IMPORTANT NOTE: This course is open ONLY to NACSW instructors.I

Enhanced Education Day 2023

Saturday September 16, 2023

8:30AM – 5:00PM Pacific Time

(This event will be recorded)

Cost: $150.00

CNWI CEUs: 10 for the weekend

KPA-CTP CEUs: 7 for the weekend (through KPA)

Presentations will be recorded and available for viewing/download after the event, as will handouts from the presentations. You will be sent the links after the course.

NOTE: To guarantee access to the live presentation, we recommend registering (including payment) by Thursday September 14th. Beyond the 14th, we cannot guarantee that the live links will be emailed to you on time. However, the recorded links will be sent to you after the live event (14 days post event).

Location: Online Event (via Zoom)

Topics and Instructors

2023 Featured Instructors:
Amy Herot, Co-Founder NACSW & K9 Nose Work
Jill Marie O’Brien, Co-Founder NACSW & K9 Nose Work
Silke Wittig, CPDT-KSA, ACBC, CNWI
Heidi Meinzer, CPDT-KSA, CNWI

Course Topics:

• Instructor Updates and Q & A (Jill Marie O’Brien and Amy Herot)

• High-Powered Dogs and Their Handlers (Jill Marie O’Brien)
From over the top to smooth operator, working with the high powered dog in the K9 Nose Work training environment…
As instructors, we are sometimes faced with the dilemma of following the K9 Nose Work instructional principles to the letter or keeping high drive powerful dogs in control when their handlers may be having difficulty managing that energy. The question is, how do we build independence, focus on the search game while keeping handlers safe and dogs in optimal performance mode? During this talk we’ll look at various ways to help our clients and their dogs learn the game of K9 Nose Work and do it in a safe, enjoyable way for everyone. It may mean modifying the set ups, how you start a dog, and “putting controls on the dog” earlier in the game than usual so they learn to moderate their own over-exuberance while still having fun and gaining search independence needed to be successful for those going on to more advanced searching and trialing.

• Training Inaccessible Hides for Trial Readiness (Amy Herot)
Training the inaccessible hide includes many layers of training that prepare the dog and handler for the understanding that is needed to make a call on inaccessible hides in the trial setting.  This segment covers the training timeline for inaccessible hides from the basics to the competitive side of assessing and calling inaccessible hides.

• Tackling Environmental Distractions (Silke Wittig)
In this webinar we will discuss the different types of distractions encountered in K9NW, factors that may play a role in a dog’s affinity to certain distractions, how to deal with environmental distractions in classes as well as some training and exercise ideas, with time for topic-specific questions.

• Passing the Sniff Test: How to Legally Protect Your Business (Heidi Meinzer)
Heidi taps into her unique background as an attorney and dog trainer to assist other trainers.  Whether you are starting a new business or taking stock of an existing business, Heidi will walk you through the basics of ensuring that you have what you need to succeed.  This presentation will touch on the basic ways to legally protect your business and what to put into place to give you peace of mind so that you can focus your attention on training.

Registration

Please register for the course in your instructor portal Course Catalog. Login link below:

https://education.k9nosework.com/login

Registration and course related questions may be sent to registrations@k9nosework.com. Technical questions about logging in to the Education website, such as pass phrase resets, should be emailed to: educationadmin@k9nosework.com

Presenter Bios

AMY HEROT, CO-FOUNDER: Amy is a professional K9 trainer and handler and brings over twenty years of experience to her work. She has certified teams in Narcotics and Explosives and has logged over 1,500 instructional hours in detection dog training. In the canine sport world Amy has trained dogs for tracking, agility, sheepherding, protection sports, and detection. She has competed nationally with her Dutch Shepherd, Maya and took 3rd place in Narcotics Detection at the Gold Coast K9 Working Dog Trials and 1st place, open division, at the Oxnard Police K9 Foundation Inaugural Trial, 2009. Her Belgian Malinois, Seven, is a nationally certified explosives detection dog and took 1st place in the Explosives Building Search at the 2009 Ventura County Sheriff’s K9 Trial and holds an APR1 title. Amy holds a Bachelor of Science from NYU and is nationally certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). Additionally, she is a graduate of the Balu Academy for Dog Trainers and is a John Rogerson associate here in the U.S. Her professional memberships and affiliations include the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), Southern California Dog Trainers’ Forum (SCDTF), Southern California Schutzhund Club, California Narcotics Canine Association (CNCA) and International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI). Amy has dedicated much volunteer time and expertise to the betterment of shelter dogs. Some of Amy’s other achievements have been the 2007 President’s Volunteer Service Award, spcaLA’s 2005 Outstanding H.E.A.L. (Helping Enhance Animals Lives) Volunteer and 2006 Volunteer of the Year. Amy is also the owner of the Los Angeles based company, All Good Dogs, LLC, which offers training services and is a supplier of K9 Nose Work Products. www.allgooddogs.biz.

JILL MARIE O’BRIEN, CPDT-KA, CO-FOUNDER: Jill Marie has been working with and training dogs since 1987. As co-founder of the National Association of Canine Scent Work and K9 Nose Work, Jill Marie has focused her attention on the development of the K9 Nose Work program. Her work has taken her to almost all the States of the Union, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and most recently Sweden. K9 Nose Work is one of the fastest growing activities and sports in the world. In 1996, Jill Marie joined spcaLA and developed the agency’s first Animal Behavior and Training Department since its inception in 1877. During her time at spcaLA she created the HEAL program (Helping Enhance Animals’ Lives) to improve and enrich the lives of the animal clients in the shelter, developed the Standards Program for enhanced assessments, performed behavior modification and placement recommendations and wrote the dog training curriculum for the TLC program designed for at-risk youth. Jill Marie’s tenure working in the shelter environment has given her a unique insight into how successful dog/human relationships are developed and sustained. Jill Marie’s years of dog training experience includes developing a behavior assessment protocol for use in the shelter environment, agility instruction and competition, tracking, Animal Assisted Therapy, Schutzhund and canine detection training along with many hours of K9 Nose Work development and instruction. As one of the founders of the sport of K9 Nose Work and the National Association of Canine Scent Work, LLC she is a strong believer in activities that enhance and cultivate teamwork between dog and handler. Jill Marie and her dog Beckett were a nationally certified Narcotics Detection Team and in 2009, took First Place in the novice division at the Oxnard Police K9 Inaugural Trial. Along with her involvement with the NACSW and K9 Nose Work, Jill Marie operates her own dog training and consulting business in the Los Angeles area. She shares her life with her son Aedan and husband Jim and two dogs Raven & Grip.

SILKE WITTIG, CPDT-KSA, ACBC, CNWI™: Silke was introduced to K9 Nose Work® in 2010 and became one of first two Certified Nose Work Instructors (CNWI™) in PA in 2011. In addition to instructing group classes, private sessions, coaching clinics and offering video reviews, Silke has hosted multiple NACSW™-sanctioned ORTs, trials and workshops. She has taught at several K9NW camps hosted by Dogs of Course and is also a webinar presenter for the K9 Nose Work® Education Division and Dogs of Course Virtual Nose Work Camp. Silke was also an instructor at the Training Fest West in 2023. To stay current on her K9NW education, she revisits the CNWI training and attends workshops, webinars and coaching days on a regular basis. Silke is a Supervising Certifying Official and Judge for NACSW™-approved trials and ORTs and is involved in various admin projects for the NACSW trial and the K9 Nose Work® education department. Silke loves to work on all aspects of this great dog sport while making sure that both ends of the leash have fun in a safe environment! She has a soft spot for shelter dogs and introduced K9NW to several local shelters, two of which have now included it in their regular canine enrichment program. Silke is also a certified professional dog trainer and behavior consultant and has been running HeRo Canine Consulting LLC, a successful dog training and behavior consulting business since 2006. She currently competes with her 8-year-old Pit Bull Snap in NACSW™ nose work competitions and is an avid K9NW lover.

HEIDI MEINZER, CPDT-KSA, CNWI™: Heidi has practiced law since 2000, when she began her legal career as a public defender in Alexandria, Virginia. In 2006, Heidi became a civil litigator, and in 2013, she branched off on her own to set up the Law Office of Heidi Meinzer, PLLC. Heidi serves on the APDT Board, and has held leadership roles with other organizations such as the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies and Homeward Trails Animal Rescue in northern Virginia. Heidi has been a trainer since 2011, and is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer/Knowledge and Skills Assessed (CPDT-KSA) and a Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI).