The Dog Squad

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The Dog Squad Based in Kings Hill and covering Maidstone, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks, Kent.

Syrah Martin: Dog Trainer specialising in Scent Detection for Pet and Sport Dogs; also offering Puppy Development, Pet Gundog/Obedience and Reactivity to Neutrality training.

🚩HOOPERS TROOP : NOVICE SPACES Pace, Distance, Directions. Hoopers is my favourite sequence sport; perfect for dogs who...
20/10/2026

🚩HOOPERS TROOP : NOVICE SPACES
Pace, Distance, Directions.

Hoopers is my favourite sequence sport; perfect for dogs who love to run and handlers who don’t! 😂

In Hoopers, your dog will learn to work away from you, running at distance whilst listening to your directions. Dogs build stamina whilst remaining engaged with the handler, working the course as a team!

Suitable for all ages but dogs MUST have a solid recall around distractions (including people, other dogs and possible horses) as our field is NOT enclosed.

We have a couple of spaces available in our next continuation course up from Foundations; perfect for novice dogs who already have a foundation of hoop, barrel and tunnel value.

Booking link in the comments! 👀

20/10/2026

Canine Hoopers for a low impact sequence sport safe for young dogs, old dogs and all dogs in between.

Master distance handling, directions and fluidity as your dog gets a cardio workout whilst remaining mentally engaged.

BEGINNER spaces available, Mondays in Kings Hill.

19/10/2026

Charlie’s first go on the Squad Scent wall. It’s big! So I placed an early hide to reinforce that it’s worth starting from my task and searching from the start.

🔸MANTRAILING : the human hides, the dog seeks, everyone has a blast! If our scentwork dogs are doing the pet friendly ve...
19/10/2026

🔸MANTRAILING : the human hides, the dog seeks, everyone has a blast!

If our scentwork dogs are doing the pet friendly version of 💣 Detection, our mantrailing dogs are doing the pet friendly version of Search and Rescue.

This is nosework on the MOVE; through woodland and open spaces, to urban and everything in between. The dog is trailing the human’s scent whilst on the move and the challenge is huge!

Out mantrailing dogs are working through changing weather, distractions galore, competing scent, ageing target scent, a handler who has two legs not four and STILL they succeed!

Suitable for all dogs regardless of prior experience! All you do to get started is complete one of our three hour workshops, ‘Introduction to Mantrailing’, and you can trail with any Mantrailing Global Instructor across the country!

❓Already trailing? You’re welcome to join our Progression Trails for local practice and progression. You can find dates on the booking site under Trail Tribe or message me to join our Trail Tribe whatsapp for first dibs on spaces!

We look forward to trailing with you soon! 💨🐾

https://www.bookmyclass.co.uk/TheDogSquad/default.aspx?FID=101

17/10/2026

GAME OF CHOICE: for those who enjoyed the cup game and who’s dogs are on odour, here’s the development.

Once the dog is targeting nicely with target odour in the cup, we introduce a choice. This ensures that the dog is using his nose and not just offering a behaviour. It is not simply targeting a cup that earns reinforcement, but targeting odour.

The dog must now choose the cup that has odour, starting with two cups and then adding a third. Eventually you will have created a line up!

As my dog is experienced on odour, I added some distraction odour to keep him thinking.

My pipes each had a vented tin inside, and the tins held:
1) Gun Oil (his target odour)
2) tennis ball felt
3) cat food

It is an important stage in the imprinting and discrimination process but also a fun nosework game to play for a bit of odour related brain work.

Remember your mechanics! Mark, then move to pay!

No time target on this one as each dog to their own cognition, but tag me if you have a go and hashtag !

Congratulations to all the teams who earned a Nosework Games Skills Award in class this week. Apologies I forgot to phot...
16/10/2026

Congratulations to all the teams who earned a Nosework Games Skills Award in class this week. Apologies I forgot to photograph everyone but here are the Bronze+ class!

🌟 Level One: Go to Source

Gemma with Frankie
Helen with Safi
Tim with Pip
Leah with Dash
Dee with Honey

🌟 Level One: Needle in a Haystack

Cordova with Poppy
Rebecca with Topsy
Shirley with Ruby
Dave with Amber
Jenny with Alfie
Julie with Mollie

🌟 Level One: Snake

Claire with Billie
Wilhelmina with Paulie

We are looking forward to hosting our first NWG competition in two weekends time!

It’s been a little while since I Judged myself but today I had the pleasure of Judging a small Entry Stage Trial at Digg...
15/10/2026

It’s been a little while since I Judged myself but today I had the pleasure of Judging a small Entry Stage Trial at Diggerland for The National Nosework Association.

Each of today’s five teams have trialled at Diggerland before so I wanted to give them a new challenge, with some achievable finds and a few that required a bit more thought.

It was a real pleasure to watch them
navigate the search areas and, as always, I love seeing how each dog approaches an odour challenge. It would be so easy for me to get lost in the search I have to remind myself there is a clock ticking and I am in charge of calling time!

Congratulations to our medal winners today who were the dogs who found the most hides:

Winner: Lisa with Arthur
Reserve: Debs with Kami

My thanks to Sue for Officiating, she did an excellent job as always, and to Sprout for White Dog duties in which she took the initiative to locate and clear a piece of bread from under a tractor! 🤭 And of course thank you to all the staff at Diggerland, Kent for your warm welcome.

SILVER SQUAD, what a performance! These ten teams were put through their paces last night on their newest target odour; ...
14/10/2026

SILVER SQUAD, what a performance! These ten teams were put through their paces last night on their newest target odour; Gun Oil.

The dogs began with discrimination on novel boxes, I will admit the tennis ball tripped a few teams up but actually most dogs dismissed it after initial interest!

They also completed a 3,2,1 on bags and chairs, a vehicle search (partially in the dark), double blind on a single hide AND a novel search area to finish.

Needless to say, the dogs loved it and couldn’t wait their turns (especially Honour and Barney!) and the handlers are really coming on well with their line management, mechanics and reading the dog in odour.

Silver+ for most of these teams in which they’ll have an introduction to the NNA Odour Recognition Test, have a go at some Nosework Games and lots more!

Congratulations all! ✨✨✨

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Kings Hill
Kings Hill
ME19

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