Travis hosts K-9 competition Published April 14, 2016 By Senior Airman Amber Carter 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The 60th Security Forces Squadron hosted the 3rd annual Defenders K-9 Trial April 8 and 9 at Travis Air Force Base, California. The competition brought more than 50 teams from different law enforcement agencies across the state. "These trials serve a few purposes," said Tech. Sgt. Joshua Hicks, 60th SFS military working dog section NCO in-charge. "The main two purposes are to allow the handlers to see all their hard work put to the test in situations that are designed to be as difficult as possible and to see how they stack against their peers." Day one of the competition was a two-part explosive detection exercise and a two-part narcotic detection exercise where the dogs and their handlers took part in a timed area search of buildings and Humvees. Day two involved an extensive protection and obedience phase where the teams were judged on their communication and response to commands. "My favorite part is watching the dogs during the detection scenarios," Hicks said. "Just watching other teams in action allows you to learn different techniques and methods to use in the future." The Western States Police Canine Association had professional judges score the teams on a point-based system to determine the winners. "The overall goal is to bring K-9 teams together for camaraderie and networking," Hicks said. "These are the best moments to organize mass training events to allow the dogs to train on different substances or in different areas."