Classes previously delivered at HITS K9

Explore previous HITS instruction across tactics, legal context, behavior, detection, leadership, and operational decision-making.

These sessions reflect the depth of education delivered to handlers, supervisors, and agencies preparing for real deployment and courtroom scrutiny.

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Experiences shared by past participants

Feedback from handlers and agencies who have participated in past HITS instruction.

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Go to HITS. It's a great class. Great conference. This is the third one that I've been to. I try and go every time. They change up the classes. It's offered for detection and apprehension or patrol canines. All the classes are great. You should definitely check it out. I'm going to try and come back next year.

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Greg Edlund
Broward Sheriff Office

Hi, this is Brian Laas. I'm from Arvada, Colorado. This is about my second or third time with HITS, and I've enjoyed it greatly. I like the vast amount of instructors' backgrounds, so even though I've come once or twice before, I'm always gaining a lot of knowledge. This is a great seminar for both the new and the old handlers. I think you can't go wrong coming here. It's a good time and well-spent money for your department.

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Brian Laas
Arvada Police Department

Hi, my name is Neil with U.S. Park Police. This is the first time I ever attend HITS and it's great training. A lot of different courses that definitely benefit my career. I've been a handler for 14 years now. I'm still learning and I recommend people to come down here and learn something.

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Neil
US Park Police

Been to hits a couple times, keeps getting better every time. This year it's been amazing, a lot of people, a lot of great classes, great camaraderie between all the agencies here. It's a good time, I highly recommend it.

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Unknown Attendee

Hi, Mark with BCBK9 here at HITS 2017, lets you know what a success it was. Tons of handlers, tons of great classes. We're really glad that we drove all the way out from Missouri and we're looking forward to 2018 being in DC and we hope to see you all there.

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Mark
BCB K9

Yeah, this is my first time it hits. It was a great time. Actually, I've been to a lot of conferences before. This is definitely the best.

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Attendee
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Classes that shaped prior HITS events

Past HITS programs have included instruction designed to strengthen operational readiness, legal defensibility, and long-term performance across working K9 teams. Each class combines real-world experience, research, and courtroom-relevant perspective to support decisions that hold up beyond the training environment.

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K9 detection training on Fentanyl

Fentanyl Imprintation (Real and Psuedo) Video Presentation (Detection training) Safety for Handler Safety for K9 Legalaity (legal Fentanyl vs.

Class Instructors:

Gary Hadden
Interdiction K9 Officer
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Stimulus Control of Target Odors and the Trained Final Response

This presentation covers generalization and discrimination of training odors and mixture components. It also covers troubleshooting common problems in detection: falses, misses, salient distractors, and cueing off of handler body language.

Class Instructors:

Lily Strassberg
K9 Trainer & Instructor
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The Principles of Conditioning and Training Best Practices for Detection Dogs

This class will cover three key aspects of the principles of conditioning for detection dog training and handling. Part 1 will show how Classical and Operant conditioning can both be leveraged for odor training.

Class Instructors:

Nathan Hall
Speaker
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Modifying Detector Dog Behavior Through Training Aid Placement

Utilizing a tactical scientific approach trainers can dramatically alter detection behaviors and improve overall performance and search effectivness.

Class Instructors:

Don Blair
Owner
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Canine Intelligence Academy
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Learning that continues beyond the classroom

Handlers return from HITS with knowledge that supports:

  • Clearer deployment judgment
  • Stronger courtroom testimony
  • More reliable detection and tracking performance
  • Better program leadership and documentation
  • Long-term improvement across K9 units
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Strengthen long-term K9 performance

Past classes show the level of instruction HITS delivers each year. Explore upcoming sessions or register to attend future training.

View current classes
Register for HITS 2026
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