We specialise in training and working detection dogs operationally across all disciplines.
10/04/2025
We are so excited to announce that Cameron Ford and Natalie Morris will be coming to Australia to run a Detection Dog Trainers Class with our team for two whole weeks at the end of June.
However, we have learned that this may overlap with another conference. We want to provide everyone the opportunity to participate in both events, so please let us know your preferences. We may be able to adjust our schedule while we are still organising the logistics.
We are genuinely excited about this event, as it will offer excellent networking opportunities and enhance our skills as trainers and our dogs' abilities.
This in-depth 80-hour course, led by renowned experts Cameron Ford, Natalie Morris, Ilse Duineveld and Dave Wright, offers a thorough education in detection dog training.
In the initial week, the course will guide students through the nuances of selecting and preparing detection dogs and examine the advantages and disadvantages of common training methods in this field.
Topics will include cooperative play, the development of play strategies, impulse control, the creation of conditioned reinforcers, enhancing search intensity, and an introductory exploration of odour work.
The second week advances into more complex areas such as recognising responses to odour, the power of blanks, distinguishing between different odours, the application of variable reinforcement schedules, understanding the behavioural economics of detection training, and how to create a dog who is addicted to finding odour.
They will also cover effective methods for training aid placement, odour hygiene and storage. This segment also delves into strategic hide placement, use of distractors for training objectives, and advanced search techniques.
This course is meticulously designed to serve all professional Detection Dog Handlers across various disciplines, including Police K9 units, Search and Rescue (SAR) teams, Bio Detection, Bedbug Detection, Conservation Detection, and other specialised areas.
Students are encouraged to bring their own dogs. If they cannot bring a dog, we will provide dogs for them to work with. It is preferred that students bring a dog that has a basic understanding of scent work or has begun detection training.
If a student has a dog that has never been exposed to detection work, they may still bring it, but the scope of the work will be more limited.
