Training Police K9 Tracking Dogs Seminar with Kevin Sheldahl

1. Why track?
2. Theory
• Genetic predispositions
• Tracking styles
• Track Happy and Track Sure
• What is a Track?
3. Practical Training for the police service dog in tracking
4. Legal issues
5. Equipment
6. Mechanics
• Creating an association
• Beginning the track
• Extending the track
• Understanding changes of direction and terrain
• Expanding the dogs' understanding of the nature of a track
• To evidence or not to evidence?
• Motivations based on mission and character
• Corners and training
• Designing the training track for success
7. Handling
• Attitude and emotion
• Leash handling
• Changes in direction
• Lost track procedures
• The reality of lost and found tracking
• Tracking confirmation
• Problem solving on deployment
8. Tactics
• Back up on a track
• How many and what conditions
• Tactical operations
• Formations
• Movement
9. Testimony
• Voir dir
• Daubert hearing
• Expert testimony

Our seminar will be filmed by Leerburg Personal and the video will be used to produce an online course on training police tracking dogs. To stay up to date, please subscribe to our newsletters.

About Kevin Sheldahl

Kevin Sheldahl is a retired Deputy Sheriff who began training with police service dogs in 1982. In his career, he trained K-9 Teams for his department as well as neighboring departments as a Deputy Sheriff. He has experience deploying patrol, detection, SWAT and tracking canines spanning the duration of his career. He is credentialed as a Master Instructor, Certifying Official, and Police Dog Judge. He has taught more than fifty courses as lead instructor in detection and patrol. In his business K-9 Services, Kevin has trained well over 300 K-9 Teams from selection of the canine and human candidate to street ready K-9 Teams. Kevin is a well known seminar instructor, speaker, and law enforcement instructor. In his personal life, Kevin has participated in numerous dog sports such as Schutzhund/IPO where he has been the training director for more than 20 years. He also participates in ringsport and police sports.

Kevin is a frequent presenter on subjects such as electronic training collars, detection, and patrol, as well as selection testing. He has 35 years of experience in these fields to reference and makes use of the experience he, as well as his numerous students, have had to provide an in-depth study of the use and training of police service dogs of all types.

Kevin is a certified police service dog judge, an evaluator for a national police dog organization, and an experienced competitor in both civilian and police canine sports.

Kevin has authored articles for Law Officer Magazine, Calibre Press and Police K-9 Magazine as well as having developed curriculum for handler instruction. Kevin has also acted as a expert witness for various law enforcement entities and as a subject matter expert for various organizations such as the US Embassy to Colombia in Bogota.

Currently, Kevin instructs courses in Basic Patrol & Detection in the Albuquerque Metro Area and teaches advanced course at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin. Kevin can also be found at various events as a guest instructor around the US and other countries.