K9 Line-up Training: A Manual for Suspect Identification and Detection Work

Enhance your K9’s detection capabilities and unlock the power of its nose with scent and odor line-up training

Learn how to:

• Master the basics of detector dog training
• Train dogs in scent identification line-ups and odor recognition tests
• Troubleshoot common problems in scent identification and detection work

The use of detector dogs to find or identify scents or odors has a long history, and has risen dramatically in recent decades in all different areas of detection, including drugs, explosives, missing persons, and more. But even with this increase, there remains a lack of information about the different ways to train dogs in scent identification and detection, and even less about the many ways that training can go wrong. K9 training experts Resi Gerritsen, Ruud Haak, and Simon Prins wrote this book so all trainers have access to the knowledge they need to train capable detector dogs.

This book introduces both professional and amateur dog handlers to the basics of scent and odor line-up training and their applications in K9 scent identification and detection work. From training schedules to the fascinating history of nose work in policing, this book is designed to be a practical, accessible, and informative resource for K9 officers, professional or volunteer search-and-rescue workers, competitive dog trainers, and enthusiastic hobbyists alike.

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.

Simon Prins is known for introducing operant conditioning to the police K9 training world. For the last 25 years, he has worked in K9 special operations, skillfully trained dogs for special operations missions, and mastered the art of using robotics and sensors with dogs to perform such tasks successfully. He is currently working with the Netherlands Police Agency.