Police dogs, trainers bone up on
skills at annual certification
By PERRY BACKUS of the Missoulian
Chad Krogstad voices commands and keeps his
German shepherd Kevlar close during an annual
recertification course for K-9 units at the Montana
Fish, Wildlife and Parks office in Missoula on
Thursday. "The difference between a dog and other
weapons that officers might use is that the dogs are
animated," Krogstad said.
Photo by MIKE GREENER/Missoulian
Lance Maniscalco wouldn't trade his job for anything
else in the world.
skills at annual certification
By PERRY BACKUS of the Missoulian
Chad Krogstad voices commands and keeps his
German shepherd Kevlar close during an annual
recertification course for K-9 units at the Montana
Fish, Wildlife and Parks office in Missoula on
Thursday. "The difference between a dog and other
weapons that officers might use is that the dogs are
animated," Krogstad said.
Photo by MIKE GREENER/Missoulian
Lance Maniscalco wouldn't trade his job for anything
else in the world.
Forget the fact that on any given day, he might run into a wanted felon or have to face down a group of unruly, drunken
campers or even be called in to locate a hidden drug cache.It's his partner that makes it all worthwhile for this hardened law
enforcement officer for the U.S. Forest Service.
Maniscalco's partner was sitting in the back seat - and whining.
"Kane", a young Dutch shepherd, was waiting for his turn to show what he knows in a field out behind the Montana Fish, Wildlife
and Parks office in Missoula during the annual certification trials for law enforcement dogs from Montana and Idaho. Over a
two-day period, the dogs and their trainers proved their skills in searching for drugs and people, obedience and master
protection - all skills they may need in the next few weeks, should an expected callup come for a stint in hurricane-damaged
New Orleans. On Thursday, six teams worked through a series of tests that included tracking down and subduing a "bad guy"
hidden among the trucks, culverts and storage sheds on the property.
It was a time to shine.
"Most of us do this for one simple reason," Maniscalco said. "We love our dogs." "There's no better job in the world as far as
I'm concerned," he said. "I wouldn't trade it in for anything. I get to have a partner who picks you up when you're feeling down.
He won't yell at me for not doing this or that. "Most of all, he's willing to put his life on the line to protect yours at a moment's
notice. You can't ask for a better partner than that."
Maniscalco started working with dogs trained for law enforcement work six years ago while working for U.S. Customs in Los
Angeles. "I've always loved dogs," he said. "My parents, well, they were cat people Š but I just loved the idea of training a
dog." So when he got the chance to work with dogs trained to sniff out narcotics, he took a chance. Since then, he's seen what a
well-trained dog can do. "I won't say that I'm surprised, but quite often I'm amazed at what they're capable of doing," he said.
"One of the things that they teach you is to trust your dog. We people tend to think too much." For instance, just before he left
California for a Forest Service post in the small Montana town of Ennis, he and his dog were called to check out an apartment
where suspects with the Mexican mafia had spent some time. His dog immediately "hit" - indicating it smelled drugs. None
were found.
Just across the street was a storage shed rented by the same crew. And when Maniscalco and his dog were assigned to take a
look, the dog again "hit" on a large container holding dog food. "Dogs being dogs, you could have figured that maybe he
smelled the dog food," he said. "I could have told him 'no' and went on." Instead, he opened the container and found 5 pounds
of black heroin. "The scent for heroin and marijuana have a long residual time," Maniscalco said. "I'm sure there had been
heroin stored in the apartment." Dogs have 250,000 scent glands, said Kris Fairbanks, a K-9 team evaluator from Washington
state. Humans have 5,000. "They have scent glands in their nose and also in their mouths," Fairbanks said. "They can actually
taste scent. Where we smell stew when it's cooking in the pot, dogs smell the peas, the carrots, the meat and the potatoes."
That helps explain how they can follow the smell of the skin cells that are constantly flaking off a human's body every day.
Tracking people is one of the most difficult skills to teach a dog, said Dale Brandeberry, the Forest Service patrol captain
instrumental in developing a K-9 program in the region. It can take years for both the dog and trainer to get good at it - just part
of the 1,000-plus hours it takes to train a dog for the variety of tasks to work for the Forest Service.
"There are so many different scenarios," Brandeberry said. "A stream pulls the scent in toward it Š and pavement can really be
hard on scent." To help train the dogs to track on pavement, Brandeberry borrows a smelly T-shirt from one of his crew
immediately after a hard workout. He puts the shirt in a bucket of distilled water, which he then uses to fill a spray bottle. "It
makes the perfect scent trail," he said. Tracking tests typically involve following a trail over three different kinds of surfaces.
And that's only one of the proficiencies in which the dog-and-trainer team need to be certified.
Brandeberry and Fairbanks have worked together to develop a set of certification tests being used this week in Missoula.
Before that, everyone had their own idea of what worked and what didn't. "We look for real social dogs because we use them
for a variety of purposes," Brandeberry said. "Police and sheriff departments tend to use their dogs more for criminal
apprehension work and they can be a little more aggressive and a little less social." Forest Service trainers and their dogs can
find themselves one day working with first-graders and the next day tracking down a felon.
Maniscalco's dog, like most every other trainer's, lives at his home with his 1- and 3-year-old children. "They can crawl on him
or step on him and he won't even look sideways at them," he said. "He can turn that switch on and off Š when we're doing the
bite exercise (where the dog grabs onto a padded sleeve worn by another trainer), he'll be aggressive until they drop that
sleeve. And then he'll be the best of friends with the guy." "They are aggressive toward the action, not the person," said
Maniscalco.
"Anyone can teach a dog to bite," said Brandeberry. "For us, the most important thing is control. We look for dogs that are not
out to hurt people." Dedication is the name of the game for dog trainers. At a minimum, they have to set aside five hours a
week for training. Their dogs live with them and their families. And there is the constant vigil needed to ensure that no
unsuspected trouble strikes. "Whenever I open my car door, I'm looking for cats or other untethered dogs that might attack
mine," said Brandeberry. "It's really like having a child," said Fairbanks. "It's a lot of work. When people spend some time with
me and see what's required, many tell me they'd never do it. It's just too much." There just isn't room for error. "One mistake
is all it would take to kill this program and everyone else's," said Fairbanks.
Reporter Perry Backus can be reached at 523-5259 or at pbackus@missoulian.com
campers or even be called in to locate a hidden drug cache.It's his partner that makes it all worthwhile for this hardened law
enforcement officer for the U.S. Forest Service.
Maniscalco's partner was sitting in the back seat - and whining.
"Kane", a young Dutch shepherd, was waiting for his turn to show what he knows in a field out behind the Montana Fish, Wildlife
and Parks office in Missoula during the annual certification trials for law enforcement dogs from Montana and Idaho. Over a
two-day period, the dogs and their trainers proved their skills in searching for drugs and people, obedience and master
protection - all skills they may need in the next few weeks, should an expected callup come for a stint in hurricane-damaged
New Orleans. On Thursday, six teams worked through a series of tests that included tracking down and subduing a "bad guy"
hidden among the trucks, culverts and storage sheds on the property.
It was a time to shine.
"Most of us do this for one simple reason," Maniscalco said. "We love our dogs." "There's no better job in the world as far as
I'm concerned," he said. "I wouldn't trade it in for anything. I get to have a partner who picks you up when you're feeling down.
He won't yell at me for not doing this or that. "Most of all, he's willing to put his life on the line to protect yours at a moment's
notice. You can't ask for a better partner than that."
Maniscalco started working with dogs trained for law enforcement work six years ago while working for U.S. Customs in Los
Angeles. "I've always loved dogs," he said. "My parents, well, they were cat people Š but I just loved the idea of training a
dog." So when he got the chance to work with dogs trained to sniff out narcotics, he took a chance. Since then, he's seen what a
well-trained dog can do. "I won't say that I'm surprised, but quite often I'm amazed at what they're capable of doing," he said.
"One of the things that they teach you is to trust your dog. We people tend to think too much." For instance, just before he left
California for a Forest Service post in the small Montana town of Ennis, he and his dog were called to check out an apartment
where suspects with the Mexican mafia had spent some time. His dog immediately "hit" - indicating it smelled drugs. None
were found.
Just across the street was a storage shed rented by the same crew. And when Maniscalco and his dog were assigned to take a
look, the dog again "hit" on a large container holding dog food. "Dogs being dogs, you could have figured that maybe he
smelled the dog food," he said. "I could have told him 'no' and went on." Instead, he opened the container and found 5 pounds
of black heroin. "The scent for heroin and marijuana have a long residual time," Maniscalco said. "I'm sure there had been
heroin stored in the apartment." Dogs have 250,000 scent glands, said Kris Fairbanks, a K-9 team evaluator from Washington
state. Humans have 5,000. "They have scent glands in their nose and also in their mouths," Fairbanks said. "They can actually
taste scent. Where we smell stew when it's cooking in the pot, dogs smell the peas, the carrots, the meat and the potatoes."
That helps explain how they can follow the smell of the skin cells that are constantly flaking off a human's body every day.
Tracking people is one of the most difficult skills to teach a dog, said Dale Brandeberry, the Forest Service patrol captain
instrumental in developing a K-9 program in the region. It can take years for both the dog and trainer to get good at it - just part
of the 1,000-plus hours it takes to train a dog for the variety of tasks to work for the Forest Service.
"There are so many different scenarios," Brandeberry said. "A stream pulls the scent in toward it Š and pavement can really be
hard on scent." To help train the dogs to track on pavement, Brandeberry borrows a smelly T-shirt from one of his crew
immediately after a hard workout. He puts the shirt in a bucket of distilled water, which he then uses to fill a spray bottle. "It
makes the perfect scent trail," he said. Tracking tests typically involve following a trail over three different kinds of surfaces.
And that's only one of the proficiencies in which the dog-and-trainer team need to be certified.
Brandeberry and Fairbanks have worked together to develop a set of certification tests being used this week in Missoula.
Before that, everyone had their own idea of what worked and what didn't. "We look for real social dogs because we use them
for a variety of purposes," Brandeberry said. "Police and sheriff departments tend to use their dogs more for criminal
apprehension work and they can be a little more aggressive and a little less social." Forest Service trainers and their dogs can
find themselves one day working with first-graders and the next day tracking down a felon.
Maniscalco's dog, like most every other trainer's, lives at his home with his 1- and 3-year-old children. "They can crawl on him
or step on him and he won't even look sideways at them," he said. "He can turn that switch on and off Š when we're doing the
bite exercise (where the dog grabs onto a padded sleeve worn by another trainer), he'll be aggressive until they drop that
sleeve. And then he'll be the best of friends with the guy." "They are aggressive toward the action, not the person," said
Maniscalco.
"Anyone can teach a dog to bite," said Brandeberry. "For us, the most important thing is control. We look for dogs that are not
out to hurt people." Dedication is the name of the game for dog trainers. At a minimum, they have to set aside five hours a
week for training. Their dogs live with them and their families. And there is the constant vigil needed to ensure that no
unsuspected trouble strikes. "Whenever I open my car door, I'm looking for cats or other untethered dogs that might attack
mine," said Brandeberry. "It's really like having a child," said Fairbanks. "It's a lot of work. When people spend some time with
me and see what's required, many tell me they'd never do it. It's just too much." There just isn't room for error. "One mistake
is all it would take to kill this program and everyone else's," said Fairbanks.
Reporter Perry Backus can be reached at 523-5259 or at pbackus@missoulian.com
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