# first certification advise



## Rebecca Kuder (Aug 3, 2013)

What advise would you give someone preparing for their first wilderness sar certification?


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Which certification?

Train well beyond what you are being tested on.
Relax. Most certifications are a basic skills assessment and not intended with scenarios to trick you.

Once you do certify, consider a baseline not something to coast on. Always push harder. 

Trust your dog.


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## Sarah Platts (Jan 12, 2010)

Trust your dog, first and foremost. Then follow your best judgment. Don't let the evaluators throw you off your game with their presence. I would say try not to be nervous but you will be so remember your training and stick with your game plan. Be flexible and roll with any mistakes you make due to nervousness. 

If you need to make yourself a checklist or a hints list to make sure you don't forget something stupid. (I remember one gal who drove off from home and forgot to load the dog which she had to go back and get)

good luck and let us know how well you did!


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## Jason Demo (Apr 23, 2013)

I just did NAPWDA area search and NOCSAR area search with my dog and honestly the best advice I can give is RELAX and TRUST YOUR DOG. I think a lot of handlers (myself included) can get worked up in a certification environment. I never get worked up in training or on a callout, but a lot of us do when the master trainer is staring at your every move. So just relax and treat it like every other search you've done. Also, just trust your dog. It's easy to think they are wrong or wonder why they are doing something. We are the dumb end of the leash for a reason  

Good luck!


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