Niko is Newest Addition to Canine Team

Niko gets a big hug from his handler, officer Jason Posel.

Niko is the newest addition to the Woodbury canine team, taking to the streets on Nov. 7, 2007.

He is a Belgian Malinois, the first the unit has had. Belgian Malinois tend to have light brown fur and typically are smaller than German Shepherds. They also are very driven workers.

“Niko is a very fast dog,” said officer Jason Posel. “He has a very strong drive to work.”

Posel is Niko’s handler, meaning the two work as a team in the field. Their first day together was relatively uneventful. Niko spent most of the day whining, eager for something exciting to happen.

Niko demonstrates his abilities at training school graduation held at the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department.

Niko is adjusting to working with other officers and learning to work with Posel better each day. Experience in the field helps handlers and their dogs communicate better with physical clues. Posel said that training police dogs is a process. It is best to start when the dog is young but it takes several months to learn to work together.

Niko was born on Dec. 28, 2005 and was selected at 8 weeks old as an excellent working dog. He arrived in Woodbury in the summer of 2007. Niko started training right away.

He is trained to assist the department with tracking suspects or missing persons, searching buildings, locating evidence and apprehending suspects. He also helps reduce the risk of injuries to officers by acting as a psychological deterrence.

New canine officer, Niko, proudly displays his badge.

Later in his career, he will be trained to search and uncover narcotics.

“Niko has been raised for this type of work and is excelling at it already,” Posel said.