Duke Ferguson

I was born with a passion for the outdoors and animals, both wild and domestic. I've worked with dogs since I was in diapers, but at the age of 12, I knew I wanted to work with animals, and I've been training dogs for hunting and retrieving since the age of 13.

As soon as I graduated from high school, I attended college to become a Fish and Wildlife Technician and Conservation Officer. While attending The Atlantic Police Academy's Conservation Enforcement program in PEI, I was placed as a Conservation Officer in Nova Scotia, where I had the privilege to work with the department's K9 Unit. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and it increased my desire to work with dogs at all levels.

I'm a graduate of Animal Behaviour Canine College in California, where I studied canine behaviour and became certified. In 2005, I graduated from Canada West Canine Centre in BC, where I studied all levels of obedience, utility, kennel management, temperament testing, dog care, behaviour problems, personal protection, attack dog training, police K9, support dog training, tracking, detection training (drugs, bombs), and security and guard dog training. Upon graduating, I received a certification in Canine Obedience & Kennel Management and became a certified Master Trainer.

My fourth certification in dog training was at the No Limitations School for Dog Trainers (now called Sit Means Sit) in Colorado and Las Vegas, where I became certified in the specialized, humane use of a remote collar. I've spent the past 27 years studying dog-training methods and applications from some of the best dog trainers and schools around the world, and I continue to do so.

I am the first Canadian to certify in the use of the K9 BSD (Behaviour Shaping Device) for passive-alert training for scent-detection dogs. My desire to keep learning brought me to Belgium in 2015, where I attended Bart Bellon's NePoPo® School for dog trainers. For three weeks, I studied and trained one-on-one with Bart and Michael Bellon, and after passing all tests, I became a certified NePoPo® Gold trainer.

I'm the creator of Dog Training Genesis, a comprehensive, interactive, step-by-step dog-training and rehabilitation video program that's helping people all over the world produce great results with their dogs. And I'm the owner of Unleashed Potential K9 Academy®, where I train and coach students through my professional dog-trainer certification. I love helping dog trainers reach a higher level of performance in every area of their lives.