The K-9 Decoy Course instructed by Kevin Sheldahl was outstanding and exceeded my expectations. The combination of classroom instruction and hands-on practical exercises made the material easy to understand and immediately applicable. Kevin's experience and teaching style created a professional learning environment while emphasizing safety, proper decoy techniques, and the importance of building a reliable police K-9 through realistic training scenarios.

One of the things I appreciated most was the amount of hands-on training. The practical exercises allowed me to apply the techniques that were discussed in class and gain confidence working as a decoy. I also appreciated the emphasis placed on reading canine behavior, communicating effectively with handlers, and using proper equipment to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

If I could suggest improvements, I would recommend incorporating additional instruction on proper body positioning during catches, including how a decoy should present and move their body to ensure both safety and effective training outcomes. It would also be beneficial to provide study materials and instructional videos that narrate what is occurring during various training scenarios so students can review the concepts after class. Finally, I believe adding more instruction on how to activate and channel the drive of different dogs based on their individual characteristics and training objectives would further enhance the course and better prepare new decoys for working with a variety of K-9s.

Although I do not currently have my own K-9, the knowledge and skills I gained from this course have significantly improved my understanding of police K-9 training and have prepared me to safely and effectively assist with future K-9 training sessions. Overall, this was an excellent course that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in becoming a K-9 decoy.

- Wilbert Vargas on 07/20/2026

I really appreciated the safety-based approach, both for the dog and the team. Many of the dynamics were new to me, and I learned a lot. One of the things I valued most was the amount of technical knowledge and the level of detail in how it was presented. It would be interesting to further develop the integration of the K9 within the team and the related intervention tactics.

- Sergio Muraro on 05/08/2026