Veteran search-dog trainer passes along the craft

Corrections Dept. investigator runs school with wife

By Tracy Harmon , The Pueblo Chieftain

Friday, December 28, 2007

A Department of Corrections investigator known nationally for his ability to train search dogs spends his off time teaching others what he knows.

John Lutenberg started training trailing dogs 30 years ago. The idea was to use dogs to track escaped inmates and search for prison contraband.

"They found out I (trained dogs) in the Army, so they asked me if I'd be willing to do it again," Lutenberg said. "Back then it was just me, part time, and now we have 16 dogs all over the state."

As if that weren't enough, Lutenberg and his wife, Linda Porter, opened their own school, Canine Training Academy, 10 years ago. And they've even written a book, A Practical Guide to Training and Working the Trailing Dog.

"There are not a lot of trailing classes, and those they do have are crowded, so the students are not getting a lot of individual one-on-one time," Porter said. "So there was a real need for classes that train dog handlers (on) how to train trailing dogs."

Classes are limited to 15 students and five instructors - each responsible for three students - so there is a lot of individual training. Because Lutenberg is busy with his prisons department work and Porter works as a reserve Canon City police officer, the couple hosts just two weeklong classes each year.

The next class, slated for May, already is full.

"The students we get are law enforcement and search-and- rescue canine handlers who are coming from all over the United States and even Europe. We just teach a basic trailing foundation and give the handlers a realistic idea of what their dog can and can't do," Porter said.

A lot of what people learn in the classes is how to read a dog's behaviors to know what the canine is telling them. Handlers need to understand when a dog is saying it is running out of scent to follow or when the animal misses a corner in the trail and is working to get back on track.

"We teach the handlers to stay safe and when to use and when not to use the dogs. We teach area searches, building searches, trailing and some drug-sniffing," Porter said.

About 60 percent of class time is devoted to problem-solving, so humans and dogs can work together. Almost all breeds can be search dogs, but Lutenberg and Porter deal mostly with bloodhounds, German shepherds, pointers, labs, Belgian Malinois, golden retrievers and border collies.

"We've had some border collies come through here that were just amazing. All dogs can trail to a certain degree, but not all are going to be able to do it well enough for law enforcement or search and rescue," Porter said.

Although there is some debate about how the dogs manage to trail, Porter said she believes it is a combination of following a scent (usually the skin cells a person sheds) and following ground disturbances, such as tracks or scuff marks.

"We will never know for sure," she said. "In Colorado, urban tracking is difficult because of the dry climate. The scent dissipates quickly.

"We will do well to follow a trail that is three to four hours old - the dogs do have their limits. Outdoor trailing is a lot of work. It is one of the most difficult dog scent techniques you can do because the environment and the conditions are constantly changing."

Students who wish can take a test at the end of a class and get a beginning trailer certification certificate.

"It is very realistic training," Porter said.