Ever wondered how Old Dominion chooses their instructors? What about the difference between an instructor and an assistant instructor? At the end of the Fall 2023 seminar, the Board voted on the following Amendment to the By-Laws pertaining to instructors and assistant instructors. This Amendment was passed with it becoming effective moving forward.
 

Instructors:

1. The instructor for an Old Dominion K9 discipline(s) must remain an Old Dominion K9 Board member in good standing.

2. The instructor must have a working knowledge and understanding in their field of discipline(s).

3. The instructor must show he/she has handled/worked K9(s) in their field of instruction for a minimum of five (5) years.

4. The instructor must show he/she has trained other K9 team(s) other than his/her own K9(s) in their field of instruction in those five (5) years.

5. The Old Dominion K9 Board may waive any or all qualifications for an instructor upon a unanimous vote.

6. Inactive instructors are defined as those who have not been actively instructing at the seminar.​

• Inactivity is determined by the instructor who has not shown interest or intent to instruct at the seminar in the recent three (3) years.

• Instructor on the inactive roster will remain there until they resign, become active again or are removed.

• Majority vote by the Board will determine whether they are approved to become active or are to be removed.

​

Assistant Instructors:

1. The assistant instructor candidate must be nominated by their current instructor(s) in their field of instruction.

2. The assistant instructor candidate must be a member of an organization, agency, or department, etc.

3. The assistant instructor for Old Dominion K9 must be a current student of Old Dominion K9 in good standing.

4. The assistant instructor must have been an Old Dominion K9 student in their field of instruction for a minimum of three (3) consecutive years.

5. The assistant instructor for Old Dominion K9 must show they have handled/worked K9s in their field of instruction for a period of five (5) years.

6. The assistant instructor for Old Dominion K9 will preferably show they have handled/worked more than one K9 in their instruction discipline(s) for a minimum of five (5) consecutive years.

7. The nominating instructor(s) shall provide a training/handling resume of the nominee to the board when the nomination occurs.

8. Once a candidate has been approved for assistant status by the Old Dominion K9 Board:

• ​All current assistant instructors will be grandfathered in (2023 and before).

• The first year, they serve under the nominating instructors.

• The nominating instructor(s) shall provide written or verbal feedback to the Board.

• The second year, which must be a consecutive year, the nominee must serve under a different set of instructors(s) even if within a different field.

• At the end of the second year, they are to be evaluated by the 4 separate instructors and presented to the board.

• They must then be approved by majority vote from the Board.

• If the candidate for assistant instructor is not approved by the Old Dominion K9 Board, a detailed corrective plan (written or verbal) must be submitted to the candidate. The candidate has until the following year to show the corrective plan has been remediated and instituted. The Old Dominion K9 Board will hold a meeting at the end of the seminar to determine if the assistant instructor may instruct or needs further evaluation.