Police pups bound ahead in battle to lick crime

Canine training focuses on humane, rewards-based system

When 23-year-old Zhao Yingxi collected her first police dog for training in 2020 she had little choice in the matter.

She and her fellow dog handlers had drawn lots for the puppies and she ended up with Ujan, a 1-year-old male German shepherd that already weighed a whopping 40 kilograms.

Zhao is a slight woman, and it's hard to imagine the then novice dog handler training such a large, strong animal. When she first encountered Ujan, the young canine's body almost filled its entire kennel.