Hawk Canine

10/10/2026

06/10/2026

That’s a wrap on DogFest at the Palace.

Another incredible weekend meeting new people, meeting your dogs, and making new contacts with some of the other exhibitors.

A massive thank you to everyone who stopped to talk about the business, bought from us, met the dogs, or just came over to say hello.

Being a small veteran business running from the back of a van and standing alongside some of the bigger brands can be a pretty daunting feeling. So, seeing so many people choosing to support a small business like ours is bloody amazing.

Of course, Flik was top salesman again.

He brings people in by being a surprisingly well-behaved Malinois, giving me enough time to tell them about the business before they decide they want to support what we’re building.

So, hats off to Flik for putting in the graft again this weekend.

Now, like everything we do, it’s time for the after-action review.

What worked? What didn’t? What can we improve for the next one?

We’ve already got plenty of ideas for how we can improve the stand and the experience at future shows, so it’s straight back to work.

For now, I just want to say thank you to everyone who came to see us.

I appreciate every single one of you.

God bless, and if you haven’t already, click the link and join the Pack. 🐾

03/10/2026

Here we go for Dog Fest day one.

We managed to get here by stealing a truck and staying in a hotel. Wired experience staying inside a building for the first time in God knows how long.

But like everything we do, when we hit an issue, we figure it out and make it work.

See you all this weekend

30/09/2026

September has been a busy month for Hawk K9, all while living in a van that still isn’t working and running a business with two dogs.

We’ve had a lot of stealth fitness this month, walking 8–10 miles round trip to the unit to pack and send orders. The upside is that the dogs are getting plenty of exercise.

We’ve restocked the bite bars and balls, added the new grey bite bar, brought more colours into the balls, and brought back the Play Bundle. We’ve also got another stockist on the books.

We set up at Dog Fest at the Farm, met loads of new people, and had plenty more people join the Hawk K9 Pack while getting Flik out and experiencing more of the world.

We also headed up north with the Contact Coffee crew and got some awesome photos and videos of Flik, which we’ll be sharing soon.

Then came the Hereford Military History Festival, where I was invited to speak about my military career, the dogs, transitioning into civilian life and building Hawk K9 from the back of a van. Seeing a full theatre and so many people there to hear the story was incredible.

We also got invited to speak to another veteran community, this time over Skype. I have to admit, I much prefer standing in front of an audience, but it was another awesome opportunity, and I’m very thankful they reached out.

Now we’re packing up and getting ready for Dog Fest again this weekend.

Although, I am currently looking for a vehicle to steal to actually get us there.

Doing all of this in one month is challenging enough without a broken van, two big dogs, and equipment that needs to get around the country.

But as always, you see a problem, you work it, and eventually, it stops being a problem.

September has thrown plenty at us, but we’re still moving forward.

And that’s what matters.

27/09/2026

What an incredible day at the Hereford Military History Festival.

First off, I just want to say a massive thank you to the organisers of the festival for asking me to come along as a guest speaker, and to everyone who showed up to listen to us talk and meet the dogs.

I was honestly blown away walking into the theatre and seeing it completely full, then being told it was sold out.

Seeing Hawk K9 hats in the audience was the cherry on top. Seeing people wearing something that started from the back of my van while I’m standing there talking about the journey that got us here was a pretty surreal moment.

I also spotted an old boss from Afghanistan in the audience who I haven’t seen since, so it was bloody brilliant to catch up with her as well.

Then, coming off stage and seeing all the incredible feedback, with so many people wanting to come and meet the team afterwards, was honestly amazing to see.

Ursula and Flik were obviously more than happy to take all the attention.

A massive thank you to everyone who came along, listened to the story, asked questions, and took the time to come and say hello afterwards.

It was one hell of a day, and it was definitely one I won’t forget anytime soon.

Now we get the dogs back to the van and see what the next adventure brings. 🐾

27/09/2026

20/09/2026

One week until the Hereford Military History Festival.

Come along and get involved, with loads of guest speakers and things happening throughout the weekend.

We’re taking to the stage at 11 am on Sunday the 27th at the Pavilion on Castle Green.

I’ll be talking about my journey as a military dog trainer, how I started, where the career took me, how it eventually came to an end, dealing with depression and medical discharge, and then figuring out what the hell came next.

I’ll also be talking about how I took all of that experience and started Hawk K9 from the back of a van.

And of course, Ursula and Flik will be there as well.

As part of the build-up, we’ll also be sitting down with Gaz, the host of Veterans Voices Podcast, so there’s going to be plenty of content coming out of this over the next week.

Hopefully we’ll see plenty of you there.

Come along, say hello, meet the dogs, and hear the story behind Hawk K9. 🐾

19/09/2026

Sometimes, we take the dogs out for training one at a time, especially when we’re heading into town to do some environmental training with Flik. Managing a young, energetic Mali and a blind, reactive GSD in busy built-up areas can become a bit much, so sometimes it’s easier to give them some individual time.

So today, me and Flik hit the town.

The aim was pretty simple: get him out around distractions and teach him to stay calm while the world is going on around him.

On the walk into town, we work on him walking in the correct position. I’ll usually start with some focused heel work, but as we go, I’m not too fussed about having his eyes glued to me. I want him to be able to look around, take in what’s happening, and see the world, but still maintain that controlled position next to me.

Once we get into town, he knows where he needs to be, and we can start adding more distractions.

First stop, obviously, a café.

Kieron needs his coffee and Saturday treat, while Flik sits and chills… ish.

Once it’s time to leave, all that energy we burnt off walking into town has returned.

To be fair to him, he stays in the right position next to me, but he does spend the entire walk out of the café going from floor level to somewhere around my head.

So we find somewhere to get a bit more training in, burn off some of that energy, and then head back into town.

A few shops, plenty of distractions, lots of things to look at, and just getting him used to being out in the real world.

Then we head back to see Ursula.

Flik did bloody well today. Walking nicely next to me, dealing with distractions and learning that we can be chill around the noise.

And once the work is done, he gets to have some freedom to just be a dog.