Hello
Welcome To Our tracking & trailing dog Program
2024 dates coming soon!
Professional tracking and trailing dog seminars: Dog Trailing, Dog Tracking
Additional Information
The Canine Training Academy was founded in 1997 by John Lutenberg and Linda Porter as a means to share 40 years of combined tracking dog training and deployment experience with others.
CTA provides the most current and practical training methodologies to ensure clarity and efficiency in learning the art of dog tracking/trailing for both dogs and handlers.
Our training is grounded in foundation work that includes:
- Creating an environment that provides optimal learning for you and your dog.
- Teaching students how to install a strong foundation in tracking or trailing.
- Utilizing training protocols that are proven to be functional for deployments.
- Working to improve overall skills and knowledge about the art and science of dog tracking and trailing by providing coaching for handlers in the field combined with classroom lectures.
- Exploring positive solutions to common training problems.
We are dedicated to delivering easily understood training protocols based on the science of animal learning.
Whether you are a police Bloodhound team, a multi-purpose patrol dog team or a search & rescue volunteer with a tracking dog, people are depending on you and your dog when a life is on the line or a suspect escapes. Tracking and trailing K9 teams need to have the highest level of training available. We are dedicated to the advancement of all dog breeds used for tracking and trailing work.
We offer a variety of services including; basic and advanced handler courses, consulting services and phone consultations, off-site seminars, private one-on-one training, and guest trainers that share our passion, ideology, and expertise. This makes our program tracking and trailing programs unique.
About our Trainers
John Lutenberg
Co-owner & Head Trainer / Tracking & Trailing Team Instructor
John Lutenberg is Co-Owner and senior trainer for the Canine Training Academy. John has over 40 years of experience training and working trailing, detection, and patrol K9s. He is retired from the Colorado Department of Corrections where he served as an investigator, K9 unit supervisor, and head K9 trainer for numerous CDOC K9 teams statewide. John also served as an active K9 handler for the CDOC escape team for 36 years.
He is recognized as an expert witness in the state of Colorado where he has testified in court for criminal cases involving man tracking and trailing deployments. John served in the US army at Lackland Air Force base as a K9 trainer and an assistant army liaison from 1969 to 1971. During that time, he assisted in the training of numerous K9s for military use.
He participated as an instructor and performance evaluator and advisor for the California P.O.S.T Bloodhound tracking class in 2002, 2003, and 2004. He assisted the Mara Conservancy in training 8 Bloodhounds, 2 ivory and firearms detection dogs, and 10 dog handlers for its Anti-poaching unit in Kenya, Africa. John is a former member and certifying official for the Colorado Police Canine Association and a former member of the National Police Bloodhound Association. In addition to numerous commendations, he has been awarded the Medal of Honor and 2 Lifesaving awards for his K9 work.
Over the years he has assisted local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies on criminal cases and SAR missions with his trailing dogs and patrol K-9s. His accomplishments as well as his training techniques are recognized and respected around the nation. He has a long list of captures to his credit and has participated as an instructor for numerous tracking and trailing dog seminars around the country where he shares his real-world deployment experience and training methods. John enjoys attending different tracking and trailing seminars around the country always hoping to learn something new. John is still active in Law Enforcement and served as a volunteer cold case Homicide Detective for the Fremont County Sheriff's Department.
Linda Porter
Co-Owner / Coordinator / Senior Trainer & K9 Tracking & Trailing Specialist / Obedience Trainer
Linda Porter has been the Academy Coordinator, field instructor, and certifying official for the Canine Training Academy since it opened in 1997. Linda is a former Reserve Police Officer and K9 handler for the Canon City Police Department. She has been working and training tracking, trailing, patrol, and detection K9s and pet dogs since 1996.
Before leaving Law Enforcement work in 2008, she assisted many local and state law enforcement agencies with her K9s. Linda also assisted the Mara Conservancy in training 7 Bloodhounds and 8 dog handlers for its Anti-poaching unit in Kenya, Africa in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
Since 2002, Linda has been involved in developing and instructing the California POST curriculum for the "Tracking and Trailing for Police K9s" POST course. She is a former member of the Colorado Police Canine Association, National Police Bloodhound Association, DVG America, and the Colorado Canine Club where she worked a Schutzhund K9 and competed in club trials to title her K9s in sport tracking, obedience, and protection.
Linda has traveled to Holland several times to train with world-renowned trainer "Dick Staal" and now uses many of his techniques to train CTA tracking dogs.
Linda keeps current on her training by attending tracking and trailing seminars annually around the country and overseas and still trains regularly with different police and military K9 units in her area. Since leaving Law Enforcement, Linda now focuses on training dog handlers who attend CTA and coordinates and instructs training classes in Kenya, Africa. She assists with foundation training for all dogs that are trained at the Academy.
She brings over 22 years of tracking dog training experience to the Academy and its students. She is an enthusiastic instructor who loves to share new training techniques.
class schedule and registration information for Fall 2023
Fall Class Dates: September 6-9, 2023
If your agency or search group is interested in a private seminar please give us a call to schedule it for 2023. We have limited availability for off-site seminars.
Fall 4-day Basic Foundation Tracking and Trailing Class
- Location: Canon City, Co.
- Instructors: John Lutenberg, Linda Porter, Wes Gullliford, and, Angel Landrau.
The main focus of this class will be fieldwork with some classroom lectures and will cover the following:
Classroom: 2+ hours.
- Basic training techniques
- Deployment strategy
- Reading your dog
- Realistic expectations for your dog
- Different training methodologies
Field Work
- Urban/wilderness tracking/trailing
- Setting up training for optimal learning
- Proper line handling and footwork
- Troubleshooting and problem-solving.
- Deployment strategies
Class Tuition for 2023:
- $695 per K9 team. (1 dog and 1 handler)
- $495 Audit only
How to register & make payments:
Please use the registration form below to register for classes. We are now accepting registrations for our fall session. September 6-9, 2023.
THIS FORM IS ONLY TO REGISTER. AFTER SENDING THE FORM YOU WILL NEED TO PAY FOR YOUR CLASS. PAYMENT OPTIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
TO PAY FOR YOUR CLASS:
- Credit Cards: If you want to pay by credit card please give us a call. 719-429-5225. We can quickly process your order over the phone.
- Checks: If you are paying by check or money order please fill out and submit the registration form and mail full payment to the address on the registration form.
- All payments mailed must be received within 10 days of registering or your slot will be canceled unless you make other arrangements through us.
- If you need to make payment arrangements other than those listed, please email us or give us a call. We understand some may need to make payment arrangements through their departments or organizations.
