When he was growing up in Ontario, Kyle Hrynyk would spectate from the end of his driveway as members of the Ontario Provincial Police trained their canines. “That’s kind of where my interest in it started,” he said.
Nearly nine years into his career at the Sunshine Coast RCMP Detachment, Const. Hrynyk is working towards his goal of becoming one of the select-few RCMP dog handlers in Canada and has recently welcomed the newest edition to his training regimen, a four-month-old short-haired German shepherd named Lema.
Hrynyk received Lema – the sixth dog he has trained – in February, two hours after he sent his former dog, Caspar, back to the RCMP’s breeding and training facility in Innisfail, Alta.
Hrynyk is responsible for developing foundational skills such as socialization and familiarization with different environments. “It’s the biggest thing we do, trying to get them comfortable and really build confidence,” said Hrynyk. Dogs must be comfortable searching in small spaces, in vehicles and other places civilian dogs might not normally frequent. He is also teaching the fundamentals of scent tracking.
German shepherds dominate the RCMP’s roster of police dogs because of their strength, drive and trainability. “They’re really intelligent,” said Hrynyk, which allows them to be like Swiss Army knives – capable of serving a variety of functions, such as explosive or drug searching or avalanche work.
Hrynyk doesn’t know how long Lema will train with him, as the two of them train together. Approximately 90 dog handlers exist in Canada and becoming a handler is no guarantee. “Competition is pretty stiff,” said Hrynyk.
Hrynyk is a qualified imprinter, a prerequisite of the process. Similar to an internship, it requires lots of volunteer hours and travel to Squamish where he works with a professional dog handler. Once that experience builds up, Hrynyk will qualify to apply to become a handler. “It’s quite difficult, but it’s pretty rewarding if you can get to the end,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s a ton of fun.”
