Steve White to visit K9MD

 We are beyond excited to announce the legendary and world renowned Steve White will be travelling from the United States to New Zealand to spend a week with K9MD. As awareness for K9MD’s work grows both nationally and internationally we must ensure all our work from the laboratory to our dogs is peer reviewed and at the highest standard. Who better than to support and guide our work with our superstar canines, than one of the most respected and knowledgeable scent detection trainer in the world – Steve White.

About Steve

Although he was raised with dogs, Steve White’s love of working dogs began in 1974 when his obedience instructor introduced him to the world of K9 Search and Rescue. Steve was hooked and soon joined the US Army as a Military Police working dog handler, since then most of Steve law enforcement career has been devoted K9. He is the only person to have served as a handler, trainer, and supervisor for the only major city police K9 Unit have its methods upheld by the courts in a major class-action suit brought by the ACLU.

First accredited as a Master Trainer in 1993 by the Washington State Police Canine Association, Steve is also a past Executive Board Member of that body. He served as Vice President of the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers, (now called the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers) and has been an instructor for the K9 Academy for Law Enforcement. Steve has instructed at seminars in the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, Mexico, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. He was a founding instructor at Karen Pryor’s Clicker Expo. He has taught obedience classes at parks, community centres, kennels, and the facility he and his wife Jennifer operate, Rivendale Learning Centre in Woodinville, Washington.

His articles have appeared in police K-9 and dog training publications in the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, Finland, Japan, and New Zealand. He specializes in teaching behaviour modification, urban tracking, and scent work through the use of positive reinforcement based operant conditioning. He provides consultation, training, and audit services to K-9 units, and has been recognized as an expert witness by Washington and Federal courts in Police K-9 and dog behaviour matters.