A look inside Cumbria Police's dog section at Penrith

It takes at least 13 weeks to train a general purpose police dog Credit: ITV Border

From fluff-balls to fully-trained police dogs in 13 weeks. That's the challenge for the trainers at Cumbria Police's Dog Section in Penrith. Three German Shepherd puppies are currently learning the ropes, and if successful they will join the team of 28 dogs already working for the Force.

The German Shepherd's powerful jaw will stop criminals in their tracks, but they are also used for finding missing people and hidden evidence. Spaniels and Labradors work as specialised search dogs, undergoing four to eight weeks of training.

German Shepherds have an extremely strong jaw Credit: ITV Border

Unlike most Dog Sections, Cumbria Police's canine colleagues live with their handlers at home, where they become 'part of the family', according to PC Paddy Bainbridge. An important bond develops between handler and dog - the pair sticks together throughout the dog's career. This could mean a working partnership of around 6 years, and up to 10 for a specialist search dog.