Vickery K9

06/16/2026

💧 Before You Dig... Investigate 💧

A leak isn't always located where water becomes visible.

Water can travel underground, follow utility trenches, move through soil, or surface far from the actual source of the problem.

That's one reason leak detection often requires multiple tools and methods working together to narrow down an investigation area before repairs begin.

The goal isn't just finding water — it's finding the source.

06/16/2026

Very proud of K9 Kieran!

🐾 Water Leak Detection Dog Spotlight: K9 Kieran 🐾

Meet Kieran, a certified Water Leak Detection dog and German Shorthaired Pointer with endless enthusiasm for both work and adventure.

Kieran approaches every task with confidence, intensity, and a love of problem solving. His strong drive, natural curiosity, and passion for using his nose make him a valuable member of the growing community of certified Water Leak Detection teams.

As part of the team at Vickery K9, Kieran helps demonstrate the versatility and potential of detection dogs in real world conservation and infrastructure applications.

Outside of detection work, Kieran enjoys hunting, dock diving, and exploring new adventures. His journey has even included a brief appearance in Hulu's Murdaugh: Death in the Family.

What makes Kieran special is his versatility. Whether he's searching for hidden leaks, competing in sporting events, or taking on a new challenge, he approaches everything with confidence, determination, and enthusiasm.

We're proud to spotlight Kieran and the important role certified detection dogs play in supporting water conservation and leak detection efforts.

06/14/2026

🐾 ONE Spot Available for Advanced Nosework! 🐾

Due to a last minute opening, we have one spot available in our Wednesday evening traveling Advanced Nosework class. This is one of our most popular classes, and openings don’t come around often!

Advanced Nosework is designed for dogs that are already on odor or confidently searching for their primary reinforcement (food or toy). We train in a variety of locations throughout the community and work on a wide range of search problems, including interior, exterior, container, and vehicle searches.

The training in this class is highly intentional, with every exercise designed to help both dogs and handlers understand the “why” behind what we’re doing. Rather than simply gaining experience through repetition, we break complex skills down into achievable pieces and tailor each search to the needs, goals, and current skill level of the individual team. Dogs are challenged in ways that build confidence, independence, and problem solving skills, while handlers receive individualized coaching to help them better read their dog, understand odor, and continue progressing beyond class.

Whether your goal is preparing for competition or simply deepening your partnership with your dog, this class provides purposeful training and individualized coaching to help you get there.

📅 Wednesdays at 6:30 PM
Dates: 6/17, 6/24, 7/1, and 7/15 (no class 7/8)

💵 $185 for the session

If you’ve been looking for a chance to join in the sniffy fun, now’s the time! Send me a message or text 803-220-8207 to sign up.

06/14/2026

The longer I teach, the more convinced I become that the principles that build great dogs are the same principles that build great handlers.

We spend so much time talking about splitting criteria, building confidence, reinforcing success, and teaching one skill at a time when we’re working with our dogs. We understand that if we ask for too much too soon, learning falls apart. And yet it’s surprisingly easy to forget that the person on the other end of the leash learns the same way.

As instructors, we often spot a dozen things that could be improved. But just because we can identify twelve problems doesn’t mean all twelve are equally important, and it certainly doesn’t mean we should try to fix all of them at once. People, just like dogs, have a finite amount they can process at one time.

I think one of the most important skills a coach can develop is the ability to identify what matters most right now. Not the longest list of mistakes, but the one issue that’s having the biggest downstream effect. Often the things we notice are symptoms rather than root causes, and fixing one problem can quietly solve five others. Everything is connected.

That’s also why I think it’s so important to build people the same way we build dogs. We don’t expect dogs to learn source commitment, confidence, decision making, communication, independence, and trained final response behaviors all at once. We split those skills apart, teach them intentionally, and layer them together over time. Why would we coach humans any differently?

Confidence, momentum, encouragement, and success matter for people just as much as they do for dogs. If every lesson is just a list of mistakes, people stop taking risks. They start second guessing themselves. They stop trusting their instincts. And eventually, they stop learning.

I’ve found that the most productive coaching sessions aren’t the ones where we cover the most ground. They’re the ones where we focus on the right thing. The goal is to identify what will move that person — and the team — forward the most. Sometimes the most effective thing you can do as an instructor is intentionally not mention the other eleven things you noticed, because clarity is often more valuable than completeness.

There will be another repetition. There will be another class. There will be another opportunity to polish the details. You don’t have to fix everything today because the goal isn’t instant perfection; it’s progress. The best coaching isn’t about saying everything you know. It’s about knowing what will move someone forward next.

At the end of the day, I’m not just trying to train better dogs. I’m trying to build better teams. And that means building the person on the other end of the leash with the same patience, intention, and kindness that I try to bring to the dog.

06/13/2026

One of the hardest things about loving a good dog is realizing you’ll eventually run out of time before you run out of dreams.

Tavi is teaching me that lesson long before I am ready to learn it. There are always more titles to earn, more places to go, more goals to chase, and more things you want to experience together. And there is never enough time.

For years, I’ve carried a lot of pressure because of that realization. I wanted to do right by him. I wanted to be the handler he deserved. I wanted to give him every opportunity possible and help him reach his potential. Sometimes that pressure showed up as tears after a trial. Sometimes it showed up as tears during one. On the surface, it probably looked like I was upset about a missed hide, a mistake, or a run that didn’t go according to plan. But if I’m honest, those moments were rarely about the performance itself. What I was really grieving was time.

I knew there would never be enough of it. There were so many things I wanted us to do together, and at some point I realized there was no way we’d ever get to all of them. Every mistake felt bigger because I knew our opportunities weren’t unlimited. For a long time, I let that weight steal some of the joy from the journey. I put pressure on myself to train more, improve faster, make every opportunity count, and not waste the time we had.

As a trainer, I hear versions of that same feeling from students all the time. They worry they’re making mistakes. They worry they’re progressing too slowly. They worry they’re letting their dogs down. More often than not, I find myself giving them the same reminder I’m still trying to teach myself. Our dogs don’t care about scores, ribbons, titles, or accomplishments. They don’t spend the drive home thinking about whether they qualified or where they placed. They care about the experience. They care about spending time with us doing something they love.

I know that to be true. I tell people that all the time. But sometimes it’s a lot easier to believe it for someone else’s dog than it is for your own.

The irony is that while I’ve spent years worrying about whether I gave Tavi enough, he’s already given me more than I could ever repay. He introduced me to a sport that changed my life. He pushed me to learn more, ask better questions, and become a better trainer. The opportunities I’ve had, the people I’ve met, the students I’ve taught, and even the direction of my career can all be traced back to a dog who simply loved to search. He changed the course of my life.

Maybe that’s another lesson he’s spent years trying to teach me. The standard I’ve been holding myself to was never the standard Tavi was holding me to. He never cared about titles, scores, ribbons, or accomplishments. He cared that we showed up together.

One day there will be a last search, a last trial, a last road trip, and a last time I watch him work odor. I probably won’t know it’s the last one when it happens. When that day comes, I don’t think I’ll be wishing we’d earned one more title or found one more hide. I’ll be grateful for the years we had, the adventures we shared, and the partnership we built together.

Because if Tavi has taught me anything over the last ten years, it’s that the real success was never what we accomplished together. It was that we got to do it together at all. 💛

📸: Sandem Photography

06/13/2026

💦 A few openings left for Friday's Beginner Swimming & Dock Diving! 💦

Ready to introduce your dog to the water or take their dock diving skills to the next level? We have spots available in our upcoming Friday session, and dogs of all experience levels are welcome!

Whether your dog is a first time swimmer or already loves launching off the dock, we'll tailor the training to your team while focusing on:
🐾 Building confidence in and around the water
🐾 Safe swimming skills
🐾 Drive and toy motivation
🐾 Jumping mechanics and dock diving fundamentals
🐾 Individualized coaching for every dog

📅 Fridays at 5:30 PM
June 19 • June 26 • July 3 • July 10
☔ Rain makeup date: July 17

💲 $185 for the 4-week session

Owners are welcome to get in the water with their dogs during the learning process, and an instructor will assist dogs as needed to help them succeed.

Come build confidence, have fun, and beat the summer heat with your dog! 🏖️

Sign up here: https://vickeryk9.as.me/?appointmentType=92902541

06/12/2026

🐾 Nosework Drop-In Opportunities Next Week! 🐾

We have a few people absent next week, which means drop-in spots are available in our nose work classes!

🔍 Wednesday at 6:30 PM – Advanced Nosework — One Spot Available 6/17
For dogs that are confidently searching for primary or are already working odor. We’ll be tackling more advanced search problems and continuing to build search skills, independence, and problem-solving abilities.

🔍 Thursday at 6:30 PM – Beginner Nosework — Two Spots Available 6/18
We also have one drop-in spot available in our beginner class. This is a great opportunity for anyone who has been curious about nose work and would like to give it a try with their dog!
Nosework is suitable for dogs of all ages, breeds, and activity levels, and it’s one of the best ways to build confidence while providing mental enrichment.

Drop ins are $55/team. Text Meghan at 803-220-8207 for details or to reserve a spot!

06/12/2026

🎉 Our first Sunday Swimming & Dock Diving class filled so quickly that we added a second one! 🎉

If you missed your chance to grab a spot in the original session, now’s the time! We’ve opened another Sunday class at 12:00 PM, starting June 28, to give more teams the opportunity to join us.

Whether your dog has never been in the water or is already launching off the dock, this class is open to all experience levels and tailored to each individual team. We’ll work on:

🐾 Building confidence in and around the water
🐾 Safe swimming skills and proper pool introductions
🐾 Drive and toy motivation
🐾 Jumping mechanics and dock diving fundamentals
🐾 Effective throw techniques and individualized coaching for every team

Owners are welcome to get in the water with their dogs during the learning process, and instructors will assist dogs as needed to help them succeed.

📅 Sundays at 12:00 PM
June 28 • July 5 • July 12 • July 19
☔ Rain makeup date: July 26

💲 $185 for the 4-week session

Whether your goal is to build confidence, teach your dog to swim safely, or have a blast learning dock diving together, this is a fun and supportive environment to get started.

The first Sunday class filled incredibly fast, so don’t wait if you’ve been thinking about joining us!

🔗 Sign up here:

Schedule your appointment online Vickery K9

06/11/2026

One of the most fascinating things about posting short training clips online is watching how quickly people evaluate them as though they’re seeing a trial run or an operational deployment. It’s amazing how much discussion, and sometimes controversy, can come from 15 seconds of video. To me, those reactions highlight one of the biggest disconnects in dog training.

Training is not testing.

If every repetition is expected to look like the finished product, where is the learning supposed to happen?

The entire purpose of training is to break complicated behaviors into smaller pieces, teach those pieces intentionally, and then layer them back together over time. Dogs aren’t born knowing how to confidently make decisions, drive to source, communicate clearly, work independently, and handle difficult odor pictures. Those are all individual skills that have to be developed.

And that’s before we even get into the human half of the team. Handler mechanics, timing, leash handling, movement, reading the dog, and communication all have to be taught and refined too. We don’t expect perfection from either half of the team in a single repetition. Just like dogs, handlers learn best when complex skills are broken down, prioritized, and layered together over time.

That’s also why context matters. Sometimes I’m building source commitment. Sometimes I’m shaping communication. Sometimes I’m working on confidence. Sometimes I’m teaching a dog how to work through uncertainty and make a decision. And sometimes I’m working on the other half of the leash. Those goals aren’t in conflict with each other; they’re all part of creating the finished team.

The balance of what we reinforce changes based on the dog in front of us and what that dog needs in that moment. If all you ever do is test, you miss opportunities to teach. If all you ever do is reinforce one skill, you risk neglecting another. The challenge is knowing when to emphasize one piece so you can successfully layer in the next.

And that’s why short clips can be so misleading. People naturally fill in the blanks with assumptions about the dog’s learning history, the training objective, the odor picture, the handler’s goals, and what happened before or after the camera was rolling. In reality, you’re often looking at one intentional training decision made within hundreds or thousands of repetitions.

This principle is one of the most valuable things I learned through the K9Sensus Detection Dog Trainer Academy, and it has fundamentally changed the way I think about both dogs and handlers.

The teams we admire don’t become great because every repetition looked perfect. They become great because someone was willing to isolate skills, teach them deliberately, and trust the process enough to put all of those pieces together over time.

The finished team isn’t built in one repetition. It’s built through thousands of thoughtful training decisions that, over time, add up to something greater than the individual pieces.

-PointDetection