Nino has been described by some of his social media followers as a “new-age dog trainer”.  This sentiment describes Nino’s innovative approach to training that enables the development of dog and handler’s full potential. Nino Drowaert founded STSK9® in 2016, after identifying a need for innovative and progressive changes in working dog training. 

As a 20-year veteran of the APD spending 11 years as a K9 handler and, finally, 5 years as Head Trainer and supervisor of the K9 Unit, he achieved a high level of success and holds the highest recorded number of K9 deployments for the department. His skills in coaching handlers and training dogs made him an obvious choice for the position of Nationally Certified Head Trainer for Belgium’s largest police department. 

Subsequently, Nino became the first European police instructor in 2016 to travel to the RAAF and teach the implementation of his training system for law enforcement and the military. SASR (Special Air Service Regiment) and Second Commando Regiment also participated. 

Despite being well versed in a variety of training methods utilized in both working and sport dog development, He was still left feeling like standard and traditional methods were missing a key piece of the dog training puzzle. It was this mentality that started his journey to develop a system that utilized a more holistic approach which would work with the dog’s natural ability and talents while maintaining the spirt of the dog.

Given his ambitious plans, Nino searched for experts in the field of learning theory with whom he could collaborate to refine his training methods. These collaborations led to the recently developed and innovative STSK9 Master View. 

 After meeting Professor and doctor Marc Debisschopat an event, his ground-breaking work as a pioneer in talent development was adapted to the field of dog training in collaboration with Nino’s extensive k9 experience, and has created a tool that allows for the measurement of a dog and handler’s talent. This progressive partnership and forward thinking, led to the first and only scientifically validated, psychometric tool that can be used for dog trainers! 

The implementation of STSK9 Master View now forms the backbone of a broader scientific thinking process. Nino applies this new methodology to coach dog trainers and professionals, making Nino not just a dog training coach but a dog training consultant.

Nino’s consultancy enables the search for the best methodological match to support the full-talent management of a dog and handler while maintaining the required high levels of energy. In conjunction with the Master View the concepts connect the handler to the dog, by fostering identified strengths, trust, and drive to create unstoppable teams that excel in their partnership under Nino’s guidance.