K9 Professional Training Series
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.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Selecting the drug-detector dog and handler
2. Basics of drug-detection training
3. Accidental drug uptake: First aid for your dog
4. Reading your dog
5. Influence of air currents in search work
6. Planning a search action
7. General information on drugs, drug laws, and penalties
8. The different drugs
Conclusion
Appendix A: Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act: Drug Schedules I-IV and VIII
Appendix B: Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act: Punishments
Appendix C: United States Controlled Substances Act: Drug Schedules I-V
Appendix D: United States Federal Trafficking Penalties for Drugs Included in Schedules I-V
About the Authors
Dr. Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak are world-renowned specialists in K9 training and the authors of more than 30 titles on dog training. They train search and rescue dogs for the International Red Cross and the United Nations (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), and they have trained drug and explosive detector dogs for the Dutch police and the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Gerritsen and Haak also serve as judges for the International Rescue Dog Organization.
