Kevin Youst

Kevin Youst is an active K9 Officer in South Florida who began his law enforcement career in 2014 and has served as a K9 handler since 2019. He is currently working his second dual-purpose canine in patrol and explosives detection.

Kevin is a certified Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) K9 Team Instructor and a Florida Law Enforcement Canine Association (FLECA) Evaluator. He oversees weekly training for a large multi-agency K9 training group, specializing in problem solving and reality-based training designed to prepare K9 teams for real-world operations.

Class: Patrol Dog Training for Reality through Prosthetics

The age-old problem of dogs not engaging during a real deployment is still occurring today. This can be attributed to several factors; but high on the list is the dog failing to make the transition from the training field to real life encounters. The dog sees one picture in training and may see the complete opposite on the street. Using prosthetics can be one tool of many to increase the patrol dog’s bite on the street.

The originator and owner of ArminLeggan K9 bite prosthetics will discuss the purpose and goal of using prosthetics to bridge the gap from training to reality. The class will address important concepts of how the dog should perceive this type of training and how the trainer/handler should go forward safely and purposely.