The Mantrailing Membership is aimed at handlers who want to geek out and learn more about the sport. The Academy is specifically for instructors - it goes deeper, covers teaching skills, business development, and the science behind the how-tos, and gives you the opportunity to work towards becoming a Trailing K9s accredited instructor.

No. The Academy is designed for instructors at all stages - whether you've just finished your first course and feel completely overwhelmed, or you've been teaching for years and have hit a ceiling on what you can learn alone. The monthly themes and content are designed to meet you where you are.

Every month you get:
A live webinar on a themed topic (recorded if you can't make it live)
A live Q&A where you can bring real questions from real sessions
How-to videos with cheat sheets to refer back to

Plus, bonus access to a hub of brandable cheat sheets you can give directly to your clients, guest expert sessions, and priority access to in-person train the trainer days, skill ups, and retreats 

No. While Kathryn leads the majority of content, the Academy also brings in industry experts to cover areas outside mantrailing - including business, marketing, and the science behind the sport. The point is that you get the right person teaching the right thing, not one person pretending to know everything. 

There are three pathways depending on where you're starting from:

The instructor course - for those newer to teaching mantrailing, with a dog training background or demonstrable handling experience.

The top-up course - for existing mantrailing instructors who want to develop their skills and methodology and bring them in line with the Trailing K9s standard.

The assessment route - for experienced instructors who can already demonstrate the required skills. This involves a structured assessment over approximately three days, including observed training and teaching real clients.

All routes involve demonstrated competency - you earn the accreditation, you're not handed it. 

Absolutely - it’s what the Academy was built for. If you've done your course, got your certificate, and then been left to figure the rest out alone, this is your next step.  

Not necessarily. The assessment route exists specifically for people who already have strong skills and experience. You won't be asked to start from scratch - but you will be asked to demonstrate your competency in a real teaching environment, because that's what the accreditation actually means.

You can absolutely focus on the trailing content if that's what you need right now. But the business content exists because every struggling instructor tells me similar stories - they’re brilliant at trailing, but their booking processes, prices, and marketing are leaving them on less than minimum wage when you crunch the numbers. You don't have to engage with it, but it's there when you need it.

The Academy provides independent CPD that isn't tied to any single organisation's methodology or commercial interests. Content is delivered by Kathryn and a range of industry experts. You're not paying to maintain a badge - you're paying to develop skills and knowledge. The accreditation you can work towards here requires demonstrated skill, not just continued membership.

All webinars and Q&As are recorded. You can watch back at any time. The how-to videos and cheat sheets are available in the hub whenever you need them.

Yes. As long as you stay a member, you keep the founding member rate. The price increases after the founding period closes - so the sooner you join, the more you save long term.

That's exactly why the content is structured the way it is. Short how-to videos. Cheat sheets you can print and use in a session. Monthly themes so you're not drowning in a back catalogue on day one. The goal is that things are small enough to action - and you can have geek marathon sessions when you feel like it.

Yes. There's no long-term contract. Though if you joined at founding member pricing and cancel, you'd rejoin at the current rate.