Experienced K9 detection training,
tailored to your team.
Underdog Protection Services offers K9 detection training for sport competitors, working dog handlers, and agencies in the San Antonio area. Every session is built around your dog and your handler — not a fixed program.
Services
All sessions are held at a location of Ruben's choosing, or a location the group agrees on. Travel outside 50 miles from San Antonio: $1 per mile.
Group training
Sessions for 3–4 dog teams covering scent detection, search patterns, odor recognition, and handler technique. Structured but flexible to what your group needs that day.
$50 per team · 1–2 hrs
Private training
One-on-one sessions built around your dog's specific strengths and gaps. Ruben watches your team closely — no cookie-cutter curriculum, no assumptions carried over from other dogs.
$100 · 1.5 hrs
Seminars & workshops
Intensive 3–5 day seminars or 1–3 week workshops. Topics include scent theory, training aid management, search behavior, problem solving, and tracking and trailing. Available for groups and organizations.
Inquire for availability
eval & assess
A structured, objective review of your K9 team. Ruben identifies what's working, where the gaps are, and what to do about it — whether you're preparing for certification or just want to know where you stand.
Inquire for details
Ruben Pena
Founder, Underdog Protection Services · San Antonio, TX
Ruben began his career as a K9 handler and trainer in the U.S. Air Force Security Police. Over 37 years that followed, he trained domestic and international law enforcement and military teams in narcotics and explosives detection, built complete K9 programs for the U.S. State Department's landmine and unexploded ordnance initiatives, and served as a K9 Trainer, Instructor, and Supervisor with the Department of Homeland Security's TSA — preparing detection teams for agencies including Federal Protective Services, TSA, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
He now brings that same operational standard to handlers in the San Antonio area. His approach is patient, individualized, and grounded in the understanding that every dog and handler team is different. The goal is always the same: a reliable team that knows what it's doing and why.
“Ruben is a highly skilled K-9 trainer and handler with many decades of real life experience. he matches your abilities with your particular dog — he’s not a one size fits all trainer.”
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“Ruben has taught Team CCleo so many things. But one of the most important lessons is to have fun and Enjoy your dog!”
— Kathy Haygood, Client
“I have trained three dogs with Ruben for over 10 years. Training with Ruben is tailored to the needs of the specific dog and handler to help them be the best team possible.”
— Patricia Schwartz, Client
