This is an Entry Level Police Service Dog Training Class, designed to prepare both the K9 and the handler to deploy operationally when they graduate.
Course Overview:
This course consists of 240 hours of intensive training for law enforcement personnel in the handling, training, deployment, and care of a police service dog. Upon successful completion, graduates will have both the knowledge and skills to operationally handle a police service dog as an asset to law enforcement and the public.
This class is taught by instructors with law enforcement and/or military operational field work with working dogs.
The course will consist of both theoretic instruction via the classroom as well as practical instruction in the field, as outlined below.
- Theoretic Instruction
- History of the species canine
- History and progression of dogs in police work as well as military work
- Canine behavior
- How the dogs learn
- Training objectives and techniques
- Theory and techniques to enhance agitator/helper skills
- Instruction in types and proper utilization of training equipment
- Health and well-being of a canine to include medical care, feeding, grooming and housing
- Current case law and legal parameters involved in the use of a police service dog
- Preparation for court appearances
- Preparing and maintaining training records
- Practical Instruction
- Safety during training
- Understanding the police service dog’s abilities
- Understanding the police service dogs learning process
- Proper training scenario development
- Goal/objective based training
- Reading, understanding and proper responses to dog’s actions
- Evidence/article search
- Area search
- Directed search
- Building search
- Vehicle deployment
- Agitation/decoy work
- Proper use and deployment of an E-Collar
- Proper use of all training equipment
- Proper handling of surveillance, searches, arrests and transporting of suspects
- Working with other police officers
- Understanding the handler’s responsibility to ensure all deployments are done within your agency’s policy and procedures manual
Incorporated into the basic handler course handlers will also receive instruction as well as certificates in the listed disciplines.
III. Certifications received during the course
Basic Canine Handler Course – 240 hrs.
POST 24012
Handler Development Course – 40 hrs.
POST 24005
This 40-hour technical course is designed for law enforcement dog handlers, their supervisors, administrators, and risk managers. This in-depth class covers a variety of information to increase your program’s efficiency while decreasing your liability.
TOPICS
- History of the species canine
- History and progression of dogs in police work as well as military work
- Canine behavior
- How the dogs learn
- Training objectives and techniques
- Theory and techniques to enhance agitator/helper skills
- Instruction in types and proper utilization of training equipment
- Health and well-being of a canine to include medical care, feeding, grooming and housing
- Case law, past and current, and legal parameters involved in the use of a police service dog
- Preparation for court appearances
- Preparing and maintaining training records
Agitator I Course – 16 hrs.
POST 24065
This course provides a police K9 handler, K9 supervisor, or officer looking to assist their department with decoy work, with the knowledge and confidence to decoy for working dogs.
This is a working class where students engage in both classroom learning as well as practical applications of learned concepts under the supervision of experienced trainers.
- History of the species canine
- History and progression of dogs in police work as well as military work
- Canine behavior
- How the dogs learn
- Training equipment to include bite sleeves, bite suits, gauntlets, helmets, hand protections, undercover sleeves, prosthetics etc and their specific use scenarios
- Agitator safety
- Dog safety
- Building dogs’ drive
- Reading dogs behavior
- Proper reaction/movement to dogs’ behavior to enhance dogs’ skills
- Proper reporting of dogs’ behaviors/actions to handler/trainers
Agitator II Course – 24 hrs.
The Agitator II course builds on the skills learned during the Agitator I course. The Agitator II course employs more complex scenarios with an emphasis placed on the agitator’s ability to read and react to more dynamic and rapidly changing behaviors exhibited by the dog. It helps to further develop the agitator’s ability to communicate with handlers and trainers to better help dogs progress in their training.
Full Deployment Course – 24 hrs.
POST 24035
This course is designed to give police K9 handlers the knowledge, skills and confidence to deploy on real world events. This course is taught by current, active; police dog handlers who bring their real-world, current deployments, to the table as teaching tools.
The apprehension of dangerous criminals by police K9’s is one of the most highly scrutinized methods of force in American policing. A handler’s inability to use best practices and accepted tactics has led to countless lawsuits and use of force reform.
This course will challenge students to complete scenarios based on real world events as a team using industry standard tactics while considering liability to their specific agency. Students will complete written reports based on their deployments. Reports will be reviewed and critiqued by instructors. At the completion of the course, students will be versed and prepared to set contaminants, organize search teams, operate under current best practices and file necessary reports.
E-Collar Course – 24 hrs.
POST 23980
Comprehensive 3-day program offers expert instruction on the effective use of electronic collars in training and in the field. Enhance your canine’s responsiveness with safe, controlled, and humane techniques to ensure they perform optimally in critical situations.
Topics of instruction include:
- K9 learning theory
- Negative and positive reinforcers
- Drive channeling and drive capping
- Equipment selection and use
- Clear communication and problem solving
Transform your K9 team’s operational effectiveness with advanced training methods and tactics. Secure your spot today and set the standard for excellence in law enforcement canine operations!
All training has comprehensive written standards and has been tested in court.
Adlerhorst K9’s courses are California POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) approved, meaning they meet the state’s highest professional training standards for law enforcement.
POST approval ensures that our programs are recognized, credible, and held to strict guidelines designed to improve officer performance and public safety. For departments and handlers, this means training that is not only top tier but also officially recognized toward professional requirements and advancement.
The POST approval number for the Basic Canine Handler Course is #24012.
