North Star K9 Training Association Trailing Urban Certification Testing

Transcription

1 1 North Star K9 Training Association Trailing Urban Certification Testing The purpose of the Urban Tracking/Trailing Test is to demonstrate the K9 Team s ability to follow a specific human scent, over various available terrains, in an urban/suburban environment to the satisfaction of the certification official(s)/evaluator(s), based on the criteria explained below. Pre-Requisites Prior to Testing Copies of all documents must be presented to the evaluator prior to field testing. The evaluator may request the documents be sent via USPS, scanned and ed or collect them at the test site. Copies of requested certificates will not be returned to the K9 teams. The documents should be compiled in the same order as follows: Registration or other legal documentation qualifying that the K9 testing is at least 18 months old NIMS IC 100, 200, 700, 800, 800 b or current requirements First Aid Certification CPR Certification Blood Borne Pathogens Certificate Crime Scene Preservation Certificate HazMat Awareness Certificate Criminal Background Check 6 months training records (need not be mailed or copied but must be presented for inspection at the testing. Pack List: The handler will not receive a pack inspection. However, it is expected that the handler shall carry adequate water on the trail for the K9 and the human as well as any first aid supplies, etc. that may be needed in the completion of the trails. If a risk because of inadequate preparation is perceived by the evaluator, it shall be reason to fail this portion of the test.

2 2 Obedience: All K9 s, regardless of breed, should be able to walk on a lead with his handler and will stand for harnessing. The K9 should be able to rest on the trail at least 15 minutes, stop at street crossings and wait, and resume trailing without being re scented. The handler shall demonstrate the ability to slow down the K9 with an easy command and be able to stop the k9 on a trail with a Wait command. The K9 will be able to trail while being accompanied by 2 or more persons following behind. If the handler uses an E Collar, the remote must be held by the evaluator(s). Rules Governing Testing Our testing assesses the component skills deemed to be necessary for the K9 team to be qualified to search for the missing, lost and abducted in an urban and/or suburban setting. A K9 team is composed of one K9 and one handler. Certification is for the K9 team. If the handler and K9 are no longer a team, the certification is null and void. All certification will occur over a three to four-day, seminar which will involve training and testing. The K9 team must complete the required segments and objectives as outlined below. A trail may consist of one or more objectives, at the discretion of the evaluator. The team will participate over the 3 to 4-day period, without regard as to whether they are training or testing. The evaluator may stop the test or trail if: 1. The K9 is deemed to be in poor health or condition. 2. The trailing conditions are dangerous for the K9 team. 3. The K9 team is so far off trail there is judged to be no hope of trail recovery. The judgment of the evaluator(s) is final. The evaluator(s) will stop the test/training if abuse of the K9 occurs and the K9 team will not be able to retest for one year. The K9 team shall be judged as a pass/fail The K9 team shall receive the test protocol on which the certification official(s) document performance of the team.

3 3 Rules Governing the Test, cont. Identification/Final Alert: Prior to the training/testing the handler will articulate to the evaluator how their K9 identifies or alerts on the person they are trailing. If the indication requires that the handler to interpret the dog s behavior, and is not readily identifiable to the evaluator(s), the trail shall consist of one person being trailed and 2 or more decoys placed near (at least 5 feet and not more than 15 feet) to the trail layer. After the trail, the handler must tell the evaluator who his dog was trailing. Distractions: Distractions are prevalent in the urban environment. Distractions, such as animals, people, vehicles, etc., are not reason for the handler to terminate a training/testing exercise. Failure to finish a track because of distractions shall be considered a failure. Surfaces Comprising Trails/ Contamination Every effort shall me made to utilize the following surfaces in the training and testing of the K9 team. Utilization will be dictated by the availability in the geographic area where the training/testing is taking place Vegetative surfaces: such as mowed park, prairie grass, crop fields, woodland Urban: sidewalks, street crossing of paved concrete, blacktop and or gravel Other surfaces may be included such as: sand, mulched, dirt floors through black top, railroad tracks, interior floor surfaces of varying types, etc. Buildings: The urban test may trail through a building such as a store, auto shop, warehouse, etc. The building may require the K9 to alert on the door to enter and to exit. The trail may end in a building

4 4 Specific scenarios for the K9 Evaluation: If for any reason one of more of the scenarios should be unavailable at the test location, the evaluator(s) may exclude that scenario or substitute another that is similar and at the same skill level. All decisions of the evaluator(s) are final. The K9 team must demonstrate 80% accuracy on the training scenarios. The training scenarios shall be used to determine those K9 who may proceed to the blind/blind trail. 1. Identification on a Barrier The trail layer will enter a building through a door. The K9 team must trail to the door and the K9 must indicate on the door either by standing at the door or by a paw alert. The handler must be able to articulate that the trail layer entered the building. The door will be opened for the K9 team and they will be asked to locate the trail layer in the building or indicate the exit path of the tail layer. 2. Collection of a Scent Article The K9 team shall be advised of the point last seen. The handler will be asked to collect a scent article. They will not be able to take the article with them but must conduct a scent transfer. The K9 team will be advised of the Point Last Seen (PLS) and asked to trail to the trail layers destination. The K9 must give an identifiable final alert. 3. Starting in High Contamination The K9 team shall start their trail in areas of high contamination with preference given to Big Box type stores, strip malls, grocery store, etc. 4. Vehicle pickup: The track layer shall be picked up by a vehicle. Once the pickup occurs, all windows and ventilations systems will be closed. The K9 team shall trail and articulate the location at which the track layer was picked up. 5. Trailing through an intersection of 4 or more roads: The trail shall come to an intersection of 4 or more intersecting roads. The K9 must demonstrate the ability to eliminate roads with no trail and follow the trail onto the correct intersecting road. 6. Safety in the Urban Environment: The K9 handler must demonstrate the ability to control the k9 at blind corners: 1 By stopping the K9 and checking for safety before proceeding around the corner. 2. Stopping the K9 on the curb or side of the road before proceeding across in locations where there is traffic.

5 5 7. Distractions: The K9 team shall demonstrate the ability to trail in areas where there are high distractions such as noisy children, barking dogs, railroad trains, geese or ducks in the park etc. 8. Location Checks: During the evaluations, the K9 team shall be taken to 5 different occasions. They may be presented with a scent article that contains the scent of a person who has been in that location. Or They may be given a scent article which contains scent of a person for whom there is no possibility of that person having been in that location. 9. Parking Lots or Central Town Locations: The K9 team shall demonstrate the ability to trail in urban areas which are composed of primarily hard surfaces or across parking lots. 10. Double Blind Testing Scenario The K9 team must have completed the prior training/testing scenarios with 80% accuracy before proceeding the double-blind trail. The evaluator(s) shall have final decision on whether a K9 team is prepared to successfully complete this portion of the certification process. The blind/blind is a required trail for certification. The blind/blind trail shall be three quarters to one mile in length and at least 18 hours in age but not more than 26 hours. It must be completed within one hour. The trail shall have 5 articles to simulate evidence on the trail. The K9 team should recover at least 3 articles and present them to the evaluator at the end of the trail. Failure to recover articles shall not be the sole reason for failure of the double blind. The K9 handler will be accompanied by a flanker whose purpose is to be alert to possible hazards on the trail, help the team cross a street, or alert the handler to impending obstacles that may pose a hazard. It is permissible for the flanker to pick up the articles but not permissible for them to search for the article.