The Basics of Police Dog Training

Brian Daubs, DVM, serves the Animal Specialty and Emergency Clinic in Rockledge, Florida, as chief of surgery. Dr. Brian Daubs additionally has received special recognition by the St. Lucie County Sheriff for his work with police dogs.

The first step in training a police dog is the same taken by all dog owners. The animal must learn and respond to basic obedience commands, such as “sit” and “stay,” with unwavering regularity so that officers can eventually control the force with which the dog approaches suspects. It is a common practice for dogs coming from other countries to be issued commands in their native language, such as German.

Following basic training, potential police dogs advance to agility and endurance training. Courses for police dogs are particularly rigorous, requiring the animals to scale walls and deal with a variety of additional obstacles. Following agility and endurance sessions, police dogs finally move on to specialty training. Police dogs are frequently trained to sniff out drugs, though they may also be used to smell for bombs or to track suspects and missing people.

Dr. Brian Daubs Holds ACVS Diplomate Status

A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgery (ACVS), Dr. Brian Daubs is chief of surgery at Animal Speciality & Emergency Hospital in Rockledge, Florida. A 2005 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota, Brian Daubs achieved diplomate status with ACVS during 2012.

For nearly half a century, ACVS has upheld rigorous standards of professionalism for veterinary surgeons throughout North America. ACVS strives to achieve multiple objectives, including the facilitation of research in the field, providing both public and continuing education for its members, functioning as a certifying agency for its members, and establishing educational standards for residents in training and practicing veterinary surgeons.

Approximately 60% of ACVS members are practicing veterinary surgeons, while the balance of members work in academia, private industry, and teaching hospitals as educators or conducting research and pursuing new treatments and product developments aimed at advancing the quality of both animal and human health care.

For more information on the mission and activities of ACVS, please visit www.acvs.org.

Small Animal Veterinarian Specialists

Dr. Brian Daubs graduated from the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Saint Paul with a doctor of veterinary medicine. Brian Daubs, a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, works in the small animal specialty.

There are numerous specialty fields students can pursue within the realm of veterinary medicine. Small animal veterinarians are among the most popular specialists within the industry, as they are explicitly trained in the treatment of animals which are commonly kept as pets, such as cats, dogs, exotic birds, and other companion animals. Some of the regular activities a small animal specialist engages in include fracture repair, heart surgery, abdominal surgery and dealing with surgical options for cancer.

Small animal vets may also interact with breeders. In these situations vets monitor an animal’s reproductive system and perform initial examinations of newborn puppies. Veterinarians can also be faced with the unfortunate task of putting a companion animal to sleep. In such an event, veterinarians are expected to demonstrate compassion for the family as well as medical proficiency throughout the procedure.