Fort Riley gives a wide range of venues to challenge all teams. This training is geared to all levels of HRD dogs and handlers. Instructors have carefully planned each prop to allow handlers the opportunity to work residual to large source. Instructors will provide feedback and coaching for students based on training goals outlined prior to each exercise.

Possible environments include:

Close Quarters – Whether it be an automobile line up or a building search, our training scenarios will focus on odor movement to challenge the handler’s understanding of scent theory and to teach their K9 partner about sourcing strongest point of odor. Large scent sources down to trace amounts will be provided.

Rubble piles – Access to rubble will allow students to provide the amount of technical difficulty needed for their dog. Again, focus will be on odor movement, completion of the trained final response while out of sight and agility. Larger scent sources will be used.

Wide Area Search – Allowing a dog to stretch its legs and provide longer nose time, these scenarios will allow handlers to watch body language from a distance. Larger scent sources and trace amounts will be used across multiple stations.

Throughout the three days, handlers will enjoy new scenarios for each type of environment and short classroom sessions over lunch.

Classroom topics will include reward systems and strengthening the trained final response, odor availability and environmental movement, and documentation requirements for training logs and search reports.

All instructors are nationally known and have extensive experience working with students of all skill levels.

Instructors include: Greg Cole, Brad Dennis, Lisa Higgins, Robin Greubel, Paul Martin, and others pending

Assistant Instructors: Jennifer Hirakawa, Amanda O'Banion, Gary Swift, Heather Swift

Logistics: Kassandra Gallaghan, Paul and Lori Schneegass

A collaboration between: K9Sensus Foundation, HRD Specialized K9 Training, TASKS K9 and Snow Alley Search and Recovery

Registration: https://www.k9sensus.org/events/2019-mass-casualty-hrd-dog-workshop-ks