The Police K9 Training Podcast with Jeff Meyer

On this episode of the Police K9 Training Podcast host Jeff Meyer sits down with Danny Ziem from Echelon Front to unpack leadership dynamics inside small, specialized units — especially K9 teams. Danny, a full‑time instructor with Echelon Front, explains how Extreme Ownership principles apply to K‑9 units, special operations, and first responders at every level. Topics covered include the common challenge of supervisors who treat K9 programs as an extra duty, how handlers can “lead up the chain” to build influence and secure resources, and practical ways to detach from emotions, get curious, and present capabilities in a way that helps command. Jeff and Danny explore how small teams can avoid swapped priorities (team over mission), how to make your unit indispensable to the larger organization, and how humility and perspective drive better outcomes. The conversation also addresses handling internal friction: identifying why a teammate is disgruntled, using curiosity to de‑escalate conflict, empowering experienced members, and the value of honest, inclusive debriefs that collect lessons learned from every position.    To Read Danny Ziem's Bio or to contact him, check out: https://echelonfront.com/instructors/danny-ziem/    To contact Jeff Meyer, email him at: [email protected] To see more about Jeff and the classes that are offered go to: www.Policek9Training.net     Thanks to this shows sponsors:     AceK9.com ______________________________________________________________________________ KATS K9 Record Keeping  www.katsplatinum.com ______________________________________________________________________________   Ray Allen K9      https://www.rayallen.com/  ____________________________________________________________________________ The Next Level K9    https://www.thenextlevelk9.com/      _____________________________________________________________________________ For information about the Colorado K9 Conference https://coloradok9conference.com/                       

In this episode Jeff Meyer is joined by detection expert Cameron Ford to tackle a common problem: narcotics dogs that perform well inside but become distracted, avoidant, or ineffective when searching vehicles on traffic stops. They break down likely causes (low reinforcement value, negative associations, or flooding by repetitive, stressful exposures) and outline a practical progression to restore motivation and reliable searching on cars. Key topics covered include identifying the root cause of vehicle avoidance, dialing training back to simple contexts, building reinforcement history and value for cars, using rituals and signals (for example a special collar routine) to predict fun, and staged exercises where a trainer teases a vehicle and the handler pays the dog quickly on odor acknowledgement — not always waiting for a full trained final response. They also discuss changing locations/cars, varying reward schedules (roughly 60% positive to avoid over‑expectation), the role of quick reward timing ("pay on sniff"), limited pairing with reward items if necessary, and how handler relaxation and clear start/finish cues (e.g., saying "all done") improve outcomes. Cameron and Jeff emphasize avoiding flooding (recreating stressful traffic-stop conditions repeatedly), preventing handler frustration from cascading into poorer performance, and tailoring the progression to each team. They note most cases are fixable with consistency: simplify the task, create value, reward early, then rebuild duration and precision.     To contact Jeff Meyer, email him at: [email protected] To see more about Jeff and the classes that are offered go to: www.Policek9Training.net     Thanks to this shows sponsors:     AceK9.com ______________________________________________________________________________ KATS K9 Record Keeping  www.katsplatinum.com ______________________________________________________________________________   Ray Allen K9      https://www.rayallen.com/  ____________________________________________________________________________ The Next Level K9    https://www.thenextlevelk9.com/      _____________________________________________________________________________ For information about the Colorado K9 Conference https://coloradok9conference.com/                     

Join host Jeff Meyer and guest Ron Cloward for a focused Q&A on two hot administrative topics in police K9: one dog and out and should a supervisor work a dog also?  The episode examines what a strict one-dog-out rule looks like, why many administrators favor it, and the downsides Jeff and Ron see: loss of institutional expertise, continual churn of inexperienced handlers, and declining program quality. They discuss practical alternatives and compromises—such as allowing experienced handlers to re-test for their assignment when a dog retires, implementing performance reviews before denying reassignment, and using policy as a tool to address personnel problems rather than removing experience wholesale. On the question of supervisors working dogs, Jeff and Ron unpack pros and cons from both sides: liability and supervisory focus versus unit buy-in, continuity, and leadership presence. T Listeners will walk away with concrete talking points to present to chiefs or administrators, considerations for writing or revising canine policy, and recommendations for supervisor training and unit continuity.    To contact Jeff Meyer, email him at: [email protected] To see more about Jeff and the classes that are offered go to: www.Policek9Training.net     Thanks to this shows sponsors:     AceK9.com ______________________________________________________________________________ KATS K9 Record Keeping  www.katsplatinum.com ______________________________________________________________________________   Ray Allen K9      https://www.rayallen.com/  ____________________________________________________________________________ The Next Level K9    https://www.thenextlevelk9.com/      _____________________________________________________________________________ For information about the Colorado K9 Conference https://coloradok9conference.com/                     

Host Jeff Meyer welcomes trainer Eric Stambrough for a focused Q&A episode in his Police K9 Training Podcast series. After a summer break Jeff is launching shorter question-and-answer shows; this episode addresses a common field problem: how to "reset" police dogs that have been trained for decades with overly high e‑collar stimulation and now react with stress, vocalization, leash‑targeting or inconsistent drive. Jeff and Eric walk through practical, step‑by‑step methods to rebuild control and trust using the e‑collar properly. Key techniques discussed include starting work on leash, using negative reinforcement (pressure on/pressure off) at very low levels, short, repeated reps (two short sessions of ~10 reps), layering the collar over known behaviors (heal/come), and rewarding with food or praise. Eric describes a practical progression: initial trust‑building with low stim and leash guidance, one or two days of focused negative reinforcement, then transition to brief taps or tone as a consequence while always returning stimulation to the lowest effective level. Jeff emphasizes avoiding collar dependence and training the dog to perform reliably without constant stimulation. Both trainers stress that numbers are situational — use what the dog needs in that environment and always come back down once control is achieved.   To contact Jeff Meyer, email him at: [email protected] To see more about Jeff and the classes that are offered go to: www.Policek9Training.net     Thanks to this shows sponsors:     AceK9.com ______________________________________________________________________________ KATS K9 Record Keeping  www.katsplatinum.com ______________________________________________________________________________   Ray Allen K9      https://www.rayallen.com/  ____________________________________________________________________________ The Next Level K9    https://www.thenextlevelk9.com/      _____________________________________________________________________________ For information about the Colorado K9 Conference https://coloradok9conference.com/                       

Host Jeff Meyer sits down with longtime K9 instructor Gary Haddon for an in-depth episode on detector-dog operations, training philosophy, and real-world deployment. The conversation focuses on obedience to odor: how to bring the dog to the hunt, not the toy, and shape dogs to ignore visual and food distractions while staying laser-focused on scent. Gary and Jeff compare reward strategies (primary rewards vs. markers), building distance, leash-counter techniques, proofing with distractors, and practical ways to teach dogs to re-engage on source odor versus non-productive odors.     To contact Jeff Meyer, email him at: [email protected] To see more about Jeff and the classes that are offered go to: www.Policek9Training.net     Thanks to this shows sponsors:     AceK9.com ______________________________________________________________________________ KATS K9 Record Keeping  www.katsplatinum.com ______________________________________________________________________________   Ray Allen K9      https://www.rayallen.com/  ____________________________________________________________________________ The Next Level K9    https://www.thenextlevelk9.com/      _____________________________________________________________________________ For information about the Colorado K9 Conference https://coloradok9conference.com/