The Dog Squad

25/04/2025

CONGRATULATIONS to Yester with Rodney and Emma with Nancy on completing their GOLD level! 🤩

It’s been such a joy to train these two dogs, both rescues, both reactive and for whom searching did not come naturally!

Back in Bronze Rodney tired easily and Nancy was so used to being in ‘heel’ she wouldn’t even drop her head to search. As the weeks went on, the penny dropped and we began to see anticipation and excitement for the job, odour recognition and some independent searching also!

Now several courses on they are on three target odours and demonstrates super search resilience in last night’s challenging searches with some super handling by Emma and Yester too! Very proud trainer moment! 🫶

24/04/2025

HUGE congratulations to Emma with Nancy and Yester with Rodney who passed their UK Sniffer Dogs GOLD Level tonight!

It’s not every day you have the opportunity to train a Central Asian Shepherd in any sport and when Emma approached me about her lovely but sometimes challenging rescue girl I honestly wasn’t sure how far I’d be able to take her. Given her size and occasional reactivity we decided a private course might be better and roped in her friends Yester and “Reactive Rodney” to join her! What a pair they make both in size and character!

I will admit I had my doubts in those early Bronze sessions. Rodney lay down at every opportunity, tiring easily with motivation for only a few reps and Nancy, so well trained at walking to heel, would barely move from Emma never mind lower her head to search. It did not come naturally to these dogs as it does to many.

But under my relentless enthusiasm (laughing at the number of times I said, yay, that was fab and Yester retorted no it wasn’t, it was crap!) Emma and Yester persevered and soon the dogs were showing excitement about the session, they had grasped the job and were even beginning to show independence on their search ethics!

Well tonight they completed the full UK Sniffer Dogs programme and I could not be happier for Emma and Yester. They demonstrated search skills, odour recognition on all their target odours, some lovely indications AND really impressive search duration!

The UK Sniffer Dogs motto is “Any Dog can Do It” and really, they can! Well done Nancy and Rodders! 🤩

24/04/2025

Me? Never! 🤣

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23/04/2025

Some days I just feel incredibly proud and equally humbled to have created a thriving scentwork community in my little patch of the world; where people from different training backgrounds and dogs of different ages, breeds, abilities and temperaments are finding new levels of fun and fulfillment together and with me.

I am especially grateful to Kings Hill Sports Park for supporting my small business and validating Canine Sport as worthy of inclusion. I know my sessions are the highlight of some member’s week and serve to meet a mental health need in the human as well as the dog.

I seek to bring to my classes a wealth of knowledge acquired from world leaders in the industry as well as my own personal touch of humour and quirkiness!
I love dogs and I love seeing their human bond increase as cross-species communications improve and new partnerships are formed.

If you are looking for a fun, judgement free club to join with your canine companion, then look no further. I have a new 8 week beginners scentwork course starting middle of May. I would love to welcome you.

https://linktr.ee/thedogsquadofficial 🐾🐾🐾

22/04/2025

What a glorious day to be out with the dogs! 😎 Whilst sunshine and flowers definitely put the Spring into our step, these dogs love training whatever the weather. And one thing I have enjoyed seeing over this course of Retrieve Team is how happy the dogs are to be here every week.

I believe that training should be fun for you and your dog. Yes, we require steadiness and obedience, we have rules and boundaries, but we pay those behaviours with things that make the dog feel good about offering them; play, food, affection, praise and even laughter! Dogs enjoy making us happy, we can use that to reinforce behaviours too!

21/04/2025

I hope you’ve had a wonderful Easter weekend! Let’s see your bluebell photos in the comments! 🥰

21/04/2025

LIMITED One to One spaces available for booking: Tuesday & Wednesday afternoons

Some training requires a little more individual attention and guidance than can be gained in a group class. If you have an area you’d like to improve these personalised sessions provide the ideal opportunity for learning and growth.

Perfect for loose lead walking, recall, lack of engagement or low level reactivity to other dogs, these sessions make a difference. Please don’t expect me to work miracles in a single session, I recommend a minimum of three (and you get a discount!) so you can implement work over a period of time.

However, if you want to tweak a sport skill; indication, play skills, retrieving delivery etc, then one offs are perfect for those.

Spaces are limited so please be willing to commit to the work in between sessions. Head to One to Ones!

https://linktr.ee/thedogsquadofficial 🐾🐾🐾

19/04/2025

When you get invited to a party and make new friends! Don’t get me started on the kittens!!! 🥰 (The Mums were lovely too!)

09/04/2025

NEUTRALITY: new dates added!

If you have a dog who struggles to be in the presence of other dogs due to over enthusiasm or worry, this is a safe place to build YOUR confidence!

This class will be a mix of social and reactive dogs but like minded, supportive dog owners who want to help their dogs feel and do better in a safe and judgement-free zone.

Ideally you will have some strategies already in place to support your dog. If not, I would suggest a few one to ones first, so we can get protocols in place before entering the group. But there is plenty of space available for dogs who need more.

This will be a structured class, limited to six dogs, and incorporating simple training exercises so you can focus on your handling skills and your dog.

If you’re interested, please comment NEUTRALITY and I’ll send you a link with details!

06/04/2025

I am incredibly excited to be shadowing Pamela for two days during her visit to Kent next month.

As many of you know because I send you all to her socials, Pamela is a trainer and behaviourist who specialises in aggression and reactivity and who uses her own ‘rehabilitation therapy’ dogs (mastiffs and pugs!) to re-teach dogs social skills. I consulted with Pamela over Elsa last September.

Not an area I ever would have chosen to dabble in by choice, but a path of education two of my dogs have taken me to down and one you can’t really avoid as a trainer these days. I am looking forward to learning from one of the best, in person! Thank you Pamela for the opportunity. 🙏

04/04/2025

Another CONGRATULATIONS due this time to the lovely on becoming a certified Trial Official for the under The Dog Squad!

Sue picked up UKSD Silver with me in June 2023 and has been training weekly with me ever since with her little Jack Russell Terrier Sprout, aka The Mini Mean Sniffing Machine! Sprout is a scentwork addict which is a good thing because now Sue has more time on her hands there is no rest for her little Sniffer Dog!

Sprout completed the full UKSD programme and has continued into NNA trials, winning out of Foundation recently with excellent results! She also dabbles in The Nosework Games and is an awesome little mantrailer too!

I was delighted to put Sue through TO training, she is going to be an invaluable help when I am Judging and is a much appreciated member of The Dog Squad community.

Well done Sue! 👏👏👏

03/04/2025

CONGRATULATIONS to these 8 amazing dogs and handlers who this week passed their BRONZE level!

I love these end of term posts because as you flick through you can see how scentwork is for every dog, regardless of breed, age or size!

Scentwork even welcomes reactive dogs and being in a group class was such a fantastic experience and achievement for little Romanian Rescue Bertie! 🤩

These handlers have all been blown away by what their dog has learned to do in six weeks. And they have had much fun along the way, as have I!

Thanks to you all for choosing to train with me and thank you to and for hosting us! I look forward to seeing many of you after Easter for progression! 🙌

02/04/2025

GRADUATES!!! 🥹 What an absolute treat it has been to work with these five puppy handlers beyond Foundations and through Progression.

People genuinely think that a six week puppy course will tick that box but goodness it does not scratch the surface! Plus it’s in adolescence that the training really matters! Bless Tifa and Esme who missed their last session because they have come into their first season! 🥹

I’m so proud of these five handlers for continuing to build on their foundation training. They now have some well rehearsed reflex responses to use in real life AND have added distraction, duration and distance to many of their baseline behaviours. We even had some success on Temptation Valley today! 😆

I am also confident that these pups have been appropriately socialised and our little social walk to finish demonstrated that beautifully with the pups happily walking and sniffing together. That is the dream!

Thank you Dawn, Karen, Jess, Harry and Carole for entrusting me with this important period in your puppy’s development. 💝

01/04/2025

PROUD TRAINER!!! Tonight these three handlers passed their UK Sniffer Dogs GOLD award with DISTINCTION! 🤩

All three dogs now recognise Truffle Oil as part of their odour library. They can search for Truffle Oil, Gunoil and KONG in the same search. And they have excellent foundations for indications on inaccessible hides, including in water!

They can also search people and given that two of them are people wary, that is a big deal! 👊

They really have done incredibly well and I am looking forward to developing them further! Well done Lorna, Helena and Lisa! 👏👏👏

31/03/2025

What a fabulous day we have had running our first NNA Trial at Diggerland Kent today! 🤩

I was super excited to have this opportunity and it really did not disappoint. Dogs and handlers had SO much fun searching diggers and play areas and even the shop! Never had so many people giggling mid-search in the shop as the Fart Ninjas went off every time we passed them! 🤣

Huge thanks to Mike and Team at Diggerland for welcoming us! We can’t wait to be back end of April for Foundation and Pre-Entry.

Congrats to our winners today, Nina with Lylla and in Reserve, Rebecca with Roo! Congrats also to Tracy with Morris for being awarded a Synergy on boxes.

I would like to add for those following my Box Saga on instagram that Charlie finally gained a badge on Boxes too! 😅 Practice makes progress! 👊

Want to get involved? New Beginner Scentwork courses start after Easter! Head to linktr.ee/thedogsquadofficial, Scent Squad to book!