The Canine Training Academy was established in 1998 by John Lutenberg to offer a unique and intense hands on training program for trailing dogs and their handlers. The program is designed to teach essential skills to handlers and their K-9 partners so they can become a reliable resource for law enforcement and Search & Rescue groups within their communities.

The school is located in Canon City, Colorado and is owned and operated by John Lutenberg. John has over 30 years experience training trailing dogs and teaching visual tracking techniques. He has assisted local, state and federal law enforcement agencies around the country tracking fugitives, escaped prisoners, criminals and lost people. He is presently employed with the Colorado Department of Corrections Criminal Investigations and K-9 Division. He started the Canine Training Academy to share his expertise in this field. Unlike many seminars, the school is designed to provide an intense learning environment for students who are serious about learning this unique skill. Our goal is to enhance the students knowledge and skill level  through providing the most realistic training possible. The Canon City area provides a perfect environment for students to practice the new skills they will learn to train a reliable trailing dog.

Our students and their dogs learn to trail in a variety of different terrains and under difficult conditions. The majority of the training is conducted in the field to give the student the opportunity to work on skills essential to becoming a successful, reliable handler. Classes are kept small so we can provide students with the individual attention required to work out problems they may be experiencing. School instructors have been carefully chosen for their ability, working knowledge and success in the field.

Visual tracking skills can enhance the performance of any trailing team and can be an essential part of a successful deployment. Visual awareness in the field is an important part of the trailing process. Handlers will learn visual tracking skills to enhance the teams abilities The visual tracking portion of the class is designed to introduce or expand the students knowledge of visual tracking techniques. This class is included in the five day trailing class. Students will spend two hours of class time learning visual tracking techniques and 2 hours in the field practicing visual tracking skills.

Please view the agencies who have attended our school, you may recognize a few on the Agency List.

We will strive to:

• Build Team Confidence
• Trade inexperience for confidence
• help teams develop a strong foundation
• Set trailing standards

Our curriculum includes training in the following areas:

• Problem Solving
• Reading your dog
• Utilization training
• Tracking Criminals
• Scent Theory
• Common training errors
• Training records
• Handler ethics
• Urban trailing work
• Scent Items
• Case law
• Tracking lost people
• Training methods
• How to set up trailing trails
• K-9 selection
• Handler survival