ABOUT US

The Man Behind K9 Nation's Success....

(Francesco Carotenuto, Training Director)

Francesco's experience with dogs and training goes back to his childhood.

Starting from the age of twelve he was fortunate to be around a kennel owned by a chief of the K9 department in Italy with a program geared towards working dogs.

At the age of fourteen he was doing helper work for the kennel. All of the dogs were being trained for Schutzhund or police work. Over the next few years he went on to title several dogs in Schutzhund. All of them titled with high scores. Even more impressive was Francesco's age at the time. Everybody knew that someone that young very rarely was able to already achieve what he had done. Before the age of nineteen, he had traveled to different countries such as Germany, Belgium, France, Holland and Czechoslovakia to learn about breeding and different training techniques.

After finishing college he joined the military. It was there he was assigned to the Celere in Padova. This camp worked with a special K9 unit. The dogs were trained to do Crowd Control at stadiums, special police tasks, and escort to important Italian authorities.

With all of his years working with dogs Francesco has put together a successful philosophy that he uses today whether training or breeding.

Here's what Bernhard Flinks (world-renowned Trainer) said about K9 Nation & Francesco Carotenuto....

Hi everyone,

I recently returned from the new K9 Nation training facility in Hannibal, New York where I conducted a seminar hosted by Francesco Carotenuto. I must say that Francesco's facility is one of the best in the country. I was truly impressed at how professional his training centre was operated.

Francesco's facility has a variety of fields, each tailored for a specific training exercise. His tracking fields are varied and can cover any and every level of experience.

I consider Francesco to be a really high level trainer. His training techniques are really impressive and his views on Schutzhund training are admirable. Francesco regards his dogs as athletes. He does not only consider the technical aspects of training, but also concentrates on diet and stamina, something that is often overlooked. His handling skills are superb and his timing on corrections or rewards is perfect. In addition, Francesco's skill on helper work really impressed me. He's one of the few helpers that can spin left and right with no problem. His presentation of the sleeve is always correct. His catches are always smooth and safe. He can correctly apply different pressure with different dogs and is also very fast for helper work.

Francesco can read dogs like an open book. His knowledge of techniques is vast and he has, as well, developed many new techniques of his own. Some of his techniques now I will use for my dogs too. I would consider myself lucky to have Francesco working with my dogs in a daily basis.

I've never posted about anyone before, but I felt compelled to do so for Francesco and K9 Nation. His training facility is first class and his demeanour is professional. His dogs are some of the hardest dogs I've ever worked with and he produces high quality puppies. I highly recommend Francesco Carotenuto to anyone interested in competing for Schutzhund and especially for people that want to compete at national levels.

Best regards

Bernhard Flinks

Albersdorferfeld 4

25767 Albersdorf

Germany

Privat: +39 4835-950345

Fax: +39 4835-950346

Mobil: +39 1717028186

E-Mail: info@B-Flinks.de

Home: www.B-Flinks.de

Polizei:

Telefon: +39 481-94405

Fax: +39 481-94455

E-Mail: Bernhard.Flinks@polizei.landsh.de

Bernhard Flinks isn't the only trainer impressed with K9 Nation & Francesco Carotenuto...

This from Will Rambeau, on May 15th 2006:

"I'm back from my mini-vacation/ Bernhard Flinks seminar that K9 Nation held this weekend and it was a *great* seminar!

Bernhard is changing phases of his training and it's interesting to see the evolution of his training style ( this was my eight seminar with Bernhard...sheesh! ). The new puppy/ young dog training seems to work better with the changes and was well explained to us.

There were a good mix of experienced high level dogs and beginning dogs at the seminar, so there was a wide variety of training information given. We had a real advantage having Bernhard, Francesco, and a SchH USA judge all giving the handlers their critiques, that really made for a precise evaluation.

The K9 Nation facility was really nice, the different training areas were all fenced and the tracking fields were just a short walk to get to, so we had very little down time for this seminar. With over a 130 acres to train on, we had more room than we knew what to do with!

Francesco also provided all our meals ( and they were tasty! ) which also made for a smooth flow for the training. All the dogs were worked three or four times each day, and the seminar ran from 7:30 am to dark......we were exhausted by the end, let me tell ya!

Francesco was a great host! He ran things smoothly, plus he showed us how a high level handler works a Nationals level dog and Bernhard was able to use him as an example for the seminar, which was a real bonus. I have no doubt that we'll be seeing Francesco in the top five at any Nationals that he decides to compete in - he's that good, believe me.

I also believe that K9 Nation is forming a SchH USA club at their site, and for those of you in the North Central area of New York, that will be a great club to train with having Francesco as a training director.

It was also cool to have a few more forum members at the trial so that I can put a face to a name now!

All in all, a terrific seminar! I can't wait for Bernhard to return to America for his next seminar ( or for Francesco to hold his own seminar, that'd be worth attending, I'm sure! ).

Francesco did much of the helper work for the seminar, and he did a great job - he read the dogs well and applied the correct pressure for each dog out of the blind in a skillful and safe manner.

I would be glad to have him on the sleeve for any dog that I own at anytime - and I just can't make a better recommendation that that! "

K9 Nation hosts Bernard Flinks Seminar

By Jeannette Polowski

This past spring K9 Nation hosted an awesome seminar featuring the renowned Bernhard Flinks. K9 Nation is a wonderful new training facility located in Hannibal, NY, approximately 20 miles from Syracuse Airport. The seminar ran for 4 days in May, from the 11th to the 14th.

Owned by Francesco Carotenuto, the grounds are meticulously maintained. Upon arrival you will see a large barn with many other outbuildings dotting the landscape. The breeding facility is located in the main barn, as is the main kennel. The former horse farm has acres of fields and woods, which Francesco utilizes to a "T"! It is not unusual for him to ride his quad all around the trails with a few dogs at a time, each getting plenty of endurance conditioning! He has separate pastures for differing activities, and tracking takes place throughout the grounds. All of the facility's equipment is in excellent condition.

Fifteen people attended the seminar over the course of the 4 days. One person drove almost 1,400 miles to be there! This dedicated individual had gone to many of Bernhard's seminars in the past, so Bernhard joked that he was his groupie! The experience level of the different people was varied, from novice to the honorable Judge Bill Szentmiklosi.

Bernhard Flinks is a wonderful trainer, and his presentation of topics was very well thought out. His lectures were accompanied by written material which outlined Bernhard's methods and views on how best to help your dog learn and be successful. He stressed many times that the difference of just a few points in Germany can be the difference between a dog rating VA or SG. Because of this, he always strives for perfection and happiness in his dogs. This helps to land him on the podium getting his picture taken! He has a very refreshing sense of humor, too!

That being said, he is all business when it comes to problem solving. He likes to sit back with a drink and think. The important part of this process is that he usually comes up with a solution!

The lectures offered by Bernhard often took place under a picnic tent while he and the attendees feasted on the delicious home cooked meals provided by Francesco and his staff. These lectures included the principles of his work, tracking, obedience, and bitework. Also included is a very detailed session on his puppy testing process for dogs destined to do police work or high level sport. He specifically noted how very impressed he was with Francesco's litters, and that if he was in the market for a pup, he would take one from K9 Nation. The puppy testing process consists of 9 segments with a breakdown of what each possible response by the puppy indicates about its temperament. The positives and negatives are recorded on a test score sheet for that individual pup. This is a very useful tool in helping to place the right pup with the right owner and in the right line of work.

The lectures were partnered with the practical training sessions that related to the varying subjects. The groups were small and intimate, so everyone worked their dogs individually with Bernhard, who then made each person/dog team a training tool! Sometimes he would skip the actual dog and use a human as a dog to drive home a point of what NOT to do, so as not to correct a real dog! We had a wonderful volunteer who did a very impressive K9 imitation!

Bernhard has a very sharp eye and does not miss an error, by either handler or dog. He is lightning fast to point out any mistake and to provide a better option to help the team achieve success. This is his number one mantra, to give your dog success. Once the dog gets it, it can end that segment on a happy and correct note.

We were very fortunate to have Francesco provide us with what Bernhard considered impressive helper skills. He has since stated that he may adopt some of Francesco's techniques!

We were also very privileged to have Judge Bill Szentmiklosi. He accompanied the groups out into the tracking fields and walked along as Bernhard instructed the handlers. Judge Szentmiklosi then gave each person his assessment of the performance of their dog, told them how he would have rated the performance if it was a trial, and how he thought the dog could potentially rate. This was an absolutely awesome contribution to an already phenomenal seminar!

Each day of training ended at sundown. When no one could see each other on the field, it was time to call an end to the festivities. Of course, then it was time to eat some more…..

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. All of the participants came away with a treasure chest of information and methods to apply to their training routines. Bernhard said this was the best seminar he had participated in the last 15 years! This was surely the sentiment echoed by all.