What exactly is
a trailing dog trained to do?
A trailing dog is trained to locate an individual by
following a scent trail. Some breeds commonly used for
trailing work are Bloodhounds, Labradors, German
Shepard's and other types of hound breeds. A variety of
other breeds can be used as well.
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What experience do I need to attend?
No experience is necessary, however, students must have
a genuine interest in working with and training dogs. It
is not necessary to be affiliated with a search group or
Law Enforcement agency to attend, however it is a good
idea for support after you are finished with school. You
must be at least 21 years of age to attend.
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Can I learn enough in 1 week?
The Canine Training Academy provides over 50 hours of
instruction. We cannot teach your dog to become an
expert trailer in 1 week, however what we can provide
are the necessary skills and knowledge to continue the
training process after you leave the school. We can
accommodate trailing teams at any experience level
during class. Many of our students choose to return for
another class as a refresher course or to simply
increase their knowledge and skill level.
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How old does my dog have to be?
Some breeds can be started on simple trailing exercise's
as early as 10 weeks of age, however if your dog is
slightly more mature, you and your dog will be able to
participate more fully in the training. Ideally, a dog
that is six to nine months of age responds very quickly
to training. Dogs over 5 years can be trained but have a
shorter working life.
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What if I don't have a dog yet but want to attend?
Occasionally students do attend without a dog. They can
still observe the training, participate in trail laying
and learn the basic skills to prepare them for training
a dog. Observing can also be a good idea if you are not
quite sure you want to do this kind of work. Backup
personal are also
welcome to attend with handlers.
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What kind of training methods are taught at the
school and what kind of skills will I learn?
Here at the Canine Training Academy we are firm
believers in a strong basic foundation. We have taken
training methods which have been proven to be sound and
reliable and combined them with 30 years of working
knowledge and developed a training program that utilizes
the dogs drive, motivation and instinct. We then we
combine these natural abilities with praise, proper
corrections and positive reinforcement to train the dog.
Instructors are well versed in different training
techniques and can utilize a wide variety of training
methods depending on your dogs particular needs.
The training students receive will also help them to
develop skills to recognize potential, or correcting
existing problems. It is also our intention to introduce
students not only to our ideas , but tips and ideas
shared with us by professional handlers over the years.
The training will cover a variety of subjects to include
training methods, ethics, practical applications, scent
discrimination, scent theory, urban trailing, wilderness
trailing, how to read your dog, criminal cases, lost
persons and what to expect on actual deployments. We
will also address some of the most common problems
related to these subjects.
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Can I make a living at this profession?
Generally handlers who are actively working trailing
dogs are affiliated with a Law Enforcement or Search and
Rescue organization and conduct searches through their
agencies on a volunteer basis or are paid through their
Law Enforcement agencies. This type of work is most
often performed by paid police K-9 officers or Search
and Rescue volunteers. Payment for volunteers usually
comes in the form of pure satisfaction from finding a
person or saving someone's life, although some agencies
will pay handler expenses such as travel, food and
accommodations if you are performing a volunteer search
that is out of your area.
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Certification
The Canine Training Academy offers certification for
teams who wish to obtain a standard performance
evaluation and certification. Some police departments
and search groups require teams to be certified before
being deployed on actual searches.
Students testing must pass the performance evaluation to
earn a certification. There are 3 levels of
certification. Beginning trailer, intermediate trailer
and advanced trailer for urban work. Certifications are
offered at the end of each academy. Dogs must be
physically mature enough and have some trailing
experience to qualify for certification testing.
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