Heel & Fetch Dog Training Club

06/06/2026

Good luck to all the barn hunters this weekend! Want some custom ADK-9 gear? Merch shop coming soon!

05/29/2026

05/29/2026

Tonight I ended up trying to help a friend whose puppy ate a kid's vitamin containing xylitol. Simple accident: kid dropped vitamin, puppy scarfed it down. (Note: this household is knowledgeable and is xylitol free, but a relative bought the vitamins, unaware of the risk to the dogs.)

The puppy only ate *one* vitamin. Which turned out to contain 1500 mg of xylitol.

100 mg/kg is the threshold for hypoglycemia which can be fatal. At 500 mg/kg, hepatic necrosis occurs -- destruction of liver tissue.

So just ONE chewable vitamin ended up creating a serious problem for a 30 pound pup (which is not quite 14 kg).

The emergency vet induced vomiting. Thankfully, the puppy had had a meal and so there was food in her stomach. In the vomit was the orange tablet, identifiable though dissolved.

Quick thinking on the owner's part (including grabbing the bottle of vitamins) and fortunately a nearby 24/7 emergency vet hospital meant that this pup received prompt treatment, and should make a full recovery.

Check your medications, vitamins, gum, candy, toothpaste, mouthwash, peanut butter and more for xylitol, also known as birch sugar.

This is useful information to have on hand:
https://www.calculatorsfordogs.com/health-nutrition-calculators/xylitol-toxicity-calculator

ALWAYS contact vet and ASPCA Animal Poison Control center immediately!

As for everyone (the non-vets) recommending the use of hydrogen peroxide, please update your understanding:
https://www.gsvs.org/woodbridge-nj/blog/hydrogen-peroxide-for-dogs-emergency/

Pass this along. I hope you never have to use it.

05/28/2026

THE INDICATION PROBLEM

One of the biggest mistakes in scent work, detection, tracking, trailing, and cadaver work is handlers forcing an indication the dog would never naturally offer.

Just because a bark indication looks flashy or “operational” does not mean it suits the dog in front of you.

Searching and indicating are TWO separate skills.

A dog can have:
✔ Fantastic hunt drive
✔ Great odour recognition
✔ Strong source commitment
✔ Brilliant environmental confidence

…and still struggle with the indication.

Why?

Because the dog understands the odour…
but not the behaviour being demanded at source.

When handlers rush this process or force unnatural indications too early, frustration and conflict start leaking into the work.

You often begin seeing:
• False alerts
• Leaving source
• Stress behaviours
• Handler dependency
• Reduced confidence
• Slower searches
• Over-arousal

And many people wrongly assume the problem is the odour work.

Often it is not.

The indication should fit the DOG, not the handler’s ego.

Train the indication separately first.
Build fluency.
Create clarity.
Then pair it with odour work later.

Because the best working dogs are not simply highly driven dogs…

They are clear, confident dogs that understand the game.

Train the dog in front of you, not the picture in your head.

🌐 www.k9manhuntscotland.co.uk

05/21/2026

Check this out!

Your dog wants something to do this weekend....

05/19/2026

Let me know what classes you would like to enter. We will email you a schedule but this is a FUN match so prepare to be flexible.