Thoughts on Finding a K9 Training Tribe, Coach, or Instructor

Today, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal discuss how to find a mentor or a community that fits your goals in the K9 world, their advice rooted in the belief that, “If you want your dog’s behavior to change, you have to change yours first.”

Listen in as our hosts break down the benefits (and limitations) of using social media and video content to attract the right people to you, the value of openness and clarity, and picking your “lane” as a K9 professional while augmenting your specialty with different perspectives.

On the part of the trainer, our hosts stress the importance of being coachable and maintaining consistency in your training by adhering to the three-part criteria of timing, criteria, and rate of reinforcement.

“There isn’t just one way to train a dog. As long as you care for, respect, and honor the dog, that’s where the magic is.”

Key Topics:

• Using social media and video to find the right people to work with (02:22)
• Networking at trials for sport professionals (09:00)
• The qualities of a great K9 professional, and the difference between handlers, trainers, and instructors (11:44)
• The value of content knowledge versus your learning environment (16:10)
• The skill set needed for judging versus the skill set needed for instructing (21:49)
• Maintaining consistency in your training (29:10)
• Being the right kind of student (35:30)
• Honoring your dog (44:12)
• How to decide whether to mentor someone (47:34)
• Being vulnerable as an instructor (51:58)
• Narrowing down your ideal trainer (56:02)
• Final takeaways (1:00:09)

Resources:

• Steve White Thousand Hour Eyes: https://youtu.be/inMBQIwZEOA
• Distraction Camp: https://www.k9sensus.org/events/distraction-camp-ia-2022
• SNL Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1xFlkHh3wg
• Jennifer Hirakawa: https://kawafarms.com/

We want to hear from you:

• Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!
• K9Sensus Foundation can be found on Facebook and Instagram. We have a Trainer’s Group on Facebook!
• Scentsabilities Nosework is also on Facebook. Here is a Facebook group you should join!
• Crystal Wing K9 Coach can be found here!
• You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at k9detectioncollaborative.com to enjoy the freebies and tell your friends so you can keep the conversations going.

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