Positive Connections

10/01/2025

Apologies for being quiet, I have had a super busy time using my brain on a 6 day security course to go towards the operational licence! One more day to go! 💪💪

03/01/2025

January dates are the final dates for the opportunity to search at the wonderful Castle Combe Race Circuit. There will be no more dates until next Winter!
2 spaces available on Tues 14th 2 hour workshop
2 spaces available on Friday 17th 3 hour workshop
Tuesday 28th I have opened up a morning and afternoon 3hour workshop but if you would prefer all day, let me know and I can reduce the cost.
These are the only dates - don’t miss out! 🏎️ 🏎️ 🏎️

31/12/2024

As 2024 comes to a close, just a recap of some of the dogs I have trained this year. Apologies if your dog is not on here, I don’t have a photo of them to add. Thank you for all your support in 2024 and wishing you all and your special dogs a very Happy and Healthy 2025 🥂🐕😍 x

30/12/2024

And that’s a wrap for Detection Dog Trials for 2024! Two trials today, a Novice and an Intermediate. Thank you so much to all competitors, many travelling a long distance to support the trials. Some really fantastic searching today around the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection.
5 different odours used today - Tobacco, clove, kong, Gun Oil and Pyro. You chose what odour you want to use and we will sort the logistics!
I can’t thank Cheryl, Penny and Jo enough for helping judge today, and Kate who made the trial run like clockwork, what an amazing team, we can’t run these trials without you. THANK YOU!

Congratulations all, there were some challenging hides today!

NOVICE ELEMENT 1
1st Liz and Bodie with 90 points
2nd Pauline and Jack with 89.5 points
3rd Debra and Buddy with 87.5 points
4th Jo and Cuba with 87 points

NOVICE ELEMENT 2
1st Liz and Bodie with 88.5 points
2nd Jo and Cuba with 87 points
3rd Flis and Jofra with 84 points
4th Sally and Pipkin with 83 points

INTERMEDIATE ELEMENT 1
1st Kate and Rafiki with 92 points
2nd Jenny and Alfred with 91.5 points
3rd Karen and Edith with 73 points
4th Karen and Kylo with 58 points

INTERMEDIATE ELEMENT 2
1st Karen and Kylo with 85.8 points
2nd Kate and Rafiki with 73.8 points
3rd Jenny and Alfred with 70.4 points
4th Karen and Edith with 51.8 points

The HIGH TRIAL winner today with the highest combined score was Liz and Bodie 🎉

Well done to those who went NFC in order to be able to enjoy training their dog in a competition environment, I love your decision making.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the DETECTION DOG TRIALS in 2024, I have loved watching your journey and look forward to seeing some of you at Blenheim Palace in January for the International Championship. 🎉🎉

Very HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all and your wonderful dogs. 🥂

28/12/2024

Selling a space on the Novice Detection Dog trial on Monday morning 30th December at Boscombe Down Aviation Collection, Salisbury, SP4 6DZ. Due to running orders having been sent out the dog must be searching for clove. NFC entry accepted if anyone working in Prelim wants to have a go at a Novice. Please message me if interested.

28/12/2024

Emails have been sent out for the Novice and Intermediate Detection Dog Trial at Boscombe Aviation on Monday. Please check junk if you have not received it 🤶

17/12/2024

Such a beautiful gift from a special team. Thank you so much 💕💕, makes all the hard work involved in sorting venues, running trials and helping each individual team achieve their goals worth it. x

15/12/2024

Running orders have been emailed for the Prelim Detection Dog Trial at Boscombe Aviation Collection. Please also check junk! 🤶 🎄

15/12/2024

Yesterday was a day down in the New Forest running an Indication workshop and then an afternoon of Xmas games and cake! As I would have judged 5 trials in 12 days I let the competitors put the judges hat on yesterday as it is so important that they can see what I see, and it was only fun after all.
Well done everyone, it was great fun 🤶, thank you for your support down in the Forest this year and thank you so much to Penny for helping keep me upright yesterday and taking these photos. Couldn’t have done it without you 🤗

13/12/2024

A few private lessons today at the Football ground. Super teams, all working on different areas of the search. Sorry, only took photos of this little girl today, but the confidence and independence in this team has grown so much since coming to the different venues. This little girl blew me away today! So small and actually searched a whole football ground! Well done team Miko, you are both superstars!
Just shows, any size, breed and age of dog can still work like a detection dog 💪 🔥

12/12/2024

We were back at this great venue yesterday. Here are the photos from Fridays workshop taken by Becky on the link below, yesterday photos will be coming very soon. Thank you Rebecca Reed Photography for the memories.

Here is another absolutely fantastic venue found for Scent work by Jo of Connections. Thank you to Jo inviting me along to photograph at such a cool venue.

What a fun place for scentwork.

Friday was such a fab day, it was great to be back out photographing scentwork with some familiar noses and some new ones too.

Really looking to being back at this venue on Wednesday this week.

Photos are online at the following link
https://rebeccareedphotography1.shootproof.com/gallery/Positive_connections/home

11/12/2024

On the run up to Christmas I would love to show pictures of your dogs, the journey you have been on and their Detection Dog Trial accomplishments. If you train with me or attend the training workshops I hold at the variety of venues I use, pop me a message with a photo of your dog and I will put it on my page.
Let’s start with Tilly, a beautiful little Cocker Spaniel who unfortunately could not continue with agility which she was set out to do. Both Tilly and her lovely Mum had no idea about Scentwork when they started 8 months ago but her mum absolutely embraced the journey, has worked really hard and is so passionate about the vital foundations this team are absolutely flying! With a first and a second in the Prelim Detection Dog Trials on Sunday at the Football ground, earning them the HIGH TRIAL win, they are both now set to compete in the International Detection Dog Trial Championships at Blenheim Palace in January. Massive well done team Tilly 🎉🥰

10/12/2024

Intermediate Detection Dog Trials held at the fantastic Shepton Mallet Prison showed some outstanding teamwork and handling. Two very different searches to test handlers being able to clear an area, and dogs working inaccessible hides and a high hide. Clearing rooms, corridors and then a whole cell block of rooms and cells, it was a challenging test. Well done to all competitors, most doing their very first Intermediate level DDT.
There were some extremely high scores for an Intermediate with one particularly outstanding partnership doing their first trial at Intermediate level. Just wished I had videoed the searches that Jenny and her old boy Alfred had done, it really was poetry in motion.

Element 1 - One inaccessible hide

1st Jenny and Alfred with 92 points
2nd Karen and Edith with 88 points
3rd Kate and Rafiki with 87 points
4th Ruth and Radar with 84 points

Element 2 - One inaccessible and one high hide

1st Jenny and Alfred with 90 points
2nd Karen and Edith with 88.5 points
3rd Kate and Rafiki with 87.5 points
4th Callie and Zorro with 78 points

The HIGH TRIAL winner was Jenny and Alfred.

Thank you so much Jo Williams for helping judge this trial. Couldn’t do these trials without the help of a second judge.

Congratulations everyone 🎉🎉

08/12/2024

Huge congratulations to all the competitors that braved the chilly wind today to compete in the Detection Dog Trials at the Football Club. What a fantastic group of handlers and dogs and it was a joy to watch such wonderful handling. A massive thank you to Penny Druitt for helping judge the Novice and judging the Element 2 of the Prelim. Fantastic job and so appreciated.

Prelim Element 1
1st Andrea and Tilly with 88 points
2nd Joanna and Stevie with 87 points
3rd Kate and George with 86 points
4th Karen and Elka with 85 points

Prelim Element 2
1st Pam and Delilah with 88 points
2nd Andrea and Tilly with 86 points
3rd Kate and George with 85 points
4th Joanna and Stevie with 84 points

Novice Element 1
1st Kate and Thistle with 85.5 points
2nd Liz and Bodie with 69.5 points
3rd Karen and Jinx with 68.5 points
4th Mary and Robbie with 48.5 points

Novice Element 2
1st Mary and Robbie with 91 points
2nd Elissa and Dexter with 86 points
3rd Karen and Jinx with 71.5 points
4th Liz and Bodie with 62.5 points

The HIGH TRIAL winner was Andrea and Tilly with the highest joint score over 2 elements. Congratulations team Tilly 🎉

I can’t not mention 2 teams that really showed some outstanding handling. Mary, you made the judges cry with your Element 2 search. Such and absolute joy to watch and judge. Kate, the way you worked as such a team with Thistle in Element 1 was incredible. Really well done guys, this is what makes the DDTs what they are set out for.

The winners of each element have qualified for the International Championships at Blenheim in January. Congratulations 🎉🎉

07/12/2024

Information and Running Orders have been emailed to all the Detection Dog Trials competitors competing at the Football Club and Prison Trials. Please also check junk folders.

07/12/2024

Thank you so much Rebecca Reed Photography for sending me over a few photos from the workshops yesterday at the NEW Castle Combe Race Circuit. Such a wonderful venue with so many different search areas to choose from. I can’t wait to be back there on Wednesday 11th December with Becky again and also working with the amazing Jenny at Deliverance Dogs where she takes the rewarding and relationship to another level with the search, as well as building those foundations. There are a couple of spaces for either a full day, or half day if you prefer on Wednesday, as well as dates for January available. Book via the normal booking link on the page, or message me if just wanting a half day on Wednesday 11th December.