Customs Dog handler?

ElKavo

Hi All,

Apologies if this in the wrong place as I believe customs are revenue based but I would imagine they work closely with Garda so I figure it would here would be a good place to ask.

I want to find out how to become a customs dog handler, I have recently completed a number of dog training / behaviour and canine studies diplomas but I would like to work in the search field.

Any advice, or direction greatly appreciated.

TIA

ElKavo

ElKavo wrote: »

Hi All,

Apologies if this in the wrong place as I believe customs are revenue based but I would imagine they work closely with Garda so I figure it would here would be a good place to ask.

I want to find out how to become a customs dog handler, I have recently completed a number of dog training / behaviour and canine studies diplomas but I would like to work in the search field.

Any advice, or direction greatly appreciated.

TIA

Join the Revenue Customs Service.

Nomis21

I don't want to hijack your thread, but when I saw your post it brought back memories of an incident I had with a Customs dog and her handler in the ferry port in Dover, UK.

I am a coach driver and was coming back from Amsterdam, driving a coach belonging to this company:

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/high-time-in-holland-1359080.html

We got stopped by Customs in Dover Port on the way back from Amsterdam and a Customs guy boarded the bus. The whole coach reeked of the smell of Cannabis from one end to the other.

He summoned the dog handler and she duly appeared and entered the bus with dog. The dog immediately started sniffing then lay down and started whimpering and howling and wouldn't move.

Then the dog handler lost her temper with the other Customs guy and screamed: "I'm not taking my dog on this bus ever again!"

Apparently the dogs can't function when completely surrounded by smells of contraband and it messes up their future ability to detect anything!

ElKavo

I would imagine it would be a sensory overload alright Nomis21.

ectoraige

You would need to be Revenue officer first and then apply to be a handler. I suspect it's a popular role. Training is based on the UK ACPO standards. While there are private courses that claim to train to those standards, there's no accredition so you would still need to undergo the k9 training if you joined customs. That said, Civil Defence do have a handful of handlers trained and I think their training might be recognised, but that's an aside really as pages would be so limited.

You might find the ACPO dog handler manual interesting reading.

ElKavo

ectoraige wrote: »

You would need to be Revenue officer first and then apply to be a handler. I suspect it's a popular role. Training is based on the UK ACPO standards. While there are private courses that claim to train to those standards, there's no accredition so you would still need to undergo the k9 training if you joined customs. That said, Civil Defence do have a handful of handlers trained and I think their training might be recognised, but that's an aside really as pages would be so limited.

You might find the ACPO dog handler manual interesting reading.

That is great info, Thanks a mill.