David Hartman
AMPWDA Trainer
David Hartman is passionate about SAR. He is active in
Spartanburg County SAR where he and his trailing dog Ada have had
multiple real-world deployments. His is also experienced working on
ground team search teams and with small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
(sUAS). He is a pilot with Civil Air Patrol where he serves as a
Mission Pilot, Ground Team member, and sUAS pilot.
He started training his German Shepherd in 2020. Since then they
have certified in Trailing as Expert, Distinguished Expert, and
Urban with AMPWDA. They have also earned a Wilderness Trailing
certification from GAK9.
David helps train the dogs in their local search team and keeps an
open mind to new methods and techniques. Every dog and every handler
are different. Part of the challenge of training is finding the
optimum method for each K9 team. He is a firm believer that if you
have a good bond with your dog, your dog will give their best
working for you.
Additional certifications include FEMA IS-3, IS-5, IS-100, IS-200,
IS-700, IS-800 and SARTEC II, Wilderness First Aid, IFR Pilot, and
FAA Part 107.
