The Beyond Course- Our first week!

This year I started a new course called Beyond. It is a 24-26 week course to be completed after your foundation. You do not have to complete K9 Track NW foundation to come to this course. You do need to feel confident in a half mile track any setting up to four hours old.

The course objectives is to get you prepared to certify for a SAR certification. Meaning we will age tracks up to 24 hours old and make sure your mileage is up tp a mile.

This course will start every January, and you may have up to five handlers in your group. This year we are running two groups. We have an online Course, Zoom meeting once a week,  a long with meeting for trainings once a month.

The last two weekends we met our groups for the first time. And, I gotta say it made me even more excited for this course. 

This is not an easy course- lots of trails and commitment to those trails. I saw that commitment in all the handlers faces.

We started our training with introductions and a couple blind tracks. These tracks were any where from 1-6 hours old. The teams showed their skills, and rocked the trails. 

In the next month they will be aging their trails up to 12 hours- yes, they have some work to do! 

We will stick with a half mile in distance till we have aged our tracks then we will increase the distance.

This course is designed through the experience I have had certifying three  of my own dogs for SAR, and helping others as well. This course also expands beyond the trail to other aspects of training to make a strong successful trailing team!

In these trainings we were reminded of a few of these aspects, and that is really what I wanted to write about today. Reminders for the course handlers, and of course anyone else that happens to read this post!

1. The Trail is not all the training. For a successful team your dog must work well in all environments- work the environments outside of your track work. Stamina! Your team -dog and handler must have the stamina to complete the task! Work the stamina as well outside the actual track.

2. Yes, it is very important to learn about scent travel, winds, weather, etc. Yet, this information does not take the place of what your dog is doing. The knowledge you have is to help your dog when they need it. Do not over think things! Your dog has the nose- trust it!

3. Working known tracks helps build your confidence, teaches you how to read your dog- you never direct a dog on a known track. Or on any track for that matter. You work the track as if you do not know where it goes, help them when they need it, work as a team, never direct- there is a difference.

4. Work on getting your own head out of it- goes with two and three. Stop trying to figure out where the track went- follow your dog.

5. Learn from every track.

6. Do not skip steps- do your homework. One step at a time!

Keep up the good work all, and I will see you on the trails!!!!!