K9 Drug Detection: A Manual for Training and Operations

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.

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.