About Us

Who We Are

The Eastern States Working Dog Association (ESWDA) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 corporation headquartered in Mount Holly, NJ. The Association was founded in 1996 by a group of law enforcement K-9 handlers and trainers from Burlington County, NJ. The ESWDA is legally recognized by both state and federal courts to provide expert, unbiased K-9 certification to both the law enforcement community, civilian search and rescue teams, and detection dog handlers. The ESWDA prides itself on providing fair and balanced certification to its members.

The ESWDA’s Executive Committee members collectively represent more than 150 years of professional law enforcement K-9, detection dog, and search and rescue training and certification. Since it’s inception in 1996, the ESWDA staff have conducted more than 100 national K-9 training seminars.

The ESWDA Executive Committee consists of the President, Secretary Treasurer, and State Coordinators. The Executive Committee sets the policies and direction for the association. The duties of the Executive Committee are outlined in the ESWDA Bylaws.


The ESWDA Mission

Since its founding in 1996, the Eastern States Working Dog Association (ESWDA) has professionally served the working dog community for over 20 years.  In addition to working with K-9 law enforcement officers, the ESWDA works with civilian dog owners of all kinds and will continue its long-standing cooperation and collaboration with working dog organizations across the nation.