Carla Simon

Dr. Carla Simon BSc MD MBA is a professional canine scent detection handler, retired AAC agility judge, Canine Good Neighbor evaluator (CKC), and Brittany breeder from Calgary, Canada. She is the owner of Hunter's Heart, which trains "bombproof detection dogs, service dogs, and working dogs" since 1999.

Carla has been a nosework judge for CKC, K9 ABC Games, and UKC and has been teaching and judging the sport of nosework since 2015. She is the Senior Regional Representative for the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) Scent Detection Council, Contributing Editor for the American Brittany Magazine (AKC) and former Chair of the performance committee. She is the Working Dog Chair and on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers and she is the founder, past president, and just of Sniff Alberta.

Other notable accomplishments include:

• International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants educator, author, and peer-reviewer
• World Detector Dog Organization – Setting the Standard, 15th Annual Conference Presenter
• A sought-after speaker who drew a sold-out crowd of more than 600 at UBC's Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.

Carla's professional detection dogs have won multi High in Trial nosework wins in USA and Canada. Her Brittanys have consistently achieved five national rankings in agility, conformation, and obedience as well.

Carla's teaching and handling style and philosophy focus on fun. She says, "Many people wonder how I train working dogs to search for hours, even when no scent is present, then go back to work happily the next day. The secret is that work needs to be fun. Yes, I help students to succeed using our proven scent detection training protocols and to understand proper scent handling techniques, but the secret is finding the joy. If you aren't having fun or your dog is feeling pressure, you have a problem you need to fix. Start by finding your dog's favorite rewards, and then develop a conflict-free reward sequence. I want to help you succeed, so questions and troubleshooting are always welcome. Train smarter, not longer. Use errorless learning protocols to prevent confusion, frustration, and common errors. Once your canine partner is trained to fluency, you and your dog can focus on the moment and enjoy doing what you love."

Aside from competing and training in nosework, Carla says, "I can't imagine a life without dogs. I love helping teams succeed, and spending time with the dogs inspires me. Seeing their joy makes me smile each and every day."