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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...

Just read an article about scent discrimination and dogs jumping tracks. Not sticking to the scent they were asked to locate, but following another scent. 

This article put a lot of blame on the dog. I do not.

I think it comes down the line to foundation and yes handler's response. Surprise, that 'response' word again!!! And, a big one- stamina!!! And, one more- pay check!

Foundation - teaching the dog from day one to stick with specific odor. Working known tracks to keep the dog on source. And, to teach handler how to read and RESPOND to the dog. Before you go and do a bunch of blind tracks you need to be able to read your dog and know what to do with that read.

Many handlers teach their dogs to jump to another odor with out even knowing it. Running a blind track dog stops to say I lost it. Handler stands there waiting, then tells the dog to go back to work as the handler walks forward. What did they just teach their dog? What did they tell their dog to do?  Then the next...

What? 

The Negative is not so negative. A negative is not a bad thing!

Whether you are working in detection or tracking receiving a negative from your dog is a good thing. It is the dogs way to tell you they lost scent or no scent in an area. That is what they are suppose to do. They are communicating with you.

In detection it is how they tell you there is nothing in an area, it is clear of source.

In tracking there is no more scent or a depleted amount of source in one area.

What can be negative in these situations is the handler's response to the negative.

First, did the handler see it, or do they know what it looks like? Can they read their dog? If you do not know what your dog is telling you how can you respond to it? 

Second, does the handler trust it? You must trust it to respond to it in a way that moves the search forward. For example, working  detection searching a room. Your dog goes into a corner sniffs around thoroughly and leaves it moving forward to the...

Hey everyone!

So last week I got all our info out for 2021. I also mentioned check out the seminars because we will fill up a few rather quickly- well, that maybe happening even quicker than I thought!

Time is now to take a look at what seminar you would like to do this year!

Now I know it maybe a lot to pay for a seminar in August right now- so here is what you can do....

If you would like to hold a place in one of the seminars or the retreat. You need to email me - [email protected] or text me 360-319-0043. Tell me what seminar and date with your email. I will then invoice you $100 deposit for course. The deposit must be paid to hold your spot. The balance of seminar will be due 3 weeks before date of seminar. You will pay the balance here on the website and I will give you a code to take your deposit off of total cost when you sign up.

Thank you!

The Response- if you are in any of my courses you will hear me talk about this a lot. I believe it is one of the main keys to a successful team.

We are taught to follow our dogs, trust our dogs and yes I want you to do these things. First, you need to learn to read your dog- what does it look like when they are on, off, searching or just messing around? Once you learn to read them you can trust what they are doing and follow along. Yet, it does not end there. 

To build a strong team you must respond to what they are telling you. Yes, you are responding by following and trusting, but what about when they lose the trail? Do you just wait for them to find it? What about if you responded by helping them? And when they do find it again you respond by letting them take the lead?

Response goes hand in hand with reading your dog. If you respond to what you read it moves you as a team together, in a forward motion. It can keep the dog in the most odor. It builds you as a true team just...

Hello everyone and welcome to 2021. Well, it looks like we made it through a crazy year and now we are moving forward.

What are some of your goals for 2021? Mine, well, I have a few. Personally, I walked a lot in 2020 following all of you on tracks, but I need to get in a little better shape for all the walking and trails we have planned in 2021. So, my goal for 2021 is to run, or jog, 700 miles this year. That is mileage beyond my working trails. Getting my dogs and myself back to the 30x3+10 I talk to you all about. The thirty we need to work on is the stamina. This year, I also, am planning more training for myself, Alice and Neo. Neo needs work on his environment. Growing up in Covid was a thing. He went from happy pup being around so many people to "What you talkin bout Willis?" (anybody else watch Different Strokes growing up?) Anybody else working on this? As we get towards the spring I will set up a few training sessions like we had before Covid. These are not classes, but...

You do not have to have big aspirations for search and rescue to want to give your dog a job. If you enjoy playing with your dog, enjoy the outdoors, and like the idea of giving your dog a purpose- this just maybe your thing.

Getting your dog to use their nose can really help them as well. They enjoy having a purpose too. 

Next weekend we are having our second Does Your Dog want a Job? Seminar. We will have another one later this fall. I hope you and your dog will join us. You may also contact me to set up sometime to meet, and discuss all that you and your dog could do!