Patrol Detector Dog Trainer

Overview

The Patrol Detector Dog Trainers Course is designed to teach students to become a K-9 trainer across various disciplines, including but not limited to explosives, firearms, narcotics, and patrol operations. Students will also learn how to properly train and condition dogs to achieve specific, desired behaviors. The course includes academic instruction on canine safety, health care, conditioning principles, and safety protocols for explosives and narcotics. Detection training emphasizes odor recognition, search patterns, and passive response to target odors in diverse environments. Patrol training focuses on bite work and tracking, ensuring canine teams are equipped for real-world scenarios

Admission Requirements

Must be a High School or GED graduate.

Course Details

Patrol Detector Dog Trainer

Duration: 13 Weeks

Clock Hours: 520

Admin Fee: $100

Tuition Fee: $ 25,900

Academics

Canine safety, health care, grooming, kenneling, and transportation
Safety protocols for handling, storing, and transporting explosives and narcotics
Advanced principles of canine conditioning
Operant and classical conditioning
Canine sensory spectrum

Obedience

Application of conditioning principles: reward schedules, fixed/variable ratios, and intervals
Commands: “sit, stay, down, heel, come” (on and off-leash)
Obstacle agility course: on-leash and off-leash
Focus on conditioning dogs to respond to verbal and hand commands through operant conditioning and positive reinforcement

Detection

Canine odor recognition: 4-hole variable, odor wall, and scent cone (vapor pressure)
Factors affecting scent cone: wind, humidity, temperature, convection, and terrain
Search techniques: building, vehicle, warehouse, stadium, office, open area, theater, parcel, luggage searches, and bomb threat response
Off-leash skills: distance casting, and control
Conditioning “green” dogs to detect and respond passively to target odors in varied environments using advanced operant conditioning
Techniques for overcoming cognitive dissonance, behavior shaping, and modification
Electronic collar training, and K9 selection

Patrol

Overview of bite work, grip development, pursuit, and gunfire stimuli
Tracking and trailing: handling drop articles, multiple turns, and cross-tracks
Conditioning dogs to pursue, bite, hold, and guard a decoy in varied conditions and stimuli using operant conditioning