American Working Dogs
Currency Certification Standards

American Working Dogs was founded by handler's throughout the United States and now around the world to offer another practical avenue to certify their K9 teams.

The canine team shall be evaluated by an approved K-9 team evaluator prior to general law enforcement deployment and at least once annually. If the canine team fails the testing, they may re-test after a 24 hour period. Certifications are good for a period of 1 year from the date of testing. Certification Forms and copies of the Certificate are property of AWD and shall be kept on file by AWD

*** Please click here to find an American Working Dogs Certifying Official in your area.***

 

Currency Certification Standards

The following standards will be met to acquire the American Working Dog Detection Certification. The certification standards are set forth for the K-9 teams to demonstrate Odor Recognition and a Comprehensive Assessment. Teams will be tested in buildings/rooms, vehicles, luggage or parcels, open areas. All teams will be tested in areas that have not been used in the past for K-9 training. To pass the certification the K-9 team must complete the standards within the building before moving on to other areas. Additional testing areas are optional.

 

Currency used for Certification

All K-9’s must find unshredded bills both circulated and uncirculated.
A minimum weight shall be 500 grams of U.S. currency. Each area shall be no larger than 1000 square feet but must have several items for the K-9 to search. This will be at the discretion of the certifying official.

 

Certification Format

Prior to starting the certification the handler must advise the certifying official if the K-9 is passive or aggressive alert. The handler must advise the official of a positive indication while the K-9 is showing an obvious response to the odor.
The handler will be allowed only one false response during the certification. If there is more than one false response in the building test the certification will be terminated and the team may attempt to recertify after 30 days. After the building search is complete and successful the team is now certified and can continue to the optional areas. The certification for each additional area will be terminated if a false response is called by the handler.