Patrol Detector Dog Trainer
Overview
The Patrol Detector Dog Handler Course is a comprehensive training program designed to prepare canine teams for work in detection and patrol operations. 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
Course Code: AK9ITA - 006
Duration: 12 Weeks
Clock Hours: 480
Admin Fee: $100
Course Cost: $27,500
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
- Bite work, grip development, and decoy mechanics
- Pursuit and apprehension techniques
- Apprehension from vehicles, with and without gunfire, and vehicle extractions
- handler protection, prisoner escorts, recalls, and outs
- Tracking and trailing