NACSW Program

The organization that started it all, NACSW is considered the "golden standard" by many. NACSW consists of two divisions: the education division which focuses on training and certifying instructors and the trial division which focuses on the competition aspect.

NACSW trials offers the four traditional search element classes: Interior, Exterior, Vehicle and Container. There are a variety of levels offered through NACSW, which are sequential and progressive in nature starting with the ORT and moving onto NW1, NW2, NW3, Elite and Summit. Element Specialty and Elite Premier Trials offer unique trialing experiences as well.

With our NACSW Program, gain the skills you and your dog need to confidently and competently compete in a NACSW trial.

NACSW Program

Beginner Competitors

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NACSW
All-Level NACSW™ Trial Prep Course Instructor Lori Timberlake Getting ready to trial is about more than simply running blind hides. Consider the entire trial picture and properly prepare with this course.
NACSW
NACSW: Odor Recognition Prep (ORT) Course Instructor Lori Timberlake You are officially ready to start your NACSW trialing journey. Find out how to ace your ORT test with this course.
NACSW Program
NACSW: NW1 Trial Prep Course Instructor Lori Timberlake You've passed your ORT in all three odors and now you are ready to tackle your first NW1. Get the skills you need with this course!
NACSW
NACSW: NW2 Trial Prep Course Instructor Lori Timberlake You and your dog will be ready to tackle your NW2 and feel confident doing so with the provided training and handling tips.
Trial Prep Program
Nerves Poisoning the Fun Webinar Instructor Silke Wittig Are you a nervous competitor? Do you find yourself dreading trialing? Is your anxiety starting to chip away at your joy for the sniffing game? This webinar will offer some approaches that are designed just for you!
NACSW
NACSW Trial Experience Webinar Series: Part 1 (ORT - NW3) Instructor Lori Timberlake Are you new to NACSW™ trials or looking to better understand the progression from ORT through NW3? This first entry in this webinar series is for you!
NACSW
NACSW Trial Experience Webinar Series: Part 2 (Element Specialty Trials) Instructor Lori Timberlake Element Specialty Trials offer a unique opportunity to focus on individual search elements while earning NACSW™ titles. Learn how to better prepare for these trials with this webinar.
NACSW Program
Instructors: How Best to Prep NACSW Clients Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Kayla Dever, Tony Gravley, Michael McManus, Natalie McManus, Khara Schuetzner Both instructors and clients will benefit from this exciting roundtable. Our panelists will discuss ways instructors can best help their client prepare to succeed in the various levels of NACSW trials.

Experienced Competitors

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Trial Prep Program
Mastering the Big Picture: Preparing for Elite & Summit Level Nosework Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson You are embarking on your Elite or Summit journey. Learn how to balance efficiency with thoroughness, develop handling plans that adapt in real time, and build the skills needed to succeed at Elite and Summit level trials.
Trial Prep Program
Nerves Poisoning the Fun Webinar Instructor Silke Wittig Are you a nervous competitor? Do you find yourself dreading trialing? Is your anxiety starting to chip away at your joy for the sniffing game? This webinar will offer some approaches that are designed just for you!
Trial Prep Program
Climbing Mountains: Handler Skills for Success at Elite/Elite Premier and Summit Webinar Instructor Kayla Dever and Samantha Winslow Are you currently competing, or planning to compete, in the Elite or Summit levels of NACSW? In this webinar, learn how to help your mental game, develop trial day action plans, and how to find JOY in the highest pressure levels of our sport!
Trial Prep
Building Blocks for Elite and Summit Webinar Instructor Wendy Krehbiel Learn how to master the transition from NW3 to the Elite and Summit levels by deconstructing high-level challenges into foundational building blocks.
NACSW
NACSW Trial Experience Webinar Series: Part 3 (Elite, Elite Premier and Summit) Instructor Lori Timberlake Elite, Elite Premier and Summit trials represent the highest levels of competition in NACSW™ and require advanced skills, thoughtful strategy, and a deep partnership between handler and dog. Learn how to better prepare with this webinar.
NACSW Program
Instructors: How Best to Prep NACSW Clients Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Kayla Dever, Tony Gravley, Michael McManus, Natalie McManus, Khara Schuetzner Both instructors and clients will benefit from this exciting roundtable. Our panelists will discuss ways instructors can best help their client prepare to succeed in the various levels of NACSW trials.
Trial Prep Program
The Good Call: Calling the Hide in Training and in Trial Webinar Instructor Jill Kovacevich The "Alert" call is the crux of the handler's responsibilities in competition Nose Work. If you have ever felt like, "My dog said trash can", but the Judge said, "No", this webinar may be just what you need. A discussion focused on shaping your training for improved trial success.
Trial Prep Program
Do You Have a Team Mindset? Webinar Instructor Jason Heng A mindset is simply the set of beliefs that shape how you see and react to the world. These beliefs influence what you do, how you act, and how you feel. Having a team mindset means directing those actions and emotions to improve the team's success.

Common Issues

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Training On Your Own
Training on an Island: The Art of Working Solo in Canine Nose Work Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Do you typically find yourself training on your own? This webinar is for you! Enjoy a deep dive into both sides of the leash, exploring not only the handler’s responsibilities when working without a coach or group but also the dog’s role in developing independence, confidence, and problem-solving skills.
Common Issues
Is That Pooling or Something Else Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Do you have a hard time observing the difference between pooling/trapping odor verses source or inaccessible? In this webinar we will talk about clarifying the purpose of the dog, as well as how to avoid some common handling mistakes that can lead to your dog being confused!
Trial Prep Program
Displacement Sniffing and Other Stress Behaviors Webinar Instructor Sue Sternberg Better understand displacement sniffing and other stress behaviors as they relate to Scent Work. Learn how to distinguish the various types of sniffing and how to better support your canine teammate throughout the search with this webinar.
Common Issues
Fringing: Causes and Solutions Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Are you struggling with your dog fringing at trial? It is as if they say, "Is this close enough?" Learn what fringing is, the causes and how to address it in training with this webinar.
Small Dogs
Nose Work for Small Dogs Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Small dogs are faced with additional challenges that large dogs aren’t when it comes to Nose Work. Learn about these challenges, how to tackle them and ways to handle small dogs in Nose Work searches in this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Let's Make Thresholds Work Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley You've worked hard to develop the dog's desire to seek. But this may mean they are rocketing through their search area, rushing through those thresholds. Learn how to make those thresholds more productive with this webinar.
Common Issues
Don't Fear the Outdoors Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Exterior searches can feel unpredictable. Wind, wildlife, vegetation, wide open space, all influencing odor behavior and your dog’s mindset. Learn how to confidently build a dog that hunts with purpose outside, not one that gets lost in the environment.
Handler Skills
Know Your Role: The Handler’s Role in Training Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Do we have a role when training Scent Work with our dogs? YES! If we step out of our lane, this can cause our dogs to become confused, frustrated or demotivated by the search. Learn how to better understand your role in this webinar.

Handler Skills

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Read Your Dog
What Did Ya Say: Learning to Read Your Dog Seminar Instructor Tony Gravley Your dog is constantly communicating during the search, the real question is whether you understand what they are saying. Join Tony for this information-packed seminar as he breaks down the behaviors handlers commonly see but often struggle to interpret when both training and trialing.
Trial Prep Program
Know Your Role: The Handler’s Role in Trialing Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley We can quite literally derail an otherwise fantastic search at trial when we step out of our lane and, well, forget to remember our role! Learn what your role is at Scent Work trials and how to best support your canine partner in this informative webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Be Strategic: Breaking Down the NACSW Walk Through Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Learn how to extract critical information from the NACSW Trial Walk Through videos. The type of information that separates those teams who simply run a search at a trial from those who tackle the very same search strategically.
Trial Prep Program
Who’s Watching Who? Understand the Dog’s Changes of Behaviors (COBs) Webinar Instructor Khara Schuetzner Can you describe 5 out of the 10 changes of behaviors (COBs) your dog exhibits while they're in odor? No worries, you will learn how in this webinar! Join Khara to learn how to identify these COBs and better read and decipher what your dog is telling you during a search.
Handler Skills
Know Your Role: The Handler’s Role in Training Webinar Instructor Tony Gravley Do we have a role when training Scent Work with our dogs? YES! If we step out of our lane, this can cause our dogs to become confused, frustrated or demotivated by the search. Learn how to better understand your role in this webinar.
Handler Skills
Language of Nose Work: Reading Your Dog Webinar Instructor Michael McManus and Natalie McManus Learning how to read our dogs is a necessary skill for every Scent Work handler to master. See how you can go about doing this in this webinar.
NW Relationship
Coach Jeff's Guide To The Nosework Relationship Webinar Instructor Jeff McMahon Everyone deserves a good relationship with their dog. This is the webinar where we light the path to the authentic and fulfilling Nose Work relationship that best fits YOU and YOUR DOG.
Trial Prep Program
Nerves Poisoning the Fun Webinar Instructor Silke Wittig Are you a nervous competitor? Do you find yourself dreading trialing? Is your anxiety starting to chip away at your joy for the sniffing game? This webinar will offer some approaches that are designed just for you!

Search Element Skills

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Trial Prep Program
The Dog-Driven Container: The Why and The How Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Learn how to train a dog-driven pattern as a way for the dog to find success and not frustration when tackling their container searches.
Trial Prep Program
Vehicle Search Mechanics: The Handler's Role Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Once the dog understands how to confidently execute a vehicle search, the real finesse comes from the handler. This webinar dives into the human side of the team: how to support, read, and respond to a dog who is already patterned and fluent.
Trial Prep Program
All About the Box; A Detailed Look at Container Searches Webinar Instructor Dana Zinn Containers have proven to be one of the most challenging elements in nose work for many teams. Find out why and how you may be more successful in this detailed webinar.
Trial Prep Program
The Dog-Driven Vehicle: The Why and How Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson Are you finding your dog is having a lack-luster response to searching vehicles? Learn how to build your dog's eagerness and determination to tackle their vehicle searches by making them dog-driven patterns in this webinar.
AKC Scent Work Program
Beat the Buried Blues! Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Has the AKC Scent Work Buried element got you down? Explore solutions to common problems and break down training concepts to increase your consistent reliability in competition. Let's prove how fun Buried can be.
Trial Prep Program
All About the Box: Part 2 Webinar Instructor Dana Zinn In this webinar, Dana returns to discuss why container searches can vex so many teams, including discussing distractors and how to take the guesswork when tackling this search element.
Trial Prep Program
Cause and Cure for False Alerts: Container Searches Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Do you struggle with blind Container searches? Find out why false alerts occur and possible training solutions in this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Beyond Dog Driven Container Search Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson You’ve mastered the dog-driven container search and made it through NW1, NW2 and NW3 but find yourself a bit lost when it comes to large container searches in elite and upper levels? Maybe the containers were scattered in your last trial and your dog-driven pattern fell apart? This webinar is for you!

Dog Specific Skills

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Low-Drive Dogs
Games for Low-Drive Dogs Webinar Instructor Michele Ellertson When it comes to low-drive dogs, we need to convince them they are strong, powerful and able to successfully play the sniffing game. Learn how to do this in this webinar!
Reactive Dogs
Click to Calm: Turning Fear and Frustration Into Focus Through Positive Reinforcement Webinar Instructor Emma Parsons Does your dog struggle with fear or reactivity? Learn how to utilize the principles from the Click to Calm methodology to reduce stress, teach alternative behaviors, and build emotional stability in dogs with this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
What Do You Need Pup Webinar Instructor Aleks Woodroffe Success in a search can be made or broken before you even step to the line. Join Aleks in this webinar to learn the types of specific needs your dog might have in training or trialing and how you can support them before, during and after the search.
Support Your Dog
Intro to Control Unleashed Webinar Instructor Adam Skandarani Do you have a sensitive, reactive, over-aroused, high-drive or low-drive dog? This webinar is for you! Learn about the Control Unleashed Program and the key concepts, exercises and pattern games.
General Trial Prep
Control Unleashed and Scent Work: Crazy Calm Start Lines Webinar Instructor Adam Skandarani Learn how you can leverage Control Unleashed to help your dog better cope with their emotions, the environment and be better able to tackle their search.
Common Issues
The Floor is Lava Webinar Instructor Kayla Dever and Samantha Winslow Are slippery surfaces something your dog struggles with when tackling interior searches? Get solutions in this webinar!
Trial Prep Program
Sighthounds and Scent Work: Does It Work Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard It takes a bit of courage to trial behind a sighthound! Holly will cover reinforcement strategies, acclimation ideas and training plans and discuss trial testing techniques to increase reliability and fun!
Trial Prep Program
Scent Work for Sensitive Dogs Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Sensitive dogs can greatly benefit from playing Scent Work. Learn how and what types of special considerations you should keep in mind when working with these dogs, in this webinar.

Proofing Skills

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Trial Prep Program
Detoxifying Distractors! Webinar Instructor Holly Bushard Do intentional distractors have you down? Are you stressed out trying to distinguish between snack interest and an alert? Maybe you’re just looking for a few fresh and fun “gamified” drills! If so, consider joining us for a night of exploring multifaceted ways to detoxify the distractor downers!
Proofing
Find Your Hide - Proofing for Food and Toys Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos The most common planned distractors found within Scent Work search areas are food and toy distractors. Proofing our dogs off these distractors is a key element to any training program. Learn how to do just that in this webinar.
Common Issues
Conquer the Boogeyman in Your Searches Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Vertical spaces. Distractors, planned and unplanned. Huge search areas. Doing searches on-leash. Regardless of the boogeyman in your Scent Work training, we will discuss how you can confront and conquer it in this webinar!
Proofing
Don't Take Me Personally: Tips for Handler Proofing Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie In this webinar, we will talk about what handler proofing is, when to use it, when you might not want to use it, and discuss some strategies for how to start teaching this vital skill.
Proofing
Intelligent Disobedience...SAY WHAT?!?!? Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie Ever heard of intelligent disobedience? Want to know what it is? How to implement it? Why you may need it?
Proofing
Find Your Hide - Proofing for Crittering Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Does crittering in your searches get you down? It is understandable, critters are super interesting to our dogs! Learn how you to help them value finding their target hides more than the potential critter activity within their search areas.
Live Webinar
Squirrel! From Distracted to Committed: Reading, Training, and Recovering the Search Webinar Date August 19th at 4:30PM PT / 7:30PM ET (5:30PM MT / 6:30PM CT) Instructor Judith Guthrie Distractor behavior tells you what changed in the search. Learn how to how to read distractor interest, understand how distractors affect hunt, odor work, decision-making, and recovery, train stronger task commitment, and help the dog return to productive searching when competing reinforcement, environmental pressure, or handler choices change the dog’s search.
Proofing
Find Your Hide - Proofing for Dog Odor Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Do you dread it when there is a possibility of dog odor in your search area? Does it seem as though your dog become obsessed and forgets about hunting for target odor? This webinar is for you!

Instructors

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Instructor Program
How to Keep It Fresh Webinar Instructor Aleks Woodroffe Are you an instructor who is running out of ideas? Using the same training space over and over again, losing the spark of creativity and inspiration? Maybe you train on your own and are running on fumes, repeating the same search exercises and hide placements ad nauseam. This webinar is for you!
Trial Prep Program
Failure is a Growth Opportunity Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Tony Gravley, Jill Kovacevich, Michael McManus, Nancy Reyes, Aleks Woodroffe Failure is a necessary feature of the learning process. Yet, we in the sniffing community seemingly shy away and treat failure as a "bad" or "scary" thing! Our speakers will share how we can more leverage failure to further grow as dog trainers, handlers and dog owners.
NACSW Program
Instructors: How Best to Prep NACSW Clients Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Kayla Dever, Tony Gravley, Michael McManus, Natalie McManus, Khara Schuetzner Both instructors and clients will benefit from this exciting roundtable. Our panelists will discuss ways instructors can best help their client prepare to succeed in the various levels of NACSW trials.
Understanding Odor Theory
Odor Theory: How to Set for the Goal Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie We know we must set hides with purpose and that means having a goal. But how do you actually do that? Setting hides that consistently do what you want is a skill in itself. Learn how to do so by having a better understanding of odor theory with this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Coach's View: Common Issues and How to Help a Team on Trial Day Virtual Event Instructor Anita Ambani, Tony Gravley, Judith Guthrie and Michael McManus Learn some of the common pressing issues teams experience at trial and how instructors provide the coaching and support on trial day to get them through.
Instructor Program
Coach's View: How to be a Better Coach Virtual Event Instructor Anita Ambani, Michael McManus, Khara Schuetzner Teaching group dog training classes or providing private consultations stand in stark contrast to coaching clients who are competing at trial. This is especially true when trying to support a team on trial day. Learn from our panelists how to bolster your coaching skills with this exciting roundtable event.
Trial Prep Program
Sniff Busters Webinar Instructor Laurel Scarioni Learn about the common myths and misunderstandings about hide placement and odor movement that can result in issues when training and trialing in Scent Work.
Trial Official Program
Handbook for Scent Work Trial Officials eBook Instructor Dianna L. Santos This eBook is written to provide general tips and guidelines for all Scent Work trial officials, regardless of the organization they may officiate for. Ways to avoid common pitfalls, as well as the dreaded trial official burnout, are covered as well.

Trial Officials

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Trial Prep Program
Judge's View Virtual Event Instructor Anita Ambani, Bill Gaskins, Judith Guthrie, Michelle Munson, Caroline Oldham, Aleks Woodroffe Wouldn't it be nice to know what the Judge sees? What works. What doesn't. Trends they notice over a course of judging several teams over a variety of events. We will discuss this and more in this exciting virtual event!
Understanding Odor Theory
Odor Theory: How to Set for the Goal Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie We know we must set hides with purpose and that means having a goal. But how do you actually do that? Setting hides that consistently do what you want is a skill in itself. Learn how to do so by having a better understanding of odor theory with this webinar.
Trial Official Program
Trial Officials: Creating Level-Appropriate Searches Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie It is essential for a Scent Work trial officials to design level-appropriate searches. Learn how in this webinar.
Trial Prep Program
Sniff Busters Webinar Instructor Laurel Scarioni Learn about the common myths and misunderstandings about hide placement and odor movement that can result in issues when training and trialing in Scent Work.
Trial Official Program
Trial Officials: Assessing the Search Area Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie When designing a search area, it is essential to first assess the space and determine if meets the need for the given class, level and association. Learn how to assess search areas in this webinar.
Trial Official Program
Trial Officials: Choosing Odor Puzzles Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie Trial officials can quite literally make or break a trial. One of the most crucial choices is which odor puzzles to offer. Judith will discuss ways trial officials can better make these choices.
Trial Official Program
Handbook for Scent Work Trial Officials eBook Instructor Dianna L. Santos This eBook is written to provide general tips and guidelines for all Scent Work trial officials, regardless of the organization they may officiate for. Ways to avoid common pitfalls, as well as the dreaded trial official burnout, are covered as well.
Trial Official Program
Training Hide v. Trialing Hide Webinar Instructor Judith Guthrie Scent Work trial officials must undertake the monumental task of designing appropriate searches for competitors to tackle. This means they must understand the difference between "training" and "trialing" hides.

Trial Hosts

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Trial Program
Improving Scent Work Trials for Everyone Virtual Event Instructor Holly Bushard, Kayla Dever, Michele Ellertson, Tony Gravley, Michael McManus and Lori Timberlake In this roundtable, our panel of speakers discuss what works at Scent Work trials right now, potential pain points and issues, common pitfalls and actionable suggestions helpful for trial hosts, trial officials and competitors alike.
Trial Host Program
Trial Hosts: Top Ten Must-Do Things Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos Thinking of hosting a Scent Work trial? Great! In this webinar, we go over the top 10 must-do things trial hosts need to be mindful of and do to be successful.
Trial Host Program
Best Practices for Securing a Trial Site Webinar Instructor Dianna L. Santos One of the most challenging aspects of hosting a Scent Work trial right out of the gate is securing a trial site. We provide some tips in this webinar.

See All AKC Scent Work Offerings

Below search all of the offerings available which focus on competiting in AKC Scent Work trials.

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Trial Prep Program
Nerves Poisoning the Fun Webinar Instructor Silke Wittig Are you a nervous competitor? Do you find yourself dreading trialing? Is your anxiety starting to chip away at your joy for the sniffing game? This webinar will offer some approaches that are designed just for you!
Instructor Program
Part 1 - Instructors: Assessing the Dog Seminar Instructor Dianna L. Santos As instructors, it is our duty to properly identify and meet the needs of our canine clients. However, this requires that we properly assess who they are, their skill level, what training tools and approaches will work best. We will discuss ways to do just that in this seminar.
Instructor Program
Part 2 - Instructors: Assessing the Handler Seminar Instructor Dianna L. Santos There are two ends to every leash. The human handler is a crucial part of the Scent Work team! In this seminar, learn how best to assess your human clients skillsets, what they need to continue to progress and considerations to keep in mind when creating customized training solutions.
Live Seminar
Instructors: Crucial Skills Outside the Context of Scent Work Seminar Date September 28th at 4:30PM PT / 7:30PM ET (5:30PM MT / 6:30PM CT) Instructor Dianna L. Santos There are indeed a litany of skills instructors must carefully assess, build and maintain for both their canine and handler clients. However, there is a large category of skills which have nothing to do with searching that also must be addressed in our training programs!
Live Seminar
Instructors: Dealing with Common Dog Issues Seminar Date October 4th at 4:30PM PT / 7:30PM ET (5:30PM MT / 6:30PM CT) Instructor Dianna L. Santos There are common issues teams will experience as they are training and trialing in Scent Work. In this seminar, we will outline some of the common dog-specific issues and potential ways of addressing them.
Live Seminar
Instructors: Dealing with Common Handler Issues Seminar Date October 11th at 4:30PM PT / 7:30PM ET (5:30PM MT / 6:30PM CT) Instructor Dianna L. Santos We will outline some of the common handler-specific issues teams exhibit when searchin and potential ways instructors can address them in their training programs.
Live Webinar
Advanced Supportive Handling: Who We Can Become for Our Dogs Webinar Date September 17th at 2:00PM PT / 5:00PM ET (3:00PM MT / 4:00PM CT) Instructor Leah Gangelhoff Gain a better appreciation for the what our dogs are contending with in complex converging odor environments that they encounter in upper-level searches with this webinar. This knowledge will help you be a better supportive handler for your canine partner.
Live Webinar
Tony's Strategic Insights: Evaluating NACSW Virtual Walkthrough Videos (July 2026) Webinar Date July 21st at 4:30PM PT / 7:30PM ET (5:30PM MT / 6:30PM CT) Instructor Tony Gravley Are you ready to apply the skills covered in the Be Strategic: Breaking Down the NACSW Walk Through Webinar? Perfect! Join us for this live webinar and put your skills to the test!
Live Webinar
Find It. Own It. Get Paid. Webinar Date September 2nd at 10:00AM PT / 1:00PM ET (11:00AM MT / 12:00PM CT) Instructor Michele Ellertson Learn why some dogs leave source too quickly, disconnect after the find, or show unclear communication, and how to build stronger commitment through intentional training.
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