Narc Class Announcement 2009

							                             Gig Harbor Police Department
                              Attn: Officer Charles Dennis
                               3510 GRANDVIEW STREET
                                GIG HARBOR, WA 98335
                       PHONE (253) 851-2236 FAX (253) 851-2399
                          E-MAIL: DENNISC@CITYOFGIGHARBOR.NET


                      K-9 Substance Detection Course

July 21, 2008


To K-9 Law Enforcement Community:


The Gig Harbor Police Department is excited to host a 4 week seminar for detection
dog trainers with Randy Hare from Alpha K-9. Randy has taught all over the country
and has been invited back for a second time to the WA State Police Canine
Association fall seminar hosted by Lynnwood P.D., September 14th-17th 2008. If
your agency is thinking of starting a narcotics dog program, I would highly
recommend sending an administrator to the seminar to watch Randy and learn about
his method for substance detection. If your administrator can only attend for a day
or even a few hours, it will be well worth his/her time. This is a great opportunity to
see firsthand why the “Trainers” course is valuable. For information on the fall
seminar please see:

http://www.wspca.com/wspcaevents.html

This “Trainers” class is available in Gig Harbor, WA from January 19th to February 13th
2009. The Trainers class is 200 hours and designed to teach the handler/trainer how
to train a substance detection dog using the Hare method for “On Target” training.
Please visit Alpha K-9 web site for information about this method and to see Randy’s
credentials.
http://www.alphak9.com/seminars.html

If your agency currently has a handler or substance detection team in service
(narcotics, explosive, other), this class is extremely valuable. Besides gaining
additional training hours and experience, your handler/trainer will learn from start to
finish how to produce, maintain, and problem solve train a substance detection dog.
This is important because maintaining the reliability of your department’s substance
dog must happen. If your current dog or handler team is having any problems, this
class will teach the handler/trainer how to recognize and solve those problems.

If your agency is in the process of starting a narcotic dog program, this class satisfies
the WAC requirements for certification. More important, your agencies new K-9
handler will leave with the knowledge on how to train and maintain the training for
their dog.

This class is open to 6 handlers/trainers. Each handler can bring up to two dogs. The
cost for the class is $5000 dollars, payable to Alpha K-9/Randy Hare. 10% deposit is
required to reserve a spot. Host hotel is available in addition to free family living
within Gig Harbor. Several community members have offered use of their guest
rooms in their homes to offset the cost of a hotel.

If your agency’s budget is small, possible financial solutions can be found by using
money from donations or fund raising (businesses, citizens, or other charitable
organizations). If your agency has financial seizures in a narcotic fund, those funds
can be used to pay for the class.

For inquiries please contact Randy Hare or Officer Chet Dennis. Please make your
reservations early, only 6 spots are available. See attached course outline.


Regards,


Officer Chet Dennis                          Instructor Randy Hare
Gig Harbor Police Department                 Alpha K-9 Training Center
253-851-2236 Office                          601-368-9944 Office
253-250-1783 Cellular                        info@alphak9.com
dennisc@cityofgigharbor.net
       On Target School for Detection Dog Trainers

                4 Weeks in Duration / 200 Hours

                January 19th – February 13th 2009

                          Instructor
           Alpha K-9 Training Center / Randy Hare
                     Jackson Mississippi

         http://www.alphak9.com/seminars.html

                Hosting Agency : Gig Harbor Police Department
                             Washington State


                       Week One (Monday thru Saturday)
   Detailed look at principals of traditional detection dog training
   Detailed look at theory and principals of the On Target Technique
   Evaluating dogs for the On Target Technique and scoring dogs for training
   Handling techniques and principals
   Teaching the dog to make odor association while utilizing positive fight drive
   Utilizing the reward to teach the dog to resist distractions and temptations



                       Week Two (Monday thru Saturday)
   Shaping behavior by utilizing the short rack
   Shaping the final response to either active or passive response
   Teaching the dog to work independently of the handler
   Using positive fight drive to advance toward an oral response
   Adding additional odors
   Adding advanced distractions
    Introducing the oral response on the short rack



                          Week Three (Monday thru Saturday)
      Utilizing the detection boxes as a distraction
      Finalizing the oral response and beginning of the oral game
      Moving the oral game to outside and to different environments
      Proper use of puzzles to strengthen the k-9 ability to locate hidden contraband
      Moving to outside work and transferring the dogs detection abilities to outside
       world
      Moving the dogs to the outside world and the utilization of the 80-20 ratio



                         Week Four (Monday thru Saturday)

      Practical deployments in real world searches
      Use and misuse of patterns
      Practical deployments in high traffic situations
      Final exam


Each participant (Maximum of Six) will be allowed to attend with two dogs. Each dog
must pass evaluation test to be fully entered into the class. Those not passing may
still be utilized to show the difference in those that do and those that do not (or are
close) to passing the selection test. The price for the four week course is 5000.00. A
10% deposit will be accepted to reserve a participant’s space in the school. The school
will be limited to law enforcement and professional training unless otherwise
specified by Randy Hare and the hosting agency. The school will be open for detection
training only to include Narcotics, Explosives, and other applicable substances.