Dennis Clark

K9 Officer Dennis Clark is recently retired after over 4 decades of having police K9s as his K9 partners through the years have been single purpose, dual purpose, and bloodhounds. He is a Certified K9 handler and K9 trainer by the State Dept, Dept of Defense & Ky Dept of Criminal Justice

He worked for 7 years with the Dept of Homeland Security as a manager and an investigator

During his years of service as a K9 Officer he was awarded The Valor Award, Meritorious Award, LifeSaving Award and Officer of the Year to name a few. He is the CEO of Tactical Detection K9 from 2012 to date selling K9s to police and military Units.

He has been featured on FOX News and in numerous newspaper features and local tv station in the Louisville Area, he was also an overseas contractor with missions in Kosovo, Jordan, Afghanistan and handled a Explosive detection K9 in Basra Iraq at the American Consultant.

Dennis has written 3 K9 Books that are available on Amazon “My police K9 Partners and Our true Stories”, “We weren’t Navy Seals, but We got the Job Done” and a children’s book “Dash’s Dream Comes True”

He has produced 2 K9 training videos.

He is considered an expert in the area of scent work especially Tracking

Dennis lives in Louisville Ky and is a consultant and expert witness.

Class: “Thinning the Herd” Underperforming K9’s and Handlers Need To Go

Not every K9 team is an asset—and in high-stakes environments, underperformance can put lives, reputations, and missions at risk. This hard-hitting session addresses the uncomfortable but necessary reality that some K9s and handlers simply don’t meet the standard. We’ll dive into the causes of underperformance, including poor selection, lack of drive, training deficiencies, and handler compatibility issues. More importantly, we’ll discuss practical, ethical, and legally sound strategies for identifying these problems early and taking appropriate action. Attendees will learn how to set clear performance benchmarks, implement effective evaluation protocols, and make informed decisions about when to retrain, reassign, or release teams from duty. We’ll also explore how to avoid these issues altogether through better recruitment, training, and leadership practices. This session is a must for supervisors, trainers, and program managers committed to building elite K9 units where every team member pulls their weight.