22/03/2024
REGISTER INTEREST NOW at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shaun-cassidy-dog-training-seminar-tickets-869071715897?aff=oddtdtcreator
Toa Working Dogs and Ignition Canine is excited to host Shaun Cassidy who is making his way from Ireland to bring the most up to date, modern dog training system.
2 DAY WORKSHOP COMING TO WYEE, NSW 13TH– 14TH APRIL 2024!
Some words from Shaun Cassidy - onpointcanine
Since a teen, in the 90’s, I have been actively involved in the training of working dogs. Starting within U.K. Kennel Club Obedience, the technical precision focused mindset always remaining a personal theme going forward, I migrated briefly to working sheepdog training. From 2004 I trained and coached within Schutzhund / IPO / IGP, and acted as the Working Warden for a period for the German Shepherd Association (G.S.A.) of Ireland, the W.U.S.V. affiliated organisation for the island of Ireland, overseeing trial and training standards. A member of both O.G. Templepatrick and O.G. Craigantlet, I was club instructor for O.G. Craigantlet, preparing members and their dogs for Canine Good Citizen, Working Trials and IGP competitions, and a W.U.S.V. approved trial decoy and tracklayer.
Research and learning did not always have social media, Google and YouTube to hand and involved extensive travel to lead trainers for seminars, camps and 1-2-1 instruction. Notable influences upon my training approach came from time spent in Belgium with Mario Verslype (4 x World Champion), Dennis Stuers (coach to both Mario Verslype and Ronnie vd Berghe), and of course Bart Bellon, who I followed around Europe for years and under whom I am a NEPOPO Gold Instructor and E-Collar instructor. I have always believed in the transfer of knowledge between different disciplines, and to this end pursued coaching within U.K. Obedience, from Sylvia Bishop and particularly Joanna Hill who continues to pioneer innovative marker training in her field. More recently I am a member of a KNPV club in Rotterdam, Holland.
Concurrently I have been a Counter Terrorist Specialist Fi****ms (CTSFO) Officer with the Headquarters Mobile Support Unit (HMSU), the specialist operations intervention team within the Police Service of Northern Ireland, since 2012. Our role encompasses QRF (quick reaction force) to covert surveillance assets (Police, military Special Reconnaisance Regiment (SRR, including SAS and SBS attachments), and MI5), high threat building and vehicle intervention tactics, reactive covert observation points, hostage rescue, specialist MoE (Method of Entry), and primary responsibility for all potential airplane hostage scenarios within Northern Ireland. My personal specialisms are as Tactical Rifle Officer (‘sniper’), Tactical Care Officer (‘team medic’), Self-Defence instructor, and Tactical Fi****ms Advisor for the rest of the PSNI.
Along with a colleague formerly in the regular police dog unit we established the first Counter Terrorist Specialist Fi****ms Support Dog project within the HMSU, following a research trip to Holland working with colleagues from Hong Kong, Sweden, GSG in Germany, and RAID IN France. We chose to model our project on the ‘CPAD’ dogs of 22 SAS, liaising with them to develop dual-purpose dogs working on concurrent explosive indication and person search. Our modification was to steer away from a ‘Conflict Management’ dog, which always bites upon engagement with a subject. Instead, within a policing contest, our dogs are trained to provide an ‘active’ barking indication on passive or inaccessible subjects, whilst biting aggressive or fleeing subjects. Substances the dogs are trained to provide a passive indication on include Semtex, black powder, TATP, Det cord, TNT and fertiliser. The dogs provide a search capability for subjects, carrying a video feed on their harness, both in open areas and in buildings, within all CQB tactical options; either room by room in a slow search to contact, or running free amongst the team in dynamic searches, ignoring live fire, MoE, and distraction 'flash bang’ devices.
I have the pride of being the first ever operational CTSFO in the UK to be both a qualified police dog handler, with PD Arko, and an ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) qualified police dog instructor, following my course with Surrey Police.
Following the medical retirement of PD Arko I have commenced a career break, keen to develop my interests in dogs outside work.
Attendees can hope to gain the following:
• An introduction into NEPOPO
• Shaun's very own training system for building dogs
• Dog Sport exercises
• Realistic tracking
• Scent detection & indications
• Grip and bite development
• Open questions and problem solving
• Available dog spots
