Faculty & Staff

Lucy Newton

Lucy Newton (she/her) has been training dogs and teaching dog training almost all her adult. She was a search & rescue dog trainer, handler, and instructor and she trained numerous personal dogs for wilderness search and rescue, as well as land and water human remains detection. Working with very active wilderness SAR teams, she has worked on a large number of missing person cases in both urban and very remote wilderness locations. She has served as an instructor and training officer and continues to provide training to search and rescue dog handlers and their canines.

Lucy also worked as a full-time police sergeant and police canine handler and handled several dual-purpose patrol/narcotics canines for her police department. Lucy has raised and trained all of her working dogs from puppies. She was a state-certified police canine training instructor and served as a field training officer for her department. Lucy's dogs have been recognized with awards for life-saving search and rescue finds and her dogs have also had successful finds in human remains detection, evidence recovery, and narcotics detection.

In 2011 Lucy took a full-time position as an instructor and trainer for the Randy Hare School for Dog Trainers teaching detection trainer schools and working dog training classes to law enforcement, military, and professional dog trainers. In addition, Lucy also has served as a consultant and trainer for a Colorado-based business that trains dogs to detect a wide variety of plant and animal products important to conservation research projects.

In 2017 Lucy re-located to North Carolina, where she continues to offer high-level training and instruction to police, search and rescue, working, and sport dog handlers. Through her business, Front Sight K-9, Lucy offers board and train programs for sport and working dogs. She also provides coaching for students involved in various dog sports, primarily in obedience, tracking, and nosework.

In addition to training dogs for police and search and rescue, Lucy competes in a variety of sports with her own dogs. Her now-retired police patrol/narcotics detection partner, Steel, has the distinction of having achieved an AKC Tracking Championship as well as an IPO TR1 title in addition to having been a certified police tracking dog. Lucy has achieved titles on her dogs in obedience, tracking, and IGP/schutzhund. She also has served as a National Association of Canine Nose Work judge.

Lucy is currently the service dog trainer for American Humane's Pups4Patriots Program. Lucy trains green dogs to be service dogs to veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress. The dogs reside with her until fully trained and then Lucy conducts a residential training camp where the dogs are paired with their veterans and the veterans learn to handle their dogs. Lucy teaches the veterans positive reinforcement training techniques which allow the veterans to understand how to maintain and improve upon their dog's training. These training techniques also serve as an excellent mechanism to help the veterans cope with their PTS as well, because focusing on things like rates of reinforcement, correct mechanics and clean criteria, etc often helps mitigate some of the symptoms of PTS.

Lucy has taught a variety of clinics throughout the United States and Canada. She currently offers various seminars focusing on aspects of tracking, nosework/detection, or scent theory and dynamics. Regardless of the venue, Lucy emphasizes a training philosophy that allows the dog to satisfy his drive and control his own avenue to reinforcement. Her goal is to create high drive, thinking working and sport dogs that can work independently of the handler and be accurate and successful under a variety of conditions.

Lucy also offers private coaching to sport dog handlers, specializing in helping handlers understand how dogs communicate and learn in order to create better performances as well as develop a better working relationship regardless of the venue.

Pronouns: Lucy goes by she/her.

"Lucy is a great teacher who is attentive to each team, honest, works with each team. Presents material in format that is easy to understand, very structured in what is expected---that is esp. valuable to someone with limited time for training, there's not a lot of fumbling around figuring out what you are supposed to do, she tells you and monitors the progress. Very happy with this class, looking forward to more work with Lucy. "

"Lucy's ability to mesh learning theory and science with practical applications leads to a program that makes sense for both beginners and experienced trackers alike. The lectures and demo videos are easy to follow with excellent content and will be a great resource to fall back on in the future. My favourite part of Lucy's classes is her ability and willingness to work with the dog in front of her and varying levels of ability and skill in both the dog and handler. This course was so good we should definitely do it again. Tracey B. "

" Lucy's passion and caring is evident in not only the time spent on feedback and responses to questions, but also providing a hand to hold for the needy student or a kick in the butt for those that need it. "

"Lucy is one the BEST! The course material is put together in such a way that you cannot help but understand what it's all about and what you should be doing - even at bronze level."

" I've been looking for a method to teach tracking that is not footstep tracking, but also is not "a leisurely stroll through the field." Lucy's method teaches accuracy with drive, an absolutely fantastic combination, and exactly what I've been searching for. There is so little instruction offered in this area, it has been a wonderful experience to be able to track and have someone watch and guide. LOVED this class, can't recommend it enough! Gretchen C."

"I have been tracking for 25 years, judging and competing, and I knew in my heart there was a better way than the traditional way I have always trained my dogs for tracking. Lucy has come up with a system that sits well with positive training techniques, shaping the behaviour and allowing the dog to learn from the track. Brilliant. Debby L."

"This is my third session with Fenzi. I have enjoyed every single one of them!! And as usual, Lucy Newton has proven to be an excellent instructor. She was able to get me back on track after I had some problems with my dogs. I also love how she can work with students who have such various levels of experience. Lucy explains things in such a way that I, an inexperienced tracker, understand what she is saying. Thank you Lucy for all your help. I'll see you in the next class!!!!!"

"Lucy is awesome! She has helped our tracking skills and knowledge tremendously. There are very limited tracking resources where I am, and no one who teaches Lucy's style of tracking. Her style was just what my dog and I needed, and I so wish that there were more advanced classes that we could take! Allyssa M."

"Lucy is brilliant....she is skilled at looking at each dog and handler as individuals and guiding them along a path that is just right for them. Her methods and solutions are so innovative and, she is not only can offer solutions, but also she explains how the solution works and why it is the best choice. One thing that really impresses me is that she teaches us to problem solve so that we can continue on our journey after the class is done. Her patience is outstanding as she helps us learn about this fine sport. My dogs and I are so grateful that we found her."