Hawk Canine

Hawk Canine 🇬🇧Veteran-built dog gear & apparel🇬🇧
🐕Inspired by working dog heritage🐕
Built on experience. Driven by purpose
Join the Pack🦅🐺
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Throwback Thursday… because we haven’t done one for a while.Back to being 20 years old, already losing my hair, and on m...
03/09/2026

Throwback Thursday… because we haven’t done one for a while.

Back to being 20 years old, already losing my hair, and on my High Assurance Search Dog Handler course, a course that would go on to shape a massive part of my military career.

We used to say in the military that if you want to understand Malis, go and be a HASD handler.

These dogs needed serious drive to do the job they were brought in to do, but being a handler was about much more than just having a driven dog. It was about learning to read them, understanding how they worked, and building that communication between dog and handler when out searching.

What I didn’t know at the time was just how much this course would shape the next chapter of my life.

I went on to deploy to Afghanistan, where I was teamed with the legend that was Freddie, who you’ve probably heard plenty of stories about, and trust me, there are plenty more to come.

From there, I went on to train HASDs at the dog school in Melton, deploy on another two tours with a classification modelled on HASD, and eventually finish my military career as the senior trainer for the classification across the military.

But all of that started right here.

20 years old.
Learning the basics.
No idea where it would eventually take me.

Funny, looking back at moments that seemed normal at the time and realising they were actually the start of something that would shape your entire career.

And apparently, the start of losing the rest of my hair as well

If you missed it… Hawk K9 is heading to DogFest! 🐕Next weekend, 12th–13th September, we’ll be at Harewood House for DogF...
02/09/2026

If you missed it… Hawk K9 is heading to DogFest! 🐕

Next weekend, 12th–13th September, we’ll be at Harewood House for DogFest on the farm.

This one feels pretty special.

Last year, Ursula and I went along for a recce to see if DogFest was something Hawk K9 could get involved with. While we were there, it would’ve been rude not to enter the Queen herself into one of the dog shows… and of course, she walked away with 1st place for Best Rescue. 👑

Fast forward a year…

We’ve gone from having about four products to exhibiting at Crufts, expanding the Hawk K9 range, recruiting a new member of the pack in Flik, bringing brand ambassadors onboard, making some incredible friends in the veteran business community… and now we’re heading back to DogFest with our own stand.

It's funny what can happen in a year when you just keep moving forward.

If you’re coming along, make sure you stop by, say hello, and meet the team. Flik, myself, and, of course, the Queen herself Ursula will all be in attendance.

And if you can’t make Harewood House, you’ll get another chance when we head to DogFest at the Palace in October.

As always, I’m incredibly grateful for the support every single one of you continues to give Hawk K9.

See you at DogFest. 🤙🐕

30/08/2026

THE EVERYDAY LEADS JUST GOT AN UPGRADE 👀

You asked for more colours… so here they are.

Our everyday leads are now available in:

⚫ Black
🩶 Grey
🟢 Green
🟣 Purple

Same Everyday Lead. Same setup. Just more options to match you and your dog.

Built to be versatile, with multiple attachment points, a double-ended design, and that short control handle for when you need your dog a little closer.

And for the tartan fans. Tartan is still available, but once the remaining stock is gone, it’s gone. No restock planned.

More colours. More choice. Same Hawk K9 quality.

The new colours are LIVE NOW.

Which one are you picking? 👇

27/08/2026

The Hawk K9 team is going to be busy over the next couple of months! 🐾

First up, DogFest on the Farm, 12th–13th September at Harewood House, where we’ll be setting up the full Hawk K9 stand.

Then we’re back home for the Hereford Military History Festival, where I’ll be doing a live talk covering my military career, working with military dogs, mental health, transitioning into civilian life and how Hawk K9 came about.

Then it’s down to DogFest at the Palace, 3rd–4th October at Blenheim Palace for another full weekend with the Hawk K9 stand.

Alongside those, we’ve got a few more guest-speaking appearances with veteran communities and some content days planned with other veteran-owned businesses — which means plenty more military dog content coming your way.

We’re going to be up and down the country over the next couple of months, so if you’re heading to any of these events, make sure you come over, meet the dogs and say hello.

Busy few months ahead for Hawk K9. Exactly how we like it. 🤙🐾

International Dog Day 🐾Which means it’s time to give the dogs behind Hawk K9 the shout-out they deserve.First, MWD Fredd...
26/08/2026

International Dog Day 🐾

Which means it’s time to give the dogs behind Hawk K9 the shout-out they deserve.

First, MWD Freddie, the legend behind the Legacy Line.

The dog who showed me the ropes on my first deployment, found devices in front of us and then came home to help me fight a completely different battle. Even years after losing him, he still inspires Hawk K9 and the products we create.

Next, the Queen herself, Ursula. 👑

From military protection dog in Cyprus, to losing both eyes, surviving a blood transfusion and becoming an ongoing medical mystery. She’s the definition of resilience.

We found each other when I was in a dark place, eventually both got medically discharged, moved out of the Sgts' Mess and into a van to start again. She’s now a therapy dog, Hawk K9’s chief product tester and proof of what retired military dogs can still achieve.

Finally, Flik.

Young, full of life and currently a puppy brain inside a grown dog's body. He’s becoming a huge part of Hawk K9, training, demos, testing equipment and modelling the gear.

He still doesn’t understand why everyone else gets to go inside a house at night while we stay in the van.

Because we’re poor, son.

And somehow he’s even managed to become Ursula’s partner in crime.

Turns out even blind reactive dogs need friends, she just needed one she couldn’t catch long enough to accept.

Freddie taught me the job.
Ursula helped me rebuild.
Flik is part of what comes next.

The dogs behind Hawk K9. 🐾

23/08/2026

Tickets are now available for Voices of Service at Visit Herefordshire Stage, St Peter's Church, Hereford on Sun 27 Sep 2026 at 5:30PM. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!

16/08/2026

Control. Control. Control.

If you've followed Hawk K9 for any length of time, you'll have heard me say it a hundred times. That's because control isn't just another exercise, it's the foundation of everything we do with our dogs.

Training doesn't start when you ask for a sit. It starts the moment you clip the lead on.

If you let your dog drag you all the way to the bite suit and then expect perfect obedience, you've already rewarded the pulling. The dog has learnt that pulling gets them exactly where they want to be.

Instead, we use engagement and obedience to close the distance. The reward isn't getting to the decoy... the reward comes through you. Once the dog is focused on the handler, then we can switch that focus onto the decoy and... boom... they earn the bite.

It's exactly the same on your everyday walks.

Before you head out, spend a couple of minutes building engagement. A few simple exercises to get your dog's attention on you before you open the gate can completely change the quality of the walk.

Control isn't about taking the fun away from your dog.

It's about teaching them that everything they want comes from working with you, not by dragging you towards it.

Control first. Everything else becomes easier.

13/08/2026

Who is Kieron outside of the military?

That's a question I couldn't answer when I was told I was being medically discharged.

For 14 years, I'd done what the Army asked of me. I chased courses, promotions, deployments, and qualifications. Looking back, I achieved more than I ever imagined I would.

But I'd forgotten to build an identity outside of the uniform.

When the military ends, the uniform comes off, but so does a huge part of who you thought you were. You realise that for years, you've been moulded into the person the Army needed you to be. The problem is, eventually, you have to figure out who you are.

The one thing I never lost was my passion for dogs.

That's why I started Hawk K9.

It wasn't just about selling dog equipment. It was about taking everything I'd learnt throughout my military career, combining it with my passion, and building something that was mine. Something I could be proud of.

Now I get to live a life I dreamed about for years.

Living on the road with Ursula and Flik. Visiting other dog people and veteran businesses. Teaching. Speaking. Heading to dog shows. Building a business from nothing. (And after a very exciting phone call yesterday... there are even more exciting things to come.)

The biggest lesson I've learnt is this...

Don't wait for someone else to tell you who you are.

Go and find out for yourself.

These days I hike because I enjoy it. I train the dogs because I love watching them learn. We go paddleboarding, we explore, we build Hawk K9, and every day, I get to be exactly who I want to be.

Not Sergeant Hawkes.

Just Kieron.

And, if I'm honest, I quite like who that bloke is becoming.

09/08/2026

Introducing Flik to the pack wasn't a decision I made overnight.

I spent nearly a year looking at different dogs before finally deciding Flik was the right one. The question almost every dog person asked me was...

"How are you going to get Ursula to accept him?"

Considering she's reactive, blind, and we all live in a van together... it was a fair question.

Years of working military dogs taught me one thing... don't rush the process. Ursula's world is different from ours, so it's up to me to make her feel safe.

Because of that, I wasn't going to rush introducing them.

I built partitions in the van so they could smell and hear each other without making contact.

For three months, they lived in the same van without ever actually meeting.

People kept asking if they'd met yet, and I started wondering if I was dragging it out. But deep down, I knew I'd know when the time was right.

Then, one morning, I just knew.

Today's the day.

We muzzled Ursula, let them meet, and she did exactly what I expected. She pinned Flik for a moment.

I still laugh thinking what Flik must have been thinking...

"I've been living with this dog for three months, and the first time I meet her, she looks like Bane and pins me to the floor."

Then she sniffed him.

You could almost see the cogs turning as she realised this was the dog she'd been smelling every day.

A few weeks later, we spent four nights together in a hotel at Crufts without a single issue.

Fast forward to today...

They play together.

They relax together.

Most nights, Flik curls up next to Ursula to sleep.

Sometimes, the hardest part of introducing dogs isn't the dogs.

It's having the patience to trust your own judgement instead of rushing because everyone else thinks it's time. 🐾

05/08/2026

I didn't know it at the time, but that meeting would shape the rest of my life.

At that moment, I was just excited to meet the dog I was about to work with, qualify alongside, and deploy with. A dog that would become my teammate, trusted with searching for IEDs in Afghanistan.

Freddie and I went on to do exactly that.

We deployed all over Afghanistan, constantly moving to wherever we were needed. At one point, we found ourselves attached to the Danish search team, an experience I'll never forget.

On one task, we were clearing a route when we were called forward to search a vulnerable point. Freddie did exactly what he'd been trained to do. He found an IED.

Who knows what would have happened if he hadn't? A soldier, a civilian... someone could have stepped on it.

People used to ask why we got up so early every morning to train. The answer was simple. We trained before the heat, putting in the repetitions day after day, because one day those repetitions would save someone's life.

Years later, when his military career was over bit, mine wasn’t, I was fighting battles of a different kind, Freddie was still doing his job.

He stayed by my side when the demons were at their loudest. He gave me a reason to keep getting out of bed. He reminded me there was always another walk to go on, another sunrise to see, another day to fight for.

Looking back now, it all comes back to this moment.

Walking down that kennel line and seeing the most laid-back Malinois stretched out in the sun. I remember thinking, "We're going to get on just fine."

What I didn't realise was that he wasn't just about to become my military working dog.

He was about to become the dog who would save my life.

I'd give anything for one more walk with him. Just to sit on a hill together and tell him everything that's happened since we last saw each other.

Some dogs change your career.

The special ones change your life.

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