Simon Mallin K9 Training & Consultancy

15/10/2026

Specialist Explosive Detection Dog Training Day — Bulk Explosives & HME

Thursday 3 December 2026 | Alford Technologies, Cheddar, Somerset
Alford Group

I'm organising a specialist Explosive Detection Dog training day at Alford Technologies, offering handlers and their dogs a valuable opportunity to work with a wide range of bulk live explosive substances in a controlled training environment.

The day will provide exposure to commercial, military and homemade explosive (HME) target scents, including substances that many handlers may not routinely have access to during continuation training.

The training day is open to suitably qualified and experienced EDD handlers and teams, regardless of their training provider, certification body or professional affiliation.

Details:

- Arrival: 09:00 | Training: 10:00–16:00/16:30
- £165 per handler and dog
- Additional dogs: £77 each
- Participation certificates identifying the substances worked on
- Limited to 12 handler places

The day is designed to provide practical scent exposure and training opportunities rather than a formal competence assessment or certification.

Several places have already been booked, and I'm now making the remaining availability known more widely.

If you're interested, please send me a private message or email with your name and contact details.

[email protected]

We have a dedicated WhatsApp group for the event, where full details and booking arrangements are provided.

Simon Mallin K9 Training & Consultancy



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11/10/2026

Three months on — finding a balance between caring and working.

It's approaching three months since Mum was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.

When she was in hospital, we were told we might have three weeks. She spent two of those weeks in hospital, so when we brought her home, we thought we might only have a week left together.

That was early August. Here we are in October.

It's been an emotional roller coaster.

For the first month, I moved back home and became Mum's full-time carer, with support from my three sisters. During the second month, I covered most of the overnight care. Anyone who's cared for a seriously ill relative will understand how demanding those nights can be, physically and emotionally.

This month, we've introduced a shared care rota between the four of us. We cover 9am–5pm during the day and 5pm–9am overnight, giving everyone a chance to rest, work and maintain some normality.

It isn't always easy, but it's making a real difference.

For me, it's meant gradually returning to my professional responsibilities, particularly my work with NASDU. I've continued with administration, standards development and other work I can manage flexibly, including some UK based travel.

I'm enjoying getting back into things, although I'm being careful about taking on commitments that require extended periods away or that I might not be able to fulfil.

Mum remains my priority, and that won't change.

We're under no illusions about her illness. She's not getting better, and circumstances could change quickly. When that time comes, I'll be there with her.

But something I've learned is that living with a terminal diagnosis doesn't mean every day has to be a bad day.

Mum has had a remarkable run of good days recently.

Today was one of them.

I was on the 9am–5pm shift. Mum slept for a couple of hours this morning while I caught up with work, and this afternoon we went to Penarth.

We walked along the pier, sat by the sea, enjoyed a little picnic and had a coffee. No rushing, no appointments, just time together.

The new arrangements have given us the opportunity not just to care for Mum, but to enjoy spending time with her.

The photograph is from this afternoon, with Bandit making sure he gets his share of attention!

Of course, photographs only tell part of the story. Behind the smiles are difficult days, medication, interrupted nights and uncertainty.

But today's smiles were genuine.

I don't know how much more time we'll have together. None of us does.

I'm grateful we've had these extra weeks, that Mum can enjoy days like today, and that my sisters and I are finding a way to support her and one another.

To my friends, colleagues and clients who've been patient and understanding while I've stepped back from some professional commitments — thank you.

I'm gradually getting back into things, one day at a time.

02/10/2026

Scouting for Wales 🏉🐾🏴

Walking along the riverbank when Bandit suddenly disappeared into the bushes… a couple of minutes later he came back out carrying a rugby ball. 😂

Naturally, we had to see what he could do.

Looking for a Wales call-up now. As I said in the video… he couldn’t do any worse. 😂🏉

26/09/2026

A slightly unusual request for any landowners out there…

I'm currently training a dog to detect wild truffles and I'm looking for access to suitable privately owned woodland or parkland where I can carry out some training over the coming months.

The species I'm particularly interested in is the British summer/Burgundy truffle (Tuber aestivum). I'm looking for potentially suitable habitat — particularly mature oak, beech or hazel private woodland/parkland on limestone or other alkaline, free-draining soils.

We're also coming into the right time of year to be looking, so there's an interesting opportunity to combine the dog's training with exploring whether truffles might actually be present on the land. I get suitable ground on which to train and, at the same time, we can effectively survey your woodland to see whether you've got wild truffles growing there.

Obviously there are no guarantees — finding out is part of the fun.
For practical reasons, I'm preferably looking for suitable ground within reasonable travelling distance of Cardiff, particularly Monmouthshire, the Wye Valley and Herefordshire, although I'd still be interested to hear about potentially suitable sites further afield for the future.

Straightforward vehicle access reasonably close to the woodland would be ideal.

If you own land that sounds as though it might fit, or know somebody who does, drop me a private message please via [email protected]

Could be an interesting little project. 🐕🍄

17/09/2026

Nothing here for you Bandit 😁

11/09/2026

A little personal update…

It's been a while since I've posted anything about Mum, so I thought I'd share this photo from Tuesday.

We got the wheelchair out and went for a wander around the town of Cowbridge in South Wales, had a drive around a few places Mum particularly likes, and even managed coffee and cake.

Looking at this picture, if you didn't know what was going on, you probably wouldn't know. You'd simply see an elderly lady out enjoying an afternoon with her son. And for a few hours, that's exactly what it felt like.

That's probably the strangest part of all this. There are good days and bad days, good nights and some pretty sleepless ones. Tuesday was a good day. Today hasn't been quite so good. Mum's been tired, quiet and withdrawn this evening and hasn't really felt like doing very much. She does get pain, but we're managing it with pain relief and we have professional support. And thank goodness she has four children who all want to do their bit and be there for our mum and each other.

We still don't know how much time we have. I'm not kidding myself about where this ultimately leads, but I'm learning not to let that take away from the good days when they come.

I'm incredibly grateful to NASDU for giving me the flexibility to continue working reduced hours from home and fit my role around caring for Mum. It's allowed me to keep a little bit of normality in my own life while being where I need and want to be.

My NASDU involvement is therefore still somewhat reduced, and I apologise if I'm a little slower than usual. I'm picking things up as quickly as I can and delegating where I need to, with a great team around me.

As for my own private training and consultancy work, that's currently on pause until further notice. There will be time for all of that again. For now, Mum comes first.

It's a rollercoaster of emotions, if I'm honest. But Tuesday was one of the good ones, and I'm so grateful we had it. ❤️
We're taking it one day at a time.

09/09/2026

Not quite the start to the day Bandit had planned…

Bandit managed to cut/catch one of his pads earlier this week. I'd been cleaning and dressing it myself, but as it wasn't settling and was still bleeding this morning, it was time for a trip to the vet.
Thankfully, nothing sinister. It's been properly cleaned and checked and now it's simply a case of keeping it clean and dry, restricting his exercise and giving it time to heal.

The consultation and peace of mind were worth having.

The £41.81 charge for putting a bandage on his paw, however, was perhaps the most painful part of the whole experience. 😂

As someone who's spent most of his working life around dogs, I think I'll be doing that particular bit myself next time!
Bandit has now officially been placed on light duties while his paw heals.
Given that he's retired and has been on light duties for quite some time anyway, we're currently trying to establish what exactly comes below light duties. 😂🐾

04/09/2026

I've been thinking a lot recently about the different turns my working life has taken, and which part of it I enjoyed the most.

I joined the British Army at 17, initially with the Royal Regiment of Wales, before spending five years with the Army Dog Unit.

After leaving, I set up a security Canine business in Cardiff, which by chance took me to the Philippines for over four years, where I established a training business covering canine and wider security training. There were then a couple of years in Tenerife doing something completely different, before coming back to the UK and working as a security manager on a large corporate park.

Then Iraq happened.

I went out initially as a reservist. I came home, and within a couple of weeks I was back out again — this time as a civilian security contractor working with dogs.

Iraq led into Afghanistan, and eventually I came home and established another security training business which, as these things sometimes do, grew arms and legs and took me overseas again, to various countries.

Along the way I've chaired NASDU, led its Inspectorate, trained both security and detection dogs and handlers, and more recently moved into a full-time role overseeing canine standards within NASDU.

I've also had the opportunity to become involved in training dogs for diabetic alert work — something completely different and incredibly rewarding in its own right.

But if somebody asked me which period was the most exciting, there really isn't much competition.

I had six consecutive birthdays in Iraq — the first in green kit and the next five in civvies.

And I loved it.

Yes, the money was good. But that wasn't really what kept taking me back.

It was raw. It was unpredictable. We operated well off the beaten track, often without the comfort of a QRF sitting behind us. You relied on your training, your judgement and the people around you.

It was everything I'd trained for and, if I'm truthful, probably everything the 17-year-old version of me had imagined doing one day.

There was an almost addictive quality to it. The intensity, the responsibility, the adrenaline and the absolute focus required when you were there.

Then I'd come home for a month.

For that month I'd enjoy myself, spend money without thinking too much about it and live almost like a pop star — admittedly one who couldn't string a tune together.

Then the kit would get packed and I'd go back again.

I've had a varied career and I've been fortunate enough to do work in recent years that I find genuinely worthwhile and rewarding. But for sheer excitement, adventure and that feeling of being exactly where I was supposed to be at that particular point in my life?

Iraq. Without question.

So, over to you.

Looking back over your working life, what was the most exciting or rewarding period of your career — the one you'd go back and do all over again?

Photo: Fallujah, Iraq, 2006–2007, with Tyler — my explosives detection dog and best mate at the time.

27/08/2026

Nice to see this getting some engagement over on the NASDU page.
If you've got a working dog — current or retired, any discipline — get a photo up on the original NASDU post please🙏. 🐾
I'm sure I've got a few people on here who can contribute! 🐕📸

🐾 INTERNATIONAL DOG DAY 🐾
Today is International Dog Day, so we're handing the NASDU page over to the working dogs.
Security, detection, police, military, search and rescue, assistance, conservation — whatever the discipline, today we'd like to see the dogs doing the jobs they were trained for.

📸 Share a favourite photo of your working dog in the comments and tell us:

🐾 Their name
🐾 Their working discipline
🐾 Whether they're currently working or enjoying a well-earned retirement

They don't have to be NASDU trained or certified — working dogs of all disciplines are welcome.
Let's fill the comments with the dogs that work alongside us.

Happy International Dog Day from NASDU. 🐕🐾

20/08/2026

A little update... which I've thought long and hard about posting.

Two weeks ago I shared the news that Mum had been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer.

Since then we've managed to get her home, which is exactly where she wanted to be.

The last couple of weeks have been some of the hardest I've ever experienced, but they've also reminded me what really matters. Family, friendship, kindness... and, of course, dogs.

I've moved in with Mum for the time being, and between my three sisters and me we're making sure she's never on her own. It isn't always easy, and there are some long days and even longer nights, but we're making memories and taking each day as it comes.

This photograph means a great deal to me.
Many of you will recognise Bandit, but the black Labrador is Ada. Last week her owner / handler, Kay, drove three hours to bring Ada to visit Mum. Mum has loved Labradors all her life, having bred them under the Malpeet prefix, and seeing Ada again genuinely lifted her spirits.

What began as a trainer and customer relationship has grown into a real friendship, and I'll never forget the kindness Kay showed us that day. Thank you.

I'd also like to thank everyone who has contacted me over the past couple of weeks. Friends, former customers, colleagues and people I've not spoken to for years have all taken the time to send messages or simply check how we're doing.

Every single message has been appreciated.

A special thank you must also go to everyone at NASDU. Steve, Roger, Sam, Lee the Management Committee and so many others have been incredibly understanding and supportive, allowing me to put mum first without adding any pressure about work. That support has meant more than I can say.

Over the coming weeks I hope to start doing a little more work again, mainly from home and around Mum's needs, but mum remains my priority. We'll continue to take one day at a time and make the most of every good day we're lucky enough to have.

Thank you all for your kindness, your patience and your understanding. It really does mean more than you know.

NASDU - National Association of Security Dog Users
❤️