Pune: Members of the canine squads attached to the Maharashtra police will now undergo appraisals, which will be held by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The CID of Maharashtra state has a dog training centre at the Shivajinagar police headquarters in Pune since 1965. Recently, another dog training centre has been allotted land at Daund. More than 350 dogs are attached to the Maharashtra police (including with the Railways). The courses for the dogs include regular and refresher training courses, and are conducted by the Chief Dog Master under supervision of an additional superintendent of police. The dog squads mostly use breeds like Labrador, German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois.

From January 2020, after an order passed by the director general of police, the CID has prepared parameters for the appraisals. Every dog unit has been asked to submit its canine member's work performance, etc.