CIRT K9 CERTIFICATION STUDY GUIDE
K9 HEALTH
CIRT k9s should be maintained at optimum weight and kept on a high quality grain free, low carbohydrate dog food. Brushing and bathing should be done frequently to keep the dog clean and neat for any visits that may be asked of the team. If you observe your dog acting strange, lethargic, vomiting, staggering etc, you should immediately get them to the Veterinarian to get seen asap. You should clean your government car out a minimum of every 2 weeks, to keep the dirt and smell down. Using a disinfectant will help with this in the car, crate and kennel. Do not leave your dog in the car unless it is kenneled, with a heat alarm to make sure no harm comes to your K9.
Know the symptoms of bloat, torsion. They can look similar at first. Extended belly, dry heaves, drooling, staggering, this is a true emergency and must go to the emergency vet Code 3. If you feed dog food in water, allow the dog to rest 30 min before and after eating. You will prevent most of the possibility. Get with your Vet as to a good First aid kit you should carry with you. Yearly exams should be done to maintain a good health check, as well as heartworm, flea and tick prevention. Vaccines should only be done every three years as too many cause other problems in dogs. Remember things like cooked oatmeal or dehydrated mashed potatoes, canned pumpkin can help as a bland diet for upset stomachs in dogs. Avoid table food, human food with spice, cooked bones because these things have a high likelihood of causing gastrointestinal issues that you won’t want to deal with.
LIABILITY
Ill-behaved dogs are a liability to the department and should never be allowed. At no time should a CIRT K9 act badly as it puts you and the department in a bad light. Yearly certification will help in the ability for the agencies liability insurance to know the CIRT K9 is up to date on its training. K9 documentation is another big part of it. If your department vehicle is not available, find out what vehicle you should use. Case law shows that a department K9 must be transported in a department vehicle to prevent added liability to the agency. As the Handler, you are liable for all aspects of the dogs health both on and off duty. If there are questions, ask your supervisor.
CIRT K9
Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) K9s are not Handicap Service Dogs. Their Handler is not the person with a disability, which is what Service Dogs are for. CIRT K9s do not get the same rights as Service Dogs either. They get the privileges of a Police K9 representing their agency. It is shown that these specially trained dogs can be very effective during the interviewing of victims by law enforcement. It has been shown that these dogs can allow for up to 80% more volume and accuracy of information recollection by the victim with the dog, than without. While these dogs can be a great asset in many situations, they are not the answer to all problems and in some cases may not help at all. They are another tool that can be used in situations where other avenues have not worked. Some cases these dogs have been used in are, Sexual Assault, Rape, Child Trafficking, Abuse, Neglect, Run away, Trauma, Depression, just to name a few. These cases can be very hard to deal with, so please make sure this is something you really want to do as it can be very difficult and demanding. You will be on call 24/7 and this is not for the faint at heart. Know how to care for yourself, your K9 and your family. When using the CIRT K9 at an event, the large flat collar should be used to allow what we call purposeful defiance during work. A correction collar like a choke chain will be used going to and from events to maintain control and image of good behavior. At no time will the CIRT K9 be allowed to roam without its Handler. Because they are a Department asset, CIRT K9s are considered Police K9s. If called out after normal duty hours, the first thing you should do is allow your K9 to use the restroom before leaving your home and once again when you arrive on scene to your end destination. If for any reason your K9 offers an abnormal behavior, remove the dog from the situation and see if it is something that can easily be figured out. It could be the dog is just having an off day, which they are allowed. These dogs can be used to help allow staff to have a short decompression due to work or home life affecting the person.
HANDLER HEALTH
You must have the support of your family to be successful in this position. There is going to be a lot of stress that goes along with it. You should also have some other outlets for your own sanity and stress relief for you and the dog. PTSD is a real illness. It can be tough to treat but with hard work, it can be successfully treated. Reaching out to a professional counselor is both normal and healthy to regain balance in your life. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, it is not a sign of weakness. Make sure you have outside interests that keep you from constantly thinking about work. Remember the first responder field is becoming more toxic and we all must work harder on keeping ourselves healthy to combat all that is coming at us on a day to day basis.
K9 OBEDIENCE
The leash should be held in the subordinate hand. In other words, if you are right handed, the leash goes in your left hand. By getting and maintaining a well-trained CIRT K9, it makes working with them so much easier on you and those interacting with the dogs on scene. All CIRT K9s will know all obedience commands, public access, and specific tasks as needed, tricks that the Handler may help in accomplishing their job. Like any professional K9, obedience is an important activity that makes the team and department look well trained, respected.
VICTIMOLOGY
Using a CIRT K9 is one way of gaining rapport with the victim of a violent crime. This technique can be very helpful in getting more detailed information during the interview. Of those most at risk of becoming victims, the young seem to be at most risk compared to others. Females seem to be most at risk of homicides within the home. Elderly seem to be most at risk of being scammed, theft, abuse. Females seem to be at risk for rape, assault, harassment. It is well known that those who feel helpless, powerless are more likely to be victimized by others. With the border problem, human trafficking is getting worse by the day. The UCR, also known as the Uniform Crime Report, must be forwarded by Law Enforcement for local and state data. The UCR does not collect data on federal crimes statistics.
K9 BEHAVIOR
Just because a dog has a wagging tail, does not mean the dog is happy. It can mean the exact opposite. It can be used as a visual sign of being afraid, mad, scared etc. At no time should a CIRT K9 be allowed to growl at anyone without the dog be addressed. Can it be that the dog is being harassed by another dog, a person, an animal or maybe something else is going on? Remove the dog from the situation and try to figure out what is going on. It is your job as the Handler to figure it out and prevent your K9 from being put into a situation that can put you, the K9 or others at jeopardy. The job of a CIRT K9 is a stressful one, you must know the limits of your dog and yourself. It is acceptable to step away when you feel you or the K9 has had enough. Both of you will have good and bad days, know how to identify them. These dogs are specially tested and trained for this job. Not all dogs can do this job, it is hard but fulfilling to help others in their time of need. You may want to teach your K9 to hug others, but it should be on command only. No jumping up on people will be allowed as it is not welcome by all and can hurt someone if not prepared.