Trainer dedicates decades to coaching elite police dogs

During his spare time, Huang Yunhai would often visit the small hillside next to the Meihekou public security bureau's police dog base in Jilin province, crouch in front of three stone tablets and clear the growing weeds.

The tablets stand quietly, engraved with the names — Heide, Linfa, and Nanzheng — three meritorious police dogs that served alongside Huang and achieved great feats.

Over the past 29 years, Huang, 57, a canine trainer at the base, has been deployed with police dogs over 1,000 times, directly solving 127 cases and helping recover over 2.6 million yuan ($390,000) in economic losses.

He was selected for the national police dog practical talent pool, awarded two personal third-class merits, and received 15 personal commendations.

Under his training, eight police dogs, including Heide, Nanzheng and Linfa, received the "Meritorious Dog" accolade from the Ministry of Public Security.

Over the years, every police dog that accompanied Huang and completed its life's duty has been buried on the hillside.

"Buried here, they can hear the barking from the daily training, so they won't feel lonely," Huang said.

When Huang first arrived at the base in 1997, it was almost abandoned, lacking professional equipment. "The drinking water had to be transported 3 kilometers by handcart," he said.

However, driven by his passion for police dogs, he moved to a rough-looking dormitory next to the kennels, with his wife accompanying him. They stayed at the 40-square-meter dormitory for 27 years until it was rebuilt in 2024.

"Only by staying near the kennels do I feel at ease," he said.

It was also at this base that Huang demonstrated his impressive abilities — he dispelled a long-held notion that Springer Spaniels could only be used for bomb detection and not for tracking duties.

"It was widely believed that Springer Spaniels, though possessing an excellent sense of smell, were easily distracted and only suitable for explosive detection, not tracking cases, but I disagreed," he said.

In 2013, he selected a Springer Spaniel for specialized training, turning scent identification into a fun game.

"I used its favorite toys as rewards, repeatedly honed training subjects, and later took the dog from the training field to real crime scenes," he said.

After four months, Huang's efforts paid off. The dog was able to complete search and rescue missions over longer periods and distances.

His method was later summarized as the "scent association training method", which helped improve police dog search efficiency by about 30 percent and was included in the Jilin Provincial Public Security Department's police dog technical textbook.

Experts from Criminal Investigation Police University of China visited Meihekou for a firsthand look at his methods, and later sent teachers to study with Huang for nearly six months.

The training and use techniques he developed were eventually incorporated into the police dog technology curriculum.

"There's no shortcut to training dogs," he said. "If it doesn't work once, do it again. Dogs don't lie — the effort you put in will be reflected in their abilities."

Huang's memories of his former canine partner Linfa, a male German Shepherd, remain vivid.

Having participated in 123 cases and directly solved 61 cases, Linfa is listed among police dogs recognized for meritorious service.

During a robbery case in the winter of 2012, temperatures dropped to minus 20 C with knee-deep snow.

"Linfa tracked continuously for eight hours with its nose to the ground," he said. "Despite its nose being cracked and limbs trembling, it didn't stop and finally uncovered key evidence that helped solve the case."

In March 2014, Linfa approached the end of its life and used its last bit of strength to nuzzle Huang's palm.

"Police dogs are not just tools for solving cases. They are like brothers I can entrust my back to," Huang said.

During memorials, he placed boiled eggs, the dogs' favorite treat, in front of each stone tablet.

His daughter, Huang Jinfeng, grew up amid the barking of dogs and followed in her father's footsteps to become a police dog trainer at the base in 2016.

"I am particularly delighted, and I also hope that more young people can carry on this profession with passion," he said.

Now, the base boasts neat facilities and complete equipment, with 37 police dogs undergoing training in six major fields, including tracking, explosive detection, and identification.

Approaching retirement, Huang has not stopped his research, continuing to tackle multi-breed collaborative search models and continuously imparting practical experience to trainers across the region.

"The lifespan of a police dog is typically between seven and eight years, or at most over a decade," he said. "We can't prevent them from getting old, but we can give them more confidence each time they go on duty."

"More confidence means more hope for the people who report cases, and more peace for this city," he added.

Contact the writers at zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn