CORE STAGE 03 / Lead with an evidence record
KESP™ APEX
Professional development for Kinetic Engagement Sparring Partners™ supporting PSS-K9™ teams. Practical work connects the sparring partner, the handler and the PSS-K9™ within the course’s supervised scope.
Explain the result. Defend the decision.
Bring structured assessment, development planning and supervised session leadership together in one documented standard.
PHASE TWO / 2027 PSS-K9™ CLASSES
2027 class sign-ups
open November 15.
PSS-K9™-integrated training: develop movement, communication and coordinated work with your Professional Special Services canine. K9 participation and assignment are confirmed for each course.
The official 2027 class rollout begins November 15, with full class descriptions and enrollment, including KESP™ certification classes.
First come, first served. Subject to eligibility, prerequisites and seat availability.
High-Performance classes: an exclusive, beautiful training location surrounded by the mountains of Montana. For security reasons, the exact location and arrival details are shared privately with confirmed students.
Included in your Montana tuition +
- Accommodations
- Three meals daily
- Training and all supporting materials
- Transportation to and from the airport
- K9 crates
- Daily K9 nutrition
- Access to a K9 grooming facility
- Veterinary evaluation before class begins
Included for all participating students in the Montana High-Performance classes.
Sign-ups open November 15 for classes held in 2027. Individual class dates are confirmed separately. AI-generated classroom illustration; not a photograph of the secured venue.
WHO IT IS FOR
The right starting point.
Senior KESP™ students, unit leads and K9-development professionals who have completed VECTOR.
Development objective
Identify training concerns, justify a development plan and lead a supervised session with a complete evidence-based debrief.
These are intended learning outcomes, subject to demonstrated performance. Attendance alone does not establish competence or operational readiness.
WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH
More than “good job.”
- Panel-reviewed interpretation of your own records
- A measurable development plan
- Before-and-after training review
- A supervised command-session file
Anyone can call a safety stop at any time. No target, result or instructor expectation overrides participant or K9 welfare.
Additional reflection prompts · edited student supplement
Write your answers before practical work. Revisit them with your own recorded evidence at the end of the class. These are supplementary edited prompts, not a replacement for the original Blocks A–D.
- How do you distinguish pressure, threat and sensory load in the approved training context?
- What problem was the repetition intended to address?
- What did the dog actually do, rather than what you expected it to do?
- Can you state the learning objective in one sentence?
- How does that objective fit the dog’s intended role and the handler’s responsibilities?
- What changed during the repetition, and what evidence supports your interpretation?
- What did your own movement and timing contribute?
- What can you conclude from this session, and what remains unknown?
- Who directed the end of the exercise, and was the agreed stop authority respected?
- How did you decide the workload was appropriate and when to stop?
- What can you hand the handler: observations, measurements, limitations and a useful next step?
Students are encouraged to question interpretations respectfully. Safety, context and K9 welfare remain part of every answer.
CURRICULUM / LEARNING + EVIDENCE
Every module has a purpose.
Open a module to see its learning focus and how the work is reviewed. Practical methods belong in supervised instruction, not a self-taught online drill.
03.0The Questions, Defended
Explain your conclusions using your own recorded work.
Panel review with documented reasons.
03.1Complex Scenario Design
Plan multi-variable exercises within approved safety boundaries.
Written plan and supervised execution rubric.
03.2Pressure Precision
Distinguish repeatable presentation from unsupported claims about applied force.
Consistency review with the measurement method identified.
03.3Development Engineering
Write a measurable development plan from an established baseline.
Plan review against recorded objectives and limitations.
03.4Advanced Targeting and Counter-Pattern
Evaluate adaptability in instructor-approved training exercises.
Video and supported equipment-zone records across sessions.
03.5Muzzle Contact Work
Understand specialist supervision and equipment-specific safety requirements.
Safety review and practical rubric; methods taught in person.
03.6Grip Depth Diagnostics
Investigate grip concerns using observation and appropriate supporting measures.
Video-led review; pressure alone does not establish grip depth.
03.7Commitment Diagnostics
Describe hesitation and response patterns without relying on labels.
Recorded response intervals and completion context.
03.8Gear Fixation Diagnostics
Investigate equipment-dependent behavior and possible contributing factors.
Supervised transfer assessment.
03.9Separation Protocol
Recognize emergency responsibilities and authorized intervention procedures.
Instructor-controlled skills assessment; no self-taught procedures.
03.10Stress Protocol
Maintain stop authority and the emergency plan when a session changes.
Supervised safety scenario: pass or not yet.
03.11Force, Case Law and Documentation
Understand documentation responsibilities and the need for jurisdiction-specific review.
Written case exercise; general education, not legal advice.
03.12Professional Standard
Apply honest reporting, K9 welfare and the duty to refuse unsafe work.
Written review of the KESP™ Code.
03.13Command Session
Plan, lead and debrief a complete supervised session.
Leadership rubric and completed session file.
ASSESSMENT WITH AN EXPLANATION
Know what is being assessed.
- Physical readiness
- Defined events · pass or not yet
- Written component
- Proposed pass threshold: 80%
- Practical work
- Defined rubric + recorded evidence
- Review
- Proposed multi-reviewer assessment
15 proposed measured credits
Proposed internal K1K9 recognition only. No government certification, external accreditation or guaranteed employment is implied.
Read the full measurement standard ↗Your work, made reviewable.
No fabricated scores, pressure readings or pass results.
Your voice in the review
The proposed student process includes access to the assessment criteria, an explanation of feedback, the opportunity to identify recording errors and a clear next-step plan. Formal reassessment and appeal procedures must be finalized before enrollment.
Sensor readings, video observations and reviewer scores are different types of evidence. Missing measurements stay marked as missing. No single score proves real-world readiness.
PREPARE BEFORE YOU ARRIVE
Entry & requirements.
- Completion of KESP™ 02 VECTOR
- Your own approved suit and concealed sleeve
- One recorded professional session submitted through the approved review process
- Participant, K9 and facility suitability confirmed before practical work
ENROLLMENT STATUS
Prepared for inspection.
Enrollment opens November 15, with full class descriptions released that day. Dates and pricing are confirmed separately. Do not send medical, agency or other sensitive records through an unapproved channel.
Acceptance is reviewed separately from membership. Buying a membership, suit or course seat does not award a qualification.
Review hosting & recognition →2027 PSS-K9™ class enrollment opens November 15. Member course details release that day; individual 2027 class dates are confirmed separately.