Notes on K9 Certifications – Scentwork
In this episode, Jerry Bradshaw discusses:
- Things you need to know before starting certification.
- Having a training methodology that allows for compartmentalization, repetition, and isolation of skills if needed.
- Understanding rewards throughout and at the end of the track.
- Creating the behavior you want to create and working around distractions.
Key Takeaways:
- Run your training for certifications like you would run a real scenario.
- Pay attention to all directions and information in the scenario briefing.
- Be careful not to overvalue the end of the track by always putting a person at the end.
- Ritual is going to give you a really good reset when you’re lost. Ritual will also help a dog distinguish when you are on a search rather than just a normal day.
“Context is everything. As handlers and as trainers, we need to start thinking in terms of context. It is possible to have an extremely successful tracking program where the handlers lay some proportion of their own tracks. This allows the handlers to isolate things and skill sets that they need to isolate.” — Jerry Bradshaw
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Train hard, train smart, be safe.
Show notes by Podcastologist Chelsea Taylor-Sturkie
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You’re the expert. Your podcast will prove it.
