HandlerCraft

Should Training Look Like Work?

Janie Merickel

Published on: 18/09/2026

Does your detection dog training reflect the realities of operational work? Explore five questions that can help handlers prepare their dogs, their skills and their decision-making for what the work may actually ask of them.

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Are Love and Passion Enough?

Janie Merickel

Published on: 13/02/2026

Love and passion can get us started—but sustaining meaningful work takes more. A reflection on learning curves, community care, and why lasting work depends on how we think, learn, and grow together.

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Becoming Through the Work

Janie Merickel

Published on: 30/01/2026

What if the work shapes us as much as we shape it? A reflection on becoming through dog handling—how responsibility, uncertainty, and care quietly influence who we become over time.

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The Interdisciplinary Fabric of HandlerCraft

Janie Merickel

Published on: 23/01/2026

What if great dog handling includes more than training skill alone? This piece explores HandlerCraft as an interdisciplinary fabric—where context, judgment, and communication quietly shape strong work over time.

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