Synapse Canine Learning Center

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Synapse Canine Learning Center

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Led by Stasia Dempster, CDBC, Synapse Canine Learning Center empowers dog owners through education.

We offer pet dog training and working dog training, both in-person in central NC and virtually to pet dog owners and K9 handlers around the globe.

24/10/2026

☀️ A beautiful sunrise for SAR Club on the road!

This morning, we were at the Davidson County Fairgrounds. Thanks to all the handlers and volunteers who helped make it a wonderful class today!

10/10/2026

Fantastic SAR Club session today working asphalt searches and scent discrimination! Despite the weather conditions, our dog-handler teams demonstrated exceptional capability while running their searches and contamination drills. It was so much fun to watch the dogs work out difficult problems and succeed. We are so proud of everyone, and eternally grateful for our amazing volunteers who braved the conditions and hid for our working dog teams!

06/10/2026

📆 Here are your October 2026 SAR Club dates!

This month, we are splitting SAR Club across two timeslots to accommodate the number of handlers attending. Our early slot is full already, but there are still a couple of spaces in the 9:30am-11:00am slot if you would like to join. Reach out to us via DM or by emailing [email protected].

SAR Club is for anyone who is interested in getting started in Search and Rescue with their dog. We welcome dogs and handlers of all abilities and experience levels!

Also, if you would like to volunteer to hide at SAR Club, we'd love to have you! SAR Club couldn't happen without our amazing volunteers, and we really value their time. Now that the weather is cooling off, it's a great way to spend these early Fall mornings. Coffee, donuts and a friendly group are always guaranteed.

26/09/2026

Earlier this month, we were honored to present another workshop as part of our work with the NC Animal Cruelty Collaboration. The talk was held at the SPCA of Wake County in Raleigh.

Along with Joyce Glass, JD, LLM, MBA and Dr. Clarissa Noureddine, DVM, MS, MS, our Lead Trainer, Stasia Dempster, CDBC, presented an informative talk on the behavioral impacts of animal abuse. This is a very sensitive topic, but animal abuse correlates to interpersonal violence, so a deeper understanding of this topic can help improve outcomes for all areas of society.

We want to thank the stakeholders from all areas of the community who attended this event, and to the SPCA of Wake County for being such wonderful hosts.

The NC Animal Cruelty Collaboration looks forward to holding more events to raise awareness of this vital issue as we move into 2027.

12/09/2026

☁️ At last! SAR Club took place this morning in manageable conditions, without baking sun or stifling humidity!

Great for the dogs, great for the handlers, and great for the social media admin who melts when the temperature exceeds 80F 😅

10/09/2026

Imagine you’re lost in the woods and this handsome face is the one to find you…😍

Henry and his handler, Thomas, have been regular attendees at our SAR Club this year. Today, they came for a private session. We worked on increasing the distance and duration of Henry’s trails, along with varying some of the terrain.

This team is making excellent progress, especially as they have been only doing this for a few months! Great job, Henry and Thomas!

07/09/2026

📅 A reminder of those September 2026 SAR Club dates:

- Saturday, September 12
- Saturday, September 26

Sessions begin at 7:30am at our Hamptonville training base.

🐶 SAR Club is a great way to get involved in the exciting world of Search and Rescue! These sessions are a fun, relaxed way to take part in SAR with your dog. From newcomers to experienced K9 teams, we welcome one and all to SAR Club!

We also love our volunteers! These sessions couldn’t take place without you. If you love spending time in the great outdoors and watching some incredible dogs in action, then reach out to us about volunteering opportunities. P.S. The rumors are true; donuts and coffee *are* provided.

See you at SAR Club this coming weekend!

04/09/2026

As you may know, no breed touches our heart quite like a Belgian Sheepdog! 🖤

This is Max, who came for a SAR evaluation today with his handler, Sergio. It transpires that Max is very well-suited to this type of work, so he’ll be joining our next SAR club meetup on Saturday, September 12.

We can’t wait to see more of this boy as he develops his skills!

03/09/2026

🚨 PSA: Keep your dog hydrated! 💦

The real feel today is 105F in our part of North Carolina. If *you* think it’s hot, just imagine how your dog must feel!

Throughout the summer, we often hear about the importance of making sure your dog doesn’t walk on hot surfaces or get left behind in a car. These situations can cause injury (or worse) to your dog.

Dehydration can be just as dangerous! Hydration is obviously important all year round, but becomes even more vital in hot conditions. Your dog gets dehydrated much faster in hotter weather, as their body temperature increases and their heavy panting causes moisture to evaporate more quickly.

In an ideal world, we would cocoon our dogs away from hot conditions, only taking them outside at the beginning or end of the day. With pet dogs, it is possible to adjust their schedule accordingly; the reality for active working dogs (such as Police K9s, search and rescue dogs, etc.) is that they may have to work in unfavorable conditions. When this is the case, handlers should follow these tips to ensure their dog remains hydrated:

💧 Always keep water in your vehicle
💧 Always have a container (such as a bowl, or the water feeder demonstrated in this video) available for your dog to drink from
💧 Always make water available to your dog at regular intervals
💧 Recognize the signs of dehydration - excessive panting, dry gums, sunken eyes, or general lethargy

We - humans and dogs alike - are looking forward to the cooler weather arriving soon! 🤞🏻

01/09/2026

🐾 Our last few days with Finn!

Finn is now ready to begin his new role as a bed bug detection dog for a pest control company up in Michigan. Finn’s new handler, Joey, is currently here for a couple of weeks, receiving a series of educational lectures and practising hands-on search scenarios with Finn.

As part of Finn’s work, it is essential that he is able to locate bugs in a variety of different settings. To set Finn and Joey up for success, we have arranged several search outings at public places and businesses in our local area over these past couple of weeks. We are grateful to all of the organizations who have hosted us for these training sessions (including, as seen here last week, at Growing Tree Chiropractic in Mooresville).

As Finn’s departure date approaches, it is a little bittersweet for us! 🥹 We have loved working with Finn and will miss him - but we always knew that this day would come, and we can’t wait to see how he and Joey work together in the future.

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Opening Hours

Monday	08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 17:00
Thursday	08:00 - 17:00
Friday	08:00 - 17:00
Saturday	10:00 - 14:00

Telephone

+13369479240

Website

https://www.synapsecanine.com/

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