The Working Dog Depot Podcast

Send us a textWe truly enjoyed interviewing Tony. There will likely be a second episode. After listening to this one we know you'll see why we need to have him on again. Lots of subjects were covered in a slightly longer episode than normal. Tony Pallotta started training dogs in 1993, with over 25 years of experience thus far, his knowledge and experience has made him a leader within his industry. Like most it is not uncommon he started out in obedience training and found within him the passion and desire to learn, absorb and to become more competent and proficient within. It was with that mindset and goal he began to study and train in the sport of Schutzhund. Once he became proficient in Schutzhund as a successful handler and decoy. He realized early on that he felt there were some key components missing that caused him to raise some questions about what was being achieved and what was being taught to believe in. Subsequently he continued on with his desire to study and research and he began to prepare dogs for protection sports. This tested the handler's skills as well as the dog's skills to work in un-patterned programs. This is known as a real street type application in personal protection for both K9 and Handler. This experience allowed the furthering of comprehension and knowledge base by competing in protection venues such as, K9 Pro Sport's, Sundog Protection Pro Series and Iron dog.His desire to understand and specialize within the field took him to Italy. While in Italy working with Renzo Zolli and his community of training partners reaching into Austria and abroad, there a re-affirmation of skill set and advancement occurred. The realization that there was so much more to learn he continued on his travels to study disciplines and to further acquire a knowledge of skills and excellence, it was then that he landed in the Netherlands and began working with Erik Huft in the KNPV program. This was an unanticipated, eye opening experience for Tony and a catapult into a whole new style of training in the world of working dogs. At that time little was known about the Royal Dutch Police Dog Association Program outside of the Netherlands. Many of the world's Elite Military and police K9's have come from this program and it was with great honor for Tony to have been given the opportunity to work and study with such high caliber trainer's.https://workingk9.ca/workingk9-trainer.htmlWe are pleased to announce that Vested Interest in K9's has become our newest sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.comHLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2025 conference will be April 1,2,3, 2025. Register today at www.htlk9.com. Welcome out newest sponsor NCK9LLC. Located in Four Oaks NC, just east of Raleigh NC. Jim O'Brien and staff offer a variety of K9 services. Contact them at Phone : 919-353-7149 Email: jobrien@nck9.us

Send us a textWe have been truly blessed to have had some really great guests. We feel confident that you will enjoy our conversation with Bill Gaskins. Such a humble, knowledgable, gentleman with an impressive resume.Bill GaskinsUS Air Force Retired (21 Years) Law enforcement specialist/ Military Working Dog (MWD) Handler of 10 dogs MWD Trainer: for 50 dog teams at 5 kennels MWD Kennel Master Program Manager for 2 Kennels MWD Instructor: 9 years 624 graduates MWD Course developer: 5 courses AKC Scent Work Judge #105203* NACSW Judge Education: MS in Education: Curriculum Development and Methods of Instruction BS in Education: Work Force Education and Development Owner and Founder of Integrity Nose Worx LLC. Bill Gaskins comes to you by way of the US Air Force from Beaverton Oregon.After 21 years in the US Air Force, he retired to spend more time with his Jersey Girls; Wife Melissa and Daughters McKenna and Baylee.Bill is the son of two retired police officers in Oregon and has been working with and training police dogs since he was 11 years old.During his Air Force Experience Bill served as a Law Enforcement Specialist Military Working Dog Handler of 10 different dogs, Trainer for over 50 operational 9 Teams, and Kennel Master managing kennel operations all over the world. As a canine training instructor, Bill trained and certified 624 operational Canine Teams for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan in tasks from Obedience, Patrol Protection, as well as Explosive and Narcotics detection. Bills experience culminated as the Course Director of 5 different College Credit awarding canine training programs where he developed and delivered courseware and evaluated dog teams on three levels; dog, handler, and overall team.Bill is a sport Scent Work Judge for all levels of AKC Scent Work and an NACSWJudge, judging trials all over the Northeast.This experience allows Bill to bring his best to his customers. Together with you, he'll work hard to train the dog you have to become the dog you want!His motto is; Whatever you "Seek" I'll train your dog to find.https://www.facebook.com/inegritynoseworxdogtraining/https://www.instagram.com/integritynoseworx/We are pleased to announce that Vested Interest in K9's has become our newest sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.comHLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2025 conference will be April 1,2,3, 2025. Register today at www.htlk9.com. Welcome out newest sponsor NCK9LLC. Located in Four Oaks NC, just east of Raleigh NC. Jim O'Brien and staff offer a variety of K9 services. Contact them at Phone : 919-353-7149 Email: jobrien@nck9.us

Send us a textOver the last 15 years, Steven Antommarchi has held the law enforcement titles of Patrol Officer, Canine Handler, Canine Supervisor, Canine Trainer, and Interim Chief of Police.His first encounter with a K-9 team was in New York City on September 11, 2001. He witnessed a search and rescue K-9 team fighting through horrible conditions, while overcoming serious injury for the sake of saving lives. That encounter made such a profound impression on him that he knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.15 years later, on July 7, 2016, in Dallas, Texas, K-9 Officer Antommarchi found himself in the middle of the deadliest attack on law enforcement since 9/11. Tasked with the responsibility of clearing the downtown area for improvised explosive devices, the reason he got into working K-9s came full circle.Being mentored by Tony Guzman and Robert “Bob” Suarez, Antommarchi is the Founder of Next Level K9 Texas, an Instructor for the Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University, and K-9 case study trainer for the Global Forensic Justice Center at Florida International University.Most recently, he became one of the lead trainers and co-designer of the training methodology for a scientific study on “Hemp vs Marijuana.” This study is to evaluate the ability for narcotic detector dogs to discriminate between the odor of marijuana and hemp. The study is being headed by Dr. Kelvin Frank of Florida International University and is in the process of being submitted for publication. Antommarchi is the K-9 trainer and consultant for dozens of law enforcement agencies across the United States and Africa. Conducting workshops and seminars focusing on K-9 aggression instincts, K9 scientific research, and operational readiness. He is also the Law Enforcement Secretary for the American Working DogWe are pleased to announce that Vested Interest in K9's has become our newest sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.comHLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2025 conference will be April 1,2,3, 2025. Register today at www.htlk9.com. Welcome out newest sponsor NCK9LLC. Located in Four Oaks NC, just east of Raleigh NC. Jim O'Brien and staff offer a variety of K9 services. Contact them at Phone : 919-353-7149 Email: jobrien@nck9.us

Send us a text From Elite Jockey to Premier Dog Breeder and TrainerDavid Cohen's journey from the racetrack to the forefront of elite dog breeding and training is a testament to his lifelong passion for animals, discipline, and excellence. As a professional jockey with over 20 years of experience, David built a reputation for precision, patience, and perseverance—qualities that have seamlessly translated into his success as a breeder and trainer.As a JockeyDavid has achieved over 1,800 career wins, earning accolades such as the 2018 Comeback Jockey of the Year and induction into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2022. His extensive experience riding horses worldwide honed his ability to read animal behavior, build trust, and work in harmony with highly athletic animals. Success on the track required a deep understanding of each horse's unique temperament, physical condition, and training needs—a skill set he has carried into his work with dogs.Transition to Dog Breeding and TrainingDavid's elite breeding program focuses on American Terriers, emphasizing working dog capabilities such as scent detection, advanced obedience, tracking, and protection work. His approach is deeply rooted in the principles that made him a successful jockey:    1.    Building Trust    2.    Tailored Training:     3.    Precision and Patience:     4.    Physical and Mental Conditioning: The Perfect Blend of Experience and PassionDavid's background as a jockey taught him the value of consistency, adaptability, and high-performance standards. These qualities have become the foundation of his dog program, where he combines elite genetics with structured, early-stage training to produce exceptional working dogs.By integrating lessons from the equestrian world, David has elevated his breeding program, creating a legacy of excellence that mirrors his success in horse racing. His ability to translate the principles of elite performance across species has established him as a leading figure in the working dog community.We are pleased to announce that Vested Interest in K9's has become our newest sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.comHLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2025 conference will be April 1,2,3, 2025. Register today at www.htlk9.com. Welcome out newest sponsor NCK9LLC. Located in Four Oaks NC, just east of Raleigh NC. Jim O'Brien and staff offer a variety of K9 services. Contact them at Phone : 919-353-7149 Email: jobrien@nck9.us

Send us a textWe've got a special interview with two fine gentlemen. They are each well accomplished, but have unique stories. They may seem like an unlikely pair to be collaborating with each other which makes this story unique. This is a special episode about redemption and seeing the good in people in spite of past misdeeds. It took some intestinal fortitude and careful consideration to come forward with this story. There's no hiding from it, but it's a whole different ball game to openly broadcast it. We're happy to know these gentleman and share their stories. Be on the lookout for seminars they will be offering in the future. Bob Ungurean is a dual purpose canine handler in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia.  He operates Tri County Canine which focuses on pet training as well as police canine seminars ranging from variable surface tracking to team integration.Fritz Vorderbrug is the owner of FirstLine K9 in Pennsylvania. Firstline K9 is a law enforcement K9 vendor that offerers single and dual purpose K9's, as well as a provider of pet training of all forms. Several years ago, Fritz teamed up with Bob Ungrean of Tri County Canine.  The duo offers fast paced law enforcement training seminars geared toward canines and handlers of all skill levels.We are pleased to announce that Vested Interest in K9's has become our newest sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.comHLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2025 conference will be April 1,2,3, 2025. Register today at www.htlk9.com. Welcome out newest sponsor NCK9LLC. Located in Four Oaks NC, just east of Raleigh NC. Jim O'Brien and staff offer a variety of K9 services. Contact them at Phone : 919-353-7149 Email: jobrien@nck9.us

Send us a textSteve “Zane” Stoops spent the last 19 years as the Senior Combat Assault Dog Trainer (CAD) for the United States Joint Special Operations Command-JSOC, assigned to the 1st SFOD-D, located at Ft. Liberty, NC (retired January 2024.) He and a very small and exclusive group of Special Operators are innovators and developed many K9 training philosophies utilized today by the most elite SOF tactical working dog programs throughout the world. Steve actively handled these dogs in numerous combat situations facing fire fights, suicide bombers, and IEDs. A veteran of 14 combat deployments, Steve was also requested by and assisted Naval Special Warfare units in Iraq. During this time, Steve also played a crucial role in the development of the following CAD programs worldwide: Conducted the initial training course for Army Ranger CAD program. Selected and trained the CADs and Handlers for the elite British Special Forces, traveling to England to instruct at the inaugural K9 course for both British Army and Naval Special Operators and their dogs. Selected and trained the dogs for the Danish Jaeger Corps, traveling to Scandinavia to conduct training events. Stood up a K9 program in a combat zone by importing dogs into the zone for the Kurdish Counter Terror Group (CTG). Assisted the German KSK with their CAD program and was co-located with them on a combat deployments. Assisted the Norwegian SOF Dog program in Afghanistan. Stood up the CAD program for the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, selecting and training the K9/Handler teams on a multi-week training course.  Prior to working for Special Operations, Steve stood up and supervised a protection dog program in Afghanistan for Afghan President Hammed Karzai (2002.) Thereafter, Steve stood up a detection dog program in Tirana, Albania, for the Albanian National Police (2003.)Steve's K9 career started while serving 15 of his 20 years as a Police K9 Officer in Anderson, Indiana, after serving in the United States Marine Corps as a Security Specialist at U.S. Embassies throughout Europe and South America. While a K9 Officer, Steve was a SWAT Team member, SWAT Dog handler, and a veteran of hundreds of K9 deployments. He experienced numerous violent encounters with suspects including Officer involved shootings and edged weapon attacks and was responsible foWe are pleased to announce that Vested Interest in K9's has become our newest sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.comHLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2025 conference will be April 1,2,3, 2025. Register today at www.htlk9.com. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Send us a textI first met Jessie some 8 years ago when she payed her way into a decoy class that I was teaching. She immediately impressed me with her athleticism and enthusiasm. At that time, she was simply a young law enforcement officer with and intense desire to become a k9 handler. She did her due diligence to make herself a viable candidate for the job and was rewarded with the opportunity.  On this episode, Jessie shares some of her journey. Like most journeys hers includes successes and hardships. There a many lessons to take away from this episode. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.....HowardJessie Owens-Wilder (Aka Tanto) has been in law enforcement for almost 10 years and is embarking on her master police officer recognition.  Within that time frame she has had many different roles at her agency so of which were being on the agency's swat team, bike patrol team, and is now a part of the k9 unit.  She has always had an interest in k9 and quickly pursued decoying as a way to learn as much as she could about the specialty.  Jessie decoyed for multiple years until the k9 position opened up at her agency.  She was selected to be her agency's handler and she has been serving her community for the past 6 years with her partner K9 Wilson. We are pleased to announce that Vested Interest in K9's has become our newest sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.comHLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2025 conference will be April 1,2,3, 2025. Register today at www.htlk9.com. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Send us a textWe have been after Ben for an interview for a good while. He is actually one of the first gentlemen we pursued when we began the podcast. It was in his best interest to wait until he had fully retired from the Army before we interviewed him.  Ben is one of those guys that makes you feel glad he's on our side! If your old enough to remember the original GI Joe toys you'll be able to relate to this. Ben looks like the original GI Joe with live action hair. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. As you might expect his biography is understated. Ben, we appreciate your friendship and of course your service to our country. Ben Rader is a 21-year Veteran of the U.S. Army and the owner of Rader K9. Ben gained much of his operational experience conducting operations in the middle east during the Global War on Terror (GWOT) for a U.S. Army Special Forces Commander's In-Extremis Force (CIF) Company and later as a Multi-Purpose Canine Handler/Trainer. Afterwards, Ben served as the Kennel Master/Detachment Operations Sergeant for his Group. We are pleased to announce that Vested Interest in K9's has become our newest sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.comHLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2025 conference will be April 1,2,3, 2025. Register today at www.htlk9.com. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Rich and I had a chat with two board members with ATK9. Paul Ludwig and JC Leblanc are both well known names in the working dog community. They provided pertinent information about the upcoming ATK9 conference in October. The number of world renowned instructors and format make this conference unique. Of course, there were many take aways as well as it relates to training. If you haven't registered for the conference don't wait. Thank you for taking the time to come back to our podcast time and again. Rich and I are humbled by the number of listeners and we love the feedback. The American Tactical K9 Association, provides training, educational programming, and assistance to the military and law enforcement communities in police/ military K9 procedures, operations, and tactics.The educational programs and training offered are specifically designed to enhance the performance and professional status of law enforcement and military personnel by providing a credible and proven training resource as well as a forum for the development of tactics and information exchange between the professional law enforcement and military community.The American Tactical K9 Association solicits donations and contributions donated by businesses and individuals to offset the cost of training and educational programs which are scheduled on a regular basis. https://atk9.org/2024-conferenceWe are pleased to announce that Vested Interest in K9's has become our newest sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the WDD10 discount code.Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.comHLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2025 conference will be April 1,2,3, 2025. Register today at www.htlk9.com. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

It's especially rewarding for us to get an opportunity to interview a hard working man with integrity. That was certainly the feeling we had as we concluded the interview. Hope you all enjoy the conversation as much as we did. Josh is a retired police officer after serving at Garland PD and Denton PDin Texas since 2003. During that time Josh held positions as a fieldtraining officer, firearms instructor, active shooter instructor, academyinstructor, K-9 handler, and K-9 instructor. Josh's K-9 partners wonnumerous awards, both in police canine competitions, and on the streetmaking high risk felony apprehensions and seizing thousands of poundsof narcotics and millions of dollars in drug money. During Josh's career, hereceived numerous awards and commendations including over 50meritorious conduct awards, officer of the year, and the life saving award.Josh's first police dog won the United States Police Canine AssociationRegion 20 (USPCA) “Top Dog” overall in the first two years he competed,before becoming a USPCA judge. Josh has trained and certified hundredsof police K-9 teams and is still active in the police K-9 community.In the civilian world, Josh competes with his personal dog that he trainedfrom a puppy in Protection Sports Association (PSA) and is a certified trialdecoy. Josh has trained his current dog to the level of PSA2 and has wonnumerous awards at trial with her including high obedience and highprotection. As a decoy, Josh has been selected as a national select decoyfour times, and has traveled all over the U.S. and internationally to decoy,train dogs, and certify decoys. Josh has decoyed over 150 competitivetrials in five different countries. Josh is currently the secretary of decoysfor PSA and maintains decoy evaluations and certifications of over 100decoys worldwide.Josh is the founder and owner of Kirby K9 which started as a customleash and collar company for police and working dogs, and has expandedto include selective training for obedience and protection dogs. Kirby K9specializes in working dog equipment and is the largest dealer forDemanet bite suits. Josh works very closely with Demanet to develop andtest new products and bite suits, and Demanet has adopted the designsand construction of bite sleeves developed by Josh.Josh is passionate about training dogs, particularly in protection work andbelieves it is the responsibility of great trainers and decoys to bring out thebest in each dog they work with.2 Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the WDD10 discount code.Welcome our newest sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.comHLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2025 conference will be April 1,2,3, 2025. Register today at www.htlk9.com. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

We had a great conversation with Rodney Spicer of Gold Coast K9.  Rodney shared how he became interested in working dogs in the 1980's.  He also shared his insights into puppy and working dog selection.  Rodney's transparency about his meager beginnings is refreshing. The theme that stands out is perseverance. We know that you'll enjoy what he has to say and most definitely will be inspired by his story. Be looking for a part two with Rodney Sr and Rodney Jr.   Gold Coast began from one man's love of dogs and developed into a world class training and performance center. Rodney Spicer transitioned to actual working-dog training in 1985. He purchased his first dog, a beautiful German Shepherd named Arras, and began working obedience skills. Rodney had a natural ability to read and work with Arras and together they were a great team. After some initial success with Arras, Rodney branched out and joined a working dog club, ultimately taking Arras and several other dogs to titles. In 1991, Rodney founded Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 and Rodney went on to successfully compete regionally and nationally as handler, helper/agitator, training director, and judge.As Gold Coast K9's capabilities grew through competition, Rodney focused on training police, military, and high-risk private client service dogs in both patrol and detection. Gold Coast K9's unique, common-sense approach to overcoming real world distractions, pressures, and changing environments, while maintaining drive, enthusiasm, and goal oriented direction set a standard in the K9 training world. Gold Coast K9 teams went on to receive numerous awards including top dog, top agency, agitator's choice, and medal of valor. Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the WDD10 discount code.Welcome our newest sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

We got the bugs worked out since the last episode and we were both able to participate. We both really enjoyed this episode and feel as though there are many great lessons to be learned. Hope you all enjoy the conversation and get some nuggets of wisdom or inspiration. Jay Nix,  is a Sergeant with the Marion County Sheriff's Office, in Florida, where he has served as an active-duty law enforcement officer since 2000. He started his K9 career in 2002 as a handler assigned to the patrol division K9 unit. During his career, he was assigned as a handler on a joint agency task force, followed by a handler and unit commander on the agency's Criminal Interdiction Unit. Ultimately, he was assigned to the Special Operations Bureau, where he holds his current position as the agency's K9 Unit Commander and Head Trainer. Jay is a certified law enforcement K9 instructor and evaluator for both the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Law Enforcement Canine Association.Additionally, he serves as the Vice President of a national nonprofit organization called K9s United, which supports K9 teams across the country. He is also the organization's Training Director of their Law Enforcement K9 training program, which comprises several professional law enforcement K9 trainers who travel across the country, providing advanced training to handlers at no cost to the agencies.Sorry, how's this  Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the WDD10 discount code.Welcome our newest sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Caught up with Mike Lilley for an interview. Unfortunately, Rich was having some technical difficulties and could not join us. We will be rectifying this by the next episode. I believe you will find Mike's methods to be innovative and sound. The proof is always in the pudding. His name is more and more becoming synonymous with solid tracking. He's just one of the more humble, pleasant, talented men in the business. Hope you enjoy this one as much as we did. There's a lot of information to unpack. Training working dogs was a skill passed down from my father at an early age. This knowledge proved invaluable during my K9 handler recruitment as a Law Enforcement Officer and once again during my certification as a Police K9 trainer.My first K9 partner, Roscoe, was a yellow Labrador we rescued from a local shelter. He put all my training to the test, but we became an unstoppable team. Roscoe showed me the potential of misunderstood dogs and sparked what would later become my driving philosophy as a pet dog trainer.It wasn't until my second Police K9 partner, a Belgian Malinois named Neko, that I rooted my training principles and began helping local dog owners in my area with their unruly pets. Neko and I decided to retire in 2018 after an outstanding career in law enforcement and quickly embarked on the adventure of managing a pet training business.We strive to provide families all over Tennessee and the Southeast US with a clear communication system and ultimately keep misunderstood dogs in good homes and out of shelters.https://ridgesidek9tn.com/https://www.mlk9.com/Email: Suzi@mlk9Phone: 239-243-1459 Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the WDD10 discount code.Welcome our newest sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Once again we got an opportunity to have a conversation with Hans about dog training. The first episode was very popular with our listeners. Many folks felt we just scratched the surface on a few key topics. So, in part two, we were able to dig a bit deeper.  We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. Hans VerbruggenProfessional Dog trainerI 've been living amongst dogs since my childhood. As a little boy I accompanied my brothers to the dog club. Very soon those dogclubs became my ‘world'. Even if I didn't know much at that time I was really fascinated by those creatures. I tried hard to see and understand as much as possible. Finally when I was 12 years old I got my own dog. His name was ‘Kim'. He was already 10 years old but  I didn't care. My first steps into ‘Belgian ringsport' were set. I tried as hard as possible to manage things but I must admit that my dog was my ‘teacher'. The process of learning never stopped. In the meantime I know that every dog is different but there is a way to make them work harder and get the best out of them. I am eager to share those experiences​My fascination became my passion. I put on the ‘decoy suit' the first time at the age of 15. Since then I never put it aside. Training dogs became the main goal in my life. I achieved very good results with as well my own dogs as dogs from other owners. Self trained dogs became part of police units and all this with very good results.Since many years I am a decoy in Hoboken Vinkevelden where I work very hard to assist every member and let them grow.Dog training is a process that never stops. Therefor I follow seminars and others to keep up with the newest ways of training,  especially seminars of Bart Bellon. As stated before dog training is my way of living and I am convinced that I can give anyone a way of moving further, handle issues or start from puppy and build up with the right vision and training.HansWe are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the WDD10 discount code.Welcome our newest sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

 BENITO OLSON began his naval career as a master-at-arms serving in Bahrain and Kingsville, Texas. His work with military dogs opened the opportunity of a lifetime to serve with SEAL Team Six for multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. He earned a reputation as a go-to handler for dogs at the tip of the spear and earned multiple decorations such as a Bronze Star with Valor and Purple Heart. After medical retirement from the navy, Olson started Patriot Dog Training for law enforcement, estate protection, and household pets.Information on Lewis Souffront: https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/navy-explosive-ordnance-disposal-technician-1st-class-luis-a-souffront/3370677https://www.fallenheroesproject.org/post/luis-ariel-souffrontLink to purchase Benito's book. https://ballastbooks.com/purchase/the-underdogs/Work Cell 830-229-7141Personal Cell 210-278-4686Benny@patriotdogtraining.comwww.PatriotDogTraining.comWe are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the WDD10 discount code.Welcome our newest sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

We anticipate that you will enjoy this conversation as much as we did. There are already plans for a second episode. Hans uses many phrases that simply just resonated with us. Please listen intently as he has  many important things to say and is wise beyond his years. Hans VerbruggenProfessional Dog trainerI 've been living amongst dogs since my childhood. As a little boy I accompanied my brothers to the dog club. Very soon those dogclubs became my ‘world'. Even if I didn't know much at that time I was really fascinated by those creatures. I tried hard to see and understand as much as possible. Finally when I was 12 years old I got my own dog. His name was ‘Kim'. He was already 10 years old but  I didn't care. My first steps into ‘Belgian ringsport' were set. I tried as hard as possible to manage things but I must admit that my dog was my ‘teacher'. The process of learning never stopped. In the meantime I know that every dog is different but there is a way to make them work harder and get the best out of them. I am eager to share those experiences​My fascination became my passion. I put on the ‘decoy suit' the first time at the age of 15. Since then I never put it aside. Training dogs became the main goal in my life. I achieved very good results with as well my own dogs as dogs from other owners. Self trained dogs became part of police units and all this with very good results.Since many years I am a decoy in Hoboken Vinkevelden where I work very hard to assist every member and let them grow.Dog training is a process that never stops. Therefor I follow seminars and others to keep up with the newest ways of training,  especially seminars of Bart Bellon. As stated before dog training is my way of living and I am convinced that I can give anyone a way of moving further, handle issues or start from puppy and build up with the right vision and training.HansWe are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the WDD10 discount code.Welcome our newest sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

We got the opportunity to get Jeff on the other side of the table. You will find that he is a humble solid source of k9 information. He certainly helped play a role in unifying trainers in this industry. Those of us who have been around awhile remember a time when there wasn't much collaboration. The original Police K9 Magazine most definitely played a role in bringing trainers together. I think we can all agree that we are better unified than divided. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. There are some great take aways.  Jeff Meyer retired in 2023 after serving more than 33 years with the Denver Police Department. Jeff has handled, certified and deployed dogs that have been used to find suspects, narcotics, explosives, guns, currency, and evidence. Jeff spent over 17 years in the Patrol dog section working several patrol dogs before being tasked with starting a new detection K-9 unit for his department. When he retired he was involved in training dog teams in all divisions for his agency. In total Jeff was a handler for 27 years and a trainer for his agency 23 of those years.  Jeff regularly teaches classes for patrol and detection K9 teams across the U.S. To date over 1000 teams have participated in Jeff's  e-collar training. In addition, he has provided expert witness testimony on behalf of officers.Jeff hosts a popular podcast on all things police K9 related, you can find the links below:You can reach Jeff at JeffMeyer1@outlook.com or 303-947-5735 We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the WDD10 discount code.Welcome our newest sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Ted is a treasure trove of information when it comes to k9 caselaw. In a nut shell the court system dictates how k9's are utilized in this country.  Decisions made by handlers should align with the prevailing laws. Additionally, LE agencies policies regarding k9 usages should align with the prevailing laws as well. If you are not a handler and have wondered why dogs are used in some situations and not others you may gain some insight from this episode. If you are a handler and not familiar with the cases sighted in this episode we urge you to familiarize yourself with them. We think you'll enjoys Ted's quick whit and find him to be a valuable resource. As you will hear he's a busy man and has a lot going on. Ted Summers has been training police service dogs since the mid 2000s.  He is the co owner of Torchlight K9 in Tulsa Oklahoma as well as the co owner and training director or High Risk Deployment K9.  He is the co-host and producer of Working Dog radio and the current Executive Director for The Oil Capital K9 Fund.  We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the WDD10 discount code.Welcome our newest sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

What a great conversation with Jerry Bradshaw. We got Jerry to stroll down memory lane at the beginning of the episode. He then dove deep into an explanation about "capping".  For those of you who know Jerry or listen to his podcast "Controlled Aggression" he is a wealth of knowledge. Many folks will want to listen to this episode more than once. He has a lot of great ideas.Jerry Bradshaw is Training Director & President of Tarheel Canine Training, Inc. in Sanford, North Carolina. Jerry has been training dogs for competitive protection sports since 1991 and has competed in National Championship trials in both schutzhund and PSA. Jerry won the PSA 2 National Championships in 2017 with Chuligan Pod Cvilinem (Raptor) PSA 2 High OB & High Protection, and Drago PSA 2 was vice Champion that same year. Jerry claimed the PSA 3 National Championships in 2003 with his dog Ricardo v.d. Natuurzicht PSA 3, and again in 2019 & 2020 with Chuligan Pod Cvilinem (Raptor) PSA 3. Jerry is a 3-time PSA 3 club member, with his dogs RockyPSA 3, Ricardo PSA 3 and Raptor PSA 3.​Tarheel Canine Training Inc. is an internationally renowned training facility for police service dogs, and has placed trained police dogs at federal, state and local law enforcement agencies nationally and internationally since 1993. Jerry is often a featured speaker at national police K9 conferences, and travels extensively giving seminars to police departments, and sport trainers across the United States.Jerry has taught seminars for the US Military, US Special Operations, Australian Military, Australian Federal Police, Brazilian Military, India's Tier 1 Special Operations K9 Unit, Canada's Tier 1 Special Operations K9 Unit, Taiwan NFA, and China's Police K9 Association. Jerry's book, Controlled Aggression, is the standard text for understanding the fundamentals of canine aggression training for police service, personal protection, and competitive dog sports. Jerry is also the host of the popular K9 training podcast “The Controlled Aggression Podcast.”We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com Please welcome Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the WDD10 discount code.Welcome our newest sponsor Gold Coast K9. Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms. For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

We think that you will see that Mountain is a teacher at heart and a wealth of knowledge. ENJOY!Mountain was born in Rio de Janeiro Brazil in 1985 and immigrated to the US when he was 4. His younger years were spent in Florida and eventually moved to Vermont his 8th grade year. Upon graduating, he took an athletic scholarship to compete in track and field at Lynchburg college, in Virginia. He did 2 years of premed before feeling a need to take break from his studies. Mountain enlisted in the marine corps in 2005 and served until almost 2016. He did 5 tours, 4 conducting combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Oman, and other various places around the HOA(horn of Africa) and the Middle East. On his 4th deployment (1st to Afghan) he was part of the TEDD program, and where he got his start with dogs. On his second deployment to Afghanistan he conducted operational planning for the AO and the utilization of special assists, one of which were the labs. Mountain finished his time in Quantico Va as a foreign weapons instructor, teaching DOS, DEA, FBI, SEALs, and MARSOC operators how to utilize and implement a host of foreign weapons. Upon his final promotion, he became the rifle program manager for the Marine Corps. Immediately after his EAS, he dove head first back into dogs. He mentored and studied under some not so great guys, and some great ones. He spent the next few years traveling around the country and attending every class and seminar he could. He eventually started working contracts as an explosives detection handler, and soon after training EDD's for the company, and eventually working a pilot program for the DoD for US Special Operations. It was an advanced Mountain K9 course. In the constant pursuit of knowledge, and chasing his passion for dogs, today Mountain finds himself instructing for Spikes K9's “Spikes School.”  He provides tracking courses for agencies around the country, at no cost to the departments.  He assists his good friend Armin Winkler with the conduct of handler courses and education for different Tier 1 and 2 assets from the US and abroad.  He was an assistant instructor at this year's ATK9 conference and gave lectures at HITS, ranging from behavioral science applied in training, laser directionals, and special operations tactical K9 integration. Currently Mountain lives in Virginia with his amazing wife Ashley, and 3 children: Elijah, Jack, and Tuesday. They're expecting their fourth at the end of the month! Mountain owns and operates Para Bellum K9, which offers education and assistance to units around the country for LEO and Military K9's. He is a certifying judge for American Working Dogs, and was a speaker at this year's HITS conference and assisted the Decoy training at ATK9. We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com Please welcome our newest sponsor Ray Allen Manufacturing. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the WDD10 discount code. We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Both Rich and I feel that Erik is doing something special with the implementation of the bark fence. On this episode, he does a great job of describing how he uses it and what he expects the desired outcome to become. This is truly another tool to be added to your program as you seek to develop dogs that will engage with power and control. Erik Good is currently a handler and the head K-9 Trainer at the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department. He is certified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as a K-9 Team Instructor and K-9 Team Evaluator. Erik has been a K-9 handler for 15 years and has worked 3 single purpose patrol dogs along with a single purpose EOD dog. Erik is responsible for teaching new handler schools for both his agency and surrounding jurisdictions. Erik's duties include instructing training for over 15 dogs within his agency. He also puts on weekly multi-jurisdictional training for surrounding departments. Additionally, Erik has 9 years of experience as a SWAT K-9 handler/trainer and has worked to incorporate and develop new and innovative K-9 tactics previously non-existent to SWAT operations within the agency. Erik has been successful in implementing a format of training that emphasizes proper gripping behaviors coupled with dynamic releases. His methods prove that there's no need to diminish drives and gripping behavior in order to obtain a superior level of control in the dog. Erik is passionate about hard surface tracking due to the extreme urban environmental conditions in South Florida.We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

We sat down with an old  mutual friend and talked about a myriad of K9 related subjects. We discussed k9 tryouts, the vetting process, hairy deployments, the cyclical nature of things, as well as Eddie's K9 attic deployment system. You will be able to hear how passionate Eddie is about the device he developed and how it can save lives. First In K9 may ring a bell from k9 conferences such as Hits and Hold the Line K9 conference. Eddie currently works with all the K9 teams going through Vohne Licke's handler courses. Eddie Wescott is a veteran police officer, with over 34 years of service, including 18 years as a K9 handler and trainer. He retired from the Louisville Metro Police Department where he served as a K9 handler and SWAT officer.  He currently serves as a patrol officer with the Jeffersontown Police Department. Eddie is also the inventor of the patented K9 Attic Deployment System and owner of First In K9. Eddie can be reached at Eddie@first-in-K9.comhttps://www.first-in-k9.com/We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Doug graciously allowed us to interview him and he came forward with some great information. Information that comes from experience working in the field for many years. This episode is chocked full of gold nuggets that handlers can put to use. We hope that you enjoy this one as much as we did. Doug Roller was a Sergeant and Chief Trainer for the Los Angeles Police Departments(LAPD) K-9 Platoon, Metropolitan Division for 17 years, until he retired in March of 2013. He is a nationally recognized expert in K-9 tactics, perimeter containments and search techniques, with over 6,500 K-9 deployments. Doug had been a member of the LAPD since 1982. In his over 30 years of service Doug had been assigned to the K-9 Platoon Division for almost 25 years. He was a handler and Assistant Trainer for over 7 years, capturing over 400 suspects with his assigned canine during that time. Doug oversaw all aspects of K9 training, maintenance and K9 selection for the LAPD K9 Platoon. Their Platoon maintained one of, if not the highest find ratio in the nation. Sergeant Roller is a court qualified K9 expert and has testified in numerous K9 litigation cases.In 2010 - Doug started his company “Tactical K9 LLC." He is the owner and CEO and has several outstanding instructors working for his company. TK9 has also contracted with numerous agencies for basic and advanced training in all areas of police service dog programs. TK9 has conducted countless seminars throughout North and South America as well as Asia, instructing on Perimeter Containments, Search Team Tactics and proper E- collar use (Off-Leash Control). Doug is also a California POST Certified AICC Instructor. He has conducted over 175 of his much-demanded E-Collar Workshops since the company was established. Tactical K9 has contracted and instructed all branches of the military as well as some of the Special Forces Units. Doug can be contacted through his email(offleashtrainer@aol.com).We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

This was a joint episode with the guys from the Dogs of War Podcast. The DOW podcast just celebrated its third year. Steven "Sway" Hueston was instrumental in helping us get our podcast off the ground. In this episode we talk about moral, social media, podcast growth, and creative venues for expanding your dog training  business. Additionally, Steven Antommarchi shared some new regarding a study he has been involved in over the past three years. In a nut shell, the study involved the training of dogs to discriminate between hemp and marijuana. Below is Steven's biography:Over the last 15 years, Steven Antommarchi has held the law enforcement titles of Patrol Officer, Canine Handler, Canine Supervisor, Canine Trainer, and Interim Chief of Police.His first encounter with a K-9 team was in New York City on September 11, 2001. He witnessed a search and rescue K-9 team fighting through horrible conditions, while overcoming serious injury for the sake of saving lives. That encounter made such a profound impression on him that he knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.15 years later, on July 7, 2016, in Dallas, Texas, K-9 Officer Antommarchi found himself in the middle of the deadliest attack on law enforcement since 9/11. Tasked with the responsibility of clearing the downtown area for improvised explosive devices, the reason he got into working K-9s came full circle.Being mentored by Tony Guzman and Robert “Bob” Suarez, Antommarchi is the Founder of Next Level K9 Texas, an Instructor for the Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University, and K-9 case study trainer for the Global Forensic Justice Center at Florida International University.Most recently, he became one of the lead trainers and co-designer of the training methodology for a scientific study on “Hemp vs Marijuana.” This study is to evaluate the ability for narcotic detector dogs to discriminate between the odor of marijuana and hemp. The study is being headed by Dr. Kelvin Frank of Florida International University and is in the process of being submitted for publication. Antommarchi is the K-9 trainer and consultant for dozens of law enforcement agencies across the United States and Africa. Conducting workshops and seminars focusing on K-9 aggression instincts, K9 scientific research, and operational readiness. He is also the Law Enforcement Secretary for the American Working Dog Association (AWDA) for the disciplines of Narcotics, Patrol, Person Borne IED, Electronic Storage Device detection, Tracking, Trailing, Explosives, Accelerant detection and Personal Protection.We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Help us welcome one of the most fun people we know to the Working Dog Depot, Matt Wilson.  Matt was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He first got into dog training at the age of 16 at PetSmart. It didn't take long for him to realize there was more to training than what was being offered at a big box store. Matt left PetSmart and started his own training business, Ethos K9. Shortly after starting this business his journey led him to  working at Ray Allen Manufacturing. He is the social media manager, one of 3 product inventors, and designers. He also manages government contracts and more. Working at Ray Allen Manufacturing has opened doors for him which have included a couple movie jobs with k9's. He sold his training company in 2020 and joined SAR in Colorado.  Hobbies include, drawing, movies, dogs, talking shit, cigars, making cool shit, sewing and music.  Sit back and enjoy!!We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Say Less - Train your dog to be calm and stable. This allows your dog to think through what you're asking him to do. Being frantic leads to bad decision making and instability.Brian HempelmannBrian Hempelmann became a police officer in 1994 with the Westminster Police Department in Colorado. He then became a K9 handler in 1997. Brian has since worked 5 dual purpose K9's. 4 were dual purpose narcotics dogs and his current is a dual purpose explosive dog. Brian is also assigned to the SWAT team where he assists in perimeters and entry during various high risk operations. Brian is currently the Supervisor and Trainer for his department. From 2009-2010, Brian worked with government research and development of K9 applications where he created and maintained programs of instruction for K9 applications. He trained K9's in control, human scent discrimination tracking, searches, and narcotic and explosive odor training and implementation. Brian was a part of the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG) and considered a subject matter expert. Brian evaluates and documents K9 related DOD projects for specified end users. He evaluates explosive programs related to the dogs ability to generalize odors. He also created an HME program for military and law enforcement. Brian has trained numerous K9's and certified them through CPCA and NPCA.Billy SawyerBilly has 15 years of Law Enforcement experience that started with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in Jacksonville Florida. Billy was assigned to a Tactical Narcotics Unit that focused on undercover operations along with service of Search Warrants, Arrest Warrants, and Vehicle Assaults. He was also a firearms instructor for the department. In 2013, Billy became an officer with the Longmont Police Department and joined the SWAT team in 2014. He deploys with and is attached to the SWAT team as the p rimary K9 handler. He has deployed on countless missions with the team. Billy was a Taser and Firearms Instructor. Billy promoted to the rank of Sergeant and currently leads a patrol shift. He is also the K9 Unit trainer and previously attended Police K9 Trainer School at Tarheel Canine. Billy has tested 100's of police dogs. He is currently a judge for the Colorado Police Canine Association (CPCA). Billy believes in continuing education and he has attended the HITS Conference (5 times times), the Hold the Line K9 Conference (2 times, the Iron Dog K9 Seminar (2 times), Franco Angelini's Bite Dr Decoy School (5 times), a SWAT/K9 Integration with Cameron Ford, a graduate of the NePoPo silver program, among others.Billy is passionate about the integration of police canines with SWAT. There seems to be a disconnect between SWAT teams and K9 handlers along with their roles as they work together.We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

JEFF SCHETTLERCEO / Police and Military K9 Trainer / AuthorJeff Schettler is a retired police K9 handler who worked for the City of Alameda and County of Amador in California and was attached to the FBI's Hostage Rescue Teams' K9 Assistance Program for two years. This program was designed to locate and apprehend high-risk fugitives on the run. He is a certified military trainer graduating from the prestigious US Army's Leadership Academy also known as Drill Sergeant School.Jeff has worked hundreds of trailing cases across the USA and is a specialist in the areas of tactical tracking applications.  He is also considered an expert witness in tracking/ trailing. As an international K9 trainer, he spends 12 weeks a year training throughout Europe, South America, and Asia. His program is in use with numerous international police agencies as well as NATO military units.Jeff's work has been seen on CNN, ABC, CBS, HLN, Unsolved Mysteries, and Mythbusters.  Through the years, he has become a renowned author of the following books on K9 Tracking Work.Red Dog Rising– A K9 Tracking AutobiographyK9 Trailing; The Straightest Path– A primer on starting a K9 team on human scent discrimination and trailing work.Tactical Tracker Teams– A practical guide to surviving high-risk fugitive manhunts.Tao of Trailing – The Tao of Trailing is my fourth and final book on the art of trailing or tracking human scent with police, search and rescue, or military K9.We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in  Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming.  htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Tim began his K9 career as a Gun Dog trainer in Texas in 1990. He evolved to working dog training and instruction in 2003. Tim is certified as a State of Texas level 1-4 Security Agent and Personal Protection Officer, NRA Firearms Instructor, Texas DPS Firearms Instructor, Texas DPS Certified Security Instructor, Texas DPS License to Carry Instructor, Texas Police TCOLE Instructor and holds a Security Clearance with the Department of State. He is actively involved in instruction of MMA, defensive knife tactics and tactical firearm. He is an ESM in K9 Patrol and deployment training.Tim served in the US Navy and was Honorably Discharged and began serving as a Private Military Contractor in 2012 with a total of 6 deployments overseas. Some of his experience and training stems from a contractor assignment with the US Navy SEALS Grp. 2, Little Creek as a K9 Instructor, deployment with the US Department of State Security Forces in Kabul Afghanistan as an instructor and Kennel Master and a 20 month deployment with Triple Canopy as an Indonesia Government Advisor specializing in QRF and SOF K9 training and deployment. He returned to Texas in November of 2015 where he pursued using his talents and learned attributes in the security industry. He worked for Trident Response Group as an instructor and PPO Officer and Team Lead, Strategic Response Group as a Security Project Manager and PPO Team lead, lead a Extraction Team to Bolivia to secure a US Citizen during the Government failure and is currently teaching civilians, LEOs and military members in K9 capabilities, firearms, CQC, concealed handgun deployment, self-defense and situation awareness.Tim has over 3000 hours of training and multiple years of practical application in firearms, K9 deployment, active shooter response, defensive knife tactics, personal protection procedures and movement, advance team procedures, MMA, dynamic vehicle techniques, non-ballistic weapons, tactical medicine, surveillance, investigation, close quarters combat, building clearing and securing, conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques.Life as a k9 contract employee.Passion for the work.New handler advice.Patience, Patience, Patience!Find a good mentor!K9 Language.Non compulsive training.They don't all make it."If you're afraid to get bit you're in the wrong. business".Dogs communicate with us if you're able to listen.Teaching the outs on a table.Teaching the dog that "out" is a good word."You will not win a conflict with a dog"Conflict comes from not understanding what the dog is telling you.Too much pressure too soon.No training is better than bad training.Don't keep trying something if it doesn't work.Dogs are learning how to learn.Your ideal dog.Level headed dog with good work ethic, athletic, and social.Mal X German Shepherd.Every dog has a specific job.Everyone has a different understanding of what a trained dog looks likeWe are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

We are excited about this episode as Pat is someone we both admire and respect. His work across the dog community speaks for itself. He is a true gentleman and man of integrity. We know you'll enjoy the ease at which he describes what he does and why he does it. His experiences come from a lifetime of training puppies and dogs. Pat Nolan has worked in animal venues for 47 years, gaining a broad range of experience. He has trained retrievers for field trials, detection canines for military, police, and anti-poaching work, birds of prey for falconry, and deer, dogs, and other animals for commercials. As a seasoned trainer and consultant, he is passionate about advancing the art and science of canine training. In addition to his current training for units in the special operations community, he is involved in training canines for research projects as well as the development of specialized equipment for detection training. When not training, Pat enjoys family, travel, and photography.Early experience in SchutzhundWas advised a living could be made training retrieversField trials Learned ecollar skills with retrieversForced retrieve Dogs learn how to turn the pressure offEcollars do not provide directional informationApproached by military after honing his craft with retrieversDirectionalsGo, stop when we tell you, but not until we tell you and change directionsPressure responsePull and pushNo room for anthropomorphic thinkingEvaluate training from the dogs perspectiveTaking direction at great distancesHaving a dog deliver a packagePlatform with a camera on the dogTurning pressure off by moving away from the handler4 consequences to influence behavior "4 quadrants"90 to 95% of ecollar pressure is used to "push" behaviorOnly 3 settings on an ecollar Not enough, too much, and just right.Introduction to the ecollarLooking for an indication that the dog felt it.Commanders challengeDogtra demonstrations, putting tricks on the dogsCan you train a dog to put a package on a target 100 meters away?SF groupsFalconry Parallels between training hawks and training dogsMuch better dog trainer because of the experience with hawksDoing the best for your dogAre you ever done training your dog?Controlling consequences of actionsTraining in drive.Mindset shift "I can't make the dog do anything, but I can control the consequences"Picking the right dogExecutive function skills Good executive function skills are better predictors of success than high IQThe dogs drive has be channeled. Executive functions skills, drive, and environmental stabilityPuppies learn at a rapid rateDeveloping retriever pupsFrom the retriever pup up https://www.pushpulltrainingindrive.com/storeBuffalo Trace they sold their souls to the devil! We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

In this episode Rich and Howard have a casual conversation about obedience. They differentiate the difference between obedience and manners. It is entirely possible to have a dog that is good at specific obedience tasks, but lacks manners. It's also possible to have a dog that has good manners but lacks good fundamental obedience. Many times what pet owners truly want is a mannerly dog. We hope you enjoy the conversation. Manners vs obedienceManners outweighs obediencePet peeve, if the heel command is given it must be maintained. Moving from point A to B does not mean the dog has to be in a heel command.Guidelines for walking with your dog.Phases of learning.Focused heel.What are the expectations on the dog?Say what you mean, mean what you say.Koehler method.Obedience on a detection dog.Working the dog in front of you. What method is best for this dog.How can you knock the process when the end result looks good.Choose a path and stay with it. No mans land.Leashed provide direction Ecollars do not.Active and passive stressors.Pulling the dog to you.Can a dog be in a focused heel and still be aware of it's surroundings?Teach specific skills and then put them together.Successive approximation - baby steps.Balance in training.Once a command is given the dog is expected to hold it until it's been given a release command.What is your release command? Make sure it is not a word that is used often in conversation.3 D's of dog training. Distance, Duration, Distractions.Place is not a prison sentence it's for impulse control.If sit means sit and down means down why to we have a stay command?Not all dogs are motivated by the same things.Significance of teaching dogs to overcome obstacles. Strategies for dealing with anxiety during fireworks.Teaching your dog to do something different during the times of stress.Free Pro tip!!Don't get in a hurry.We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in  Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming.  We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

 Jim O'Brien, handled two police canines while he was a patrolman in the state of New Hampshire. Jim and his canine partners were a huge asset in central New Hampshire and were responsible for the capture and arrest of countless suspects and drug seizures.  Jim developed both canines programs from the ground up and had much success with both programs.Jim was the lead instructor at two kennels in the state of NC where he was tasked with instructing Law Enforcement and Military personnel. Jim has instructed canine teams from around the world and has instructed classes for Working Dog Magazine, K9  Cop Magazine, Bravo 3, and Blue Line K9 conferences. Jim enjoys learning new skills to enhance his abilities as a trainer and continually strives to increase the success rates of his canine teams in the field.Jim has had many great human influences and dog trainers over the years that have assisted his growth as a trainer and his love for dog training. However, the one being that grew that passion more than any human was his last partner, Blek. Blek was a great patrol dog, but was the best instructor!Jim conducts both Law Enforcement and Pet Dog Training. Jim can be contacted directly at 603-986-9897 or at jobrien@nck9.usTraining pet dogs2014 moved to NCOpened NCK9 LLC in 20178 week handlers courseFood based reward systemWhy has food reward systems been so taboo in the police dog industry?Pay trainers wellStaff retentionChallenges in finding qualified handlersThe need to be physically fit "dogs and handlers"Hard surface trackingBe a thief Bowl to washer Patience- wait for the dog to put his nose to the ground. Pay for that behavior.Difficulty obtaining good dogsSuper young"Ball drive/possessionTeach with food first. Clean reps w/o the struggle over the toyExistential food reward system - dog works for his daily ration of foodEcollar integrationEcollar technologySeptember 2023 handlers coursePatience, patience, patience!K9 legal updatesMultitaskingHit the ground running by building you dog a good portfolio of pictures.We are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order.Also checkout Fox and Hound K9 Foundation Nonprofit Organization.Fox + Hound K9 Foundation is a K9-focused organization that seeks to assist active and retired k9s. "Making a difference, it's what we do."We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

     Todd Mona is a Sergeant/K9 Handler for the East Hartford Police Department in Connecticut.  He is the founder and lead trainer of the Capital Region Police K9 Academy and the Capital Region K9 Training Group.  Todd has been a Police Officer since 2002 and in K9 since 2006.  After working his first dog K9 Primo from 2006 until 2015, Todd raised and trained his second dog from ten weeks old until present, K9 Casus Belli.  In 2014 Todd earned his Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Trainer and in 2022 he earned his North American Police Work Dog Association Trainer.  Over the years Todd has been involved in numerous high risk deployments including three officer involved shootings where he was able to get criminal apprehensions with his dogs in two incidents.   Todd offers a real life approach and scenario based training to his group and others, utilizing a broken down step by step process to help the dogs forward progression and avoiding regression or lingering training scars.        Aside from running Police K9 academies, Todd has instructed at Hold The Line Conference, Georgia Police K9 Foundation Workshop, Massachusetts Police Work Dog Association and held several seminars in Connecticut including, E-Collar, Decoying and his building search class titled 'Increasing Hunt Drive While Expanding The Building Search'.  Recently Todd, Justin Rigney, Southern State K9 and Eric Good held a 'Power and Control' seminar collaborating with the mentioned trainers to bring different approaches to increasing and capping drives when desired.  In September Todd will be instructing at ATK9 in Indiana.  Todd is currently working on a gunfire neutrality and desensitization to back up officers shooting course and an increasing the pressure decoying course.What are you looking for from a podcastIdeas to make yourself betterWhitenoiseBreaking tasks downCompartmentalized trainingGood dog trainers don't train dogs like you train humansLet's do it again.....lets not!Phases of learningWhy do I need to motivate my dog to perform a specific task.Continuing education. Get out and see what other folks are doing.Good trainers and handlers never stop learningTacticsDeveloping dogs that can integrate with a teamThe dog is a location toolDecoy development taking dogs to the next levelProper grip workPreparing dogs for the next level...facing the 1%ers. What steps are necessary for the dog to achieve the next levelChecking the boxesManaging the environmentConsequences of using an ecollar to proof off odorYou don't pay for things you don't wantThe guys break it down on the flyBreaking things down to overcome a bad associationSeparating the hander from the bad associationEcollar basics, work to obtain the lowest level Muzzle neutralityWe are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxanWe are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Ken Licklider Vohne Liche KennelsSome 20 plus years ago, both Rich and I separately,  encountered a gentleman whose training would largely shape how we teach detection dogs. His accomplishments are truly too numerous to document in this space. To this day, he continues to  draw crowds at conferences when he speaks. He's charismatic, and humorous, but more than anything he's a talented pioneer in this industry. VLK, has made a huge footprint in the venue of working dogs and Ken has been at the forefront. We feel confident that you'll be entertained by Ken's stories and anecdotes. He unashamedly speaks his mind and his passion continues to ring through. VLK's meager beginningsEarly history of the Malinois as a working dog in the militaryPassive response vs aggressive responseEvery good trainer steals from other trainers and makes it their ownSlow expansion without accumulating debtWe need to disagree Lassie was 11 dogsContinued growth of VLK as a training facilityYMCAStew theoryK9 OlympicsOdor MovesLearning the basics of our career field Jagdterrier "Yak terrier"Owner of police canine training facility. Train approximately 400 dogs and 150 handlers from 46 states and 20 foreign countries yearly, as well as the official trainers for Bermuda, the National Security Agency and Puerto Rico. Conduct training in tracking, apprehension and detection work as well as first aid, search and seizure and use of force issues. Specialize in narcotic and explosive passive response detection work. Conduct supervisors and trainers courses whereby supervisory officers are taught how to train canines and handlers in their department as well as spotting and correcting problem areas. Created Vohne Liche K-9 Securities deploying teams to Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas in support of Explosive Detector Dog missions worldwide.We are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order.Also checkout Fox and Hound K9 Foundation Nonprofit Organization.Fox + Hound K9 Foundation is a K9-focused organization that seeks to assist active and retired k9s. "Making a difference, it's what we do."The Fox and Hound K9 Foundation would like to announce their first celebration event in Branson Missouri on June 3, 2023. Follow them @foxandhoundk9foundation on IG.We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

It's not everyday that we get to chat with research scientists. Sit back and enjoy this entertaining episode filled with many take aways. Mrs. Jenna Gadberry is a contract Scientist at the US Army Futures Command's Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM-CBC) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. Mrs. Gadberry earned her B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of California at Davis in 2003 and enjoyed a 12 year career at the DoD's Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO) where she was a Subject Matter Expert (SME) and program coordinator for two Technical Support Working Groups (TSWGs). Since 2016, Mrs. Gadberry has been part of the Olfactory Sciences Team, working on enhancing canine detection capabilities. She now manages a diverse portfolio of active Military Working Dog projects (everything from olfaction to wearables and decon solutions), specializing in the spiral development process of getting applied research and development solutions into end-user's hands.Michele Maughan, Ph.D., is a research scientist and program manager for Excet, Inc. a US Defense Department science and engineering contract firm. Michele works at the US Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Chemical Biological Center (CBC) in the Olfactory Sciences group at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. In this role, Dr. Maughan, provides subject matter expertise on canine scent detection and training aids, explosive and other emerging CBRNE threats, sensor technologies, and research, development, test and evaluation of Military Working Dog and Homeland Security canines. In addition to being a scientist, Michele is also a certified explosives detection dog (EDD) handler, currently working on developing her second EDD from puppy to operational canine for R&D projects.We are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order.Also checkout Fox and Hound K9 Foundation Nonprofit Organization.Fox + Hound K9 Foundation is a K9-focused organization that seeks to assist active and retired k9s. "Making a difference, it's what we do."The Fox and Hound K9 Foundation would like to announce their first celebration event in Branson Missouri on June 3, 2023. Follow them @foxandhoundk9foundation on IG.*Hold the Line K9 conference. Yes that is correct the Blueline Conference is now HOLD THE LINE K9 CONFERENCE.  It's still the same great conference run by the same great people, just under a new name. The next conference is May 2 - 4 in Pittsburgh Pa. Follow them on www.thinbluelineconference.com, IG @htlk9conference, facebook @Thin Blueline Conference. It's truly a great conference with quality instructors. Preregistration is taking place now. Join us for a great time. We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Michael Nezbeth is the Training Director and founder of Grassroots K9, an international training company that specializes in LEO canines. Michael also offers seminars and workshops to LEO and civilians aimed at giving actionable training plans based on theory to practical applications. Michael began his career in the canine industry after graduating with degrees in Psychology and Criminology. His background  has given him the ability to apply a theoretical and systematic approach to practical applications in canine deployments. Michael is a well-versed trainer in numerous disciplines within the working dog world. He has a structured approach that is effectively transferred to both handlers and canines in the areas of Narcotic Detection, Explosive Detection, Obedience, Evidence Search, Problem Solving, Tracking and Apprehension work. Michael applies his education in learning theories to all facets of dog training but specifically has a passion for grip development. One of his duties is to oversee the Grassroots K9 Prospective Police Dog Program that is responsible for the procurement and training of dogs for work in law enforcement. This unique position gives him the ability to design repeatable scientific based programs for the development of young green dogs into effective patrol dogs. Michael has instructed at seminars locally and internationally for law enforcement, military handlers, and security contractors. He has also trained and placed canines in various agencies across North America.Grassroots K9 Dog TrainingWebsite:Grassrootsk9.comYouTube: https://youtube.com/@grassroots.k9lWe are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order.Also checkout Fox and Hound K9 Foundation Nonprofit Organization.Fox + Hound K9 Foundation is a K9-focused organization that seeks to assist active and retired k9s. "Making a difference, it's what we do."The Fox and Hound K9 Foundation would like to announce their first celebration event in Branson Missouri on June 3, 2023. Follow them @foxandhoundk9foundation on IG.*Hold the Line K9 conference. Yes that is correct the Blueline Conference is now HOLD THE LINE K9 CONFERENCE.  It's still the same great conference run by the same great people, just under a new name. The next conference is May 2 - 4 in Pittsburgh Pa. Follow them on www.thinbluelineconference.com, IG @htlk9conference, facebook @Thin Blueline Conference. It's truly a great conference with quality instructors. Preregistration is taking place now. Join us for a great time. We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Howard and Rich had a great conversation with KD Mathews of Socratic Canine. KD is vert charismatic and engaging. We feel confident that you'll enjoy the conversation as much as we all did. Training dogs, and even more importantly, educating humans, has been the priority for KD Mathews for over 25 years.  KD now combines his shared experiences of training both pet and working dogs, with his years of working with humans in both public education and private enterprise training.  The result is a remarkably effective human-centered approach to helping dogs and their owners.   When he's not working with dog owners with his company, Socratic Canine, KD regularly appears on a variety of podcasts and has quite the “colorful” social media presence which can be consumed on both Facebook and his Instagram @kdmathews.  Information about his work with dogs and their owners can be found on his company's website, www.socraticcanine.comSocratic CanineWe are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order.Also checkout Fox and Hound K9 Foundation Nonprofit Organization.Fox + Hound K9 Foundation is a K9-focused organization that seeks to assist active and retired k9s. "Making a difference, it's what we do."The Fox and Hound K9 Foundation would like to announce their first celebration event in Branson Missouri on June 3, 2023. Follow them @foxandhoundk9foundation on IG.*Hold the Line K9 conference. Yes that is correct the Blueline Conference is now HOLD THE LINE K9 CONFERENCE.  It's still the same great conference run by the same great people, just under a new name. The next conference is May 2 - 4 in Pittsburgh Pa. Follow them on www.thinbluelineconference.com, IG @htlk9conference, facebook @Thin Blueline Conference. It's truly a great conference with quality instructors. Preregistration is taking place now. Join us for a great time. We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Rich and Howard go over some of the methods they have used in order to teach working dogs to track and do odor detection.  There is no one way or absolutes when training dogs.  In this episode they share the methods that have worked best for them when training tracking and detection working dogs. Tracking:Proper dog selectionPronounced hunt drive Hard surface tracking "scent in a bottle"article indicationTracking vs Trailing DetectionHunt, Hunt, HuntSelecting the best method for the dogHaving options to choose fromKnowing how to problem solveTrained final response "TFR"Indirect reward vs direct rewardConditioned reinforcersIf you would like more "how to" episodes let us know though social media, email, or text. We are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order.Also checkout Fox and Hound K9 Foundation Nonprofit Organization.Fox + Hound K9 Foundation is a K9-focused organization that seeks to assist active and retired k9s. "Making a difference, it's what we do."The Fox and Hound K9 Foundation would like to announce their first celebration event in Branson Missouri on June 3, 2023. Follow them @foxandhoundk9foundation on IG.*Hold the Line K9 conference. Yes that is correct the Blueline Conference is now HOLD THE LINE K9 CONFERENCE.  It's still the same great conference run by the same great people, just under a new name. The next conference is May 2 - 4 in Pittsburgh Pa. Follow them on www.thinbluelineconference.com, IG @htlk9conference, facebook @Thin Blueline Conference. It's truly a great conference with quality instructors. Preregistration is taking place now. Join us for a great time. We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Great opportunity to speak with Mike about a variety of K9 related topics:California Assembly Bill CA AB740Ecollars Failed engagements, perspective, and overcoming deployment failureSERGEANT II (Ret) Mike GoosbyChief TrainerMetropolitan Division K9 PlatoonLos Angeles Police DepartmentMike had 32.5 years (25 years of K9 experience) with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), where he was assigned as the Chief Trainer for the Metropolitan Division K9 Platoon.  He is a nationally recognized expert in K9 Tactics, Perimeter Containments, Command Post Operations (Command and Control), as well as off leash search techniques.  Mike was the overseer of all aspects of K9 training, maintenance, and K9 selection for the LAPD K9 Platoon.  Mike has also worked and supervised other divisions / units within the LAPD, including patrol, narcotics, C.R.A.S.H., Vice, Safer Cities Initiative, Community Relations, and the Community Law Enforcement and Recovery (CLEAR) unit.Mike conducts numerous seminars / classes throughout North America, instructing on the proper use of the E-Collar (off leash control), K9 Search Team Tactics, K9 / SWAT Integration, Perimeter Containments, Command Post Operations, and Multi Assault Counter Terrorism Capabilities (MACTAC).Follow Mike on Facebook @Michael Goosby and IG @k9goodguy.We are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order.Also checkout Fox and Hound K9 Foundation Nonprofit Organization.Fox + Hound K9 Foundation is a K9-focused organization that seeks to assist active and retired k9s. "Making a difference, it's what we do."The Fox and Hound K9 Foundation would like to announce their first celebration event in Branson Missouri on June 3, 2023. Follow them @foxandhoundk9foundation on IG.*Hold the Line K9 conference. Yes that is correct the Blueline Conference is now HOLD THE LINE K9 CONFERENCE.  It's still the same great conference run by the same great people, just under a new name. The next conference is May 2 - 4 in Pittsburgh Pa. Follow them on www.thinbluelineconference.com, IG @htlk9conference, facebook @Thin Blueline Conference. It's truly a great conference with quality instructors. Preregistration is taking place now. Join us for a great time. We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

On this episode Rich and Howard field questions provided by listeners. Topics covered include:Hidden sleeves and prostheticsGeneral thoughts on protection dogsTeaching passive engagementPolice dog selectionSelecting police dog candidates from vendors overseas and domesticDealing with conflict/redirection on handlerMain training goals prior to handler schoolMost underestimated training adviceOld school dogs vs dogs of todayDetection problem solvingIntroducing dogs to muzzle fighting Rich and Howard share from their personal experiences and understanding of K9 behavior. Based on popularity, more Q & A episodes may be planned in the future. We are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order. Also checkout Fox and Hound K9 Foundation Nonprofit Organization.Fox + Hound K9 Foundation is a K9-focused organization that seeks to assist active and retired k9s. "Making a difference, it's what we do."The Fox and Hound K9 Foundation would like to announce their first celebration event in Branson Missouri on June 3, 2023. Follow them @foxandhoundk9foundation on IG.*Hold the Line K9 conference. Yes that is correct the Blueline Conference is now HOLD THE LINE K9 CONFERENCE.  It's still the same great conference run by the same great people, just under a new name. The next conference is May 2 - 4 in Pittsburgh Pa. Follow them on www.thinbluelineconference.com, IG @htlk9conference, facebook @Thin Blueline Conference. It's truly a great conference with quality instructors. Preregistration is taking place now. Join us for a great time. We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Great conversation with "Arod" Antonio Rodriguez. He shares from his wealth of experience in the K9 industry.  We know you'll enjoy the topics and conversation.Antonio “Arod” Rodriguez is the founder and lead Instructor at Olive Branch K9, LLC. and co-owner of ORO-K9 Services.   Antonio is a 20-year retired combat veteran of the United States Air Force.  He completed his career in the Air Force as a Military Working Dog (MWD) program manager for twelve military units. His highlights while on active duty include being hand-picked as a Department of Defense MWD trainer, kennel master, unit trainer, pre-deployment senior instructor, and special tactics member/instructor.  After retiring in 2013, Antonio was employed by various private security firms supporting U.S. Treasury Department and U.S. State Department domestic and international security contracts.  During this period, he was assigned to the following positions: high-threat protection security specialist, emergency response team member, canine handler, kennel master, and training director.  Following his time in the private contracting world, Antonio was employed by the Department of Homeland Security's National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program (NEDCTP).  During this time, he served as unit canine trainer and supervisor of canine operations for eleven TSA Passenger Screening Canine (PSC) teams at Colorado's Denver International Airport.  In 2018, Antonio left federal service to train high-performance canine teams for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC).   In the fall of 2022, he resigned from his advisor position with the 10th Special Forces Group (A) to launch ORO-K9 Services-a lifelong dream.   His experience spans 20-plus years instructing law enforcement, special operations, and military professionals in the application of canine assets within the global security arena.     Check out Arod on FB @ El Gallo Arod and Oro K9 services www.orok9services.comAlso, check out Old Republic of K9 Workwear. Arod can also be found at Olive Branch K9 LLC.We are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order. Also checkout Fox and Hound K9 Foundation Nonprofit Organization.Fox + Hound K9 Foundation is a K9-focused organization that seeks to assist active and retired k9s. "Making a difference, it's what we do."The Fox and Hound K9 Foundation would like to announce their first celebration event in Branson Missouri on June 3, 2023. Follow them @foxandhoundk9foundation on IG.We are happy to announce Thin Blueline Conference as our newest sponsor.  The next conference is May 2 - 4 in Pittsburgh Pa. Follow them on www.thinbluelineconference.com, IG @thinbluelineconference, facebook @ Blueline Conference. It's truly a great conference with quality instructors. Preregistration is taking place now. Join us for a great tiWe are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Please join Working Dog Depot for a peek into the journey of an amazing young man, Jackson Point, and his K9 working dog Chase.  Some of you may follow ServiceDog Chase on Facebook and/or @ServiceDog_Chase on Instagram. If so, you know this is not an episode you want to miss!! On this episode, we get to chat with Walt & Kelly Point, as well as Jackson, and are lucky enough to hear some of their story and how Chase works with Jackson in his day-to-day life. Not only do we delve into what an enhancement Chase is to Jackson and his family and what that looks like, but the impact of the total package of this dynamic duo is having on the K9 community at large as they learn to share and pay it forward! And what a job they do! We welcome guest host, Lisa (Howard's wife) and enjoy spending some quality time in real time video conversation getting to know better folks we've followed, respected and communicated with for several years now. We've been looking forward to this one!!! We are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order. Also checkout Fox and Hound K9 Foundation Nonprofit Organization.Fox + Hound K9 Foundation is a K9-focused organization that seeks to assist active and retired k9s. "Making a difference, it's what we do."The Fox and Hound K9 Foundation would like to announce their first celebration event in Branson Missouri on June 3, 2023. Follow them @foxandhoundk9foundation on IG.We are happy to announce Thin Blueline Conference as out newest sponsor.  The next conference is May 2 - 4 in Pittsburgh Pa. Follow them on www.thinbluelineconference.com, IG @thinbluelineconference, facebook @ Blueline Conference. It's truly a great conference with quality instructors. Preregistration is taking place now. Join us for a great time. We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Evan Nolte was a Paratrooper and Animal Care Sergeant in the US Army for 14 years; providing direct medical support at home and abroad to the Special Operations Forces Multi-Purpose Canine Program for most of his service. Since being medically retired from 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) for combat related injuries, Evan has started teaching K9 TCCC/TECC to working LEO/MIL/SAR K9 teams, largely funded through K9 Non-Profit donations, to campaign for better medical equipment and training for underfunded agencies. Catch one of Evan's workshops as he presents across the country and abroad. Evan's website is www.paravetk9.com and there is a link to register for a course in your area. Additionally, Evan has a substantial Instagram following @denmother_k9. On this episode Evan mentioned K9's of Valor as a resource for med kits. K9's of Valor is a non profit on a mission to keep law enforcement k9's safe by providing life saving equipment. linktr.ee/k9sofvalor. We are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order. Also checkout Fox and Hound K9 Foundation Nonprofit Organization.Fox + Hound K9 Foundation is a K9-focused organization that seeks to assist active and retired k9s. "Making a difference, it's what we do."We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

What is a trained dog is just one question we delved in to with our latest guest. We're confident you'll like John's sensible approach to dog training. John Imler is the owner of Top Dog Training in Louisville, Kentucky where he focuses on pet dog training and behavior modification for reactivity and aggression. He also helps industry professionals through The Pro Dog Trainer Mindset, a coaching platform that focuses on helping the human end of the leash by delivering training programs backed by a team of over 20 Psychologists and Mental Health professionals. After successful careers spanning the military, law enforcement and a Fortune 500 company, in 2014 and he fulfilled a dream and became a full time professional dog trainer. In 2019 he took a more active role in the industry volunteering for the International Association of Canine Professionals and serving on the Legislative Committee. He was voted to the Board of Directors in 2021 and has served in a number of roles, currently serving as Director Oversight of the Education Committee. He is a graduate of the University of Louisville and lives in La Grange, KY with his wife, 2 daughters and 3 dogs.Top Dog Training 3305 Barbour Ln, Louisville Ky502-309-2916topdogtrainingky@gmail.comtopdogtrainingky.comWe are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order. We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

On this episode we sit down with Dan Cliff of Integrity Canine in Morristown, TN. Dan is a long time friend of ours, and is a retired Captain and K9 handler from the Morristown Police Department. Dan has been married for 26 years to his beautiful wife Becky and has 4 wonderful daughters. He is an active Deacon at Hillcrest Baptist Church. Dan retired this past year after 30 years in law enforcement.  He has been training dogs for over 20 years.  At the time of his retirement, he was an active K9 handler as a Captain, and was in charge of a 6 K9 team unit. Aside from having trained hundreds of police dogs, and instructing at many K9 seminars, he also worked for Cobra Canine where he was tasked with training military working dogs for the Navy Special Warfare program. During this interview, Dan shares some of his experiences in dealing with some of the hardened criminals that exist in our society, and he speaks matter of factly about the way in which some criminals casually speak about taking someone's life.  As a listener, you will enjoy getting a peek into the life of a K9 handler, and how K9 deployments don't always go as planned. Dan has trained dogs of all sizes, ages, and breeds in order to enable them to be well behaved family companions.  Since his retirement, most of Dan's time is now spent helping families build a new life with their pet dogs.  Dan is definitely a believer in the importance of continued education. Like most successful trainers, he understands the importance of being a lifelong learner.Please sit and have a listen.  Dan is one of the most genuine and easy going guys we know.  He has a quick wit about him and always has a humorous k9 story to share.  You're sure to enjoy this one!! Integrity Canine at  www.integritycanine.com On Facebook Integrity CanineOn Instagram @integritycanine We are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order. We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

On this episode we have a conversation with Adam Franklin of Cobra Canine. We have known Adam for a number of years, probably more years of his life than not, and in some respects we have watched him grow up and become a trainer at the highest level. Adam discusses what he needed to do in order to  get to where he is now. He is frequently faced with the reality that he must excel in all aspects of k9 training simply because the stakes are so high.  Adam has over ten years experience in training Canines to detect explosives, narcotics, tracking, tactical obedience and canine apprehension in real-world situations with eminent or emerging security threats. Adam has worked with and trained over 600 canines. Adam started working for Cobra Canine in 2009 and has worked as a trainer for the U.S military since 2011.Adam comes across as self assured, yet humble at the same time, which are desirable characteristics in this field. We know that you'll appreciate hearing Adam's story and we thank you for listening. We are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order. We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

On this episode we sat down with Mike Jones of Primal Canine. As you can see from his bio Mike has a lot going on. We cover a wide range of topics from Mike's early interests and passions as it relates to working with behavioral issues in troubled dogs to the development of K9 Street league to fatherhood. If you already follow Mike you have seen videos of the special relationship he has with this daughter. We also cover his relationship with Ray Allen Manufacturing and his upcoming ground game seminar. Mike touches on the intricacies of what he is teaching through the ground game process “HIIT”. We feel confident that you'll enjoy the conversation we had with Mike.Mike Jones is the owner and head trainer of Primal Canine which was established in 2013. Mike has been working with dogs since he was 13 years old starting with shelter and stray dogs, he worked his way up to apprenticing under Terry Macias, The President of the San Jose German Shepherd Club. Soon after, Primal Canine was created in San Jose offering various services like behavior modification, puppy training, service dog training, obedience, sport bite work, personal protection, and more. Mike and Primal Canine can now be found in Gilroy, CA where he also has created professional dog sport K9 Street League sponsored by Ray Allen Manufacturing, The Canine University as an online leaning library for training, War Room - a business and brand consulting service, Carpe Omnia clothing company, Drinks and Dogs podcast, as well as the new K9SL podcast launching soon. Mike spends time working closely in partnership with Ray Allen doing research, design and development for various products. He created the Primal Canine decoy leather gauntlets, the line of INCOG training gear and helped design and test Ray Allen's latest semi-comp bite suit. We wind up this episode with our first bourbon tasting. Both of us really enjoy a good bourbon. Angels Envy Rye was the bourbon selected. "Here's to the hair of the dog that bit you."We are happy to announce Fox and Hound as our title sponsor. Please checkout shopfoxandhound.com or on Instagram @shopfoxandhound. Remember to use the discount code WDDP for 15% off your Fox and Hound order. We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

On this episode we interviewed our friend Eric Stanbro. If you are affiliated with this industry in any capacity and don't know who Eric is you must be living under a rock. Conflict free ecollar use was discussed in depth. Eric describes how the techniques which have proven to be very effective with pets are also proving to be just as effective with police dogs. Eric's latest venture includes ecollar classes for working dogs.  The classes are filling up quickly. If you want to learn more about conflict free ecollar techniques this is the episode for you. For listeners that don't know,  Eric is the founder and owner of VanEss K9 Academy. He worked as a K9 handler and trainer from 2005-2018, recently retired as the head trainer from Canton Police Department K9 Unit, along with the Police K9 Association. Eric spent time as a trainer for Naval Special Warfare Group 1 (SEALs) training, America's elite Multi-Purpose Working Dogs. He is also the co-host of Working Dog Radio podcast, where he interviews trainers and handlers from all over the world. Eric's passion for training dogs is evident in everything he does. He has trained dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes, for work or just being a well-adjusted member of your family. If you are a pet owner, rest assured that your dog is in good hands with Eric and his team. If you are a K9 handler, Eric will do everything possible to make sure your dog is ready for the streets and will perform at the highest levels. Follow Eric on Instagram @VanEssk9 and @rsk9ohio.We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

In this episode Howard and Rich sit down with their good friend Mitchell “Mitch” Myers. Through some great conversation, Mitch shares some of his experiences as a Navy Special Warfare K9 handler and trainer and serves up some pearls of wisdom regarding learning the trade. He is quite driven, having known exactly what he wanted from a very young age, and he had the work ethic to make that happen.  Mitchell joined the Navy straight out of high school with the goal of becoming a Navy SEAL.  After completing BUD/s, he was assigned to SEAL Team 10, where he deployed to Afghanistan in 2005, and Iraq in 2007.  Following his 2007 deployment, Mitchell helped stand up the Naval Special Warfare Group 2 Multi-Purpose Canine program.  Mitchell went on to deploy three more times with his canine, providing canine support for the SEAL Teams in Iraq.  Following his fifth combat deployment, Mitchell separated from the Navy and took on the role of canine trainer for the program that he helped start three years prior.  Mitchell and his canine were credited with the largest explosive find in Iraq for the canine program during his time as a handler.  He also helped grow the program from three original canine handlers to eighteen canine teams when Mitchell eventually left the program.  We had a fantastic time hanging out with Mitch, and we hope you'll enjoy listening as much as we did during our talk!We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.

Created and hosted by Howard Young and Rich Hardin with the aim of exploring the working dog world. We share unique experiences, training advice and real-world application garnered from today's most prolific handlers, trainers, and behaviorists.Would you like to become a better, handler, trainer or just all-around dog person?  We interview the experts that take your performance to the next level.This podcast is a collaborative effort between Howard, Rich, and our incredibly talented guests. If you would like to participate in our collective community, please feel free to visit our Facebook or Instagram accounts.We are pleased to have Hold The Line K9 Conference htlk9.com as a sponsor of the The Working Dog Depot Podcast. Joe Lutkowski and his staff are currently securing vendors and presenters for the 2024 conference. The Hold The Line K9 Conference will be in a brand new location. The dates and location are April 9, 10, and 11 in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. There's nothing finer than to be in Carolina in the Spring time. Additional information will be forthcoming. www.htlk9.com We are taking reservations for the Pro Series. If you want Rich and Howard to come to your location we can make it happen. They have come together to provide workshops on any K9 related topic you like. Open to law enforcement and civilian attendees. Contact Howard at hjyk91@gmail.com or 704-473-9885.