Police Service Dogs in Thuringia Deployed More Often - Thuringia's police dogs complete over 1,300 missions in 2025

Thuringia's police force relies on 75 service dogs to support operations across the state. These highly trained animals assist in everything from tracking suspects to detecting explosives. In 2025 alone, they were deployed in 1,312 missions—a significant rise from previous years.

The dogs, primarily German Shepherds, Belgian Shepherds, and Dutch Shepherds, undergo rigorous training before active duty. Initially, they complete basic protection training. Afterward, they specialise at the Police Dog Handler School in Pretzsch, Saxony-Anhalt, where they learn skills like narcotics detection, digital evidence recovery, and explosives identification.

Thuringia does not have its own training centre, so all service dogs are purchased from external sources. Once operational, they work alongside 58 dedicated handlers in the state's police force. Their roles vary, but tracking and search-and-rescue missions were the most common in 2025. A police dog's working life usually spans around eight years. After that, they retire from active service and often remain with their handlers as pets.

The number of deployments has grown steadily, reaching 1,312 in 2025 compared to 1,072 the year before. Tracking and search-and-rescue tasks led the way in frequency. These dogs continue to play a vital role in Thuringia's law enforcement efforts.