By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— One by one, the Belgian malinois, German shepherds and labrador retrievers weaved through 31 cardboard boxes, testing the strength of their training through competition.

Four of the boxes contained the scent of narcotics, four contained the scent of explosive material and the remaining boxes were filled with objects, such as tennis balls, meant to distract the dogs from their objective.

The dogs—each trained in either bomb or drug detection—were tasked with locating the four boxes they were qualified to find.

This was just one of the many activities the 65 military and police K-9 units participated in at the Alabama Police and Military K-9 Conference at the Pelham Civic Complex Oct. 13-14.

“Everybody seems to be positive,” said Pelham Police Sgt. Steve Johnson. “They’re enjoying it and getting a lot out of it.”

Dog trainers and teams from around the southeast joined for this two-day event, focusing on all aspects of tracking, scent detection and patrol. Some sessions were hands-on for the handlers and dogs, and others were set in a classroom, developing techniques for K-9 units.

Ricky Farley, owner of Alabama Canine Law Enforcement Training Center in Tuscaloosa, held one training session on the ice rink. After being commanded in either French or Dutch, the patrol dogs were deployed onto the ice, being instructed to take down a target.

“They are trying to show the dogs things that are different and unique, so that the dogs can get accustomed and build their confidence in those areas,” Farley said, referencing the work on the ice. “They enjoy their work, and the ice is cool for them…they have a lot of fun doing it.”

Several dogs raced across the rink, getting used to the slick surface while also attempting to apprehend an “agitator” in a bite suit.

Johnson said the new ice training was popular at the conference. Other classes that were particularly successful were the scent behavior classes, tracking sessions and the helicopter simulation.

Patrol dogs and their handlers were transported to Oak Mountain State Park in a helicopter, and the dogs were deployed on arrival to take down a target.

Jason Purgason, with Highland Canine Training in North Carolina, taught three classes over the two-day period: Risk management and canine liability,

getting the most out of canine teams and e-collar training.

He said agencies, particularly smaller ones, have a difficult time getting information from outside sources, finding opportunities to hear different opinions from different trainers and learning new techniques.

“Having conferences and events like this is great because they can come and, in just a matter of days, can see six to eight to 10 professional dog trainers that are here,” Purgason said. “I’ve had a lot of interaction in the last two classes.”

Liability, he said, is a particularly important topic for the units and municipalities. That’s why he often will opt to teach the course over a hands-on training class.

“I feel like it’s important for handlers and agencies to understand (liability) and be able to reduce it,” Purgason said. “It’s so important that it needs to be talked about, so that’s one of the reasons why I teach it.”

Overall, Johnson said the event was successful, with a larger turnout than last year’s conference.

“Everyone really liked it. They liked the concepts, and it was really well received,” Johnson said. “We’ve already set next year’s conference date. When this one finishes we will start on the next one. It’s a never-ending thing.”