An often overlooked portion of a successful K9 program is the decoy.  Other than dog and handler, the decoy completes the K9 team.  The decoy is as important as the dog and handler are to K9 training / conditioning.  Without the decoy, there would not be training, there would not be a K9 team.

Being a decoy is a thankless, physically painful endeavor.  The decoy is an asset who voluntarily takes a literal beating-regularly.  Decoying is an art unto itself.  Decoys work hard, taking a lot of bites from a lot of dogs.  Decoys hide in the darkest, dirtiest, bug infested places imaginable.  They work when it’s hot, when it’s cold.  They work on their own free time.  They are a loyal group of remarkable people.  They learn about dogs from the “school of hard knocks.” The Decoy brings out the best in each dog. 

Decoy is where handlers cut their teeth, the beginning.  Amazingly, they do it because they enjoy it.  They do it to educate themselves, learn about K9 behavior and develop skills they hope to apply as handlers in the future.  We could not do it without them.  We are in their debt.