Accredited Handler Certification

Talking Dogs Scentwork® Handler Accreditation is designed to give handlers a benchmark achievement, a certificate to show just how much you have learned about scentwork. As you go through your scentwork journey, you often do not realise just how many skills and how much knowledge you are acquiring along the way. The Talking Dogs Scentwork® Accredited Handler Certificate is gained by those who:

• have introduced their dog to finding and indicating on a specific scent
• can recognise their dog's indications and respond appropriately
• as a team of dog and handler, learned search stamina and duration
• know how to move and handle throughout the search
• have taught their dog to search through a variety of different materials, e.g. cardboard, cloth, plastic, suitcases, bags
• have taught their dog to locate simple finds and layered finds with smaller scent pictures
• can work double blind (neither dog nor handler knows in advance where the find has been hidden)
• work closely as a team, fully supporting their dog, physically, emotionally and behaviourally
• conduct searches logically and efficiently following a search plan

My very strong recommendation is that you do not attempt this course until you have completed Scent 1-5 and/or completed the Detector Dog School courses Teach your dog to sniff, Scentwork skills, Baggage searches and Increasing the challenge (more cost effective to enrol on the Super Sniffer Bundle) and studied the TDS manual 'Detector Dog' written by me, Pam Mackinnon. Without the skills and knowledge gained through those courses and reading, it is highly unlikely that you will achieve Talking Dogs Scentwork® Handler Accreditation.

Candidates are encouraged to practise hard before signing up for Talking Dogs Scentwork® Handler Accreditation. You have lifetime access to all your online courses and previous in-person courses workshops can be repeated as often as required before Scent 6. There is no hurry, only go for Handler Accreditation when you feel ready. But when you are ready, you will find that achieving this gives such a boost to your confidence that you will be flying high as you take the next leg in your scentwork journey. Having the confidence to know that you are doing great job, that you are looking after your canine teammate and that you are both loving and thriving throughout the process is the best feeling in the world.

It's important to point out that this accreditation is all about you. This is not about testing your dog's skills, it's about gauging the handler's skills. Too often the poor dog is the subject of trials and tests when in fact they always do their best according to what their handler has taught them and how much practise they've had and experience they've gained. We, the handlers, are our dogs' best assets when it comes to scentwork, we can make or, sadly, break them. So striving to be your dog's strongest and most effect scentwork ally is a goal extremely well worth achieving.

Benefits of Accreditation

Candidates get detailed feedback on their searches which are graded by me (Pam)

Candidates understand just how much they have learned by reaching this momentous benchmark

Accredited Handlers will be eligible to join the Talking Dogs Scentwork® Trainer Subscription Scheme on the Professional Trainer tier. They will also have access to Accredited Handler merchandise.