K9 Drug Detection: A Manual for Training and Operations (K9 Professional Training Series) - Softcover

Gerritsen, Resi; Haak, Ruud

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1550596810 ISBN 13: 9781550596816

Publisher: Dog Training Press, 2016

Synopsis

A comprehensive guide to training and deploying your drug-detection dog.

Learn how to:

• Select the right dog for drug detection work.
• Train your K9 using the latest techniques with proven results.
• Plan and execute searches of individuals and in a variety of settings, including open air locations, warehouses and other buildings, airplanes, automobiles, and ships.

In the fight against illegal drugs, a well-trained K9 can be your most important asset. K9 Drug Detection gives trainers and handlers the tools and knowledge they need to properly train and deploy a highly effective K9 drug detection team.

Expert trainers Dr. Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak provide the key principles for successful training, as well as step-by-step training schedules for both active and passive responses. They describe the many factors that affect a K9’s work in the field, including the influence of air currents and various weather conditions. They teach you how to protect your K9 from dangerous substances and what to do if your dog is accidentally exposed. They also provide background information every K9 drug detection handler should know, such as the basics of drug laws in North America and Europe and essential facts about the appearance, effects, risks, and use of the most common illegal drugs.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Resi Gerritsen, a psychologist and jurist, is an international judge for the International Rescue Dog Organisation (IRO) and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI). Along with her late husband, Ruud Haak, and other colleagues in Austria, Resi developed a new method for training search-and-rescue dogs that revolutionized the field after producing stellar results in disaster zones around the world. She still trains her dogs for search and rescue, detection work, and Schutzhund.

Ruud Haak was the author of more than 30 dog books in Dutch, German, and English, and for over 40 years he was the editor-in-chief of the biggest Dutch dog magazine, Onze Hond (Our dog). Ruud travelled the world with his wife, Dr. Resi Gerritsen, teaching their unique methods to police departments, search-and-rescue organizations, and other dog trainers. He passed away in 2023.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

In 1930, R. and R. Menzel, a husband and wife team of doctors, wrote: “The world of odors and search work is a closed book for us people. Here, we are in the unpleasant situation where the dog has to teach us something, instead of the other way around!” Still, even as we rely on our dogs’ noses as we conduct search work, we should also be aware of scents and other distractions that can influence our dogs. In this book, we impart the most current information about how K9 drug-detector handlers should train their dogs, as well as essential knowledge about various influences on dogs’ search work.

In the fight against drugs, K9s have been proven to be of great value, so people the world over train dogs to detect drugs. A dog’s reliability and ability when performing this task depends on how suitable the dog is for the work and how well the handler can train and assist the dog in operational situations. We hope this book will provide an aid to those on the ground.

Be warned. Your well-trained drug-detector dog is a valuable tool for those wishing to flush out a particular aspect of the drug trade; because of this, your dog is a real hindrance to those operating in said trade. Criminals will not hesitate to try to poison or kill your dog. Always be careful with strangers who want to approach your dog or offer a food reward. And always make sure your dog is lodged in a safe place.

We wish to thank the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (www.dea.gov) and Four Winds K9 (www.fourwindsk9.com) for permission to use their photos in this book, as well as Claudia and André Boomaars of Dog Training Center Oosterhout (www.hondencentrum-claudia.nl) for the photos of our training methods and the information they contributed to this book. We also want to thank the Port Security Rotterdam (HBD) and the Rotterdam Police, especially Jan de Bruin, head of the dog training center of the Rotterdam police force, and Nico Ram, who sadly died too young, training instructor for police dogs of the regional police Rotterdam-Rijnmond, for all their advice on training our drug-detector dogs and for transferring their vast knowledge to us.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dog Training Press
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1550596810
• ISBN 13: 9781550596816
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304