Security Dog Handler Awareness Course
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Flexible Learning
1 Year Access
LSC Certification
Current Status
Price
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Security Dog Handler Awareness Course
4.8 (550+ reviews)
Join 5,500+ students enrolled
1 Year Access
LSC Certification
Current Status
Price
Get Started
Security Dog Handler Awareness Course
Current Status
Price
Get Started
Understand the dog team you work with, supervise or buy
Security dogs are the most specialised single asset in many UK security operations. A well-trained handler-and-dog team is a force multiplier on a contract, but the dog is also a working animal under your duty of care, and an asset with civil and criminal liability attached to every deployment. Most security officers, supervisors and contract managers work alongside dog teams without ever being given a clean explanation of the standards, the welfare duties, the lawful basis for deployment, or how to procure a dog handler service properly.
This course closes that gap. It is awareness-level and intentionally so. It does not teach you to handle a dog. It teaches you what good looks like when a dog handler service is delivered against UK industry standards (BS 8517-1, BS 8517-2, NASDU, BIPDT), what the Animal Welfare Act 2006 actually requires of any working animal on your site, how civil and criminal liability flows from a dog-related incident, and how to evaluate a dog handler contractor in an ACS audit or tender.
You finish with a CPD-accredited certificate, a clear model of where the dog handler discipline starts and ends, and the operational vocabulary to brief, supervise and audit a dog team confidently.
- Duration: 5 Hours
- Delivery: Online
- Module: 6
- Access Period: 1 Year
- Students Enrolled: 500+
- Certification: London Security College
- Price: £30.00
Awareness vs full handler qualification
This is the most important thing to understand before you enrol. The course you are reading about is awareness-level. Below is the honest comparison so you choose the right pathway for your role.
Security Dog Handler Awareness
- For non-handlers: officers, supervisors, contract managers, procurement leads
- Builds vocabulary, standards literacy and procurement judgement
- Self-paced e-learning, 5 hours, CPD-accredited certificate
- Maps to BS 8517-1, BS 8517-2, NASDU and BIPDT standards
- Includes Animal Welfare Act 2006 Five Welfare Needs
- Does NOT include practical dog handling assessment
- Does NOT qualify you to deploy a security dog
Practical Handler Qualification
- For active and aspiring security dog handlers
- Recognised pathways include NASDU Level 2 General Purpose Security Dog Handler
- Includes practical training and assessment with a working dog
- Typically classroom + supervised practical + final assessment
- Required before a handler operates a security dog on a live contract
- Delivered by specialist NASDU-approved training providers
- Outside the scope of this course – and London Security College does not offer this pathway
The Five Welfare Needs - non-negotiable on any UK working dog
Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 places a statutory duty of care on every person responsible for an animal. For a security dog, those responsibilities sit with the handler, the contractor, and (often) the site you are working on. Module 3 covers each need in detail and what good provision looks like in practice.
Five Welfare Needs - covered in Module 3
Section 9 Animal Welfare Act 2006. Failure to meet these needs is a criminal offence carrying fines and disqualification from keeping animals.
SIA-Licensed Officers
Door supervisors, security guards, CCTV operators and close protection officers deployed at qualifying public premises or events.
Frontline Venue Staff
Event stewards, ushers, ticket checkers, front-of-house teams, retail floor staff and hospitality front-of-house who form part of the protective response.
Supervisors and Team Leaders
Shift supervisors, head door supervisors, retail managers, duty managers and ACS contractor team leads responsible for deploying officers competently.
SIA-Licensed Officers
Door supervisors, security guards, CCTV operators and close protection officers deployed at qualifying public premises or events.
SIA-Licensed Officers
Door supervisors, security guards, CCTV operators and close protection officers deployed at qualifying public premises or events.
Built on the UK standards that actually govern security dog work
Every module is mapped to the standards your contractor faces in an Approved Contractor Scheme audit, an insurance renewal, or a client tender.
SIA Licensing
Security Guard licence with dog handling as a working method.
BS 8517-1
General Purpose Security Dogs – the operational backbone.
BS 8517-2
Detection Dogs – explosives, narcotics, and screening contexts.
NASDU
National Association of Security Dog Users – industry body and standards.
BIPDT
British Institute of Professional Dog Trainers – training and instructor standards.
Animal Welfare Act 2006
Statutory five welfare needs, Section 9 duty of care.
Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
Civil and criminal liability for “dangerously out of control” incidents.
HSWA 1974
Employer duty of care to handlers and to third parties on site.
Six outcomes for non-handlers, supervisors and contract managers
Read a dog handler service against BS 8517
Identify whether a contractor’s delivery aligns with BS 8517-1 (general purpose) and BS 8517-2 (detection) standards.
Apply the Five Welfare Needs check
Recognise whether the working dog on your site is being properly cared for, and what to do if welfare is at risk.
Approach a working dog safely
Read body language at awareness level, follow handler protocols, and avoid the common mistakes that trigger incidents.
Brief and supervise a dog team
Run a site briefing that gives the handler what they need, and supervise without overstepping the handler’s authority.
Understand civil and criminal liability
Read who is liable for a dog-related incident under the Dangerous Dogs Act, common law, and contract.
Procure and audit a dog handler service
Build a tender pack, ask the right questions, and audit a dog handler service for ACS, insurance and tender purposes.
Non-handlers who work with, supervise or buy dog handler services
Common questions about this course
Does this course qualify me to handle a security dog?
No. This is explicit and important. The course is awareness-level only. It does not include practical training or assessment with a working dog. To handle a security dog on a live contract you need to complete a recognised practical handler pathway, such as the NASDU Level 2 General Purpose Security Dog Handler qualification, with a NASDU-approved training provider. London Security College does not deliver that pathway. This course is designed for the people who work alongside, supervise or commission qualified handlers.
Is this course accredited?
Yes this course is acrredited by london security college and it aligns built around BS 8517-1, BS 8517-2, NASDU and BIPDT standards.
Why is there a full module on animal welfare?
Because the Animal Welfare Act 2006 is statutory law and the Five Welfare Needs in Section 9 are non-negotiable. A security dog is a working animal and the welfare duty is shared between the handler, the contractor, and (often) the site you are working on. Module 3 sets out what good provision actually looks like across kennel, transport, shift conditions, veterinary care and end-of-working-life.
How is the course delivered?
Self-paced e-learning, browser-based, mobile and desktop friendly. Each topic includes an interactive activity (no live dog footage – illustrative diagrams only) and a knowledge check. Progress is saved between sessions. On completion you receive a CPD-accredited certificate.
How long do I have to complete it?
12 months from enrolment. Most learners complete in 5 to 6 hours across two or three sittings.
Can my contractor buy seats in bulk?
Yes. Multi-seat pricing is available, particularly suited to security contractors with dog handler divisions and facilities management firms commissioning dog services across multiple client sites.
