K-9 Detector Dog Training

Detection Dog Training

Skill Level: Beginner

Length: 19 Modules

Access Period: Unlimited

Price: $450.00 $225.00

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About

Detector Dog Training

with Kevin Sheldahl

Edited with Ed Frawley

 

Over 300 Short Videos

8 Hours

 

Who is Kevin Sheldahl?

This course has been a 15-year work in progress. Kevin Sheldahl is a retired Deputy Sheriff who worked as a K9 handler for his entire career. He is an internationally recognized police dog judge along with being a judge in the sport of Schutzhund dog. Kevin is also registered expert witness in federal and state courts on public safety K9 cases.

If you are not familiar with Kevin we would suggest you listen to the podcast he recently did with Jeff Meyers. Jeff is a retired K-9 handler and has an excellent podcast channel:

 

Podcast - Jeff Meyer talks with long time K9 trainer

Kevin Sheldahl

(Click to listen)

Kevin’s company (K-9Services.com) trains and certifies public safety officers. His students get certified as bomb dog, narcotic dog, cadaver dog, and wildlife detector dog handlers. His in-person courses are six weeks long. To date, he has run 71 of these six-week courses with an average course having 10 to 15 new dog handlers.

 

Through his 6 week courses alone, Kevin has trained over 700  K-9 Teams from start to deployment ready.  Thru his seminars and workshops, Kevin has guided thousands of handlers in their careers from start to being ready for deployment.

 

Kevin has also taught in Germany, Colombia, Mexico, Malta, Canada, and all over the United States. This work has given him the experience to see many teams and expand his knowledge of the unique subset of dogs in the role of working police service dogs. 

 

There are very few instructors in this country that have Kevins experience, not only as a dog handler but as an instructor who has years of experience teaching new dog handlers.

 

To learn more about Kevin, listen to this podcast episode: Jeff Meyer talks with long time K9 trainer Kevin Sheldahl    

 

Course Content and Concepts:

This online course is detailed. We have included written text that is supported by over 300 training videos. In this course, you will learn primary and secondary rewards, marker training in detector work, single and double-blind searches, handling search techniques. You will learn how and when to introduce distractions and diversions along with when to introduce your dog to environments it will be expected to work in.

For trainers who wish to use markers/clickers, we explain when and how to use them into our training program. 

Kevin uses this course as a syllabus for new handlers who come to New Mexico to go through his six-week in-person K9 handler program. Students are expected to study this course before going through his school with a dog.

 

 

TARGET AUDIENCE

Handlers and Trainers of Public Safety Detection Dogs and those interested in this work. This course is about practical training for field deployments.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

None

Course Outline

Testimonials

"I've taken (and am still referring back to) this course and give it two thumbs up. Excellent content, well presented. Excellent course design, with a mix of videos and written - it works for different types of learners. Well worth the investment."

- Joyce G. on 04/01/2024

FAQ

Who is Kevin Sheldahl?

Kevin Sheldahl is a Police Dog Teaching Judge. 

He is a Police Service Dog Teaching Judge (PSP/DPO/WPO Patrol, narcotics, explosives, human remains, Police S&R, Game Detection Dog, Tracking/Trailing, and SWAT).

Kevin has trained police service dogs since the mid-1980's, he was a full time police K9 handler for the Bermalillo County Sheriff's Department in NM from 1992 until his retirement in 2014.

Kevin has been the head instructor for over 58 six-week police K9 handler classes since 1992. Prior to this he was an assistant instructor for a large police dog vendor.

K-9 SERVICES is owned and operated by Kevin Sheldahl.  Kevin has more than 30 years of experience in training law enforcement officers, corrections officers and military handlers and their service dogs.  There is no substitute for experience.  Kevin and the other instructors at K-9 Services embody that approach to K-9 operations.  Field, tactical, and investigative experience is a prerequisite for all instructors.

He has been involved in the training of working dogs as both a hobby and professionally for 35 years. He has taught numerous handlers from agencies throughout the United States, Judged Certifications and Competitive events, and been a guest speaker and instructor for various organizations.  Kevin is a Master Instructor (NMDPS) for the above specialties.

 

How long will this course take to complete?

This is a self-study course. You can go through the content at your own pace. There is no time limit on the course. 

 

Does this course expire?

You will have lifetime access to this course. 

 

Will this course be offered in a DVD or stream format?

This course will only be available in an online course format. It will not be offered as a DVD or video stream. The course has more content that can fit on a DVD. In addition, the online format allows students to review material in minutes compared trying to review material in a long DVD.

 

How much content is in this course?

The course contains over 300 short videos in addition to a great deal of written content and photos. In total, there is about 7 hours of content to watch in this course.

 

Do you need to be enrolled in the six-week in-person K9 handler program with Kevin to take this course?

No, anybody interested in learning more about K9 Detector Work can take and learn from this course.

 

What odors will be used in this course?

In this course, we won't be specifying which training aids to use for several reasons. Our curriculum is structured to lay the groundwork for training detection dogs across multiple fields, including Bomb Detection, Narcotics, Wildlife Tracking, Search & Rescue, and even civilian scent competitions. Each of these areas involves training dogs to detect different scents.

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