Mission Statement: World Class Accredited K9 Training Institution & K9 Solutions Provider
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Click to obtain a copy of our STUDENT CATALOG or for further details, please email us: ak9icontact@ak9i.edu
NOTE: Approval by the Virginia State Approving Agency to offer training and education under the GI Bill® is not an endorsement of the courses. It is approval under public law to provide education and training.

Training Courses Overview

AK9I Training Academy™ (AK9ITA™) has been approved by the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia (SCHEV) and the Virginia State Approving Agency (SAA) to provide professional canine-focused education and training services. The SAA has also approved us to accept VA Education Benefits under all chapters of the GI Bill® (See Note, below). All of our courses are open to civilians, law enforcement, military, and veterans, with the exception of our Law Enforcement Handler Course, which is only open to sworn law enforcement officers. Please note that AK9I™ does not guarantee any form of employment and/or compensation after completion of the course. Although we do not perform a background check, any type of negative history in your personal record may affect your post course employment opportunities.
All accepted students will select, bond, train, certify and depart with their selected canine upon successful course completion. All required gear is provided as part of the cost of tuition. After successful completion, AK9ITA™ gives you the canine you trained and certified with at NO ADDITIONAL COST. On-site housing is provided at no charge, although you may reside off the property at your own expense.
AK9ITA™ has designed a unique training program with focus on two primary target applicant groups. The first group is US military veterans, active military members, and civilians pursuing a career in providing a variety of K-9 services and support. The second group is law enforcement agencies (LEA), particularly those with budget constrictions. An LEA officer wanting to go into K-9 and eligible via his/her military service could attend training under the GI Bill®. Thus, a local LEA or other first responder agency looking to add to an existing K-9 unit, or wanting to create one, can reduce the cost to do so by as much as $25,000.00.

Handler Courses

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$100

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Training Courses

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$200

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Cargo Handler Courses

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$150

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Law Enforcement Courses

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$300

additional info

GI Bill / Skill Bridge Program

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$250

additional info

Gi Bill®/ Skill Bridge Attendees

The cost of tuition, books, and training materials for our courses may be paid directly to AK9I™ by the VA. Veterans attending under certain Chapters of the GI Bill® may be eligible for a monthly housing allowance (MHA) payment from the VA while attending the course. We recommend that all potential attendees inquire about this stipend with your VA representative. If you are still on active duty, and within six months of your separation date, you may attend one of our courses through the Skill Bridge program. Please contact your transition office for more information.
Program Description Course Hours Admin Fee Tuition
AK9ITA-001 -- DETECTOR DOG HANDLER 200 $100 $19,300
AK9ITA-005 -- PATROL/DETECTOR DOG HANDLER 320 $100 $21,400
AK9ITA-006 -- PATROL/DETECTOR DOG TRAINER 520 $100 $25,900
AK9ITA-009 -- AIRLINE CARGO INSPECTION DOG HANDLER 320 $100 $21,400
AK9ITA-010 -- LAW ENFORCEMENT PATROL/DETECTOR DOG HANDLER 240 $100 $20,300

Calendar Year 2023-2024 Class Convening Dates

5 week , 6 week, 8 week and 13 week courses available

Start Date Graduate Date
(5 weeks)		 Graduate Date
(6 weeks)		 Graduate Date
(8 weeks)		 Graduate Date
(13 weeks)
01/03/23 02/03/23 02/10/23 02/24/23 03/31/23
02/06/23 03/10/23 03/17/23 03/31/23 05/05/23
03/06/23 04/07/23 04/14/23 04/28/23 06/02/23
04/03/23 05/05/23 05/12/23 05/26/23 06/30/23
05/08/23 06/09/23 06/16/23 06/23/23 07/28/23
06/05/23 07/07/23 07/14/23 07/28/23 09/01/23
07/10/23 08/11/23 08/18/23 09/01/23 10/06/23
08/07/23 09/08/23 09/15/23 09/29/23 11/03/23
09/11/23 10/13/23 10/20/23 11/03/23 12/08/23
10/02/23 11/03/23 11/10/23 11/24/23 12/29/23
11/06/23 12/08/23 12/15/23 12/29/23 02/02/23
12/04/23 01/05/24 01/12/24 01/26/24 01/01/24
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Accredited institution through the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET)
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GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by the VA is available at the official U.S. Government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

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About Us

As a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, AK9I™ is committed to ensuring our canines and handlers/trainers are experienced working in a variety of diverse and challenging environments. We have forged formalized access agreements with numerous public and private sites, where we conduct realistic training scenarios in all weather conditions and at all hours.

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Get in Touch

4007 Burdette Road,
Carrsville, VA 23315

ak9icontact@ak9i.edu

(757) 304-9600

Fax: (757) 304-9678

Copyright © AK9I™ 2022

BASIC OBEDIENCE (25 HOURS):

Application of Principles of Conditioning (reward schedules, fixed and variable ratios and intervals) for the commands of “sit, stay, down, heel and come” walking in heel position and obstacle agility course. Utilizing Operant Conditioning methods, students are taught to condition the dogs to respond to basic verbal and hand commands and navigate the obstacle course using positive reinforcement methods.

PATROL DOG TRAINING AND CONDITIONING (95 HOURS):

Bite work, grip development, decoy mechanics and development, single and multi-person pursuit and apprehension, apprehension from a vehicle, apprehension with gunfire, vehicle extractions, handler protection, prisoner escorts, recalls and outs, tracking and trailing. Utilizing Operant Conditioning methods, students will condition their dogs to pursue, bite, hold and guard a decoy with and without gunfire under a multitude of conditions, locations and stimuli.

BASIC OBEDIENCE (25 HOURS)

Application of Principles of Conditioning (reward schedules, fixed and variable ratios and intervals) for the commands of “sit, stay, down, heel and come” walking in heel position and obstacle agility course. Utilizing Operant Conditioning methods, students are taught to condition the dogs to respond to basic verbal and hand commands and navigate the obstacle course using positive reinforcement methods.

DETECTOR DOG SEARCH PROCEDURES (110 HOURS):

Canine odor recognition protocol (4-hole variable, odor wall), practical application of detector dog handling search pattern and search procedures in buildings, vehicles, warehouses, stadiums offices, open areas parcels, luggage and bomb threat response protocols. Using operant conditioning methods, students are taught to condition a “green” dog to detect and passively respond to target odors in different environments.

DETECTOR DOG CERTIFICATION (25 HOURS)

Final certification of detector dog team in real world environments using North American Police Working Dog Association (NAPWDA) certification standards. Students will certify with their dog by demonstrating their dog’s ability to detect and respond with a passive response to the target odors. Students will also be able to identify their dog’s behavioral change when the dog is in the scent cone and working to source.

ACADEMICS (40 HOURS)

Orientation, canine safety, canine health care and grooming, canine kenneling and transportation, Principles of Conditioning, explosives and narcotics safety, storage and transportation. This segment of the course is designed to teach students safety practices in and around the kennels and safe handling and transportation of explosives and narcotics. Students are introduced to Operant Conditioning (reward schedules) and Classical conditioning (pairing of unconditioned and conditioned stimuli) escape training, the canine sensory spectrum and titration levels.

BASIC OBEDIENCE (25 HOURS)

Application of Principles of Conditioning (reward schedules, fixed and variable ratios and intervals) for the commands of “sit, stay, down, heel and come” walking in the heel position and obstacle agility course. Utilizing Operant Conditioning methods, student are taught to condition the dogs to respond to basic verbal and hand commands and navigate the obstacle course using positive reinforcement methods.

DETECTOR DOG SEARCH PROCEDURES (110 HOURS)

canine odor recognition protocol (4-hole variable, odor wall), Practical application of detector dog handling search pattern and search procedures in buildings, vehicles, warehouses, stadiums offices, open areas, parcels, luggage and bomb threat response protocols. Using operant conditioning methods, students are taught to condition a “green” dog to detect and passively respond to target odors in different environments.

DETECTOR DOG CERTIFICATION (25 HOURS)

Final certification of detector dog team in real world environments using North American Police Working Dog Association (NAPWDA) certification standards. Students will certify with their dog by demonstrating their dog’s ability to detect and respond with a passive response to the target odors. Students will also be able to identify their dog’s behavioral change when the dog is in the scent cone and working to source.

PATROL DOG CERTIFICATION (25 HOURS)

Final certification of detector dog team in real world environments using North American Police Working Dog Association (NAPWDA) certification standards. Students will demonstrate their dog’s ability to pursue, bite, hold and guard a decoy with and without gunfire under a multitude of conditions, locations and stimuli.

DETECTOR DOG SEARCH PROCEDURES (65 HOURS):

Canine odor recognition protocol (4-hole variable, odor wall), Practical application of detector dog handling search pattern and search procedures in buildings, vehicles, warehouses, stadiums offices, open areas, parcels, luggage and bomb threat response protocols. Using operant conditioning methods, students are taught to condition a “green” dog to detect and passively respond to target odors in different environments.

ACADEMICS (40 HOURS):

Orientation, canine safety, canine health care and grooming, canine kenneling and transportation, Advanced Principles of Conditioning, explosives and narcotics safety, storage and transportation. This segment of the course is designed to teach students safety practices in and around the kennels and safe handling and transportation of explosives and narcotics. Students are introduced to Advanced methods of Operant (reward schedules) and Classical conditioning (pairing of unconditioned and conditioned stimuli) escape training, the canine sensory spectrum and titration levels.

BASIC AND ADVANCED OBEDIENCE (65 HOURS):

Application of Advanced Principles of Conditioning (reward schedules, fixed and variable ratios and intervals) for the commands of “sit, stay, down, heel and come” (all commands are given off-leash) and obstacle agility course (on-leash and off-leash), long downs, vertical/horizontal carries, ladder climbs, window entries and tactical movements, off-leash send-outs, wagon wheels and T-Patterns. Utilizing Operant Conditioning methods, student are taught to condition the dogs to respond to advanced verbal and hand commands and navigate the obstacle course using positive reinforcement methods.

DETECTOR DOG SEARCH PROCEDURES (235 HOURS):

Canine odor recognition protocol (4 hole variable, odor wall), Vapor Pressure (the scent cone), factors affecting the scent cone, e.g., wind, humidity ambient temperature, convection and terrain, advanced application of detector dog handling search patterns and search procedures in buildings, vehicles, warehouses, stadiums offices, open areas, theaters, parcels, luggage and bomb threat response protocols. Off-leash distance casting and control, shooting a line and orbiting. Using advanced operant conditioning methods, students are taught to condition a “green” dog to detect and passively respond to target odors in different environments. Students are also taught how to overcome cognitive dissonance utilizing advanced techniques for behavior shaping and modification as well as receiving Instructor Development, Electronic collar and K9 Selection training.

DETECTOR DOG CERTIFICATION (25 HOURS):

Final certification of detector dog team in real world environments using North American Police Working Dog Association (NAPWDA) certification standards. Students will certify with their dog by demonstrating their dog’s ability to detect and respond with a passive response to the target odors. Students will also be able to identify their dog’s behavioral change when the dog is in the scent cone and working to source.

PATROL DOG TRAINING AND CONDITIONING (130 HOURS):

Overview of bite work, grip development, pursuit and apprehension and gunfire stimuli. canine team selection (how to evaluate both the dog and handler), breeding programs, puppy rearing and evaluation, initial bite work and grip development for puppies, advanced animal behavior (physiological and psychological factors),kenneling, kennel operations and kennel management, training operations and situational problem-solving, advanced tracking and trailing with drop articles, multiple turns and cross-tracks. Door breeching with and without flash bangs. Utilizing Operant Conditioning methods, students will condition their dogs to pursue, bite, hold and guard a decoy with and without gunfire under a multitude of conditions, locations and stimuli.

PATROL DOG CERTIFICATION (25 HOURS):

Final certification of detector dog team in real world environments using North American Police Working Dog Association (NAPWDA) certification standards. Students will demonstrate their dog’s ability to pursue, bite, hold and guard a decoy with and without gunfire under a multitude of conditions, locations and stimuli.

PATROL DOG TRAINING AND CONDITIONING (60 HOURS):

The primary purpose of this course of instruction is to prepare canine teams for integration into the tactical operations of law enforcement as a nonlethal option. Bite work, grip development, decoy mechanics and development, single and multi-person pursuit and apprehension, apprehension from a vehicle (bailouts), apprehension with gunfire, vehicle extractions, handler protection, prisoner escorts, recalls and outs, tracking and trailing and building search/working “in the stack.” Utilizing Operant Conditioning methods, students will condition their dogs to pursue, bite, hold and guard a decoy with and without gunfire under a multitude of conditions, locations and stimuli.

ACADEMICS (40 HOURS)

Orientation, canine safety, canine health care and grooming, canine kenneling and transportation, Principles of Conditioning, explosives and narcotics safety, storage and transportation. This segment of the course is designed to teach students safety practices in and around the kennels and safe handling and transportation of explosives and narcotics.Students are introduced to Operant conditioning (reward schedules) and Classical conditioning (pairing of unconditioned and conditioned stimuli) escape training, the canine sensory spectrum and titration levels.