Meet Merlin! This one-year-old German Shepherd is the Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office’s newest K9 in training. Investigator Muse will spend the next few months training Merlin to get him certified in narcotics detection and tracking. Once complete, Merlin will work with fellow CSO K9 Axel in the jail and community.
Each morning, Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office and Chesapeake Police Department K9s meet on location to conduct obedience and tracking training led by Master K9 Trainer Jim Duncan. Merlin is currently being introduced to the odor of narcotics and is working on tracking. Trainers decant towels in a container with a specific scent; they then hide the towel and encourage the K9 to track the smell and find the towel.
This training will come in handy soon in both the jail and the community. Merlin will be critical in the CSO’s crackdown on contraband behind bars. In the meantime, Merlin is enjoying his training and is eager to get to work!
