Dog training has become much more scientific through the past couple decades. In many ways the dog training community wants to know why training methods work at least as much as simply which ones work. A lot of those discussions and the research is coming to be known as canine cognition.

I recently got a chance to attend a seminar aimed at figuring out some of this stuff. Natalie Morris from Ford K9 came up to the PNW to explain some of their methods for working with dogs.

According to her online bio, Natalie was first drawn to the world of K9 olfaction and detection through the sport of  scent work. Over the years, after training and trialing multiple dogs through the higher levels of the sport, it became clear that this is what she wanted to spend all of her time doing.

Natalie joined the FordK9 team in early 2021 to pursue her passion for training dogs and teaching handlers how to develop the skills needed to be at the top of their game, whether training for the sport of scent detection or professional handling.

While there is a lot to it, the basic jist of this seminar is setting up challenges for your dog and seeing how they respond and solve the puzzle.

It was hosted by Matt from Pull Together K9 at the facility of our long-time friends, Harmony Canine in Milwaukie, Oregon.

If you get a chance to attend this or any of the seminars put on by Ford K9 and their team, I highly recommend it. It didn’t just help me to figure out some of my dog’s behaviors, but also gave me some food for thought about how I approach challenges.