CORE STAGE 02 / Give your work direction
KESP™ VECTOR
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.
Consistency is a skill. Make it visible.
Develop repeatable timing and presentation across changing training conditions, including a supervised night block.
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.
BASELINE graduates and experienced applicants accepted through verified prior-credential recognition.
Development objective
Support more complex supervised scenarios while documenting your own performance, the training context and the dog’s response.
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.”
- Comparison with your BASELINE record
- Timestamped timing reviews
- Day and night scenario files
- Consistency review across repeated work
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.
02.0The Questions, Again
Revisit your opening answers using your BASELINE evidence.
Written comparison with your earlier file.
02.1Load and Unload
Explain the purpose and timing of changes within a supervised exercise.
Recorded timing and reviewer rubric; not an inferred force dose.
02.2Drive Routing
Recognize changes in behavior and explain the instructor-directed objective.
Scenario review against defined criteria.
02.3Drive Assessment
Replace broad labels with recorded, observable indicators.
Student observations compared with panel reviews.
02.4Guarding and Body Signals
Identify guarding behavior and the influence of your own presentation.
Video and supervised assessment.
02.5Multi-Dog Consistency
Adapt to individual dogs while retaining clear performance standards.
Context-tagged records; dogs are not treated as interchangeable.
02.6Environmental Load
Identify how a training setting changes safety and performance requirements.
Approved scenario record and contextual observations.
02.7Distraction Layering
Understand planned progression and welfare limits.
Instructor-reviewed progression rubric.
02.8Precision Timing
Review presentation, relief and release intervals consistently.
Timing compared with your own baseline using a stated method.
02.9Non-Standard Engagements
Review non-standard training positions under specialist supervision.
Safety and scenario assessment.
02.10Concealed Contact
Understand concealed-equipment suitability and supervision requirements.
Equipment safety review and supported contact records.
02.11Person-Focus Transfer
Recognize equipment-dependent behavior without assuming a single cause.
Instructor-supervised transfer assessment and video review.
02.12Deployment Problems
Document scenario-specific training problems and communicate them clearly.
Approved scenario rubric and debrief.
02.13Day and Night Setups
Understand planning, visibility and communication requirements.
Supervised night-block assessment.
02.14Variance Control
Evaluate how consistently you perform across repeated work.
Recorded variation with context, equipment and limitations retained.
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.
- KESP™ 01 BASELINE or an individually verified equivalent
- Your own approved bite suit
- One suitable working dog per working student
- Host-provided approved structures and one or two vehicles
- Night-block arrangements and safety plan confirmed before attendance
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.