered that although the Rottweiler is capable of performing all exercises to an acceptable standard, it is the stubborn attitude of the breed that has been its downfall. Whereas other more popular breeds are consistent, the Rottweiler can 'switch off' and fail to perform which is not desirable in a police service dog.
DOBERMAN PINSCHERS
Doberman Pinschers were first bred in the town of Apolda, in the German state of Thuringia around 1890, following the Franco-Prussian War by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann. Dobermann worked as a local tax collector, and ran the Apolda dog pound. With access to dogs of many breeds, he aimed to create a breed that would be ideal for protecting him during his collections, which took him through many bandit-infested areas. He set out to breed a new type of dog that, in his opinion, would be the perfect combination of strength, speed, endurance, loyalty, intelligence, and ferocity. Later, Otto Goeller and Philip Greunig continued to develop the breed to become the dog that is seen today. The Doberman is a mixture of breeds that include the German Shepherd, German Shorthaired Pointer, Great Dane, Greyhound, and Weimaraner, but most notably the Beauceron, German Pinscher, and Rottweiler. Powerful in the hindquarters and although may be top-heavy because of their deep chest, the Doberman is a very athletic dog and many excel in agility and obedience trials.
Very much like the Rottweiler the Doberman is a breed very capable of performing as a police dog, and yet the popularity of this breed has been limited within the British police. The photograph shows a Doberman police dog possibly with Surrey Constabulary however photographs of Dobermans as police dogs in the UK are a rarity.
Essex police dog unit was formed in 1953, and of their two original dogs one was a Doberman called Remoh. Records show that in 1978 of the 1730 police dogs in the UK only 3 were Dobermans, one each employed in the Metropolitan, Surrey and Staffordshire police forces. This pattern is fairly consistent with only a very small number being used at any given time.