Ford K9 LLC. NV. PILB #2914

10/26/2026

The boat already smells like fish. The dog’s job is to find the tar...

10/24/2026

This is the coin honoring K9 Sirius who Died on 9/11 in the World Trade Center. It’s an Honor to have this coin.

10/22/2026

10/17/2026

Off to NY!!!

10/15/2026

🐕👃 BEHAVIOR OR ODOR?
I’m sharing these two videos side-by-side because I think they create an interesting question for detection dog trainers.

In one video, a dog goes to a muzzle mounted on a stand and performs a behavior. In the other, a dog goes to a single object, in this case a small electrical box containing odor, and performs a behavior.

First, this is NOT a criticism of the person or dog in the nosework video. I simply found a video online that gave me a good visual example for this discussion. This isn’t about whether what they’re doing works. We already know systems like this can work.

My question is: What does the dog believe is actually important? 🤔

Is the dog learning:
ODOR ➡️ BEHAVIOR ➡️ REWARD
Or could the dog be learning:
OBJECT/CONTEXT ➡️ BEHAVIOR ➡️ REWARD

Looking at these two videos by themselves, how clearly can we tell the difference? For me, if I want detection to be about odor, I want the training process to require the dog to make a choice based on odor first. Once the dog makes that odor-based decision, then whatever behavior I require can follow.

Where I think we can potentially get out of balance is when we put a tremendous amount of emphasis on the final behavior, especially when that behavior is repeatedly performed around predictable objects or contexts associated with detection. Could we inadvertently create a dog that begins offering behaviors based on context, object recognition, reinforcement history, or simply trying behaviors that have previously produced reward? And in doing so, have we potentially reduced the relative value of the thing that should matter most: ODOR? 👃

Again, I’m not saying this type of training doesn’t work. It clearly can. I’m asking whether we can make it better and clearer for the dog by making odor the key piece of information that drives everything else.

For me, I want it to be as much about ODOR FIRST as I can possibly make it. What do you think? 👇

Are we teaching the dog to identify odor and then perform a behavior, or are there times when we accidentally teach the behavior more strongly than the odor? Let’s discuss it. 🧠🐕👃

10/09/2026

#150 Steve Stoops: False Alerts, Combat K9s & Teaching Brad Pitt to Handle a Dog
https://youtu.be/ziNE-qPsRBk

Steve Stoops expected his dog to find the det cord. The dog walked past it.

On K9s Talking Scents, Steve and Cameron Ford discuss what that miss revealed about odor generalization—and why success on familiar training aids doesn’t tell the whole story.

Drawing on Steve’s law enforcement and experience in one of the nations top military special operations unit, they explore false indications, odor value, known versus blind hides, dog selection, and the difficulty of switching between detection and apprehension on real deployments.

Steve also shares how he advised Brad Pitt on combat dog handling for Heart of the Beast, including preparing for a Black Hawk scene with a dog and 60 pounds of kit.

05/15/2026

Part 2 of episode 140
Are Kong‘s really addictive?

Dr. Paola Tiedemann and Cameron Ford dive into the controversial Kong toy research that detection dog handlers have been asking about for years. This episode...

05/10/2026

Had a great time in Kalispell Montana with another Ford K9 Police K9 Detection Dog Seminar (Problem Solving and Operational Readiness Training). Thank You to Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Kalispell PD and Mike Skinner for letting me stay with him and of course all the handlers from as far away as Idaho and Minot ND. Looking forward to next year and the 3rd Annual Montana Police K9 Detection Seminar 😊

05/02/2026

Very proud of these teams putting in good work with their dogs. Ranger the Spaniel is special to me as I raised him as a puppy and he is just a cool dog.