Top Gunn Canine

06/06/2026

A little personal update.

If I seem a bit distracted or quieter than normal over the next few days, it’s because Shadow is currently in the vets with pancreatitis.

The good news is that he’s stable and being very well looked after. He’s not eating by himself at the moment, so he’s being tube fed, but he’s receiving fantastic care from the team at Tarka Vets.

As many of you know, my dogs are my world, so it’s been a bit of a worrying few days. That said, I know he’s in the best possible hands and we’re all hoping for a positive outcome.

Thank you to everyone at Tarka Vets for taking such good care of my boy, and thank you to everyone who’s checked in on us. ❤️

05/06/2026

Only one space left!

I’m very excited to announce a brand new 3-day scent detection workshop alongside Jo Williams from Paws4Teaching.

This workshop is designed for handlers who have already started their detection journey and want to develop their skills further in a supportive but challenging environment. Dogs should already be confidently searching for odour. Any legal odour can be used.

📍 Days 1 & 2 — Diggerland Devon
We’ll be working on:

• Building and strengthening foundations
• Assessing each individual team
• Developing search skills
• Improving area coverage
• Enhancing teamwork and partnership
• Creating more independent, confident searching dogs

📍 Day 3 — Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum

The final day will include a mock DDT-style trial in the morning, followed by debriefing, feedback, and practical exercises to take home and continue working on after the workshop.

This is going to be a fantastic opportunity to train in some very different environments, work alongside like-minded handlers, and really start fine tuning those detection skills.

If you want to know more get in touch now or visit:

https://www.topgunncanine.co.uk/book-online

31/05/2026

Anyone fancy canicross? Tarka Dog Training are hoping to start a group 😊

🐕〰️🏃🏻‍♀️ Would anyone be interested in a local Canicross Club in North Devon?

I’m exploring the idea of starting a friendly canicross group with regular meet-ups, social runs, beginner sessions, and opportunities to learn how to run safely with your dog.

Before I invest in extra equipment for people to borrow and complete my Run Leader qualification, I’d love to get an idea of whether there’s enough interest locally.

The idea would be:
🐾 Beginner-friendly introductions to canicross
🐾 Group runs at different paces
🐾 Advice on equipment and fitting
🐾 Safe running with dogs
🐾 A supportive, non-competitive atmosphere
🐾 Opportunities to meet other dog-loving runners

You wouldn’t need any experience, and I’d aim to have some kit available for people to try before buying their own.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please comment below or drop me a message. Even if you’re not a runner yet but would like to give it a go, I’d love to hear from you.

Feel free to tag any friends who might be interested too! 🐕

30/05/2026

Thank you Paws4Teaching for a lovely day at Yeovil Station museum. Very proud of Goose in his first novice trial. He has told me to sack the driver, he’s much better if I leave him to do his job! I’m better in the passenger seat 🤣🤣

29/05/2026

“What’s getting into a box got to do with scentwork?” 🤔📦

On the surface… not a lot. Apart from the fact that odour is often hidden in boxes.

But exercises like this are about so much more than the box itself.

Shaping games teach dogs how to think for themselves rather than constantly waiting for the handler to give them the answer. They learn to problem solve, experiment and keep trying even when things feel difficult.

They also develop:
🐾 Body awareness and proprioception
🐾 Confidence in new situations
🐾 Resilience when things don’t immediately work
🐾 Independence away from the handler
🐾 A sense of empowerment and control over the outcome

All of these skills transfer directly into scentwork.

A dog who can think independently, recover from mistakes and use their body confidently is often a much stronger search dog than one who has simply been shown what to do.

Sometimes the best scentwork training doesn’t look like scentwork at all. 👀🐶

What “non scentwork” exercises have helped your dog the most? ⬇️

29/05/2026

Judging seminar Somerset/Devon borders this summer. Email [email protected] to book or enquire

28/05/2026

@⚠️ Your dog’s indication might not be the problem…

Environmental stability. This may be the missing piece in your scent detection training 👀🐾

It’s more than confidence. It’s a dog’s ability to cope with pressure, recover from challenges and keep pushing forward instead of shutting down or avoiding the environment around them.

In scent detection this matters more than many people realise. A dog can know the odour, understand the game and still struggle if the environment feels too overwhelming.

Some dogs are born environmentally stable.

Some need careful nurturing and thoughtful exposure.

And some may always find parts of the world difficult - and that’s okay too.

Cougar was born with it 💥

She actively pushes into challenges and new environments.

Goose is brave, but he needs support and confidence building to truly thrive 🌱

Toro will never have the same level of environmental stability as the others. That’s simply who he is, and part of my job is understanding and supporting the dog in front of me rather than expecting every dog to be the same ❤️

Good detection training isn’t just about teaching odour.

It’s about building resilience, confidence and a dog who can work through the environment as well as the search itself 🐶👃

Would you describe your dog as environmentally stable?

27/05/2026

I’m very excited to announce a brand new 3-day scent detection workshop alongside Jo Williams from Paws4Teaching.

This workshop is designed for handlers who have already started their detection journey and want to develop their skills further in a supportive but challenging environment. Dogs should already be confidently searching for odour. Any legal odour can be used.

📍 Days 1 & 2 — Diggerland Devon
We’ll be working on:

• Building and strengthening foundations
• Assessing each individual team
• Developing search skills
• Improving area coverage
• Enhancing teamwork and partnership
• Creating more independent, confident searching dogs

📍 Day 3 — Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum

The final day will include a mock DDT-style trial in the morning, followed by debriefing, feedback, and practical exercises to take home and continue working on after the workshop.

This is going to be a fantastic opportunity to train in some very different environments, work alongside like-minded handlers, and really start fine tuning those detection skills.

If you want to know more get in touch now or visit:

https://www.topgunncanine.co.uk/book-online

27/05/2026

Still a few spaces left on this judges training workshop. Monday held at Dogs Matter near Tiverton and Tuesday at Westonzoyland pumping station near Bridgwater
Detection Dog Trials

27/05/2026

I think this photo pretty much sums Goose up! 🤣

Thank you to Rebecca Reed Photography for your awesome photos