Welcome to Vohne Liche Kennels


Vohne Liche Kennels (pronounced Von Lick)

is a full service K-9 training facility where the best of the best go for highly trained Police Service Dogs. VLK has trained Police and Military Service Dogs for over 5000 law enforcement and government agencies to include the;

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  • National Security Agency (NSA)
  • Polk County, FL
  • United States Secret Services
  • Prince George's Co PD, MD
  • MHA, ND
  • Washoe County, NV
  • Michigan State Police
  • Okeechobee County, FL
  • Venetian Resort Hotel, NV
  • South San Francisco PD, CA
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs
  • United Protection Services
  • U.S. State Department
  • U.S. Army
  • Kansas City PD, MO
  • Memphis PD, TN
  • Honolulu PD, HI
  • Purdue University, IN
  • Ohio Highway Patrol
  • Puerto Rico PD
  • Bermuda
  • Lancaster, PA
  • Logansport PD, IN
  • Kokomo PD, IN
  • Reno PD, NV
  • California Highway Patrol, CA
  • 500 plus civilian and police agencies

Vohne Liche Kennels was founded in 1993 by United States Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Kenneth Licklider. The training staff at VLK consists of eighteen (18) on site trainers and six (6) off site trainers. All of the training staff is either former military, law enforcement or both. VLK also has the advantage of utilizing several trainers who are considered subject matter experts in their career fields. These experts take time from their busy careers to contribute their expertise to our classes throughout the year.

Vohne Liche Kennel’s buildings and properties offer an unprecedented learning environment and are the result of the demands of the Government and Law Enforcement Industries needs for a reality based training facility. home02From the VLK equipment store, to the student dorm facilities, K-9 “Hogan’s Alley”, multiple full scale complex buildings, schools, and warehouses, and over six hundred (600) + acres of property, no operation or training objective is too large or too small for VLK.

Our training methods are world renowned. VLK canines are pre-trained and reliability tested, easily adapting to a new handler. As handlers and trainers with real world experience, we know the tremendous pressure of having to make the call. Our methods take the guess work out of the equation.

Vohne Liche Kennels is certified through several states to include the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Academy, Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission, and Kentucky Law Enforcement Council as a Law Enforcement Training Provider. Most of our training courses are also VA approved. We hold licensing with the ATF to possess live explosive aids, and the DEA for live narcotic aids.

home03To meet the needs of the canine industry, Mr. Licklider established American Working Dogs, Inc. (AWD) in 2001 and Vohne Liche Kennels Canine Security, LLC (VLKCS) in 2004. AWD offers membership and certification to canine teams across the globe. Since the first publication of the AWD magazine, AWD has steadily grown into a five hundred plus (500+) member organization. AWD publishes four (4) magazines a year and host the annual AWD Seminar and Certification Trials at the VLK training facilities in Indiana.

Vohne Liche Kennels also provides Explosive Detection Dog (EDD) services to various federal agencies, professional sporting venues and corporate America. These services are provided for the purpose of safeguarding personnel and critical facilities by conducting intensive K-9 searches and deterrence patrols.


Vohne Liche Kennels Commitment to Excellence

We are committed to one goal at Vohne Liche Kennels. To provide you with the best canine and/or training available! That is a lofty goal, but we are up to the challenge!
When you look at the availability and quality of our dogs combined with the unmatched level of professionalism and experience of our staff, it is an unbeatable force. Throw in our facilities where the training experience takes place and you have an overall canine training program that is the best in the country. Why else would so many police and government agencies emulate our methods? Because we are the best and we stand by our product!
We stand by our dogs and training 100%. We are not, however, naive enough to think that everything is perfect every time. It is for this reason that we also have the best guarantee in the business. We have guarantees on health and workability and on the skeletal system. We understand that sometimes teams, for whatever reason, just don’t work out. Let us know, and we will replace your current dog with one that you do mesh with, no questions asked!
Canine training is as much an art as it is a science. Being able to train a dog to respond to a person is an individual endeavor. All dogs and handlers have individual personalities and the trick is to influence both behaviors so they respond positively to each other for maximum efficiency!
We feel that is what sets us apart from the rest. We work very hard to put you with a partner that fits you and your department’s needs and requirements. It is a labor of love that our staff takes very seriously. As retired police/military officers, we want you working in the real world with a canine that will meet the difficult challenges faced by law enforcement/military K-9 officers every day.

Vohne Liche Kennels Methods

Our training methods have consistently resulted in officer’s canines making street finds. Our detector dogs are pretrained and reliability tested, easily adapting to new handlers.
We spend an inordinate amount of time on detection work because we want to be sure that when your dog responds, there are drugs or explosives there. With our system, there is no such a thing as a false response.
We train all of our dogs in real environments, in the real world. From the beginning, our dogs are exposed to distractions such as animal and human odors. We don’t train our dogs in a vacuum. When they hit the streets, they have been exposed to a myriad of situations.
Our dogs have become recognized by their ability to pinpoint source. We train our dogs to work to source and maintain that position until rewarded. It takes a little more training on our part, but it is worth the effort to see a Vohne Liche Kennel trained dog stick his nose in a package up to his eyebrows. It happens consistently in over 5000 law enforcement agencies in 20 countries.

Vohne Liche Kennels Facilities

Vohne Liche Kennels is located on over 350 acres in Denver, Indiana. We presently have three kennels with a capacity of 160 dogs, maintaining 120-160 on hand at any given time.
In addition to the kennels, we have a full obstacle course, an office building which contains, administration area, store, trainers offices, two training classrooms, lunchroom and a workout room for officers.
We also have two outbuildings where we conduct training as well as a 200 x 40 indoor training facility set up with 10 rooms, and patrol work area. Vehicles for narcotic/explosives detection and handler protection work are located at each of our training areas.
Besides the on-site facilities we own warehouses, homes, mobile homes and an 18 acre, 45 classroom school where all facets of PSD training can be accomplished. We also utilize over 20 different training areas located within the local area. These areas include warehouses, hotels, schools, and lumber yards, impound lots, jails and private residences. They range from rural to urban and all of our scenarios are reality based. We try to expose the teams to as many real life experiences as they will receive on the street. We come close.
Our facilities also include four full service dormitories that officers can reside in while attending training. They are located in Peru, Indiana, a mere 8 miles from the kennels. We renovated multi-family houses and they now accommodate 44 officers. They have private bedrooms, living rooms, TV & DVD players, full service kitchens, laundry rooms, and maid service.

We try very hard to make the environment here conducive to learning. We feel that if we take care of the minor issues, the rest will take care of itself and you will leave here with a positive learning experience.

 

At Vohne Liche Kennels Satisfaction Is Important

Our desire at Vohne Liche Kennels is to be positive you are satisfied with our canines and services. That's why we want you to know what you can expect when you purchase one of our dogs. We are interested in your thoughts and feelings about the canine and services we have provided you and how we may be able to improve those services for all of our customers now and in the future.
Prospective customers are often surprised when we invite them to come to our facility and hand pick their own dog. We are proud of what we have to offer and we encourage visits to ensure we match you up with the best dog possible.
For the first year, you receive free maintenance training. After your first year, we offer the intensive 2-5 day recertification course for a nominal price.
Our basic course is the most comprehensive handlers course in the country covering every facet of canine tactics and behaviors. Also, 3, 6 and 8 weeks trainers courses available.
We have the ability to provide you with dogs that are green, pretrained in narcotics, explosives, or patrol and/ or pretrained with the handlers class. These are available in single and dual purpose.