K9 Karma

On today’s agenda, disaster scenarios and environmental additions. Teams had a long, hot, day of exposure to wilderness, buildings and disaster situations. Everyone left tired!

We had a unique and “real life” opportunity to work dogs in an old building. We truly appreciate our supporters who let us utilize places that replicate search areas. We had teams from North Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia and Ohio working their search and rescue/recovery dogs. The work we do is rarely glamorous but, it is necessary. Thank you, to the teams who took this opportunity and worked through the 💩🤮🫶! People often think we are making money, we have a philosophy that we want to enhance and provide realistic scenarios for the next generation of handlers, so much of our teaching, is done for free. The benefits for us is we get to see a lot of teams and hopefully make them better. Our dogs, obviously benefit. Their benefit is, a unique, realistic, opportunity to enhance their repertoire. We do believe spending money for relevant and important training is essential however, these amazing volunteers spend thousands to have the best tool for the people they search for. We try to make things a bit more affordable and do appreciate them wanting to have us provide training for them. We definitely can’t do it without the people willing to get lost so, thank you, to the volunteers and those that make our job a bit easier! Today we will be in a wilderness setting with some fun variables!

ABMR Kevay (formerly Grinch) is hanging with us for staycation! Kismet is here to get some environmental exposure! We have not posted much because, we have been on the run! From Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Vienna, Pennsylvania working dogs and teaching! We are prepping for a weekend with Search teams from North Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio!

I see this all the time, even with dog savvy, and even proclaimed dog trainers! Stop it! I jump back when people try to touch me without permission. I also, want to act with violence with those I do not wish to have in my personal space but, insist on being in it. You are responsible for your dog’s well being! We expect they won’t use their genetic makeup to react to your invasion! I do not force any dog to engage with me at intake. Sometimes it’s weeks depending on their trauma, circumstances and issues. Could I force it? Of course but, I prefer a dog who wants to engage with me and who uses their own brain to make decisions. They are allowed to have boundaries and you do not have to let every single person engage. A simple “no, they are working” goes a long way. In fact they will be better for not having to engage with every person that feels entitled. Further more, not every person or dog wants to engage with your dog! Stop letting them get face to face or be in personal space! That is a you problem! Every single day another story pops up about another dog fight or human bite! Who is responsible?! The owner! Period! Failure to manage, failure to contain! Lack of training, lack of control. You control the circumstances! And don’t say they never, ever, because that will bite you on the proverbial ass. Dogs do not need to be in other dogs spaces, nor do strangers need to be in theirs. I watch dogs in public spaces routinely and guess who is the problem?! The human at the end of the leash! Not paying attention, not controlling the dog because they are distracted or clueless. Not saying, No! I especially love the off leash dogs that the human is super proud of and feels cool until the dog starts invading personal space and reactions occur! I don’t care if you think your dog is nice-you have zero clue what the reaction will be in certain situations! Just be an advocate! Even the best behaved dog, is still a dog! Don’t put your hand over a fence, in a car, in their face! It isn’t the dog’s responsibility to be fair-it’s yours!

We had the honor of talking about Dogs with jobs with 3rd graders at Stiles Point Elementary School on James Island! Our Grandson’s teacher invited us and the class had some very good questions. We really enjoyed sharing an hour with these engaging children and their teachers. Rebuilding Warriors, Service Dog, Braden, and his human, Jimmy, joined us and represented beautifully! We love talking to children about dogs and learning about their thoughts. Thank you for sharing your students with us!

How do dogs "see" with their noses? You may have heard the expression that dogs 'see with their noses.' But these creature's amazing nasal architecture actually reveals a whole world beyond what we can see. Alexandra Horowitz illustrates how the dog's nose can smell the past, the future and even things that can't be seen at all. [Dire...

Elliott is 2, Kismet is 1.5, both are females, both have sass, both are working dogs. Search dogs must be able to work simultaneously, without, being distracted or fighting. This little romp together at a training location gives me a chance to monitor their interaction and correct verbally if necessary.

This is what we are doing this weekend! Fun group of handlers and dogs!

Let’s ponder a thought…..you are kicking ass, taking names with your partnership, with your dog. Some random “expert” comes along and tells you you are doing it all wrong, with some sort of ridiculous explanation. You think, “I don’t know what I don’t know” let’s do what they think is a better tact. (I have been there too) Fast forward, the team work is declining, the dog is throwing weird behaviors, is flat, and so on. This is especially detrimental with lower drive dogs. You struggle to find the reward system that drives them and then the “all knowing, yoda” says “you’re doing it wrong” for some demeaning to handlers everywhere reason. Let me say this for the ones in the back! Every dog is different! They will tell you what they will work for. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it just because, some rando tells you to! Be an advocate for your dog!

Dogs are simple creatures for all their incredible talents. That being said, they are doing extraordinary things with and for us, and will do more with the correct reward system. Some crave attention, some want food, others want a ball, furry thing on a string, and the list goes on! I cringe to think of the dogs washed from working because they did not pick up a pipe🤪. Old school ideals are still valuable but, opening your mind to new concepts will make training limitless!

“Experts” this goes for you too! Open your mind to new possibilities instead of letting your ego drive your actions. You might actually learn something if you “zip it” for a minute and listen, watch, learn. Not every dog benefits from every technique. Thinking outside the box, you have been stuck in for years or maybe months depending on your experience, will grow your skill levels. The human is still a partner to the canine….the dog is a reflection of you and your strengths and weaknesses. The all or nothing approach might not be as beneficial as you believe. It’s okay to do something different to enhance the human/animal bond. Now, this isn’t permission to micro manage! I’m simply proposing that you are a good dance partner versus a bad one. Ebb and flow…make a move if appropriate and don’t be stepping on toes!

Bottom line, handlers, if it’s working well, don’t change it because some talking head who seems intelligent says so, in a two to four day snippet, especially if they use big, scientific terms! Chew on it, does it make sense for you and your dog at this time? If not, put it back on the shelf for later. If the “Yoda” is offended, that’s a reflection of their ego, not, good instruction. For all the great science we are discovering, common sense, still remains the most valuable tool and, looking at the dog in front of you, honoring your partner and taking everything with a grain of salt! 🫶