Wagga's Braeden Pearce to try his luck at USA Training Without Conflict internship

Wagga Christian College year 12 student Braeden Pearce has been hard at work training his nine-month-old German Shepherd, Maddie, for the past year as a member of Junee Dog Sport Club.

The fun hobby turned passionate endeavour is now a future dream for the determined teen, who hopes to one day enter the Australian Defence Force and specialise in dog handling.

If he lands the internship, he will spend two years with Florida-based organisation Training Without Conflict and be mentored by Ivan Balabanov.

"If I get accepted, it is a two-year course where Ivan will train me in Florida," Mr Pearce said.

"Everything he knows he will share will me - it will teach me a lot."

Mr Pearce will fly out to Florida in the second week of November and then take part in a trial.

"The trial runs over three to five days and I believe there will be another three or four applicants there as well," he said.

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"Hopefully, if it goes well I'll get selected but that will be dependent on the trial."

It will be a new experience for Mr Pearce, who has never been overseas before, but one he is embracing wholeheartedly.

"I've grown up in Wagga and only recently this year I found dog sport through the Junee Dog Sport Club," he said.

" A lot has happened within the year for this part of my life.

"I haven't been overseas before, I've just been getting my passport organised recently. I'm very nervous but extremely excited."

Mr Pearce isn't the only nervous one, with his family and the Junee Dog Sport Club keeping their fingers crossed he will land the internship.

"Mum will be mum, she will stress as much as she can, but she's excited and they will all be cheering on for me hoping I do my best," he said.

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