When Blake and Kylee married in 2022, they looked forward to a lifetime of memories with Kylee’s childhood GSD, Harley. But life had other plans, and losing Harley left a hole in their hearts that only a special German Shepherd could fill. Hoping for a new beginning, they made the five-hour trek to Northern Virginia to meet a litter of fluffy, long-coated puppies at Starry Night GSDs.
The connection was instant. They locked eyes with a puppy the breeder had named "Flint"— which was an ironic coincidence, given their family name of Stone. Between the name and the striking resemblance to Harley, they knew he was meant to be theirs. They gave him the call name “Bear,” and at that moment, a great adventure began. It may not have started with a bang — Kylee recalls it being more like a siren. The "sweet little puppy" fantasy was replaced by Bear’s five-hour impression of a fire engine in the backseat of the vehicle. It wasn't until Blake took the wheel and Kylee cradled the "ball of floof" that Bear finally settled, not yet realizing that his life as part of the Family Stone would be beyond incredible.
As Bear grew, so did their bond. While an early agility classes showed Bear’s work ethic, it wasn't quite his passion. Taking advice from breeder Kathryn and their trainers, Kylee and Blake looked for other fun ways to tap into Bear’s natural GSD instincts, which are of course tracking, obedience, and protection.
That’s when they discovered Scent Work.
The change was more than immediate…it was pure magic. Bear wasn't just good at scent work; he was a natural. (Click the photo for a link…)
For Kylee, watching Bear find target odors like birch and cypress was about more than just winning (finding the target in the least amount of time), it was about "genetically fulfilling" him. She believes that owning a working breed means honoring their need to work, whether through scent work, barn hunts, or protection sports. Every encounter was another chance to work as a team…not about Bear finding the scent but confidently letting Kylee know that it was present. They celebrated many achievements over months of scent work practice and trials. At one trial, Bear found the scent in 1 second flat. I guess pointing from the starting line isn't allowed!
A Decorated Champion: Bear and Kylee’s Achievements
The team of Kylee and Bear earned more than 16 certifications from the American Kennel Club (AKC), National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW), and Canine Performance Events (CPE) in just one year. They have worked as a seamless team to train together, bond with each other and then excel in a varied selection of dog sports and events. Each ribbon or title represents hours of dedication, training, and a deep mutual trust. Even more than that…it means a great deal of fun and exciting experiences for Bear, Kylee and Blake.
The following is a list of titles earned by Bear Starry Night and short explanations of what they entail:
Foundational & Lifestyle Titles
- CGC (Canine Good Citizen): The gold standard for dog behavior, requiring Bear to pass a 10-step test of basic manners and social skills around people and other dogs (AKC).
- VHMA (Virtual Home Manners Adult): A digital evaluation where Bear demonstrated 10 essential "home" skills, including politely greeting guests at the door and remaining calm during mealtime (AKC).
- TKN (Trick Dog Novice): Bear performed 10 different tricks, such as "spin" or "crawl," to prove his focus and willingness to learn new things (AKC).
- ATT (Temperament Test): A specialized test where Bear was evaluated on his reactions to various stimuli (noise, visual, tactile) to ensure a stable, confident GSD personality (AKC).
- FITB (Fit Dog Bronze): An achievement earned through a consistent, documented fitness and walking routine to maintain Bear’s health and stamina (AKC).
Scent Work & Performance Titles
Kylee and Bear in the field.
- SWN (Scent Work Novice): An overall title awarded after Bear successfully identified target odors in all four "elements": SCN (Containers), SEN (Exteriors), SIN (Interiors), and SBN (Buried hides) (AKC).
- VSWB & VSWI (Virtual Scent Work Beginner/Intermediate): Stepping stones where Bear completed specific scent searches at home, submitted via video for judging by AKC officials (AKC).
- ORT (Odor Recognition Test): A "gatekeeper" test where Bear had to correctly identify a specific target odor hidden among identical distractors (NACSW).
- CCSS-L1 (Canine Scent Sport Level 1): A title requiring qualifying runs across multiple elements to show consistency in finding hidden odors (CPE).
- BCAT (Beginner Coursing Ability Test): A fun, high-speed title earned by Bear "chasing the lure" in a 100-yard dash to test his natural prey drive and athletic speed (AKC).
Bear chasing the lure in pursuit of his BCAT title.
IT (Herding Instinct Test) A non-competitive, pass/fail evaluation designed to identify a dog's natural aptitude for herding livestock, even if they have no prior experience or training. Its purpose is to determine if a dog has the "light-bulb" moment when exposed to livestock—specifically showing a sustained interest in gathering, circling, or moving the animals toward a handler. It is only available to the Herding Group and specific breeds of dogs from other groups (Rottweilers, Samoyeds, Boxers, and Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs).
Follow Bear’s journey:
In addition to working on their titles, Kylee has been filming her dedicated work training Bear and the many adventures together with Blake. They are becoming quite the odgfluencers on social media. You can keep up with their latest exploits and track the title count on TikTok: @kyleeandbear.gsd
Kathryn's Note: Be sure to look up the video of Bear at the Christmas lights display. It's beautiful and inspiring (and has been seen over 32k times!!)
