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Believe it or not, there aren't any European kennels that breed police dogs.

Almost every American police dog competed in a European sport and got sold to a broker before joining your local PD.

Here's a breakdown of those 8 European dog sports.

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Next time you see a K-9 handler, ask them what country their dog came from.

By the end of this guide, you may be able to guess what sport they competed in.

🇧🇪 Belgium

1️⃣ Belgian Ring

Dogs guard objects, search for hidden decoys, and launch full-speed attacks from distance. Obedience and agility too.

Grip quality is everything here. Judges want calm, full, committed bites. Decoys don't even try to dodge the dog.

2️⃣ Mondio Ring

Same core exercises as Belgian Ring, but Mondio throws more chaos at the dog.

Decoys apply pressure by introducing distractions mid-exercise.

🇫🇷 France

3️⃣ French Ring

Probably the most technical of the 8 sports because it’s a mix of obedience, 3 types of jumps, and protection.

The bite work is a head-to-head battle between the decoy and the dog.

The decoy tries to make the dog miss the grip through an athletic dodge called an esquive. Dogs are trained to target high on the legs to counter it.

4️⃣ Campagne

Think French Ring, but in a natural outdoor setting.

🇳🇱 Holland

5️⃣ KNPV

KNPV (Royal Police Dog Association) trials start with obedience, agility, retrieving, and swimming in the morning.

Then the bite work: transports, object guarding, food refusal, and the signature stok stellen. 👇️ 

This is the only sport of the 8 that's actually used to certify police dogs.

Most KNPV dogs are sold after they achieve a PH 1 (Police Dog Level 1).

🇩🇪 Germany

6️⃣ Schutzhund / IPO / IGP

Germany's foundation sport that includes 3 phases: tracking, obedience, and protection.

🇸🇰🇨🇿 Slovakia & Czech Republic

7️⃣ SVV & 8️⃣ ZVV

State-sponsored dog sports with similar exercises to IGP.

Slovakia and the Czech Republic are two of the biggest exporters of German Shepherds to the US.

TL;DR: No European kennel breeds police dogs on purpose. They're bred for European dog sports, sold to brokers, shipped to the US, and resold to agencies.

Tail End

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