Search dog training and coaching for sports and working dog teams. Online courses and webinars in Detection.
18/12/2024
Working dog puppy development is full of decisive moments that can shape their future success in both training and work.
My priorities are to nurture their natural drives and avoid suffocating them. If I had to pick one key focus to set a puppy up for success—and one major pitfall to avoid—it would be these:
👍 PLAY is my top YES for puppies. Play is the gateway to building a strong relationship and creating a solid training foundation. If you do just one thing with your puppy, make it play. Through play, your puppy will learn to love being with you, making recall training easy and introducing key working dog foundations. I start playing Hunting Games with my puppies from day one, and the results speak for themselves.
👎 IMPULSE CONTROL can wait. For a Detection dog puppy, curiosity and a nose-forward attitude are essential qualities—they should not be trained out of them. If there’s something you don’t want your puppy to interact with, focus on managing their environment instead. This is not the time for "it's your choice" games. Rewarding your puppy with food for sitting still and not going after a tennis ball could backfire later.
16/12/2024
Happy Out is a DIY mini programme that gives you the recipe for training a conflict-free toy release.
The benefits of a clean 'out':
✨ You get a consistent release of toys/objects in response to a cue,
✨ You can use toys in training without worrying about how you'll get them back,
✨ You enjoy conflict-free training and play with your dog, where no-one feels a winner or a loser.
With Happy Out you condition a toy release primarily by playing with your dog, I'll show you how in the 10 progressive steps. You get written instructions, demo videos and additional tips.
How long it will take you to work through the programme can be individually different. Some students have completed the training in less than two weeks. In any case, you have lifetime access.
🔥 VALID only before Christmas: when you sign up to my Play With Your Dog Facebook Challenge, you get the Happy Out programme as a bonus, completely free of charge.
16/12/2024
Limited-time offer: Get all 3 of my essential webinars in one bundle!
💥 Hunting Games: unlock the principles behind my play-based approach to search dog training
💥 5 Common Mistakes in Indication Training: avoid the pitfalls and set your training up for success
💥 False Alerts: learn the causes, fixes, and prevention strategies to keep your training on track.
Special Bundle Price: Only €47!
(that's a €34 saving compared to buying each webinar separately)
This offer is only available until Christmas, so don’t miss out!
As the New Year approaches, many of us reflect on our goals and the things we want to start or do better. If you’ve wished to spend more meaningful time with your dog, now’s the perfect moment to make it happen.
My Play With Your Dog Facebook Challenge is coming up in less than two weeks, and it’s designed to help you kick off 2025 with purpose. This challenge isn’t just about playing; it’s about building skills that strengthen your bond and make training smoother, all while having fun.
Reasons this challenge is worth it:
✨ Reconnect with your dog: learn an engaging, interactive way to play that brings you closer and you can use again and again, no matter how busy life gets.
✨ Practical: each activity is crafted with a purpose.
✨ A fresh start: it’s the best way to set the tone for the year and finally prioritise the time you’ve always wanted to give your dog.
Don’t leave it to "some day" again. Join us and make 2025 the year of stronger connection and commitment to your training.
A dog's drive refers to innate, motivational tendencies shaped by genetics, instincts, and environment, influencing their enthusiasm or predisposition for specific activities. For example, food drive, prey drive etc.
In training, we observe or measure drive through how consistently and enthusiastically a dog engages in specific activities. High-drive dogs have strong focus, persistence, and energy toward tasks related to their dominant drives, making them great at specific jobs, like Detection. By understanding and harnessing a dog's drives we can optimise their performance as a working dog.
I'm compiling a list of terms we use in search dog training, and their most common definition. I think sometimes when we use certain specialised terms in our conversations one or both parties either only have a vague idea of what they mean, or different understandings. If you’re on Instagram, I’ve saved the glossary terms I’ve shared so far under a story highlight called GLOSSARY. Check it out!
12/12/2024
Book your place, only 2 weeks till we start!
10/12/2024
I'm often asked what's the difference between the 4 approaches to Hunting Games I offer.
📌 The Hunting Games DIY mini programme focuses on building and strengthening toy and search motivation. It's the perfect first stepping stone or recap for Detection training. Get access here: https://www.ontargetk9.co/courses/hunting-games
📌 The Hunting Games webinar discusses the principles behind the games I play with trainee search dogs, and how this play differs from social/interactive play. It gives you more background to the principles the mini programme is based on. You'll find it on my Webinars page: https://www.ontargetk9.co/webinars
📌 The 5x5 Hunting Games Facebook Challenge is a fun, entry-level 5-day online event aimed at anyone, not just those doing or planning to do Detection training. Sign up here: https://www.ontargetk9.co/courses/hg-challenge
📌 The Hunting Games Workshop brings it all together in a live event. More games, more tips, discussion and Q&A. I teach these events by invitation, contact me to discuss availability if you'd like to host one in 2025.
08/12/2024
Ready for another bite-sized learning opportunity?
Join me for an in-depth webinar where we’ll dive into Imprinting in Detection!
I’ll be breaking down 3 different methods, exploring their pros and cons, and sharing practical tips to help you decide the best fit for your team. The presentation will be followed by Q&A, so bring your questions.
I've just updated my most popular DIY mini programme, Hunting Games.
I'm sharing the secrets! You’re getting the exact set of progressive games I play with all my trainee search dogs during foundation training, to grow their toy motivation, develop their search, and prepare them for indication training.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when On Target K9 posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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Videos
Paco
Watch with sound.
Paco on the brick wall again. I like them super crazy for Kong, but still able to immediately switch to searching.
Raven
A brick wall refresher for Raven.
Training videos are so valuable for assessing what I want to tweak about his search, but also what I should tweak in my own actions. Like the less than ideally angled throw here that’s on my list to watch out for next time.
Without monitoring what we do (as trainers for our dogs) it’s too easy to get into ‘bad’ habits and stop thinking on our feet. And then we wonder why the dog does something we didn’t want them to do. Most likely because we’ve reinforced it without realising.
Neko
Little obstacle course hunting game for little Neko.
My goal here is that’s she stays on task even though she has to physically manoeuvre around.
Do you set specific goals for your training sessions?
Neko & Paco
Spot the similarities and differences between Neko and Paco hunting!
An update to my Hunting Games mini-programme is on my to-do-list. Those of you who have the current version will automatically get the update.
Quick drill on the bricks for Paco.
I have a place available for Momentum Coaching, if you want to build up your dog or puppy’s Detection Foundation.
To find out more about Momentum: https://www.ontargetk9.co/1-1-training
Great work by this team doing Momentum Coaching with me.
Detection foundation training involves motivation work, leading into search development and eventually to indication training.
Yes, it’s important to start with the right genetic material in the dog. But it’s not enough. It’s about showing up and doing the training. Like my student Becky has done with K9 Moo.
With Momentum you’re never on your own, I give input every step of the way. To find out more about how Momentum works, see: https://www.ontargetk9.co/1-1-training
Kai
Kai’s tracking journey started with indication training as a puppy. You’ll see actual footage from his training in the demo videos for my Tracking Indication Facebook Challenge starting tomorrow.
Reasons to join this training challenge:
1. Get the training done: if you’re committed it’s possible to train this in 10 days.
2. We’ll train this with food, so it’s suited for any dog, toy motivation is not needed in this training progression.
3. Learn how to make it a really focused indication, rather than a ‘woodpecker indication’ where the dog keeps looking at you.
4. Training this indication can be the start of your tracking training (in our Last Facebook Live of the challenge I can give you tips on how to continue, or you can sign up for more training).
5. It’s all ready for you to roll up your sleeves - you get the training steps to follow during the challenge, as well as life time access to these materials afterwards.
6. You get instructor input on all videos you post, plus additional tips and Q&A by Facebook Live.
7. You’ll be part of a private training group with like minded people, which will help you stay motivated. There’s still time to jump on board!
Sign up here: https://www.ontargetk9.co/courses/tracking-indication-facebook-challenge
Tracking Indication Facebook Challenge
I’m organising this year’s get-together in a private Facebook group to train a focused down-stare INDICATION FOR TRACKING DOGS, over 10 days, starting on Wednesday 16 October.
Training alongside like-minded others, for a set time, will help you feel accountable, gain momentum and keep you on track.
I'll be there to support you every step of the way, with written feedback for your videos.
All training materials are included with this training challenge. You'll get step-by-step instructions, demo videos to illustrate and insider tips. We'll be using food for this one, so you can take part even if your dog isn't toy motivated. This is an international event and runs in English, but if English isn't your first language Facebook can automatically translate all written instructions and feedback.
As a bonus, you'll get lifetime access to the training steps via your account on my website, so you can refer back to them in the future. And, as long as you remain in the group, taking part again whenever I repeat the challenge in the future is also included, free of charge.
There are different ways to start Tracking. I start with indication training, hence total newbies are just as welcome to this challenge, alongside those who already track and still need to train the indication. Puppies can learn this too - as you see in the video.
Participation fee is 47 euros for the 10 days. If you have more than one dog to train you can upload videos of both for feedback, and still only pay once (another bonus!)
Reserve your place here: https://www.ontargetk9.co/courses/tracking-indication-facebook-challenge
Neko
Playing food chase with this little piranha. Hasn’t she grown? It’s Neko.
Black sharks… Paco, Neko and Luca at the lake today
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‘Every dog needs a nose job’
Just like us, each dog is an individual and this is how we train at Surrey Search Dogs. One team at a time, the task, the pace, everything tailored to the dog and their handler. In a session with five dogs we may work in five different ways.
Nosework is a journey of discovery we enable for our dogs to take us on. This is where we trust them and we watch and learn about them, while they learn to navigate the challenges we set. You cannot force nosework and you cannot rush it, you simply enjoy being part of a team out on an adventure.
Be prepared to be surprised and fascinated by discovering this wonderful activity together! Or, if you are already addicted, you know... the learning never stops.
Why we love nosework...
Any dog with a nose can do it. Puppies’ sense of smell is there since they are born, whereas for other skills they have yet to develop physically or mentally. Sniffing is still fully functional in dogs recovering from physical injury or older dogs whose exercise levels are limited, hence it’s a great way to provide them with mental stimulation. It can focus reactive or easily distracted dogs and provide an outlet for hyperactive dogs. It can help shy dogs gain confidence.
Our dogs already know this game. Sniffing is a fundamental skill in dogs, since it’s been a main reason why humans have bred dogs over time - think about the role it plays in hunting, herding and guarding. It’s up to us now to harness this incredible talent in a way that makes best use of it. Detection training is quite different from other forms of dog training.
It enables our dogs to live a more fulfilled life. It wears them out, in a good way. Most dogs will be more affected by half an hour searching than a three-hour walk. Nosework may not always be physically demanding (though it can also be - as physically demanding as you want to make it), but it takes so much concentration. Either way, the brain will need a good rest afterwards. Fido will need to recharge in dreamland.
Possibilities are endless. Scentwork for example can be done indoors or outdoors, in any setting, with other people involved or just handler and dog. Equipment needed is minimal and low cost. Some days we keep it as simple as hiding a tennis ball while out on a walk, on others we search for a scent underground. We do, of course, have serious nose games (searching for illicit substances or lost people), but we also have an option to search for lost coins when we’re bored at the pub. Not to mention finding those keys lost in a field...
It’s fun. Dogs can find nosework rewarding for the sake of it. They can ignore food, toys and favourite people while they are busy searching.
It builds a good relationship. I need my dog to solve a puzzle I can’t solve by myself, and my dog needs me to read and handle him to so he can search most efficiently – we’re a team.
