With the recents events in London there has been an increase in the number of police/customs dogs I am seeing in the airport.  The other day we had a passenger ask to get off just before take off and as this was suspicious the sniffer dogs were called.  A springer and a lab appeared to search the whole aircraft, they seemed to love what they were doing and seemed happy in themselves but they were very underweight.  I asked the handler about their weight (which I dont think he appreciated) he said they do long hours and therefore burn off their food.  These dogs were not the norm of feeling like they had a t-shirt on over their ribs, their hip bones were visible and the dome of their heads VERY pronounced.  I asked if they should maybe be given more food or maybe food with a higher calorie count to which he ignored me!!

Do any of you guys have any involvement or knowledge of these working dogs?

I got to Manchester airport and there was a Customs dog (again a springer) on the baggage belt sniffing the suitcases, he had a great build and was defo not underweight.  Is there regulations they have to follow? 

These dogs are kept very slim / active / fit & agile - due to the nature of their job. I've seen them being trained & they love the work they do. People think how can they enjoy sniffing for drugs - but what they are really doing is working for a reward, they find what they're trained to find & they get their reward. - usually their fave toy. Amazing what they'll do for a munch on a tennis ball.

Hi LeanneK,
You should know!! that everyone these day's are obsested by weight!!!
everyone, and dogs, are different! some have larger frames (skeletens)
Than others, so they are Suposed to weigh more but you try telling them!!!
Regards
Denese

My spinger is very skinny during the working season when he has an increased diet. I dread to think how difficult it would be to maintain a good weight 12 months of the year. It's their activity levels that are responsible.  My guess is that these dogs are happy and healthy and love what they are doing hence not staying still long enough to put on weight!

I feel better knowing that these dogs are not under nourished but are just burning off the food they are given.  They seem to love what they do and their tails wag like mad.  I think they do a wonderful job and just hope they are given nice lives for the good they do.   They do seem to love their handlers.

More importantly their handlers love them too!
I have only limited knowledge of them & what they do - but I have spent time at West Mids & watched them training. The handlers I have met - all love their dogs. I also used to be based at the same site as Warwickshire police dog kennels & I have seen how much they love their dogs & their dogs love them. :)

I actually went to the place they are trained for an article I was writing. Most of these dogs are donated as their owners cannot cope with them. The owners find them too busy and the dogs get bored easily leading to destructive behaviour. This however often makes them for ideal working customs and police dogs.

When working many dogs of this type will lose weight. During the shooting season my dogs food will be increased by at least 50% and still they lose weight! In the summer months when we are just pottering around the shoots and doing a bit of training or just walking they tend to put on weight even though I have cut back their food by quite a bit.

All the customs and police working dogs are regularly checked by vets and if there was a problem the vets would soon say so.

LeanneK - I've worked sniffer dogs and yes mine have also been lean :)  The food they were given was a higher protein formula for working dogs and the correct amount for them.  Any extra would just go straight through.
My dogs were happy healthy and energetic.  Some dogs can go very skinny but that doesn't mean that they aren't being cared for properly.  The handler probably ignored you because he took offence at your comment however helpful you meant to be.
Working dogs get exercised just like pet dogs and then go to work where they can work and train for several hours a day while your average pet curls up asleep or chills out afterwards.  An overweight sniffer dog is more of a worry than a lean one.  It's usually a dog lacking stamina, with a health problem or a lazy handler!

Lara your probably right, the 2 handlers were surrounded by 16 female cabin crew all cooing over their dogs.  We were chatting to them quite alot and he probably did take offence at me questioning his dogs eating habits, he was also being called to another part of the airport on his radio.  Its seems none stop for them. 

I know about 2 years or so ago the police were in question about their training methods, Im not sure if that was hype or not. 

If I ever see the handler again I will be sure to apologise.

All but one of my 10 dogs are working dogs, they all are extremely high drive, high energy. It can be pretty hard to maintain their weight, this aside I like to keep my working dogs thin. I like to be able to see the last 2 ribs in a certain light. Even carrying around a couple of extra pounds can dramatically descrease work ethic.

Living in Belfast, I see a lot of a police dogs around (mainly GSDs) and they are all on the lean side. However, my cousin is in the police force here and often works with the dog handlers. He says the dogs are all extremely well looked after and love what they do and that the handlers are devoted to their dogs. I love watching them work...they seem to be deployed here a lot in on-foot chases to stop the suspect escaping and I'm sure NOTHING stops a suspect in their tracks like an unrestrained GSD!!!

As a few of my breed are also worked in this field mainly on the customs side must say that they are on the finer side too, although the Search and Rescue ones not quite so much but there again they are at home all day and just work when they are called out and of course when they are trained so are not on the go as much as the Police dogs etc.  I can also definitely say that these are much loved dogs :d

Would an under fed dog not be so bouncy and happy ? That would have been my thoughts .

HI there

I agree with all that you say.  I once knew an army sniffer dog and what a dog he was!  When he was out on walks he was like any other black lab - jumping around and having fun but when the harness was put on him he completely changed.  I saw him working and boy what a sight that was.  He was a very very happy dog and his handler absolutely adored him.  In fact, his handler got promotion and had to leave dog handling and I have never seen a man so upset in all my life - and this was a military policeman built like a brick!!!!  However, I do appreciate where you are coming from LeanneK.  As these dogs are being seen more and more by the general public now because of the current situation, people are going to question why the dogs are so thin on occasion.  Far from being offended the police handler could take the opportunity to explain the nature of the dogs and why they sometimes don't make good pets.  I know it is human nature to take offence when somebody questions your ability with your dog but in this instance the dogs are like that for a reason and the reason should be explained.  However, it might have been that the handler was so busy he didn't have time to explain or perhaps even having a bad day!   :)

Annie