Thanks wizmo, but I'm a little more interested in the specifics of this situation.

Mr VanCamp

Yes sir, I'm speaking of PSD's. Primarily patrol, drug and explosives. Unfortunately, the way it was stopped was as Wiz said. Legislators and other influential people were lobbied to not allow it to happen. Most of the law enforcement trainers were for it. We, I say 'we' meaning the law enforcement trainers, don't have an axe to grind. but we do have a dog in that hunt so to speak. Some departments rely solely on a certification from USPCA, NPWDA, NADDA etc. All well meaning organizations. Those and similar organizations at least make an attempt and having a certification program. The problem is there nothing of that sort is required. What usually results is the worst possible scenario and that is bad case law. Which of course hurts all of us. I've been asked on several occasions to be an expert witness for a department in suppression hearings and have had to decline cause there was no way I could truthfully support thier case. Another area that a state mandated certification would assist, is with small departments, with limited resources that must depend almost entirely on a vendor. While some get excellant dogs, training and assistance, let's be honest, some get down right screwed. I've been in this field long enough to see that some sort of intervention is needed. There are some real horror stories out there. As far as training goes, they (the state) or for that matter, any of the canine organizarions, should NOT have and say in how it is done. They should only be a measuring tool to see if the dog can do what we the trainer says it can.

DFrost

For quite a few years now, Florida has had a State Canine Certification standard. It has never been made mandatory, but the vast majority of agencies adhere to it because insurance carriers and/or agencies who administer self-insurance funds do not want anything to do with insuring an "uncertified" dog.

Many states that have certification standards have set them so low that you could almost get a cat to pass. If a trainer/handler is unable to get a dog to "pass" with such low expectations, what does that say for him/her?

The certification is for the dog/handler team...not just the canine. That is the way it should be. If the handler gets another dog, or the dog gets a new handler, they must certify again as a team.

Florida also has a trainer certification standard which includes requirements for minimum numbers of: years experience; numbers of teams trained; numbers of dogs worked as a handler; instructor certification, etc. (For you officers who are interested, these are available on official request from Fl. Dept. of Law Enforcement.)

I am new to this board, however, I feel there is quite a bit of good information that each individual is able to offer. I am in the security business, and in this business regulations vary from State to State. The same would end up being true with K9 certification. Each breed is so unique, and each dog so different that it would be too difficult to regulate the training. Perhaps those dogs that are being used in a working environment, i.e. LE and Security, should be regulated, as far as ability is concerned, but how they acquired that ability is perhaps a matter of fact, and unique to each dog, trainer and handler.

It's kind of like a cooking school, so long as a cake in the beginning, does not end up a roast in the end, the cake remains the finished product. Ingredients will vary.