7 Reasons Why Dogs are Security’s Best Friend

The relationship between humans and dogs is unique. No other species has been so thoroughly integrated into human society.

For thousands of years, dogs have been our shepherds, hunting partners, therapy providers and friends. And, of course, they have been our loyal protectors. Dogs are a formidable security presence.

There are several good reasons why dogs are security’s best friend. Here are just 7 of them.

The relationship bond

A dog unit (also known as K9 security) consists of a highly-trained security officer and a highly-trained dog.

The dog and the handler are not put together at random. They are an established team. Both dog and human have undergone rigorous training together at the National Association of Specialist Dog Users (NASDU).

It’s this powerful bond which makes human and dog such an effective combination. When a security dog senses a potential threat, it’s not just protecting your property. The dog is also protecting its pack leader — the human handler.

A powerful deterrent

Prevention is always better than cure, and canine security is one of the most efficient prevention measures in the book.

Before breaking in, intruders will invariably check out the property to decide whether or not it’s worth the risk. The very presence of a security dog is enough to put them off.

Canine units constantly patrol your property on the look-out for suspicious activity. Before a criminal has come anywhere near breaking and entering, the dog will have sensed their presence and barked a warning.

To a potential intruder, squatter or thief, it’s just not worth the risk.

Their sense of hearing

A dog’s ability to hear is remarkable. They can hear sounds considerably earlier than we can — at four times the distance — and can pick up noises which are inaudible to us.

Even more usefully, dogs can pinpoint the exact location of the sound. This is, it seems, down to the position of their ears. When a sound reaches one ear before the other, the time difference allows their brain to calculate the direction from which it came.

On any large site, this ability is crucial. It can stop an intruder in their tracks, before they get the chance to break in.

Dogs are also extremely clever at reading humans — much better at this than we are.

They listen to speech patterns to work out how we’re feeling, and what we’re about to do next. Dogs have the ability to pick up on the subtle changes in tone and pitch which reveal a wealth of information about our mood and intentions.

When someone presents a threat, they know about it straight away.

Their sense of smell

As humans, we perceive the world mainly through sight. Dogs navigate the world using both sight and smell.

With 300 million odour receptors in their noses, and a sense of smell around 10,000 times better than our own, dogs can detect a trespasser way before their handler has noticed them. This can make the difference between a small security breach and a major one.

Their acute sense of smell makes dogs excellent fire detectors. Arsonists often target vacant buildings. Should this happen, a security dog will immediately smell the smoke and accurately locate its source before fire causes serious damage.

If drug users are attracted to your vacant property, a security dog’s ability to sniff out illegal drugs allows them to pinpoint an exact location so that the trespassers can be dealt with appropriately.

Similarly, at a large event with many hundreds of people, a single dog can alert its handler to every person carrying drugs, without making any direct contact.

Speed and agility

Security dogs are particularly effective for large open spaces — construction sites, warehouses, shopping centres and so on — because of their speed and agility.

This makes K9 security particularly effective for businesses operating in counties such as Surrey, where large commercial sites, warehouses and construction projects are common.

A lone security guard can spot suspicious behaviour. However, if the culprit is some distance away, they’ll have probably escaped by the time the officer gets there.

A trained security dog runs three times faster than an average adult male. It can leap effortlessly over walls, fences or large gaps, reaching the intruder within seconds and safely apprehending them until its handler arrives.

Training and discipline

The NASDU training program for both professional dog handlers and security dogs is rigorous and ongoing. It’s recognised by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and the Home Office as well as animal welfare groups.

Our security dogs are highly disciplined, efficient and focused. They will only run to intercept when given a direct command to do so by their handler. When apprehending intruders and potential criminals, they’re trained to do this safely.

People can feel intimidated by dogs, particularly security dogs. This is, of course, one of the reasons why they are such an effective deterrent at locations such as vacant premises or construction sites.

However, when security dogs are present, it’s important to minimise stress for ordinary members of the public. This is why K9 security must be flexible.

For example, a summer music festival requires an entirely different approach to, say, overnight K9 security at a warehouse or construction site. We will always tailor the service to the specific security requirements.

Cost-effectiveness

K9 security is widely considered to be amongst the most cost-effective security measures. There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, a single security dog with its acute sense of smell and hearing can cover a large area so you need fewer people to protect your building or site.

The cost of one dog unit is lower than the cost of two security officers — and the combination of a highly-trained dog and a professional handler offers greater protection.

Finally, it’s worth comparing the price of a dog unit with the considerable expense of a security breach. The high-level effectiveness of K9 security more than offsets the costs incurred as a result of theft, squatting, criminal damage, vandalism or arson.

For a no-obligation conversation about how our canine unit can increase the effectiveness of your security, get in touch with the Classic Services Group team.