Silke Wittig, BA, CPDT-KSA, ACDBC, CNWI
While Silke is still a certified professional dog trainer and behavior consultant and has been running HeRo Canine Consulting LLC, a successful dog training and behavior consulting business since 2006, she decided to focus solely on K9 Nose Work® in 2020 and no longer offers pet dog training or canine behavior modification.
Silke was introduced to K9 Nose Work® in 2010 and became one of first two Certified Nose Work Instructors (CNWI™) in PA in 2011. To stay current on her K9NW education, she revisits the CNWI training and attends workshops, webinars and coaching days on a regular basis.
Silke has hosted multiple NACSW™-sanctioned ORTs, trials and workshops. She has taught at several K9NW camps hosted by Dogs of Course and was an instructor at the Training Fest West in 2023.
Silke is a webinar/seminar presenter for the K9 Nose Work® Education Division, Dogs of Course Virtual Nose Work Camp as well as other groups and dog clubs and works with small groups in one- and multi-day coaching clinic settings.
As Senior Faculty Member and Director of Education, she is very involved in the administration of the K9 Nose Work® Education Department. She also mentors K9 Nose Work® instructors-in-training.
Silke is a Supervising Certifying Official and Judge for NACSW™-approved trials and ORTs.
Her K9 Nose WorkⓇ services currently include private and semi-private sessions, group classes, coaching clinics (single or multi-day), topic-specific seminars/webinars/workshops, trial/training video review via Zoom, and COing and Judging for NACSW-sanctioned trials.
Silke 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 has a soft spot for shelter dogs and introduced K9NW to several local shelters, two of which included it in their regular canine enrichment program.
As a former pet manners trainer and behavior consultant for over 15 years, Silke is well versed in canine ethology and learning theory. She has worked with many behaviorally challenged (incl. fearful, reactive and aggressive) dogs, and has attended courses and workshops with renowned presenters like Patricia McConnell, Bob Bailey, Sue Sternberg, Pat Miller, John Rogerson, Suzanne Clothier, Terry Ryan, Kathy Sdao, Brenda Aloff, Pia Silvani, Trish King, Erich Klinghammer (Wolf Park), and more.
She currently competes with her 9-year-old Pit Bull Snap in NACSW™ nose work competitions and is an avid K9 Nose WorkⓇ lover.
Silke can be reached at [email protected] or 574-612-8170
Silke with her first 2 nose work dogs Ronya (left) and Eddie (right) in 2011 leo.
Dog training and behavior modification is still an unregulated and unlicensed industry in the US, and ANYONE can call themselves a dog trainer or behaviorist.
K9 Nose Work®, CNWI™ and NACSW™ are registered and protected trademarks. However, anyone can hold “nose work” or “scent work”, etc. classes. Look for the official trademarks to ensure that you are dealing with a Certified Nose Work Instructor.
Find an approved K9 Nose Work Instructor here: https://k9nosework.com/find-an-instructor-or-class/
So how can you “separate the wheat from the chaff”? By asking lots of questions BEFORE you employ one!
I believe that every dog is an individual with specific needs and every dog owner deserves customized professional support. My experience and ongoing education are providing me with a large array of tools to deal with all aspects of dog training, behavior and of course nose work!
I am committed to excellence, integrity, outstanding customer service, a customized approach to each dog/handler team and continuing education!
I am a Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI™) through the National Association of Canine Scent Work, and must accumulate 24 CEUs every two years to maintain my certification. I am a NACSW™-sanctioned Certifying Official and Judge for K9 Nose Work Trials and ORTs.
I have been a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) since 2019. The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) is currently the ONLY organization to offer an international, standardized certification for animal training and behavior professionals that is both independent of any course of study and psychometrically sound. In order to obtain this credential, I needed 300 documented hours of dog training, 3 referrals respectively from veterinarians, clients and colleagues, pass a written and practical exam and comply with the CCPDT code of ethics. In order to keep my CPDT status, I need to accumulate 48 CEUs and must recertify every 3 years. I was also a CBCC-KA for many years, but gave up the certification when I started focusing solely on K9 Nose Work.
I have been an Associate Certified Member for the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) since 2012, which also requires renewal annually.
For more information about my K9NW journey, please go to my About page here.
I am a member of Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW).
After breed-specific legislation was introduced in Germany in 2001, I started volunteering at a local shelter and helped train Pit Bulls for the mandatory temperament test (which also involved obedience training). I also began attending dog-related seminars on a regular basis in 2003. After our move to the US, I assisted with group classes and private training and behavior sessions for a dog training facility in Toledo, OH, and also became the manager for their doggie day care. In 2005 we moved to IN and I started my own dog training business HeRo Canine Consulting LLC. And of course my business came with me when we moved to PA in 2008!
I was exposed to K9 Nose Work® for the first time in June 2010, when I attended an Introduction to K9NW workshop in NJ, and my dog was chosen as one of the working demo dogs. I became hooked there and then. I became a CNWI™ in June 2011 as one of the first two certified instructors in PA.
I am a big believer in continuing education and love to attend seminars and workshops, watch webinars and read books. It is wonderful how the world of training and behavior is slowly changing for the better!
I participated in the yearly K9NW camps in PA since 2010 and in GA since 2012 until 2019. I have attended seminars and workshops with co-founders Amy Herot, Jill Marie O’Brien and Ron Gaunt as well as other speakers like Leah Gangelhoff, Fred Helfers, Barbara Schwerdt, Jeff McMahon, Julie Gaunt, Jennie Keifer, Donna Hreniuk, Gail McCarthy and many more. I also used to organize and host K9NW workshops to help promote this great dog sport!
Dog training and behavior-wise, here is a partial list: I attended instructor workshops by Terry Ryan, John Rogerson, Suzanne Clothier, and ITC (Pia Silvani and Sue Sternberg); fear and aggression workshops with Pat Miller, Pamela Reid, Emma Parson, Trish King, Brenda Aloff and Pamela Dennison; shelter dog evaluation seminars with Suzanne Clothier and Sue Sternberg; canine body language and ethology seminars with Dr Ray Coppinger, Ken McCort and Sue Sternberg I also attended some clicker workshops with Kathy Sdao and Birgit Laser. Patricia McConnelI is another favorite of mine, and several “wolf –intensive weekends” at Wolf Park in IN! I have also attended all five of Bob Bailey’s infamous operant conditioning workshops (aka chicken camps)!
We work with all dog breeds and breed mixes, from Shih Tzus, Doodles and Spaniels to Labs, German Shepherds and Pit Bulls. Each breed comes with its own set of breed-specific behaviors and traits, but each dog needs to be treated as an individual as well. We will customize our programs to best fit you and your dog!
Absolutely! Please get in touch with us, so we can give you some contacts. You can also check out the Testimonials on our “Home” page.
Yes, my business carries a Commercial General Liability insurance.
We encourage and welcome potential clients to come and observe a group class. Please contact us so we can set up a date and time.