CONSERVATION DETECTOR DOGS
Specializing in Wildlife Surveys
Handler Training Program
The Importance of Teamwork
At PACKLEADER Detector Dogs, we know that simply placing a dog and handler together does not make an efficient team. To form the most effective team possible, a prospective handler’s skills and personality are evaluated to match them with a dog’s character and work ethic. Selection of a handler can often be more critical than the selection of a dog. A poorly chosen handler can have a negative impact on a dog, even causing a highly experienced detection dog to become frustrated and fail to locate samples. In an effort to optimize the effectiveness of the team, all dogs are trained prior to assignment to a handler.
Depending on the project requirements, handler training is a rigorous two or three week hands-on session, covering everything from canine behavior to understanding the influence of the environment on odor, that will prepare your handlers for the field. PACKLEADER’S training curriculum includes instruction on:
Canine selection
- Basic canine behavior
- Dog physiology
- Canine care
- Proper use of equipment
- Motivational techniques
- Scent/odor characteristics
- Influence of the environment on odor
- Interpretation of the dog's body language
- Search patterns
- Practical applications
During field training, the handler gains experience in reading and inter-preting the dog’s changes of behavior.
These innovative training techniques result in the development of a successful and efficient conservation detector dog team.
This page was last updated: March 16, 2008
