Why Choose Highland Canine
We believe that there is a better way to train working dogs and their handlers. Learn more about us to see the difference
Nearly two decades of research guide our ODOR FIRST™ system, combining target odor fluency, deliberate proofing, and realistic training scenarios. We prepare dogs and handlers to work through distractions and meet operational challenges with greater understanding, confidence, and team coordination.
Our Blueprints philosophy provides a structured approach to selecting and training police dogs, educating handlers, and managing K9 teams. By connecting each stage to operational needs, we help agencies build capable teams, maintain standards, and guide development throughout their partnership.
Our commitment to your agency continues throughout your dog’s working life. With free in-service and brush-up training, responsive guidance, and practical problem-solving support, we help handlers address challenges, maintain skills, and keep their K9 teams progressing long after handler school.
Our story
Highland Canine Training, LLC began operations in 2006 in Harmony, North Carolina. Our owner and President, Erin and Jason Purgason, both had successful law enforcement careers which included handling and training police dogs as well as managing the K9 department for a NC Police Agency. So, while Erin and Jason’s goal was to build a dog training company to cover many facets of the industry, training police & military dogs has been at the core of our business since its very beginning.
As a result of the success we have had in the field of police and military dog training since our inception, in early 2014, Highland Canine Training was awarded a Schedule 84 contract with the General Services Administration that allows us to offer our police and military dogs, seminars and K9 Instructor Programs to federal buyers in addition to State and local agencies. Our trainers are dedicated to providing unmatched, quality solutions to fit the needs of our government clients and their dogs.
Carefully Selected Dogs. Knowledgeable Handlers. Support Throughout Their Careers.
Choosing a police K9 provider means choosing an approach to your team’s development—and a relationship your agency may depend on for years.
Since 2006, Highland Canine Training, LLC has worked to improve how working dogs are selected, trained, handled, and managed. Our approach connects research, practical experience, individual attention, and continued education to prepare teams for operational demands.
We believe a successful K9 program requires more than a capable dog at graduation. It requires a handler who understands that dog, training that develops the team, and support that remains available as new challenges arise.
A Deliberate Approach to Every Dog and Agency
We typically have approximately 20 dogs in development at a time. Maintaining that scale gives our trainers the opportunity to understand each dog’s strengths, identify areas needing attention, and tailor its development to the requirements of the agency it will serve.
Our trainers continually collaborate to evaluate progress and make adjustments. We take the time to develop the individual dog rather than expecting every dog to progress through an identical training schedule.
For your agency, that means a more personal selection and training process, with attention to your handler, intended assignments, and operational needs.
ODOR FIRST™: Building Detection Around Odor Fluency
Our ODOR FIRST™ system reflects nearly two decades of research, analytics, and practical development. It emphasizes a thorough understanding of target odor, supported by deliberate proofing and realistic search experience.
Recognizing an odor is one part of becoming a dependable detection dog. Dogs must also learn to locate it under changing conditions and remain committed to the search despite competing smells, sounds, movement, and physical distractions.
We develop those capabilities systematically. Through varied odor presentations and operational scenarios, we prepare dogs to apply their training beyond familiar exercises. We also teach handlers how that foundation was built, helping them recognize problems, maintain proficiency, and make better training decisions.
Our Blueprint Philosophy: Connecting the Entire K9 Program
Our Blueprint Philosophy treats procurement, dog training, handler education, and team management as connected parts of one system.
Decisions made during selection influence training. The dog’s development shapes what its handler must understand. The training and management practices used after graduation influence how the team progresses throughout its career.
We consider those relationships from the beginning. Our goal is to help agencies select suitable dogs, develop capable handlers, and establish practices that support continued performance. Each stage should reinforce the next, creating a clear foundation for the team’s working partnership.
Research That Changes How We Train
Innovation at Highland begins with examining the problems teams encounter and questioning the processes that contribute to them.
We have initiated and funded research into detection reliability, odor imprinting, combined-odor versus individual-odor training, TATP detection, and residual odor. This work has helped us identify opportunities to address systemic errors in dog selection, detection handling, and handler education.
Those findings inform changes to our training systems and educational programs. We continue evaluating our methods because operational reliability requires more than repeating established routines.
We also share what we learn through our training programs, conferences, online education, and speaking engagements around the world. Improving the wider K9 community is part of our purpose.
Expert Trainers Who Work Together to Bring You the Best Police Dogs
Our training team brings together canine training expertise and the practical perspective of experienced former law enforcement K9 handlers and supervisors.
That knowledge is shared throughout the program. Trainers work together to assess dogs, examine challenges, and adjust instruction as teams progress.
Handler education receives the same attention. We teach handlers to understand canine behavior and the processes behind their dog’s training—not simply follow a sequence of exercises. That deeper understanding equips them to solve problems, create meaningful training challenges, and make informed decisions in operational environments.
Erin Purgason
Owner
Erin spent most of her police career working in a narcotics and criminal interdiction. She has over 20+ years working with dogs.
Jason Purgason
President
A former law enforcement K9 handler and supervisor, Jason is responsible for all curriculum development and advanced instruction.
Amber Vaughn
Director, Working Dog Programs
Amber has a passion for training working dogs of all varieties. From patrol dogs to cadaver, she ensures that the dogs meet their utmost potential.
Corey Archer
Training Director, Southeast
A 25+ year veteran law enforcement officer, Corey offers his experience as a K9 handler to our programs in a way that’s easy to apply.
Support That Continues After Graduation
Your agency’s relationship with Highland continues throughout your dog’s working life.
We provide free in-service and brush-up training for the lifetime of the dog, along with phone guidance and in-person assistance. When a team encounters a challenge, we work with the agency to identify a practical way forward.
Our commitment is to help teams maintain their skills, address developing problems, and continue progressing long after handler school. Agencies are responsible for travel and lodging when attending follow-up training.
See Our Approach for Yourself
We encourage agencies to visit, meet our trainers, observe training, evaluate dogs, and speak with client references.
Whether you are purchasing your first police dog, selecting your next partner, or strengthening an existing team, we welcome the opportunity to understand your mission and explain how our approach can support it.
Request a bid or contact Highland Canine Training to discuss your agency’s dogs, training, and long-term K9 program needs.