Choosing the right format of security can be very difficult, particularly when both options available – security dogs and security guards – are highly trained and very effective in the right situations. Of course, security is required in many different scenarios and it is possible you need flexible solutions in order to deal with all your security challenges. But fundamentally, which situations suit a security dog best and where are security guards perhaps more suitable?

Here, we take a look at both options to help you decide which is the best security solution for your needs.

Security dogs

Canine security is expertly trained and comes as a package with an accompanying dog handler. Together they are most suitable for:

• Drug detection: Dogs have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell, and so sniffer dog units are often a very effective form of security where you have to detect drugs, such as in queues for nightclubs or festivals, or on police searches. Modern legislation means that physical searches of people are difficult to undertake, and so the excellent sense of smell of a security dog is a faster, safer and more effective form of detection.
• Event security: While human security guards are also very effective for event security, canine security is too. Dogs act as a visible deterrent and so people are likely to act less aggressively if a security dog is present, so dogs can act as a means of maintaining the peace in certain situations and are trained to only strike when they absolutely have to.
• Trespass: As a property owner, if you are faced with a trespass situation or where there is an unlawful encampment on your site, canine security is very effective for site evictions in approaching people and trying to negotiate their removal from site. Again, dogs are trained to avoid conflict until absolutely necessary and are a great assistance to their handler, even if human communication is obviously needed to negotiate with the trespassing party.
• Mobile patrols: Where a security guard needs to make mobile patrols around a site – for vacant property security or overnight security – a dog acts as a great deterrent and safeguards the handler against attack. Dogs are also a fantastic source of detection, because their senses of smell and hearing are much better than humans, they can detect unusual things while on patrols much better and faster than we can.
• Searches: Where you need to locate something or someone, security dogs are trained to use their superior orientation skills to find it. Dogs are also famed for their loyalty, but in a security situation this loyalty translates to consistency, in that they never have an off-day and their detection skills are not prone to lapses like a human’s might be.

Security guards

There are some occasions and scenarios where a human security guard alone is going to be much more effective than a security dog:

• Event security: Where decisions need to be made you can’t rely on even the best trained dog to be effective in this situation. If you need to act quickly on a crowd control matter, or oversee a guest list or change in pricing or parking arrangements etc, the human intervention of a security guard is essential.
• Communication: Dogs can only follow a single instruction and obviously can’t communicate with a crowd or a group of people. So where negotiation is required, a security guard is better placed to undertake this and might prove the difference between maintaining control over a crowd or a difficult situation developing.

Professional canine security from React K9

At React K9 we have a wealth of canine security resources, which are highly-trained and fully-accredited to help you with your specific security requirements. Our dog units are trained in conflict management and legislation relating to trespass and encampment and therefore can provide critical assistance in resolving your security needs safely, legally and effectively. So contact React K9 today.