Georgia K9 National Training Center, LLC

04/10/2025

GAK9NTC Penelope: “From the day I get the pup to its last days, we do firetrails, not all of the time, but every now and then. I believe it is why dogs trail in the first place what they enjoy the most, and they seem to never get tired or bored with it” (The Tao of Trailing, Jeff Schettler).

04/09/2025

“The elements to the Firetrail Principals are: (1) Animated runner or decoy; (2) Large, strong scent article from the runner; (3) Good location for ground scent work; (4) Perfect reward timing” (The Tao of Trailing, Jeff Schettler).

04/09/2025

K9 Supra! 🙌

SHERIFF JOHN C. GARCIA
UNDERSHERIFF WILLIAM J. COOLEY

Sheriff Garcia commends Deputy Earl Farina and K9 Supra for their work on an investigation into a missing vulnerable adult early this morning. After the woman's vehicle was located in a parking lot at Darien Lake State Park in Genesee County, Deputy Farina responded and Supra was deployed on a nearby trail which included heavy brush. At the time of the search, the temperature was well below freezing. Supra successfully tracked the woman, who was located and transported to ECMC to be treated for exposure.

K9 Supra is a Plott Hound, a breed of hunting dog originating in North Carolina known for its brindle coat and a muscular athletic build. Police agencies have enjoyed recent success utilizing K9s like Supra for tracking.

"With the temperature dropping and each minute critical, Deputy Farina and K9 Supra responded efficiently and professionally to locate this woman," said Sheriff Garcia. "I am confident that they saved her life. I'd also like to commend and thank our Detective Bureau and the Genesee County Sheriff's Office for their important work on this case."

Pictured: K9 Supra and Deputy Farina at a training session in May 2024.

04/08/2025

GAK9 NTC K9 Basil. “Runaway training or the term I use: “firetrail,” has been around for about one hundred years or so and in writing since the mid-twentieth century. A veterinarian by the name of Leon Whitney wrote about firetrails in 1953 in his book, “Bloodhounds and How to Train Them” (The Tao of Trailing, Jeff Schettler).

04/07/2025

This week we'll be sharing tips on firetrailing. GAK9 NTC Bulleit is demonstrating the puppy version: “When building upon the natural skills the dog already has for trailing, we focus the trait by having a subject run from the dog while simultaneously dropping a ‘scent article’ or large piece of clothing with the subject’s scent all over it. The dog is torn between the dropped object it has not had a chance to smell yet and the fleeing subject. Once the subject has run a prescribed distance, the dog is released to get him or her. In most cases, the pup will sniff or even grab the clothing and then run after the subject” (The Tao of Trailing, Jeff Schettler).

04/06/2025

Greetings from Jr K9 Basil - “When the pup gets to the subject, it is rewarded profusely with whatever it likes the best such as food, ball, or tug toy. The puppy learns that there is a connection between the clothing / scent article, the running subject, and the reward” (The Tao of Trailing, Jeff Schettler).

04/04/2025

Friday greetings from Jr K-9 Basil! "Dogs learn best when the training problem is motivating and fun. Excitement and enjoyment for the dog is paramount to get the most out of a training session. The handler must share this enjoyment if the dog is going to perform at its peak. Contrary to popular believe, the dog is not simply working for the reward. It is working because it likes to, and pleasing the handler is an important element. If the handler is happy and exhibits these feelings in voice and body language, the K9 will reciprocate” (The Tao of Trailing, Jeff Schettler)” (The Tao of Trailing, Jeff Schettler).

04/03/2025

Thursday tip from Guinness the Plotthound: "Dogs learn best when the training problem is motivating and fun. Excitement and enjoyment for the dog is paramount to get the most out of a training session. The handler must share this enjoyment if the dog is going to perform at its peak. Contrary to popular believe, the dog is not simply working for the reward. It is working because it likes to, and pleasing the handler is an important element. If the handler is happy and exhibits these feelings in voice and body language, the K9 will reciprocate” (The Tao of Trailing, Jeff Schettler).

04/02/2025

Ale The Bloodhound advises - Reward promptly. Jeff said so. “Dogs learn human directed jobs best through the use of judiciously dispensed reward, motivation, and correction: all made with proper timing. A balance of all three is necessary for a balanced working dog … There is a proper time and place for all of these training components, but if the reward, motivation, or correction are not given with the correct timing or given in the wrong order, the consequences or learnt behavior may be opposite of what the handler expects” (The Tao of Trailing, Jeff Schettler).

04/01/2025

“The basis for tracking and trailing is the excitement of the chase. It is the biological, Mother Nature given gift, the gene given to all Canids to help them hunt. Without the excitement and drive for the scent trail, the dog could not survive and the “trailing” gene would probably disappear” (The Tao of Trailing, Jeff Schettler).

03/31/2025

Monday greetings and advice from our advanced student, Ale the Bloodhound (ahem...) "The key to reward and timing is to think like a dog and not the human. This is how I do it in the early stages of the dogs trailing life and in small bits and pieces throughout the rest of its life. When the dog finds the person it is looking for at the end of the trail and was truly working the trail without being guided, the trail layer pays the dog immediately but just enough to agitate the dog for more. If the dog is food driven, give only a small amount forcing the dog to engage with the subject with more abandon. Then, when suddenly the trail layer runs off a short distance … taking the food with them… This will usually put the dog into hyper drive and it will squeal and jump in an attempt to follow. The handler should hold the dog back just long enough for the trail layer to get out a little bit ahead and then let the dog go… The trail layer at this point needs to drop to the ground on all fours or sitting with the treat ready to offer as soon as the dog arrives” (The Tao of Trailing, Jeff Schettler).

03/30/2025

Sunday greetings from our Guinness ! "“Dogs need an amazingly small amount of odor to begin with the target acquisition. More importantly, if the dog discovered the scent on its own without influence, it tends to gravitate to that scent better than when it is shown the scent by a human” (The Tao of Trailing, Jeff Schettler).

03/28/2025

K-9 student Penelope. “Behavioral traits that I look for are: toughness, some independence, some dominance, following ability, complete lack of fear (of noises, movements, shapes and new things in general), forgiveness, aboveboard curiosity” (Jeff Schettler, K9 Trailing The Straightest Path: Testing for Temperament and Trailing Ability in Puppies and Adults)