K9 NOSE WORK

Ron Gaunt, Fun Nose Work Founder/Instructor

Ron Gaunt has lived and worked with dogs the majority of his life. Ron began working with dogs and training for police work in 1970. He has trained, worked and managed service dogs for more than 30 years consecutively. During Ron’s 12-year tenure in the K9 unit with the Inglewood Police Department, he had the honor of working with three different K9 partners. Among Ron’s many accomplishments are multiple national certifications in detection, both explosives and narcotics. Along with many years of training detection dogs, Ron has trained hundreds of dogs for police work encompassing all aspects of K9 police work. One of Ron’s many accomplishments was that of Master Trainer. In 1981 Ron was the K-9 Program Director with the Inglewood Police Department and the training director of the Los Angeles Schutzhund Club.

Currently, Ron is the owner/operator of Travel’n Man Dogs, a private security firm established in 1995 with the purpose and objective of providing a service to private business and corporate America. His goal is to augment current security systems to facilitate the ultimate in personal safety and protection. Presently he is a working manager/handler of multiple Explosive Detection Dog teams deployed in the private sector; many of his clients are “Fortune 500” companies.

Ron has bred, raised, and trained in excess of 100 working dogs that have obtained degrees in both sport and police trials. Ron’s years of experience includes multiple breeds, but in recent years he has concentrated on German Shepherds, Labradors and Belgian Malinois for service detection work.

Amy Herot, CPDT, Fun Nose Work Founder/Instructor (CNWI)

Amy is a professional K9 trainer and handler and brings over a decade of experience to her work. She has certified teams in Narcotics and Explosives and has logged over 1500 instructional hours in detection dog training.  As co-founder of K9 Nose Works, and the National Association of Canine Scent Work Association (NACSW), she has sought to bring that experience to companion dogs and handlers through the development of nose work classes and sport events. She and her partners launched and sponsored the first organized Fun Nose Work competition, a Nose Work Practice Match and the first national K9 Nose Work trial, a titling event in January 2009.

In the canine sport world Amy has trained dogs for tracking, agility, sheepherding, protection sports, and detection.  She has competed nationally with her Dutch Shepherd, Maya and took 3rd place in Narcotics Detection at the Gold Coast K9 Working Dog Trials and 1st place, open division, at the Oxnard Police K9 Foundation Inaugural Trial, 2009.  Her Belgian Malinois, Seven, is a nationally certified explosives detection dog and took 1st place in the Explosives Building Search at the 2009 Ventura County Sheriff's K9 Trial.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Science from NYU and is nationally certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT).  Additionally, she is a graduate of the Balu Academy for Dog Trainers and is a John Rogerson associate here in the U.S.  Amy is an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator and is certified in Pet First Aid and CPR.  

Her professional memberships and affiliations include the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), Southern California Dog Trainers’ Forum (SCDTF), Southern California Schutzhund Club, West Los Angeles Obedience Training Club and International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI).  Amy gives much volunteer time and expertise to the betterment of shelter dogs. Some of Amy’s other achievements have been the 2007 President's Volunteer Service Award, spcaLA's 2005 Outstanding H.E.A.L. (Helping Enhance Animals Lives) Volunteer and 2006 Volunteer of the Year.

In addition to her working dogs, Amy’s oldest canine companion is her beloved rescue dog, Jesse, a German Shepherd mix and Canine Good Citizen.  Amy is owner of the Los Angeles based All Good Dogs, LLC.   www.allgooddogs.biz

Jill Marie O'Brien, CPDT-KA, Founder/Nose Work Instructor (CNWI)

Jill Marie has been working with and training dogs since 1987. She has been the Director of Behavior and Training at a major Animal Welfare Organization in the Southern California area since 1996. During her tenor there she has overseen the creation and continuing development of that agency's first Animal Behavior and Training Department in its 130 plus year history.