2025–2026 TRAINING COURSE SCHEDULE
Gold Coast K9 courses are designed to give K9 teams and individual handlers clear, real-world training they can take straight back to the field. Each program combines instruction on the training field with scenario-based deployments, problem solving, and evaluation under pressure. Course hours are listed with each course description, and the 2025–2026 training course schedule is shown below.
ABOUT GOLD COAST K9 TRAINING COURSES
GOLD COAST K9 BASIC PATROL HANDLER COURSE
Duration: 160 hours
Investment: Handler school only $9,500.00 | New dog and handler school $20,000.00
A 160-hour training block that focuses on the core skills of first responder K9 teams. Includes on- and off-leash obedience, tactical obedience, obstacle work, evidence searches, building and area searches, wind scenting, high-risk traffic stops, out-of-vehicle deployments, handler protection, muzzle work, remote collar training, legal updates, and problem solving.
GOLD COAST K9 PATROL & DETECTION DUAL PURPOSE SCHOOL
Duration: 240 hours
Investment: Handler school only $9,500.00 | Handler school and dog $20,000.00
A 240 hour course that combines the basic patrol & detection handler school. In addition to Patrol skills, teams focus on target odor and run searches but not limited to on vehicles, residences, luggage, packages, buried and open areas.
GOLD COAST K9 BASIC DETECTION SCHOOL
Duration: 80-160 hours
Investment: School only $9,500.00 | School and dog $18,000.00 & up | Call office for information
The course focus is on hunt, target odor & final response with a passive alert. Training will be but not limited to buildings, vehicles, luggage, sound room, buried, livestock pens, outdoor areas, stairs and other environmental obstacles. Target odors can be but not limited to narcotics, explosives, firearms, bio chem, bed bugs and currency.
GOLD COAST K9 REALITY BASED DETECTION
Duration: 20 hours
Investment: $450.00
A 20-hour course introducing real-world detection searches as part of a modern handler’s training portfolio. Includes classroom and field work on masking agents, food distractors, animal odors, open-area and vehicle searches, changing environments, and building core understanding and capability for better performance in the field.
K9 STRESS INOCULATION PRIOR TO DEPLOYMENTS
Duration: 20 hours
Investment: $350.00
A 20-hour reality-based course on stress and its effects on K9 deployments. Handlers learn how to inoculate the dog to stress through structured scenarios to increase confidence and effectiveness. Includes lecture, case studies, video, and field training, with a certificate of participation upon completion.
ELECTRONIC DOG COLLAR
Duration: 30 hours
Investment: $450.00
A 30-hour course focused on modern use of the electronic dog training collar for police service dogs. Covers history, myths, desensitizing, sensitivity, drives, integrating physical and e-collar corrections, marking behaviors, guard and bark, searches, handler aggression, choreography, scenarios, and problem solving. Teams must have an e-collar prior to the course (one can be provided on request).
AGITATOR COURSE
Duration: 8 hours
Investment: $150.00
An 8-hour course recommended for officers, military personnel, or agency staff who want to become K9 handlers or improve agitator/decoy skills. Covers agitator safety, the agitator’s role in successful training, understanding drives and aggression, use of whip and stick, muzzle agitation, proper bite-suit use, apprehension placement behind doors and in vehicles, and guard-and-bark work. Includes hands-on work with police service and protection-trained dogs.
ON-SITE TRAINING
Gold Coast K9 can provide on-site training at an agency’s facility. Many of our course curriculums can be delivered on location, helping agencies reduce costs associated with travel, lodging, and per diem.
CUSTOMIZED TRAINING COURSES
Courses can be customized and modified to match an agency’s training standards, policies, and deployment procedures. Programs are adjusted to how each agency actually trains and deploys in the field.
MAINTENANCE AND CERTIFICATION COURSES
Investment: $1,500.00 per month per unit not exceeding four K9 teams | Pricing per discussion
Gold Coast K9 offers weekly K9 maintenance training and annual certifications by a Bona Fide organization to keep both dogs and handlers in top working order. These maintenance sessions in both patrol and detection are available weekly, bi-weekly and monthly.
2026 COURSES
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Dual Purpose School
Date: January 5th - February 13th, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
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Stress Inoculation Prior to Deployments
Date: January 27 & 28, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
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Detection Course
Date: February 2nd - 13th, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
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Police K9 Working Dog Conference
Date: March 10th, 11th & 12th, 2026
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
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Dual Purpose School
Date: April 6th - May 10th, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
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Electric Collar Course
Date: April 18th, 19th, and 20th, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
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Detection School
Date: April 29th - May 15th, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
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K9 Stress Inoculation Prior to Deployments
Date: May 15th - 16th, 2026
Location: 550 Foundation | Columbus, IN
Phone: 812-371-3423
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Reality Based Detection
Date: May 21st - 22nd, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
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Dual Purpose Patrol School
Date: July 6th - August 14th, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
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Detection School
Date: August 3rd - 14th, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
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LACPCA Advanced K9 Seminar
Date: September 21st – 24th, 2026
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Dual Purpose School
Date: October 5th - November 13th, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
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Detection School
Date: November 2nd - 13th, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
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Post Patrol Certification
Date: December 2nd, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
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Post Detection Certification
Date: December 9th, 2026
Location: Ventura County, CA
HOW TO ENROLL
Contact us to reserve a spot in an upcoming course. Agencies receive full registration details upon inquiry.