The K-9 Handler: From Military Working Dogs to Las Vegas Family Pets
Ira Smith has been training dogs since 1974. He learned as a military working dog handler, where he earned his first certification, working with a protection dog and a detection dog.
That training is still the base of everything he does at The K-9 Handler, his Henderson dog training business, which covers the Las Vegas Valley. “I've been doing this for 52 years,” he told Neon in his 702 Alliance interview.
The K-9 Handler offers two things, and Ira keeps them apart. Dog training teaches the basic commands. Behavior modification therapy, he said, is “another field in itself”: it changes behaviors such as jumping, digging and barking. Training with the fundamental commands “helps bridge the gap of communication” so that change can happen.
From the casino floor to full-time training
Ira came to Las Vegas in his early twenties and worked in the casinos for many years, everywhere from dealer to pit boss. The whole time, he was training dogs on the side.
When he left the casinos, he took dog training full time, teaching fundamental obedience, behavior and socialization skills. He also became an AKC instructor and evaluator, which he still is, and a tester observer for the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, which certifies and registers therapy dogs that visit hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities as a team with their owners.
A solid foundation first
Ira's method began with a strict military police style of training written by the U.S. Air Force. He adapted it into a system of his own that he still uses today, for family pets and as the groundwork for service dogs and therapy dogs.
“Before you build anything on any type of training, you must lay down a good, solid foundation,” he said. “You can't build on something that's not strong.”
That foundation includes the owner. Ira trains the dog and, separately, teaches the owner the same commands: heel to walk and stop to stop, followed by sit, down and stay. Owners learn how to walk and stop so the dog understands what to do and listens for the command instead of anticipating it. Heel brings the dog back, too, “'cause the dog wants to come back to you.”
A real park, not a dog park
As Las Vegas has grown, Ira said, it has kept up with dog parks better than almost anywhere in the country. They're great for running and play, but “it's no place to train your dog.”
Instead, when the weather cools off, he meets owners at a regular park. After working with them for a while, he takes the dog away and works with it on his own, so when he comes back, the owner finds the dog easier to handle. He teaches dogs to learn commands through instinct and habit and to correct their own mistakes, and he teaches people to communicate with their dog on the dog's level.
He has trained many thousands of dogs. Some picked things up amazingly fast; some were very stubborn. “I have the problem of falling instantly in love with dogs,” he said. Many of the owners became friends, and he still keeps in touch with some who have moved across the country with their dogs.
Service Dogs of Southern Nevada
Quite a few of the service dogs Ira has trained are here in Southern Nevada. That work started as part of The K-9 Handler. On July 4, 2025, he made it a separate nonprofit, Service Dogs of Southern Nevada, which trains and sometimes places bona fide ADA service dogs for veterans, first responders and others in need. Like The K-9 Handler, it runs on Ira's experience: training dogs since 1974.
“I wanted to have a nonprofit for many, many years so I could help my fellow veterans,” he said. It turned out to be more work than he expected, with a lot of grant research and writing, and it depends on donations and corporate sponsorships. Finding people who need a dog isn't the problem: so many find the nonprofit and apply that it can be hard to keep up.
Much of what those service dogs learn starts with the same basics Ira teaches every dog at The K-9 Handler. Then the work moves into public places: Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, grocery stores, strip malls and restaurants, the places pets aren't allowed but service dogs are. The last phase is task work for the person's own needs, whether that's mobility, balance or guidance, or a psychiatric service dog for PTSD, traumatic brain injury, phobias or anxiety. Those dogs learn to recognize what's happening and do what Ira calls neurological grounding, helping the person get back to a confident footing.
His own service dog, Piper, who passed away about four years ago, was what he calls his flagship business dog. She went everywhere with him and helped him train other dogs. Ask him to pick a favorite among the rest, though, and he won't: “It's like which child do you love more? You can't answer that. I love all dogs.”
What's next
These days Ira spends more of his time on paperwork and the systems behind the nonprofit than he'd like, and he hopes to get back to training two or three dogs a day. For Service Dogs of Southern Nevada, the goal is foundation support so it can grow, rescue more dogs and pair them with the people who need them. He's also looking for people to help with the work, from reviewing applications to calling applicants.
The K-9 Handler's website was just redone from top to bottom, and Ira is ready for more calls from Las Vegas dog owners.
Visit The K-9 Handler profile for training details and contact information, or the Service Dogs of Southern Nevada profile to learn about the nonprofit and how to support it.
Based on Ira Smith's two Neon phone interviews, October 17, 2026. For corrections or removal, contact Cody.