K9 Nose Work®

Positive Reward Based Dog Training That is Fun & Effective.

Stop asking people who have never been where you’re going for directions.

2024: We have retired from teaching puppy and teen classes. We are not taking behavior cases at this time. See “classes “ section for referrals.

Do training methods matter? The wrong one can cost dogs their lives

by Steve Dale and Fear Free Pets

What People Say

2/14/2020 Client from Forks, WA

Working with Sarah has been so incredibly helpful. She gave us tools to support connection with our dog, who is now more likely to check in with us before reacting to a situation. We are also more tuned into her body language and have so many more tools for managing and responding to her if she's over stimulated. There's still more work to be done, and we are so grateful to have Sarah to learn from. She also has sent us many wonderful handouts and video links. Everything we are learning is supporting a shift in how we connect to not just Puppy, but our other dogs as well, as this type of training is transferrable to so many situations and dogs. 

11/2019 Puppy Power! When Peggy Sue, our brand new standard poodle puppy, showed some worrying behaviors, we consulted with multiple trainers, breeders, and behaviourists. Each said a version of the same thing: "You're in over your heads. This puppy has a poor temperament. Take her back."

We were shocked and devastated. And then we found Sarah at Sea Change Canine.

Rather than passing judgement by email or over the phone, Sarah had us fill out a detailed questionnaire and then bring Peggy in for a consultation. Her rock-solid knowledge and calm, steadying energy had an immediate effect on both me and my husband. We felt a deep sense of relief.

Sarah was honest in her assessment of Peggy's temperament and assured us she would support us however we chose to proceed. She arranged a short supervised playdate for Peggy and a couple of well-matched puppies, and was able to assess her further.

The next week, our "bad" puppy officially joined puppy class!

Sarah's classes are an excellent balance of structure and relaxation. She seems to understand exactly what her furry students need each day, and is flexible in her approach to training. Whether we're working on basic obedience or watching our puppies engage in well-mannered play, we do it all with a focus on teaching our companions how to stay relaxed around a variety of stimuli—an invaluable lesson for all puppies and their owners!

To say that Peggy's blossomed in the past few months would be an understatement. She's a happy, bouncy girl, with an enormous capacity to learn. And Sarah's been there every step of the way: encouraging us when we need it; providing detailed, confidence-building
hands-on instruction and homework; and generally setting an excellent example of what's possible when you understand how to meet your dog's needs.

Whether you're a first-time puppy owner, overwhelmed by that critical socialization period, or an experienced handler seeking an outside perspective on a challenging case, I wholeheartedly recommend Sarah and Sea Change Canine!

-Robin May Fleming (and Matt and Peggy, too!) Sequim

2019 Private Client from Port Townsend: “I never could wrap my head around "obedience" military style- not for a dog or for parenting. You helped me to understand what was going on in my dog’s mind and how to help him. Thank you so much.”

6/2019 Teenage Angst Graduate Henry’s mom says “Working with Sarah was helpful to remind me to slow down and be patient.  Success is building skills step by step and waiting for my little guy to give me the requested response, wait, wait, wait for it and “yes”! “

One of our many German Shepherd students who were told to use outdated training methods on their gentle dog.

“Our German Shepherd, Kai, is a rescue that came into our lives at 8 months. We learned that he had spent many months in a kennel too small for him for too many hours each day, with his brother kenneled next to him. When we brought him home he could barely walk up and down the steps, couldn’t jump over obstacles, and was too scared to even walk around the block. My husband and I had three other rescues prior to Kai so we were certain we knew what we were doing.

We immediately signed up for “dog-training” classes. The classes were held once a week and there were between 4 – 6 dogs at each session. We bought a choke collar to use for “correction,” as advised by the instructor. After 4 weeks, Kai’s behaviors never improved, and even the instructor was at a loss (encouraging us to just sit with Kai as the other dogs went through the training). Needless to say, we stopped the training.

Months went by and we still struggled to get Kai to leave the house and not overreact when people came over or dogs were present. In December, Kai bit a child in our house. That was the final straw.

I reached out to all my dog friends asking for recommendations for training. Finally someone sent me a link to Sarah Becker’s webpage. Sarah immediately caught my interest because she asked numerous questions about Kai, my husband, and me, and trained through positive reinforcement.

When we first met at our initial 90 minute getting to-know-each-other meeting, I was a little skeptical because she was adamant that Kai would respond to treats and that there would be no need for a choke collar. Within the first appointment, not only was Kia wearing a harness instead of a choke chain, but I was getting to understand how to respond to his behaviors and learning little “tricks” to encourage his success.

However, 6 weeks went by, and although Kai was making gains in the training, he still seemed to struggle much more than any other dog I have ever had. Sarah recommended that I talk with my Vet about medication for Kai. I was reluctant, but did my research. We continued training, and I eventually put Kai on the lowest dosage of Prozac in May 2018.

It took some time, but I cannot express what a welcomed change occurred. Kai is no longer completely stressed. He can relax. He can play. He can listen. And most importantly, he can be successful. I believe the medication and the training were needed to make this happen. My husband and I (and Kai) are so thankful for what Sarah has done for us. We highly recommend Sarah to work with any dog and will be using her again if/when another dog joins our family.

-Kat, Tim, and Kai, Port Angeles 2018

Sarah has worked with us for over several years.  We started with some behavioral issues with one of our Anatolian Shepherds who would not get into a vehicle and since he weighs 185 pounds this was a challenge.  With Sarah’s help he was soon jumping in when request for a treat and her technique has helped us teach him many other things. 

We also took puppy classes and nosework classes over a 2 year period with our challenging Shiba Inu.  She has helped us turn this busy bee pup a perfect companion.  He is  family favorite that has never had a an accident in the house or chewed up anything but his toys.  Sarah’s techniques helped us truly enjoy this a dog who could have been a problem child.  And yes he is spoiled and rules the household as he has trained us well, but with Sarah’s help we can change whatever isn’t working for us.

The latest help Sarah gave us was with a rescue Anatolian who was born on our farm, but needed to be returned due owner health issues.  This 4 1/2 year old was a 120 pound house dog was not willing to be outside and we had always wanted an indoor Anatolian.  However, trying to integrate her in the house with the “only child” Shiba Inu was proving to be a challenge.  Sarah had several pieces of good advice that we tried and we now have a very happy family.  2 very stubborn, independent dogs live together well. 

I highly recommend Sarah.  Happy dogs, happy family thanks to her work.

-Judi, Don, John, Deeks, Hoshi, Sasha et,al. 2014-2018

“Sarah was so valuable after adopting a dog who came with some issues. She was so natural and assuring in her teaching. We were provided a wealth of information from her and also recommended educational resources to learn about our dog’s behavior. After each session we were encouraged and we loved the pace at which she works, it was manageable and realistic. Sarah naturally connected with the dog and was very insightful on his behavior. We are very grateful for Sea Change Canine. We learned just as much as the dog!”

-Sequim resident, 2/2017