From Hunting Dogs to High-Stakes Canine Training Programs

Some people choose their career. Brandon Gilmore’s career chose him.

A passion that Brandon discovered as a young boy, tromping through the woods after hunting dogs, developed into a love for working dogs that he’s cultivated into a lifelong career.

Before there were police cruisers, K9 trials and SRT deployments, there was a 1976 Ford F150 and long walks through the woods, trailing after dogs that were chasing a scent, learning to read their behavior and understand a dog’s ways.

Growing up in North Carolina, some of Brandon’s earliest lessons came from his time outdoors where he learned to read dogs before he could fully explain what he was seeing- the shift in posture, the intensity in a nose-to-ground track, the unspoken communication between a handler and his canine. Hunting wasn’t just recreation; it became an education in instinct, psychology, discipline, and trust.

Those early years shaped something deeper than a hobby. They built a foundation and an understanding that great dogs aren’t just born, they’re developed. That development requires patience, consistency, trust and respect.

That foundation carried Brandon through a 25-year career in law enforcement, where his connection with dogs found a new level of purpose. Transitioning from hunting companions to working canines, he stepped into a world where the stakes were high and the margin for error was razor-thin.

Over the course of his career, Brandon didn’t just handle police dogs, he helped develop canine training programs, build stronger agencies and mentor individual officers. He trained and deployed canines in real-world situations where performance wasn’t optional; it was critical. He retired two canine partners, each representing years of shared work, risk, and loyalty.

However, his impact extended beyond the field of policing. As he advanced, Brandon became a certified trainer and judge, evaluating teams against rigorous national standards. His expertise contributed to the development and expansion of his agency’s canine program.

Still, the same drive that began in the woods persisted.

After decades of service, Brandon took everything he had learned; every track, seizure, training session, trial, certification, victory and setback, and built something of his own... Canine Detection Services (CDS).

Based in Western North Carolina, CDS represents the culmination of a lifetime spent with dogs. As founder and head trainer, Brandon focuses on sourcing, developing, and delivering high-performance police and military canines. These are not just dogs, they are specialized partners trained to operate in complex, high-pressure environments where reliability can make all the difference.

What sets CDS apart isn’t just technical expertise, it’s the philosophy behind the training. Brandon’s approach is rooted in the same principles he learned as a young hunter: understand the dog, respect its instincts, and build a partnership based on trust and clarity. Whether it’s detection work or patrol functions, every dog is developed with precision and purpose.

From the outside, it may look like a leap from hunting dogs to high-stakes working canines, but for Brandon, it’s been a steady climb along a trail he’s been traveling his entire life.

At its core, the work hasn’t changed.

It’s still about the bond between human and dog, reading what can’t be said, and bringing out the very best in a canine partner... no matter the stakes.