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In 12 years of handling K-9s for the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, Russell Kelley has logged in excess of 5000 documented training hours. He explains, "Once the initial course is over, it's not the end of the training. You have to maintain at least two days in-service training a month, and every six months you have to recertify at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy so your dog is top notch and there's no question when you go to court about the dog's training."

Kelley also racks up countless undocumented hours, because once a dog and his handler are paired, the K-9 becomes the handler's responsibility. He says, "The state pays for food and veterinarian bills, but my two dogs go to work with me in the morning, they come home with me at night, they stay right at my house. They get used to home activities cats, people coming in and out, just like they would if you went somewhere to do a drug search."

At 6' 2" and 230 pounds, Kelley can put some younger officers to shame, and training K-9s helps keep him in shape. "Especially tracking uphill at night," he says. "Nighttime training is important because that's when most tracks are done on escapes. I avoid using flashlights because your eyes are better adapted to the dark, besides if the guy is armed, he's gonna shoot you." He doesn't like tracking with smokers, not only because of the glowing ash, but, "Smokers don't last. They always drop out. "His current certified dog, Jake (6 years old) and a trainee, Abby (17 months), are Belgian malinois' (pronounced MAL-in-wah). He has high praise for the breed's versatility and intelligence, and he is not alone in his evaluation: The American Belgian Malinois Club states, "The Belgian malinois is a medium size dog of exceptional beauty and working ability used for many purposes, including tracking agility and police work is confident, exhibiting neither shyness nor aggressiveness in new situations naturally protective of his owner's person and property without being overly aggressive possesses a strong desire to work and is quick and responsive to commands from his owner." K-9s like Jake are cross trained; his certified specialty is narcotics detection, but he is also a tracker. Some specialty dogs, such as cadaver, arson, and bomb detection K-9s, are usually not cross trained.

Tracking including two-man tracking, tracking on blacktop, and night tracking is only one of many skills taught during the 16 week Basic Patrol Dog School. Other training includes obstacle course/agility training, searches of various kinds, apprehension, officer protection, prison work, and more. In addition, handlers study canine care and grooming, , veterinary first aid, and legal responsibilities.

A K-9's sense of smell is his most valuable asset and is so keenly developed to be beyond human comprehension: Not only do dogs detect odors 200 times better than humans, but they can differentiate between 25 different odors at the same time.

The handler must understand odor properties in order to grasp how his K-9 tracks. For example: Wind currents and thermals will alter scent location or diffuse it, so a dog may meander while tracking but still be on the scent; moisture on the ground, or humidity will hold a scent; overpowering fumes (smoke, chemicals, fertilizers) will adversely affect a scent; and K-9s not only track by human scent, but recently crushed vegetation and disturbed dirt as well.

It disturbs Kelley when people say trainers mistreat their dogs. "It's completely opposite," he says. In fact, K-9 training literature repeatedly stresses "PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE," and emphasizes that bonding with the handler and praise are keys to a dog's training. It states, "Your dog lives to please you and knows he has done right by your praise and affection One of the most important requirements of a dog handler is patience The handler who displays patience can motivate his dog through praise."

Kelley is no male chauvinist when it comes to K-9 training. He admires women K-9 handlers because they pay more attention to the dogs and praise them more freely. "Praise is the name of the game," he says, "whether it's tracking or drug searching. When your dog makes a find, you may look like a fool playing with that dog, but that's what it takes to get results." And, "Female dogs are better trackers. Male dogs have instincts to be dominant, so they will want to stop to urinate where they smell a fox, for example. A female will not take that time and will not interfere with your track like that."

K-9s are not trained to be vicious to protect their handlers. "Bite work," Kelley explains, "is brought on gradually, from a small tug-sleeve toy, progressively up to a sleeve and into a full body suit. The dog has to gain confidence and learn that he isn't going to be punished for biting. It may be hard to believe, but a dog knows most of the time what's on his handler's mind sometimes a dog will react before you even tell him to. The dog can anticipate."

K-9s are taught to attack aggressors only on command. They are taught to recall from an attack without biting, and they are taught to guard prisoners in the "sit-watch" position. Kelley speaks from experience, "You give the person you're attempting to apprehend a voice warning two or three times. If they break and run, you release the dog. But you also need the ability to call the dog back if they surrender. In the process of apprehension, if you need to pat these guys down for weapons or drugs, the dog will sit-stay when you drop the lead and walk over to the person. The person should have his hands up and, at any time during the pat-down, if that person resists, the dog will react automatically. When the person becomes compliant again, you call off the dog and he'll go back and sit-watch again."

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