I’ve been a K9 Handler with Nevada County Sheriffs Search and Rescue and California Rescue
Dog Association (CARDA) since 2011, and with El Dorado County Sheriffs Search and Rescue
for the last 2 years. With these entities I train and deploy dogs in Search efforts for missing and
deceased individuals in suburban and backcountry terrains throughout the state of California. I
also serve as Mentor and Primary Evaluator for CARDA and K9 Team Lead for El Dorado
County SAR.
Search and Rescue sparked my interest in Obedience training and K9 scent work. I enjoy
teaching handlers how to build drive in their dogs and utilize that drive to hunt specific odor.
Whether it’s human remains, natural oils, narcotics, or even certain nuts or bed bugs, teaching a
dog the game of how to find what we’re looking for is sometimes challenging and always
rewarding.
In scent work classes, we teach the dog to associate odor (birch, anise & clove) with a reward:
either high value food or a toy. Once the dog understands the association between odor and
reward, then we create the game of hunt for odor.
In 2016 I became a certified dog trainer through Animal Behavior College, and in 2018 I left my
job as an Animal Control Officer with Nevada County Sheriffs Office to strike out on my own as a
dog trainer. Through my company I offer Basic and Advanced 1-2-1 Obedience, behavior
modification for aggressive and reactive dogs, 2-6 week Board and Train, day training, and
scent work classes.
Continuing Education:
● 3 day K9 Handler Development class with Cameron Ford of Ford K9, June 2020
● 2 week K9 Police/Professional Detection Training Seminar, October 2020
● 1 week K9 Sport Detection Training Seminar, again with Ford K9 in Las Vegas NV,
March 2021
● Annual Locating the Dead training in San Luis Obispo, CA. This is a specialized and
restricted Cadaver K9 training utilizing whole human cadavers in various scenarios
including submerged in water, buried, in burned vehicles etc.
● In November of 2021 I organized a 3 day Canine Cognition Clinic with Ford K9 for our
County and regional Search and Rescue K9 teams.