NOVELTIES IN POLICE DOG TRAINING IN SLOVENIA

Policijski psi so nenadomestljivi del policijskih organizacij po vsem svetu, saj njihova čutila nesporno prekašajo človeška. Naloge, ki jih opravljajo službeni psi policije, so podobne po vsem svetu, različni pa so načini oziroma metode šolanja službenih psov. V današnjem času si le stežka predstavljamo moderno policijsko organizacijo, ki v svojih vrstah nima šole za vodnike službenih psov. To vlogo ima v slovenski policiji Oddelek za šolanje službenih psov Policijske akademije [OŠSP], ki se nahaja v Gmajnicah v Ljubljani. V diplomskem delu predstavljamo tako organizacijske novosti, kot tudi novosti v načinu šolanja službenih psov in novosti na področju nalog, ki jih službeni psi v slovenski policiji izvajajo. Med organizacijske novosti spadajo ponovno uvedena lastna vzreja psov, vključevanje vodnikov v proces vzgoje in šolanja službenih psov in pa uvedba izvajanja operativnih nalog, ki jih izvajajo inštruktorji OŠSP s svojimi psi. Vključevanje vodnikov v proces vzgoje in šolanja psov so v policiji uvedli predvsem z namenom povečanja navezave med vodniki in psi, ki je za uspešno izvajanje operativnih nalog zelo pomembna. Novosti v šolanju psov pa so predvsem nove naloge, ki jih službeni psi in njihovi vodniki opravljajo v praksi in so pri tem tudi zelo uspešni. Nekatere novosti so uvedli na podlagi lastnega znanja in izkušenj, nekatere pa so uvedli s sodelovanjem s kolegi iz skandinavskih držav. Tako inštruktorji kot tudi vodniki pa priznavajo, da so pri implementaciji novosti imeli manjše težave starejši vodniki, predvsem zaradi drugačne dolgoletne prakse pred uvajanjem novosti, medtem, ko mlajši vodniki teh težav niso imeli. Uspešne implementacije novosti in uspešnosti pri opravljanju operativnih nalog pa ne bi bilo mogoče doseči brez potrpežljivosti, vztrajnosti in volje do dela inštruktorjev in vodnikov službenih psov.Service dogs are an irreplaceable part of police organisations throughout the world, as their senses unquestionably surpass those of humans. The tasks performed by police service dogs are similar across the world, whereas the manner or methods of service dog training vary. Today, we are hard pressed to imagine a modern police organisation without a school for service dog handlers. This role in the Slovenian police is handled by the Service Dogs Training Section of the Police academy [SDTS], which is located in Gmajnice in Ljubljana. The diploma thesis presents the organisational novelties, as well as novelties in the method of training service dogs and novelties in terms of tasks that service dogs perform in the Slovenian police. Organisational novelties include the re-introduction of in-house dog breeding, inclusion of handlers in the process of raising and training service dogs, and the implementation of operational tasks conducted by SDTS instructors with their dogs. Inclusion of handlers in the process of dog raising and training was implemented in the police primarily with the purpose of increasing the attachment between handlers and dogs, which is of great importance for successful performance of operational tasks. The novelties in dog training are primarily the new tasks that service dogs and their handlers conduct in practice, and with a high level of success. Some novelties were implemented on the basis of in-house knowledge and experience, while others were implemented with cooperation of police forces from Scandinavian countries. Both the instructors and handlers admit that older handlers experienced some minor issues with the implementation of said novelties, primarily due to prior long-term different practices, while younger handlers experienced no such issues. However, the success of implementation and the success of operational task performance could not be achieved without the instructors’ and service dog handlers’ patience, perseverance, and the will to work