The Dog Squad

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.

Do you know what makes your dog happy??? This is Amber. She has just placed Reserve in a trial this week. Look at that s...
06/06/2026

Do you know what makes your dog happy???

This is Amber. She has just placed Reserve in a trial this week. Look at that smile, the softness in her eyes and mouth, she is soooo happy! But it’s not because of the medal, it’s because of her Dad…

Amber adores her Dad. She LIVES to please him. For a Golden, she is actually quite neutral about other people, her world evolves around Dave.

Hearing her ‘marker’ is the best thing in the world because it leads to success with her Dad. And it doesn’t matter whether he offers her food or a tug or even just a fuss, she will celebrate with him regardless. It’s beautiful to see; they are a beautiful team!

Who would have thought this adoration could present a challenge in the search? It does! You see Amber is the Queen of False Indications!

Let me tell you more… Amber is a highly skilled air scenting dog and comes into her own when she can pull into large clouds of odour.

When the hides are more contained, less obvious or just further along the search, Amber’s desire to please Dave causes her to rush and even experience stress as time ticks on. So her solution is to bypass the search altogether and just offer the indication. And like many Goldens, she has an awesome freeze indication, so if you weren’t paying attention to Change of Behaviour, you’d be easily duped. It’s especially confusing on Boxes where we get less obvious COB and she frequently makes me doubt where I put the hide!

We are addressing Amber’s ‘falsies’ in a variety of ways so I was thrilled to see that she placed Reserve having found both the hides, received excellent scores and NO false indications! Wo-hoo! 🎉

What I love about Dave is his humility, “I finally got my act together!”, acknowledging that we are more often than not responsible for the outcome of our dog’s search. What a great attitude!

I know Dave would have been quietly bursting with joy for their success as a team, and for his beautiful Golden Girl, and THAT is why Amber is so very happy… as she should be!

Congratulations Dave and Amber! 💛

This week we hosted and I judged NNA Foundation Stage and Pre Entry Stage trials at Diggerland, Kent. We had several tea...
05/06/2026

This week we hosted and I judged NNA Foundation Stage and Pre Entry Stage trials at Diggerland, Kent.

We had several teams competing for the first time at Foundation and several teams visiting Diggerland for the first time too.

These lower level trials remind me of the things I enjoy about scentwork competition.

The anticipation from the handlers on really testing their training for the first time, and the excitement of doing it in a novel environment, especially one like Diggerland.

The absolute delight (mixed with relief!) when their dog finds the hide in the time required and how that delight is passed on freely and emotively to their dog! We bring the party to the table!

The giving of a badge, a little win along the way, to mark their progression and success.

The confidence and enthusiasm from the dogs who are so happy to be playing their favourite game and even with those who are less environmentally sound, watching the game literally help them overcome their apprehension is such a joy.

As a Judge it is a privilege to watch teams whom I have trained from scratch, working the search for themselves. Equally, I relish the opportunity to observe visiting teams do the same and do my best to put them at ease.

Just watching 6-8 dogs work the same search is an education in itself. This is where learning happens for Judges. You may know where the hide is, but the dogs show you where the odour is!

Well done to all the teams who took part and went home with a badge or two. Congratulations to our medal winners,

Foundation Winner, Elvis the Golden and Reserve, Ruby the Cocker Spaniel, a first for them both.

Pre Entry Winner, Arthur the Black Lab and Reserve, Toffee the Chocolate Lab, for whom it was her first novel trialling environment.

Thanks as always to Mike and team at Diggerland and to Sue for Officiating for me.

It’s been such a long time since I used an enclosed field for personal use but Jack from Church Farm kindly invited me t...
04/06/2026

It’s been such a long time since I used an enclosed field for personal use but Jack from Church Farm kindly invited me to check out their new Paw Ground today and it reminded me of the benefits.

Only when you have walked the reactive dog journey do you appreciate the joy of a dog walk that is hyper vigilance free. It’s not forever, or at least it shouldn’t be for most, but what a blessing to have those breathers every now and then. No ‘friendly dog’ encounters!

The benefits of off leash exercise/freedom for ALL pet dogs should not be underestimated, but especially for reactive dogs. So much reactivity is born from frustration; frustration of not being able to move into space, communicate naturally, meet or avoid an approaching dog due to the leash or line. Dogs need to exercise freely. It regulates emotions exactly the same way as it does for us humans! If you don’t have a solid recall (yet!) enclosed fields are the ideal place to tick that box, and practice your recall at the same time!

I really enjoyed getting my hoops out and practicing some foundations with Charlie. It’s not easy to find public spaces that allow for this, without interruptions, so I definitely need to do this more!

We really enjoyed our time at Woodalls Paw Ground today. Thank you Jack.

Head to Church Farm Ryarsh for more info!

There is something special about scentwork for pet dog handlers. The smiles on these faces say it all. New skills unlock...
04/06/2026

There is something special about scentwork for pet dog handlers. The smiles on these faces say it all.

New skills unlocked in both dog AND human; learning something new together becomes a bonding experience and the growing essence of ‘teamwork’ gives each end of the leash an added appreciation for the other.

And let’s face it, it’s not hard to take a gundog and teach it to hunt for odour. These dogs were bred to hunt. We may need to channel/manage/harness arousal and drive and that comes with his own set of challenges for sure, but the hunt is one thing we can usually count on.

But to take a waited-upon lapdog or a reactive/nervous/anxious handler-focused pet dog and teach them to hunt? That is not easy. Hunting is ‘work’, it requires boldness and confidence and problem solving and decision making, none of which some of these dogs had before they started, but all of them have now!

Any dog, any breed, any age. It is a privilege to teach these teams and I have loved watching them grow. Here’s to more Tuesday nights! 🙌

KUDOS to these four fabulous handlers who recently passed their Retrieve Team Level 2 plus Bonnie who couldn’t make the ...
03/06/2026

KUDOS to these four fabulous handlers who recently passed their Retrieve Team Level 2 plus Bonnie who couldn’t make the final session.

Four of these adolescent dogs have come up through Puppy Club plus we were joined by new team Amanda with Flora from Level One.

They have worked so hard on the fundamental obedience skills including loose lead, positions, recall and impulse control as well as developing mindful retrieves adding in the Memory Retrieve and teaching the dogs to follow the arm.

Adolescents are hard work, they are not robots, they are not perfect, they make mistakes, they test out patience. That’s the reality of dog training. And I have loved working with these handlers to improve their end of the lead, as well as their dog’s end.

Retrieve Team now becomes Dog School, level one of which filled very quickly. So I hope to offer some Dog Club days over the summer to top up these teams and any others looking to enjoy day to day life with their dogs more.

Congrats Karina, Ivelina, Amanda, June and Dee. You have much to be proud of! 🙌

Today I returned to my scentwork roots and drove down to Hastings for a UK Sniffer Dogs Silver Trial. Why? Not to win a ...
30/05/2026

Today I returned to my scentwork roots and drove down to Hastings for a UK Sniffer Dogs Silver Trial.
Why? Not to win a rosette, not to even test my training…just to have fun. Simples. And I did!

You see fun is where most of us begin in our dog sport journey. But somewhere along the line, as we progress and start to ‘really get into it’, it becomes all too easy to lose sight of that.

Ambition. Ego. Cliques. Bias. Lack of integrity. Humans have a habit of getting in the way of fun. And when that comes at the cost of the dog, I am out. This week a dog died from alleged abuse in a so called ‘competition’. Not our sport. But it matters. What is dog sport if the dogs are not working happily, enthusiastically and willingly towards a common goal that we have created largely through positive reinforcement?

I originally started trialling with my Golden Retriever. She hated it. She didn’t want to get out of the car. She searched but with no enthusiasm. And after a few attempts I said no more. I refused to poison a game she otherwise adored. The dog always comes first for me.

So as my Super Scent Squad headed off to various competitions this weekend, I reminded them of their roots. Have FUN.

Even if you think that your dog did a rubbish job, pay them like they smashed it! Even if YOU did a rubbish job (it’s usually us!), PAY YOUR DOGS like it didn’t matter! You will be paying it forward for the next time.

I am very happy to support people in their goals. To give people a push that want to be pushed. And to train purely for fun for those that don’t. There is no one size that fits all.

The most important thing for me, training pet dog people and hobby sports handlers is that your dogs are enjoying the game and enjoying quality time with you. They don’t care for badges and rosettes and levels. We made them care about odour and we did that through creating DOPAMINE when they found it! HAPPY Hormones!

Let’s all remember that as we enter a new term of training! Smile, be happy, and have fun with your dogs!

30/05/2026

All these dogs are/were reactive towards other dogs. Would you guess it?

Instead of practising avoidance, we work on our skill set (human and canine) and then practice exposure in a safe, structured way.

All dogs have worked with me in some capacity before joining the pack walk to ensure everyone is set up for success. My pack walks are led by professional pack walker Izzy Vine of and all dogs make excellent progress until they no longer need it!

Want to get involved? Drop me a DM. Please note I am almost full for one to ones in June so there may be a wait.

I may be taking a mini break but Deirdre was out early with the Trail Tribe yesterday. What a beautiful place to trail! ...
28/05/2026

I may be taking a mini break but Deirdre was out early with the Trail Tribe yesterday. What a beautiful place to trail! Heaven! 🌳

“Great session yesterday at Holly Hill with Team Bertie, Ruby and Amber. Nice and shaded in the car park and cool in the woods.

All three teams were a pleasure and fun to trail with. The dogs also worked hard physically yesterday and when ‘on the trail’ they all gave all their handlers a helping hand pulling them over some undulating ground. Holly Hill is most definitely hilly!

Mantrailing is not just physical exercise. It’s intense mental work. The dogs are constantly processing scent, making decisions, working through contamination, problem-solving, all this while still staying motivated for that reward.

Even a short trail can be incredibly demanding, depending on factors like terrain, weather, and how the scent has aged or moved. What feels quick to us can be mentally exhausting for them. It’s important to take all of these factors into consideration especially as the weather heats up.

Well done Teams Amber, Ruby and Bertie! 🙌”

Slots available for our next trails and Introduction to Mantrailing Global workshop, head to Trail Tribe.

https://linktr.ee/thedogsquadofficial 🐾

There is no training this week due to half term and I am taking a few days off to spend with my family. I will be back o...
24/05/2026

There is no training this week due to half term and I am taking a few days off to spend with my family.

I will be back on admin from the 27th so please bear with me if you have messaged.

Happy Half Term! 😎

Address

Kings Hill
Kings Hill
ME19

Website

https://www.thedogsquadofficial.com/

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