This is us!
One team. An extraordinary depth of experience.
Why training with the College means learning from the very best
When you train with the College of Scent Dogs, you are not learning from a single instructor with a single point of view. You are learning from a team whose combined experience spans elite police operations, doctoral and Master’s level research, wildlife science, professional pet care, and thousands of real training hours with real dogs and their owners.
It is a rare mix, and a deliberate one. Every member of the team shares the same commitment to force-free, science-based training, and every one of them brings a different piece of the picture. That is what allows us to teach not just the ‘how’ of scent detection, but the ‘why’ behind it, and to support you long after your course has finished.
Great trainers create great dogs. We create great trainers.
Dr Robert Hewings, BSc. MA.
One of the world’s leading authorities in canine scent detection.
Dr Robert Hewings brings a combination of experience that is almost impossible to find anywhere else in the world: a thirty-year career with the London Metropolitan Police alongside a Doctorate in Professional Practice in Scent Detection Dog Training. It is the meeting point of genuine operational mastery and true academic depth, and it sits at the heart of everything the College teaches.
As Founder of The College of Scent Dogs, Dr Hewings does far more than teach scent detection. His methodologies have helped shape modern practice in the field and set standards that handlers and instructors around the world now work towards.
He is also an award-winning author whose books are considered essential reading across the industry. His real gift, though, is translation: he takes the most complex principles of scent work and turns them into clear, practical, confidence-building training that delivers results.
By blending three decades of frontline experience with advanced research and reflective practice, Dr Hewings has become the authority that law enforcement agencies, security organisations, and professional handlers turn to when getting it right really matters.
When excellence is non-negotiable, this is where people come.
Karen Caton-Hewings
Operational excellence meets next-generation scent detection training
Karen Caton-Hewings learned her craft at the very sharpest end of scent detection, serving with the London Metropolitan Police as an explosive search dog handler and trainer. Her frontline experience covers some of the most demanding work imaginable, from responding to terror incidents and protecting the Royal Family to securing government sites across London.
She is currently completing a Master’s in Professional Practice in Coaching, Mentoring and Scent Detection Dog Handling, bringing that same operational rigour together with modern instructional skill. As Head of Training at the College, she has become one of the most respected specialists in the field, and is often described as the best kept secret in pet dog scent detection.
Karen’s real talent is making the elite accessible. She takes techniques honed in high-stakes operations and turns them into practical, step-by-step training that any committed handler and their dog can follow and succeed with.
Her students benefit from decades of genuine real-world expertise, distilled into calm, clear and encouraging teaching that gets the very best from both ends of the spectrum.
When operational excellence meets great teaching, this is the result.
Hollie McAuley-Jones BSc. MSc.
Where wildlife science meets canine excellence
Hollie brings a genuinely different perspective to scent detection, built on a degree in Zoology and a Master’s in Wildlife Management and Conservation. That scientific grounding shapes the way she teaches scent work, tracking and mantrailing, and helps handlers understand what is really happening at the end of the lead.
Her background working with big cats adds a rare and fascinating dimension to her instruction, giving her real insight into predatory tracking behaviour and movement patterns that very few instructors can offer. It allows her to unlock advanced concepts that lift both new and experienced teams to a higher level.
As a member of the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers, Hollie holds herself to the highest professional standards while keeping her classes genuinely enjoyable. She has a gift for turning complex behavioural science into clear, usable training techniques.
Her enthusiasm is infectious, and her approach is thorough and positive. The result is confident, capable teams who go on to achieve far more than they thought possible.
When wildlife expertise meets canine training, ordinary partnerships become extraordinary.
Ben Poole BA.
High energy and academic excellence in modern canine training
Ben brings serious energy to scent detection and mantrailing, combining excellent training skills with a classroom presence that keeps everyone engaged. With more than a decade of experience training pet dogs and conducting behavioural consultations, he has mastered the art of making learning genuinely enjoyable while delivering real results.
He is currently working towards a Master’s Degree specialising in adult learning, with a particular focus on inclusive teaching for neurodiverse learners. This means that every person in his class, regardless of their learning style, is set up to succeed alongside their dog.
Accredited by the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers and certified as an Easy Peasy Puppy Instructor, Ben pairs strong credentials with a trademark energy that turns traditional training into something people genuinely look forward to.
His commitment to modern, ethical methods creates a welcoming environment where every team can thrive. Barriers come down, confidence goes up, and potential gets unlocked, whatever the starting point.
When real passion meets academic rigour, learning becomes as effective as it is enjoyable.
Sam Teece
Fifteen years of pet care expertise, devoted to force-free scentwork
Sam brings over fifteen years of hands-on experience in the pet care industry, specialising in pet dog training and scentwork. Her whole career has been spent working directly with dogs and their owners, running her own successful businesses from the moment she left college.
Today, she runs Scentsational Paws Academy and Competition Scent Dog Trials, delivering force-free, science-based training and scentwork opportunities for dogs and handlers across the UK, and supporting fellow scentwork professionals by judging and hosting trials. She also occasionally works for a therapy and assistance dog organisation.
Sam’s qualifications are impressive and wide-ranging: IMDT Certified Instructor, Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy Instructor, a National Diploma in Animal Management, International Professional Groomers Certification, an OCN Dog Bite Prevention and Handling Skills course, City & Guilds Scent Detection Dog Handler and Instructor qualifications, and City & Guilds Tracking Dog Handler and Instructor qualifications.
Above all, Sam is passionate about creating positive learning environments where a huge variety of dogs can thrive and enjoy the thrill of their seeking system. She loves the moment owners realise just how capable their dogs really are. She works regularly with nervous and reactive dogs through one-to-one sessions, building confidence, engagement and stronger relationships between dogs and their handlers, and runs scentwork workshops and events at venues across the Midlands for handlers at every level, from complete beginners to advanced teams.
Warm, experienced and endlessly enthusiastic, Sam helps every dog and handler discover their potential.