The Iron CanineThe Iron Canine

Canyon, Texas · agencies nationwide

A dog is only as good as the hands that finish it.

Second-generation training for people who need a dog that works. Family companions through executive protection, sport titles through agency K9 — built one dog at a time, to the standard the job actually demands.

Start with a conversation See the programs

The programs

Different dogs. One standard.

Every dog is different — different motivations, different values, different character. So the program is built around the dog and the goal in front of it, not sold off a shelf. Turn a card for what each one actually involves.

A young dog worked on lead
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Foundations

Pet & family dogs

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Foundations

  • Obedience that holds up in the real world, not just the living room.
  • Manners, recall, leash work, door and threshold control.
  • Approachable for the average owner — no sport background needed.
Platform obedience work
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Competition Obedience

AKC · USCA · WDA

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Competition Obedience

  • Heeling, retrieves, send-aways, position changes — trial-field precision.
  • Taught by people who trial: AKC, Schutzhund, WDA, PSA.
  • We can handle your dog at trials nationwide.
A dog taking the sleeve
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Sport Protection

Bitework & decoy development

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Sport Protection

  • Grip development, targeting, outs, guarding — built properly from the start.
  • Decoy work under a USCA-certified helper, on the sleeve and in the suit.
  • Decoy instruction for clubs and handlers who want to learn to catch.
Bite work in a suit
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Protection Dogs

Green started to executive

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Protection Dogs

  • Placed with families and private individuals, matched to the household.
  • Levels from green started through executive-level protection.
  • Handler transfer included — the dog is only useful if you can run it.
Two dogs worked on lead
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Agency K9

Law enforcement

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Agency K9

  • Consulting and training solutions to law enforcement agencies across the U.S.
  • Programme review, handler development, decoy training, policy and practice.
  • Guest instruction for Police K9 Magazine and K9 Cop Magazine conferences.

Since 2021 · two generations before that

The work does not care how you feel about it.

Weather, hours, reps. It is the only thing that has ever produced a finished dog.

The house

The face cards

A family business, and the family is on the field. Turn a card for the record behind the name.

Aric Harris working a dog
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Aric Harris

Founder · head trainer

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Aric Harris

  • Second-generation trainer. The family ran a boarding and training facility in Kentucky.
  • Formal agitation and helper work from 14. First Helper Book through USCA at 16.
  • Decoy, coach, judge, handler and mentor across AKC, USCA, GSDCA, WDA and PSA.
  • Guest instructor, International Police K-9 Conferences, both coasts.
  • Trains with colleagues in Europe and North Africa.
Emily Harris with a German Shepherd
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Emily Harris

Co-founder · vice president

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Emily Harris

  • Raised on a Kentucky cattle farm. Four years FFA.
  • Interned at Protection Dog Sales — where she met Aric. Married 2010.
  • Competes in Schutzhund and WDA. AKC CGC evaluator.
  • Has hosted multiple trials and been trial secretary for more.
  • The one who solves the problem while everyone else is still describing it.
Rachel Harris with a young dog
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Rachel Harris

Logistics & operations

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Rachel Harris

  • Arrived as an in-kennel client with her first German Shepherd, Titan.
  • Second in division, WDA Nationals, 2023 — with that same dog.
  • Now staff nurse, apprentice trainer and operations manager.
  • Handles client dogs in trials across the country.
  • The clearest proof we have that this works on ordinary people.

The kennel

German Shepherds bred for drive

Sable, black and bi-color. High-drive, intelligent dogs for working and companion homes, bred for health, temperament and ability. The breeding dogs live in the house, not in a run. Placement is by the puppy's drive and the owner's goals — not by who called first.

A black German Shepherd
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Black

Coat · in program

A sable German Shepherd at speed
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Sable

Coat · in program

A dog clearing a hurdle
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Bi-color

Coat · in program

A dog on the sleeve
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Working

Placed · 2025

Placed so far: Remo · Brazil Vom Hamundr · Dominic Vom Ferreus. Puppies come with a 25-month health guarantee, AKC registration where applicable, vaccines, deworming and full vet records. Screened and listed on Good Dog →

Agency K9

What we bring to a department

Consulting and training solutions to law enforcement agencies across the United States, on a wide range of issues and practices. Quoted against the problem, never sold as a package.

Certification
USCA Helper Book at 16 — twenty years of decoy work since
Organisations
AKC · USCA · GSDCA · WDA · PSA
Roles held
Decoying, coaching, judging, handling — and mentoring the people who do
Conference work
Guest instructor, International Police K-9 Conferences, East and West coast
Published with
Police K9 Magazine · K9 Cop Magazine
Reach
Agencies nationwide; training relationships in Europe and North Africa
Talk to us about your program

Remote training

The Long Line

Point a camera at your dog and we will coach the session live. Same eyes, same corrections, no trailer and no six-hour drive.

What it is
A live video session. You work the dog on the field you already have; we watch, correct and set the next rep.
What you need
A phone or laptop, somewhere with signal, and a helper to hold the camera if you are running the dog.
How long
Half an hour is usually right. Longer and the dog is done before the session is.
Privacy
The video goes straight between the two of us. Nothing is recorded and nothing is stored.

The mailing list

Field Notes

One note a month from the training field — what we are working on, what went wrong, and what fixed it. No puppy spam.

Start here

Tell us about the dog

Every program starts the same way — with what the dog is now and what you need it to be. There is no form long enough to replace that conversation, so this one is short.

Concept Built by RedCyfer for The Iron Canine What we found