Team Capabilities

Even though we discussed the qualifications and characteristics of handlers and canines separately, our primary working unit is a team that consists of one handler and one canine.

The bond of respect and trust between the handler and his or her dog is critical to successful on-the-job performance. Handlers must learn to recognize what constitutes typical and unusual behavior in his assigned animal because it is those cues that signal detection of a target substance or human. On the other hand, canines must learn voice and other commands from their handlers that provide them with cues as to what is expected of them. In light of this, the teams train as units.

We train our teams using live drug aides and live explosives. There are differences in the training methods and strategies used in training drug detection canines as opposed to explosives detection canines. The drug detection canines are allowed to move more freely around the search area. Explosives canines and canine handlers are not allowed to disturb the surroundings to the same degree. Electrical equipment such as radios and lighting equipment many times cannot be used to assist explosives canine teams. A professional explosives detection canine handler must undergo specialized training.

Explosives Training and Capabilities

Our canines are trained to alert their handler to the presence of more than a dozen particular odors associated with bombs. The handlers are trained to be constantly observant of the canine's behavior and the handler will know immediately when the canine encounters one of the odors it is trained to alert on. The dog will show a change in behavior that is consistent with the change in behavior he has shown in initial and maintenance training of odor detection. The handler will allow the canine to investigate the odor until the canine is satisfied that he is as close to the source of the odor as he is trained to go. At this point the canine will give his final alert to his handler, which is to sit down facing the direction of the source of the odor. At this point the canine's work is finished. The handler will react in a predetermined manner according to the standard operating procedures set forth with the facility prior to the canine search's beginning.

The handler's training and experience are as equally important as that of the canine. The handler's ability to "read" the canine's behavior is critical to the detection process. The handler must stay out of the alert equation and not influence the canine's decision to alert. The handler must also be involved in the search enough to ensure that the canine has checked all productive locations in the area being searched.

Although the handler cannot smell the odor he is searching for, he is the organizer of the search and as with any search, the organization of the search can be critical. The handler must possess a great knowledge of the characteristics of the odors he is searching for. This will save precious search time and energy for the search team. The canine should spend its talents wisely in a manner that will be the most productive. This approach will help to search the greatest area in time available or allotted and to more efficiently find the explosive device if there is one in the search area.

Human Concealment Training and Capabilities

It is not always necessary for a perpetrator to bring explosives into a facility to do damage. The material for destruction may already be present inside a secured area. Therefore, it may be necessary to search everything going into a secured area for humans who might be hiding in a "Trojan horse." Canines trained to search for concealed humans will ignore both drugs and explosive odors.

These non-aggressive dogs will detect the human scent, follow it to a point as close to source as they are trained to do, and indicate detection by sitting and staring toward the source. The handlers of human concealment detection canines are specially trained to organize searches for concealed humans.

We search for humans in areas such as:

• Large sealed cardboard boxes
• Barrels
• Large tool box areas
• Vehicles
• Any area large enough to hold a human that cannot be thoroughly visually inspected

Narcotics Training and Capabilities

Our canines are trained to alert their handler when they detect the odor of specific drugs by an immediate change of behavior that the handler is trained to recognize. The handler will allow the canine to work to a point as close as training allows. Finally, the canine will give the final stage of alert by sitting and staring in the direction of the source.

The target drug odors on which our canines are trained are:

• Cocaine (all varieties)
• Heroin
• LSD
• Marijuana
• Methamphetamines

Patrol Training and Capabilities

Each of our patrol canine handlers has at least 10 years experience in handling patrol canines. The handlers' experience comes from the U.S. military or law enforcement organizations. Only seasoned, specially trained canines and handlers with many years of experience are used on patrol. A canine patrol team functions as a deterrent as well as an effective detection tool.  Our detection dogs do not double as patrol dogs unless specifically requested by our individual client.

Our security design team will mold a patrol service to fit the needs of each individual client who needs this service.

Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction

We are one of the few firms in the U.S. that offers Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Canine Teams. Our teams are trained and certified through Auburn University’s Canine Research and Detection Center. 

Our CWMD teams have undergone several weeks of extremely complex, rigorous training that requires a working knowledge of target odors in addition to health hazard precautions. We also have invested in the specialized equipment required to conduct safe and thorough searches of this kind.

Our CWMD teams train continuously and are prepared to travel to whereever they are needed on a moment’s notice. 

Certifications

Although there is no single source of canine certification in the U.S., K-9 SOS meets the criteria for any certification required for our work. For example in Tennessee, our explosives detection teams are certified through the State through the Peace Officer's Standards and Training Commission (P.O.S.T.). This examination, among a wide range of test items, offers certification on 1200 pounds and 4,000 pounds of ANFO.