Simon Mallin K9 Training & Consultancy

12/12/2025

Morning park rant ☕🐾

This is Bandit.
Bandit would eat his own body weight given half the chance.

He’s on Burns weight-control food Burns Pet Nutrition , puts weight on easily, isn’t getting any younger…
(Me and Bandit both)

Here’s the problem.

Bandit loves people.
People love Bandit.
Bandit then checks their pockets like he’s doing airport security.

And without asking…
They just feed him.

This morning I actually had to explain — politely — to another dog owner that I don’t want my dog fed.
Apparently that makes me the bad guy.

I wouldn’t dream of giving someone else’s dog a treat without asking. Ever. Plus I don't get this constant treat thing anyway 🤯
Why is this suddenly controversial?

So yes — I’m now the grumpy bald bloke in the park protecting his dog’s waistline.
Someone has to do it because Bandit wouldnt.

Anyone else dealing with well-meaning strangers secretly turning their dog into a house…
Or is it just me?

03/12/2025

Great to welcome Jamie into the NASDU fold.
It’s always good to see new trainers coming through with solid backgrounds, fresh ideas and a positive outlook. The more high-quality trainers we have in the sector, the stronger and more consistent our standards remain.
A really good couple of days.

NASDU Trainer Assessment – Explosives Detection Dog (EDD)
28th November – Cardiff, South Wales
(GP Assessment – 27th November)

NASDU recently carried out an initial EDD and GP Trainer Assessment on Jamie Hicksford, former BTP handler/instructor and now part of the team at MEC Security.

The assessments were conducted by independent NASDU assessors:
• EDD (28th Nov): Simon Mallin & Lee Weaver
• GP (27th Nov): Simon Mallin & Mek Sunwar
— in line with NASDU protocol, both assessors must be in full agreement for a pass to be awarded. They were.

Jamie delivered a calm, structured, and professional performance across both days. His systems were solid, his paperwork was correct, and his understanding of NASDU processes was clear from the outset.

For the EDD assessment, the training scenario was a Monthly EDD Assessment with two volunteer handlers acting as learners.
A huge thank-you to Kay and Amanda for stepping forward and supporting the day — very much appreciated.

We'd also like to extend a big thank-you to:
• Wentloog Security Ltd / Blue Self Storage — for providing outstanding facilities, handlers, dogs, and general support

Although Jamie achieved a pass, final approval is on hold pending evidence of MEC Security’s explosives licence and confirmation of the appropriate target scents. Once received, certification will be completed without delay. HOWEVER GP 2 and 3 is good to go with immediate effect

02/12/2025

02/12/2025

📢 NEW – End Point Assessment (EPA) Notification Requirement

As part of NASDU’s ongoing commitment to compliance and quality assurance, all trainers are now required to give a minimum of 7 days’ notice before carrying out any End Point Assessments leading to Highfield or NASDU certification.

📧 Email: [email protected]
🗓️ Include: Trainer | Date/Time | Location | Discipline | Student Names

Monitoring visits will be supportive, not intrusive, and there is no charge for compliance visits.

This system strengthens standards, promotes transparency, and helps maintain confidence in NASDU qualifications.

⚠️ Mandatory from 1 December 2025 – certification will not be issued without prior EPA notification.

30/11/2025

Throwback to Subic Bay, Philippines — late 90s, and my late 20s 🙃😲

Long before working dogs were common in Asia — and years before 9/11 changed global security forever — I found myself running a full security training academy out of the former US Naval Base in Subic Bay.

Email was barely a thing. No smartphones. No social media. I remember sending faxes home and waiting 24 hours for a reply. Every bit of business came from knocking on doors and building relationships the old-fashioned way.

I took a gamble: sold everything — my house, my UK business — and moved out to the Philippines. Looking back, it was reckless, brave, naïve, exciting… and one of the biggest learning curves of my life.

I leased the old US Marine Corps kennels, completely overgrown by jungle. We cleared the site, rebuilt the kennels, set up offices, a veterinary room, training areas, and kept a house in both Subic and Manila.

But it wasn’t just dogs — we built a full security academy approved by the Philippine National Police:

canine training

security officer training

fi****ms and tactical instruction

and even a close-protection course with candidates flying out from the UK

I knew I was green, so I surrounded myself with people who weren’t:

a former Royal Army Veterinary Corps senior instructor

a former US Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant as lead trainer

local SWAT law-enforcement supporting the programme

expats with huge operational experience and local knowledge

For a while, it worked — genuinely worked. We were ahead of our time, and the setup had real potential to become something big.

But the business climate was brutal. Corruption, the wrong partners, costly mistakes, one very dangerous competitor, and my own inexperience eventually pulled the whole thing down. I lost everything. Completely broke, I came home with my tail between my legs and rebuilt from scratch.

But I wouldn’t change it.

There isn’t a course on earth that could have taught me what those years taught me — about business, risk, resilience, people, canine work, security training… and myself. And it sparked the overseas bug that still drives me today.

Looking back now, I can see how close it came to becoming something huge. Wrong time, wrong climate, wrong partners. But one hell of a ride.

29/11/2025

**“Cardiff’s buzzing today with the rugby on — grabbed a coffee at Hayes Island and gave Bandit his ‘treat’… a carrot.
He absolutely loves them. Crunches through it like it’s fillet steak. 😂

Anyone else’s dog got a weird favourite snack?”**

26/11/2025

I’ve discovered a new talent… video editing. Sort of.
I put together a little montage from last week’s IED Awareness Course with Alford Group — and the end result looks like something between a training recap and an avant-garde art project. 😄

But the course itself was spot-on.
Great group, proper hands-on realistic devices, and exactly the kind of practical discussions you only get when people roll their sleeves up and get involved.

This ties in nicely with my HME and Bulk Training Days — the aim is always the same:
share knowledge, raise standards, and make sure people and dogs are genuinely prepared for the real world.

And to be clear — this isn’t restricted to NASDU teams.
Any proffesional canine organisation, unit, company or team is welcome including guests from outside of the UK. It's all about passing good practice on, comparing approaches, and strengthening the wider sector.

If your team wants a day on:
✔️ IED awareness
✔️ Bulk explosive generalisation
✔️ HMEs including bulk
✔️ Or a bespoke session

Drop me a message — [email protected]

As for the video… let’s just say Spielberg is safe for now. 😉

23/11/2025

Four weekends off in a row… who even am I anymore?

For years I’ve worked pretty much every weekend going. Lately I’ve realised that pace isn’t sustainable — and do you know what? I’m actually enjoying having some proper time to myself. So yes… the odd weekend is absolutely fine, but those every weekend, all year round days are starting to become a thing of the past.

And what have I been doing with this new-found freedom?
Apparently becoming that person who takes 27 pictures of their dog in the same spot.

I took Bandit to Penarh pier in Cardiff… and instead of one nice photo, I produced an entire photo-shoot. My phone is basically 98% Spaniel at this point.

Anyone else do this or is it just me losing the plot? 😅🐶

22/11/2025

20/11/2025

NASDU GP Level 2 – Refresher & Assessment Weekend

📍 Freight Movement Ltd, Wern Industrial Estate, Newport (just off the M4) South Wales
📅 Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th December 2025
⏰ Sat 10:00–18:00 (includes night work)
⏰ Sun 09:00–17:00
Maximum 4 handlers – quality over quantity.

Secure site with overnight parking available for self-contained vehicles, plus on-site toilets and shower block.

Two full days of structured, standards-based GP training with honest feedback and proper NASDU criteria.
If you want a “quick tick”, this isn’t that.
If you want solid training, clarity, and accountability — this is exactly that.

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Open to:

✔️ NASDU GP Level 2 (full qualification) teams
✔️ NASDU GP Level 2 Patrol-Only teams
✔️ Qualified handlers with a dog still in training (working toward team certification)

(Handlers must provide evidence of training/qualification before booking.)

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What We’ll Cover (NASDU criteria)

Inspection & grooming

Vehicle & equipment checks

Full review of dog’s file (training records + vet records)

Obedience

Emergency stop & recall

Down-stay (2 min at distance, long line)

Article search (GP Level 2 only)

Challenge

Es**rt

Arrest

Handler protection

Pick-up & indication

Patrolling scenarios

Risk assessments

Night exercises (Saturday)

One-to-one debriefs

Written reports & action plans

Quarterly Assessments:
✔ Signed off if achieved.

Annual Assessments:
✔ Available on request
✔ +£30 NASDU fee (membership, certification, and admin)
✔ Only payable if achieved.

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Prices

Handlers (two full days): £300
Observers / CPD (two days): £100
(CPD certificate issued.)

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Booking

Email [email protected] with:

Full name

Phone number

SIA number

Dogs details

Evidence of NASDU qualification (GP2 or GP2 Patrol)

Evidence of current team certificate (if held)

Whether your dog is: fully trained or in training

Confirmation that you will bring full, up-to-date training & vet records

Terms and Conditions - nice and simple

Once verified, you’ll receive a booking form.
Payment in advance, in full.
Zero cancellation policy.

20/11/2025

A hotel night whilst working away 🤫

Paid a £50 refundable damage deposit and £15/night for Bandit’s stay — I’m not about to mess up the room. So when the hotel says “no dogs on the bed,” my jacket goes on the bed and Bandit sleeps on that. Technically, he’s not on the bed – it’s called compromise 😂😂😂😂