It was in a hurry. Shepherd Kustmarkens Robson was tasked with finding a demented elderly man who had disappeared in the Vänersborg area. And of course he succeeded. – He did not give in, but simply continued to bark. He wanted me to come up, he didn’t buy the situation. The man was chilled and froze very much. He was very happy to see us, says dog handler and owner Johan Hansson. There are around 400 police dogs in Sweden. The absolute most common breed is the German Shepherd, which is generally easy to learn, has a lot of endurance and can be good at many different things. But becoming a police dog also requires certain qualities such as being curious, fearless, confident and persistent. And the training itself usually takes between five and six years. For Robson, it went faster because he started already as a small puppy. – I saw his enormous work capacity. He is able to work for a long period, although it may be hard and tiring. He doesn’t always need a reward, but he works on it, says Johan Hansson. “He loves to work” Today he is four years old and fully trained. But a police dog is never fully learned. You must always ensure that the behavior and motivation for the job is what you desire. – I would probably not describe that he had any difficulties in learning at all. His challenge is probably rather to relax when there is little work. He is always looking for something to do. He loves to work. He needs to work, he says. In the player above: Johan Hansson tells how Kustmarkens Robson became a police dog.
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Hero dog found elderly man who had disappeared: “He didn’t give up”
