K9 TRACKING+TRAILING SEMINAR
CRUX K9 & SCENT IMPRINT FOR DOGS: Master real-world K9 tracking for urban, evidence recovery, hot pursuit, and cold trails. Learn systematic training systems and seamless K9 integration for team operations.
Time & Location
Nov 14, 2025, 8:00 AM – Nov 16, 2025, 6:30 PM
Northern Colorado, United States
About the event
TRACKING & TRAILING SEMINAR
Participants will gain knowledge in a range of real-world scenarios, including hard surface tracking in urban and building environments, article tracking for crucial evidence recovery, hot pursuit for apprehension, follow-ups for intelligence gathering, and navigating cold trails (24 hours or more) often encountered in Search and Rescue Operations. Beyond practical application, attendees will learn to strategically set up their training for these varied disciplines and seamlessly integrate their K9s into broader team operations.
HANDLER PROFILE
Upon confirmation of your booking, we will request a personal consultation with each handler. This consultation is a crucial step for our instructional team to gain a comprehensive understanding of your experience within the working dog community, your dog's current performance metrics, and any specific challenges or objectives you aim to address. This individualized assessment enables us to develop a highly customized and effective training curriculum, ensuring a uniquely beneficial experience for every handler and dog team.
INSTRUCTORS
WESLEY VISSCHER:
Wesley Visscher is the owner of Scent imprint for dogs (SIFD) located in the Netherlands. Wesley’s professional experience, spanning over 19 years, is centred around his passion for training working dogs. Since the founding of SIFD, he has trained K9s to detect in the disciplines of narcotics, explosives, and wildlife. SFID’s trained dogs are operational globally, serving police, military, border forces, and private security companies in the US, Europe, and Africa. He is also involved in projects combating illegal wildlife trade, training anti-poaching dogs in Asia and Africa, and establishing K-9 units for international NGOs.
Expertise: Tracking, Trailing and Detection
Affiliation: Owner, Scent Imprint for Dogs, and Scent Imprint for Conservation.
Focus: Tracking and detection specialist (narcotics, explosives, firearms, human remains) with over 19 years of professional experience.
Track Record:
Trains operational K9s for police, military, border forces, and private security companies worldwide (US, Europe, Africa).
Leads projects combating illegal wildlife trade, including training anti-poaching K9 units in Asia and Africa.
Establishes K9 units for international NGOs and trains local handlers.
Links:
WARRICK GIBBS:
Warrick Gibbs of Crux K9, is an experienced K9 trainer and handler with operational experience in Southern Africa. Specializing in training working dogs, handlers, and tracking teams, his expertise lies in anti-poaching and search and rescue operations. Gibbs has actively participated in numerous operations involving missing persons and rhino poaching incidents in Southern Africa. Now based in Colorado, Gibbs develops working dogs for tracking/trailing, detection, search and rescue, and apprehension.
Expertise: Tracking, Trailing, and Apprehension
Affiliation: K9 Instructor at Crux K9 CO (United States).
Focus: K9 trainer and instructor, specializing training working dogs and handlers in tracking, trailing, and apprehension for anti-poaching and search and rescue.
Track Record:
Participated in multiple missing person and rhino poaching operations in Southern Africa.
Provided APU training and served as a K9 handler in the Kalahari.
Instructed and trained dogs at Kilo 9 Academy in South Africa.
Served as a K9 Anti-Poaching Ranger with the Wildhood Foundation.
Previously worked as a Man-trailing Instructor for K9 Search & Rescue in South Africa.
Links:
SABRINAH RAZA GIBBS:
Founder of Crux K9, Sabrinah is a canine expert with over 15 years of experience in the canine industry, possessing an extensive knowledge and a deep understanding of canine behaviour. A certified K9 Search & Rescue Specialist and USAR K9 Handler and Instructor with the Colorado Task Force for FEMA, demonstrating expertise in training and deploying highly motivated working dogs. Her expertise is built upon a foundation of years spent handling and training a diverse range of canines, from family pets to high-performing working dogs.
Expertise: K9 Behavior Modification, Search & Rescue, and Detection
Affiliation: Founder of Crux K9; K9 Search & Rescue Specialist FEMA CO-TF1.
Focus: K9 trainer and instructor specializing in training working dogs and handlers for search & rescue, and scent detection.
Track Record:
Over 15 years of experience in the canine industry.
Expertise in training and deploying highly motivated working dogs.
Certified K9 Search & Rescue Specialist and USAR K9 Handler and Instructor with the Colorado Task Force for FEMA.
Trained and certified her own canine, Yara, for the Colorado Task Force.
Links:
SEMINAR DETAILS
OVERVIEW:
Theory and Presentations: This segment includes instructor lectures and dives into tracking and trailing theory.
Hands-on Training: Participants will engage in practical training, search simulations in controlled environments and field exercises in realistic settings.
Multiple Training Locations: Training will take place in both urban and wilderness environments, preparing teams for diverse challenges.
TRAINING METHODOLOGIES:
Tracking Through Drive (TTD): Prioritizes natural, faster paced tracking with the reward of finding a person at the end of a trail.
Article Tracking + Back-Chaining: Using articles to build a dog's motivation and focus on the trail, creating more precise and reliable performance.
Hard Surface Tracking: Specifically trains dogs to follow scent over challenging urban environments like concrete, asphalt, and into buildings.
TRACKING STYLES + APPLICATIONS:
Evidence Recovery: Focuses on dogs using human scent to locate specific items or evidence left along a trail.
Hot-Pursuit: Involves immediate apprehension of a suspect or urgent aid for a critical patient, requiring rapid and direct tracking.
Follow-Ups: Working on cold trails (24 hours or more) for intelligence, or when a person has been missing for a few days.
INTERPRETING TRAIL BEHAVIOR:
Tracking Behavior & Indications: Focuses on interpreting your dogs indications and providing real-time intelligence for search operations.
Proximity Alerts: Identifying and utilizing your dog’s proximity alert for safer operations and tactics.
Refining Indications: Focuses on reinforcing positive and negative trail indications and building reliable communication.
THE HANDLER'S ROLE:
Line Handling: Focuses on optimal leash tension for clear comms, and allowing the dog freedom to work, and providing necessary guidance without interference.
Problem Solving: Strategically assisting the dog when scent is lost or difficult to follow, employing tactics to regain the trail.
Performance Optimization: Monitoring the dog's physical and mental state, hydration, rest, and motivation to sustain peak operational output.
SYSTEMATIC K9 TRAINING:
Building Trails: Designing trails with specific learning objectives, to ensure consistent success at each developmental stage.
Component Training: Focuses on skill development by isolating and mastering individual components in preparation for scenarios.
Scenario/Team Training: Integrating multiple component skills into realistic, complex simulations that mirror real-world deployments.
TARGETING + START PROCEDURE:
Precision Targeting: Focusing on the quality and presentation of scent articles for comprehensive encoding of the target scent.
Strategic Starts: Observing your environment and intelligence to initiate the track from the most productive area.
Direction of Travel: Establishing the correct direction of travel from the outset helps build a "probability map" to refine the overall search area.