12 October 2023
When you win a national title, you get a special treat.
For Washington County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Huck, who won first place at the U.S. Police Canine Association national field trials last month in Foley, Ala., that meant a big batch of beef jerky.
“It had to be something that would sit well in his stomach,” said Deputy Brandon Yetter, Huck’s handler. “He deserved it.”
After several days of competition Sept. 17-21, Yetter and Huck emerged as the nation’s top K-9/handler duo with a score of 636.23 out of 640, or 99.4 percent. This was their first year competing in the national competition.
The duo, along with Deputy Nate Thienes and K-9 Goose, Deputy Josh Liebenow and K-9 Viking and Deputy Chris Majeski and K-9 Jake, also won first place in the team competition, beating out nine other teams. All the Washington County dogs are Belgian Malinois.
Huck, who is 6 years old, has been paired with Yetter for five years; Huck was born in the Netherlands and came to Washington County from Police Service Dogs in Oxford, Fla.
Yetter, an avid upland and waterfowl hunter, had previously worked with hunting dogs; Huck is his first K-9 partner.
Washington County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Brandon Yetter and K9 Huck won first place at the 2023 United States Police K9 Association national field trials that were held Sept. 17-21, 2023, in Foley, Ala. The duo boasted an overall score of 99.4 percent. (Courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s Office)
The trick to training a national champion? “A lot of consistency, a lot of training, no days off,” Yetter said. “It’s a high level of obedience and control — that’s really what it comes down to.”
It helps that Huck has a high food, toy and prey drive, which makes him really easy to train, and good genetics, Yetter said. “Everything else comes with the good genetics and good training and good consistency — that really puts the whole product together.”
In-house program
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit’s training program is developed and executed entirely in-house. It’s led by Yetter and Sgt. Ty Jacobson, whom Yetter credits for the team’s success at nationals.
“He is the reason why we did so well down there,” Yetter said. “He revamped the whole K-9 unit over the last 18 years. The unit wouldn’t be where it is today without him.”
Taking two first-place wins at nationals was an “unprecedented milestone,” said Sheriff Dan Starry. “This historic victory is another example of the exceptional dedication and commitment of those who continue to represent our organization. As always, we could not do this without all those in our communities that support our team, our program and our agency.”
Yetter was raised in Washington County and his father, Chuck, served for many years as a commander at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
When asked what he and Huck could have done differently to get a score of 100 percent, Yetter laughed.
“It should have been perfect in my mind,” he said. “There are always things to work towards.”
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