Drug dogs get nosey in Calhoun

Ricky Malone and his dog, Quinta, stand ready in front of an old beat up Ford Taurus. Malone, a narcotics officer with the DeKalb County Police Department, pulls on Quinta’s leash.

“Easy,” he says to her in a low, calming voice before releasing some of his hold and letting her sniff the vehicle.

Quinta’s nose darts furiously around the trunk of the Taurus before she begins to scratch at the vehicle. Quinta is letting Malone know she has found what she is sniffing for.

Quinta is a Belgian Malinois, she is just one half of more than 75 K-9 teams that have descended on Calhoun for a weeklong North American Police Work Dog Association National (NAPWDA) Training Seminar. The teams consist of the drug sniffing and bomb detection dogs and their police trainers.

The NAPWDA training seminar is just one step to receiving and maintaining K-9 certification.

“These certifications are important, because if an officer is called to court they would want to know what certification a K-9 handler has,” said Calhoun Police Chief Garry Moss.

This is the second year Calhoun has hosted the NAPWDA conference, and organizer Dale Pullen called it an economic boost.

“Even with the economy the way that it is, no organization has any money, we have still had a really good turnout,” Pullen said.

While in Calhoun the K-9 teams will undergo a rigorous testing and training process which in-cludes vehicle, building and package narcotics detection, bomb detection and search and rescue training. The dogs will also be tested for obedience, tracking and cadaver search. There are a total of 16 test units each K-9 team must undergo. The K-9 teams must pass 15 to be considered for certifi-cation.

“The process is intense, but necessary,” said K-9 Master Trainer, Rusty Jones.

Jones, a trainer from North Carolina with more than 8,000 hours of training under his belt, is one of 17 trainers, who were on site at the Gordon County Fair Grounds for the weeklong training semi-nar.

Jones said that each team’s approach to training is a little different, depending on the dog and the handler.

“Some dogs are trained in a passive approach, while some are more aggressive,” Jones said.

Passive dogs are more likely to sit once they locate the package or drug, while aggressive dogs scratch or bark at the location.

“It is a preference matter,” Jones said.

Over the course of their lifetimes a drug-sniffing dog will undergo countless hours of training in order to affectively do their jobs. Jones said another key element for a successful drug-sniffing dog is a thorough bonding process with their handler.

“The dog has to learn to accept you as pack leader. This is the best job you can have; you get to go and play with your dog,” said Jones.

Pullen said he has been impressed by the level of improvement has seen in the K-9 teams.

“This is a workshop,” he said. “The trainers this year are wonderful. During the training process they are taking their time to teach the teams.”

Trainer Genie Frost agreed.

“The main emphasis is certification. But the teams are also working on improving their skills,” she said.

The NAPWDA seminar will continue through Oct. 9. The majority of the event will be held at the Gordon County Fair Ground.

Genie Frost

Genie Frost is one of just two female Master Trainers in the world.

“I have been a canine person all my life,” she said.

Frost, who traveled all the way from Wisconsin to work at the NAPWDA seminar, has spent the past 20 years working with dogs as a trainer.

In 2003 Frost decided to become a Master Trainer.

The process is intense; Master Trainers most under go a testing process after hours of training. They must also adhere to regular critiques by other professionals. The process can take years.

“It is worth it,” she said.

Frost has worked with more dogs than she can count, and she touts positive reinforcement and K-9 handler team individuality.

“Some dogs move fast and some move slow, it is more about how well the dog does than how quickly they move,” Frost said.

by Lydia Senn, Calhoun Times

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