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Specialised Dog Training

The ESD Groups Ex-Law Enforcement & Military Dog Trainers provide highly trained specialised dogs for customers internationally and domestically. Training within Australia is conducted at our Sydney facility with kennels for more than 30 dogs and accommodation close by for local handler training. Our instructors combine the APCO standard of Dog and Handler training with the US ATF training methods to create a unique and high quality product. The ESD Groups dog training is now being applied as a benchmark for many Asian nations to establish their own high training standards.
The ESD Group recently took over operations from Detection Dogs International (DDI) This process involved the amalgamating and re-branding of the DDI product to ESD Group. All instructors from DDI remain with the ESD Group. Nick Topp (see below) is now the International Training Co-ordinator for the ESD Group Dog Training Unit, and for our customers the relationship now allows more flexibility and easier deployments throughout the globe.

Through a strategic partnership with military and police trained dog handlers and trainers, ESD GROUP is capable of assisting clients who wish to have their own Bomb, Drug or Cadaver Dogs for law enforcement, emergency response and military use. These trainers also have extensive experience in the training of attack and crowd control dogs. Specifically, the training currently offered is:

Our Trainers

NICK TOPP (HEAD TRAINER) Nick has both military and police experience with the use of dogs in security and law enforcement. Nick started his carreer with the Royal New Zealand Air Force where he worked his way into the RNZAF Dog Unit. In recent times Nick was contracted to travel to the Middle East where he was contracted by a major Middle Eastern Police Force to conduct advanced training in Tracking and Narcotic Detection. Nick holds a Diploma in Polcing Studies, a Diploma in Workplace Training an Assessment, Instructor in Senior First Aid, Dipolma in Security Management and Risk Assessment.
BOB LAWS (SENIOR TRAINER) Bob handled and trained dogs for the NSW Police Dog squad for over 25 years. Bob has handled and trained GP and Tactical (SWAT) Dogs,Drug, Firearm, Explosive and Cadavour Detection Dogs. In 1998 Bob was selected to travel to the USA and trained with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms under the auspices of the State Departments Anti Terrorist Assistance Program. This course was conducted over 5 months at Front Royal, Virginia. On completion of this course Bob was certified by the ATF to train and assess and certify Detection Dog Teams to ATF Standards. On returning to Australia in late 1998 Bob was given a Commissoner of Polices appiontment to the rank of Sergeant and was charged with the responsiblity of setting up the Explosive Detection Dog Unit for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. In 2001 he was recognised by the Board of Academic Studies at the NSW Police Academy as a Senior Police Dog Trainer. This qualified him to handle and train dogs and handlers in all areas of Police work. Bob is a qualified Veterinary Nurse, Animal Identifier and Microchipper, Workplace Trainer and Assessor. Bob holds an Explosive Users ticket. Bob also has a Certificate 4 in Security Management and Risk Assessment.
STUART JONES Stuart was a Handler and Operational Trainer with the NSW Police Dog Squad for over 15 years. Stuart has has handled and trained Police Dogs in the General Purpose, Tactical (SWAT) areas. He has also worked a dual purpose GP/Narcotics dog. Stuart trained and trialed the first NSW Police Labrador Detection Dogs using the ATF food reward method, which was successful and subsequently adopted by the NSW Police service to form the Explosive Detection Dog Unit for the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
JOHN ELFIES John has over 26 years experience in the training of Police Officers. John wrote and had adopted the Standard Operating Procedures for Explosive Detection dog handler searches during Sydney 2000 Olympics. He also initiated pro-active response to specialist dog security searches during Sydney 2000 Olympics causing a change in the day to day operations John was also researched and devised a training methodology for the first NSW Police proactive firearms detection dogs. From November 2007- January 2008 John was a Police Trainer, at the Numinayah National police training centre, Iraq - where as well as training Police Recruits he assisted in writing a new search lesson package for Iraqi Police training.