Instructor, Founder of IK9I
Karita Häkkinen
Qualified Animal Trainer (AT), Special Detection Dog Trainer, and Instructor
About the love for the work
Karita is an animal trainer with a professional degree in animal training, with more than 10 years of experience in Detection Dogs and their handling
Karita is responsible for the training of working dogs used at the International K9 Institute, works as an instructor in courses and training events, and plans training content for the needs of clients.
Karita has pioneered the training of the first Bed Bug Detection Dogs in Finland, thus creating a new profession as the first Bed Bug Detection Dog handler in Finland. She also has several years of experience working with mold dogs and pet trailing dogs.
Accuracy and quality
Karita specializes in training Scent Detection Dogs for professional use and in training working dogs for various scent work tasks.
Karita is much-liked as an educator and lecturer both in Finland and elsewhere in Europe. Karita’s principles include accuracy and reliability. She emphasizes building a strong motivation for the dog as well as consistent progress in accordance with precisely set goals.
Pioneer work with working dogs
Karita has a long experience of working as a detection dog handler in operational work. She has made thousands of inspections as a Bed Bug and a Mold dog handler
in apartments, commercial premises, hotels, and shops. She acts responsibly, understanding the risks of spread and preparing accurate reports of all the inspections.
As a Bed Bug Detection Dog handler pioneer, she has developed knowledge in the field and actively trained aspiring BBDD handlers in recent years. The use of Bed Bug Detection Dogs has thus become an established application for detection dogs in Finland, and the BBDD has been found to be an accurate and effective aid in checking bed bug infestations.
Working dogs and quality criteria
Karita has trained and coached numerous detection dogs for a variety of scent works in both the civilian and governmental sectors, conducted extensive training for future working dog teams, and designed working assessments for those intending to become one. The goal is to create reliable and dependable employees together with all working dog teams, regardless of the application.
