April 2022 Learning Workshops
RelationSniff is pleased to host
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Silke Wittig
NACSW™ Certifying Official and Judge
Friday April 15 and Saturday April 16, 2022
Tequesta FL
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Half-day workshops with 8 Working spots each
Auditing (without dogs) will be available
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Elevated Hides - Friday Morning
Elevated hides can be tricky, depending on the weather, hide placement, size of the search area, etc. And of course, dog (size, breed, tendencies) and handler (observation skills) and experience for both ends of the leash also play a big role! In this session we will discuss and work on a variety of elevated hides and problem-solving skills for both dog and handler.
Trapping and Pooling Odor - Friday Afternoon
You see that your dog is in odor, but you are not sure if they are trying to “source” a hide, or stuck in trapping/pooling odor? We will discuss what causes odor to pool and trap and also talk about “false alerts” in trapping/pooling odor. Specific exercises will help dogs and handlers get a better understanding of trapping/pooling odor, and how to work through it successfully.
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Distractions in Containers and Beyond - Saturday Morning
Searching in new environments is already tough for many teams. Add in distractors, and teams start to lose confidence even more in themselves and their dogs! However, we all need to remember that our dogs encounter distractions all day in their lives, whether it be at home or on walks, not just in nose work training or trials! In this session, we will set up exercises to observe our dogs in the presence of odor and/versus distractions, and learn how to apply these observations to all search elements.
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Inaccessible Hides - Saturday Afternoon
What constitutes an “inaccessible” hide? Many factors are at play: size, temperament and experience of the dog, location of the hide, the environment, etc. Oftentimes we are worried to call alert when our dogs haven’t given us the same response as on a sourceable hide, as they may behave similarly for trapping/pooling odor or an elevated hide. In this session, we will discuss and set up inaccessible hides for the teams to successfully problem-solve.
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Silke Wittig
NACSW™ Certifying Official and Judge
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Silke is a Supervising Certifying Official and Judge for NACSW™-approved trials and ORTs, and is also involved in various admin projects for NACSW and K9NW. In addition to instructing group classes and private sessions and offering coaching clinics, Silke has hosted multiple NACSW™-sanctioned ORTs, trials and workshops, She has taught at multiple K9NW camps, hosted by Dogs of Course, and is also a webinar presenter.
Silke was introduced to K9 Nose Work® in 2010 and became one of first two CNWI™ in PA in 2011. She loves to work on all aspects of this great dog sport while making sure that both ends of the leash have fun in a safe environment!
She currently competes with her 7-year-old Pit Bull Snap in NACSW™ competitions and is an avid K9NW lover.
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Silke Wittig, BA
Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant (CPDT-KSA, CBCC-KA)
Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI™)
NACSW™-approved Certifying Official and Judge
HeRo Canine Consulting LLC
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