Gundogs and Guard dogs

From Labrador love stories to kennel grit — Mic Martin crashes in for a wild, honest ride through the world of dogs, training, and keeping it real. Dog talk without the sugar-coating — Labradors, weird childhoods, flexi-leads, and the truth about training. The Mic Martin Takeover pulls no punches. Laughter, dog hair, and brutal honesty — Mic Martin storms the mic to tackle training myths, canine c...

It’s a latte, darling… It’s humid. It’s hot. And the language barrier is still going strong. From the manor born to the downstairs toilet – it’s another chaotic episode reminding us how the other half live, why you should never eat with clients, and why breaking your own rules is always a terrible idea. A “sensible” chat (sort of) about dog safety, just to remind you to keep your wits about you –...

Joint Rot - What’s in a name? Disappointing Conversations…Is human behavioural change even possible. Ball thrower Bollocks You are not stopping… you are changing. Not the end of the road, just a change of direction. After a giggly start at our guest’s expense, we dive into an overview of Hannah’s veterinary career – a path that led her to specialise in chronic pain management for our companion ani...

Killing them with kindness Got any tips? In this episode, things kick off the usual way: a bit of a ramble, no real structure, and plenty of honest chat, laced with sarcasm (Scottish) and snark (London). There’s no guest this time, which means the nonsense levels are dangerously high—but somehow, it works. After book awards, CIDBT Fast-Track students they move on to the kind of conversations the i...

From a childhood spark to international obedience sport, Anna Herzog shares her journey through Kennel Club and FCI Obedience. We talk clicker training, competing at Crufts, representing the UK, and the fascinating differences across countries in dog sport. A must-listen for dog lovers, handlers, and anyone curious about the world of FCI Obedience! ---- oOo ---- Lez and Ross have both been in the...

Ever tried bridging the gap between London and Scotland? Spoiler: the language barrier is real — but so is the love for dogs, training, and people. ❤️ We dive deep into: ✨ The real difference between qualifications and certifications ✨ Training dog owners, gundog trainers, and canine pros ✨ Why it’s all about building a family—your tribe of people and pups ✨ How every dog (and human) teaches u...

Another Gundogger, joins the podcast, making the Guard Dog contingent a bit redundant as the lovely Rebecca Walters from PupStarts breeders joins us to talk about responsible dog breeding. A history in dog rescue lead her to a unique journey to provide formal qualifications in breeding dogs. Is she promoting breeding dogs? ABSOLUTELY NOT! If you are going to breed dogs…do it properly! She’s on the...

🐾 NEW EPISODE: Never the Same Love Twice 🐶 What do Bullmastiffs, Vizslas, Rottweilers, Cockers and Chihuahuas have in common? One woman: Clare Drew, Chairwoman of the Guild of Dog Trainers. This week, Clare brings big Essex energy to our Scottish-London mix — and she’s bringing a lifetime of dogs with her. From personal stories to professional insight, we talk: ✨ What different breeds really br...

Welcome to Semantics & Dirty Words—the podcast where dog training meets honesty, frustration, and the occasional Malinois obsession. It's hot in Scotland, the shoes are off, the moans are on, and we’re diving headfirst into the latest drama around aversive training methods, misguided ideology, and what animal welfare really looks like. Lez is knackered, Ross is insulted, and the Scottish Anima...

Mr Mic Martin of Dog Borstal fame. Growing up in Germany with a dog enthusiast for a mother, Mic would have rather played football! It’s amazing how those early years shaped his later career in the Police. Although not a driving force for Mic, they certainly propelled him forward to his successful career as a Police Dog Handler, which later opened the door to working with the BBC and Warner Brothe...

Moaning again… Why would anyone live in London, and who on earth would drive around it? Ross, of course! Why’s the Scottish contingent so tired? A few days of teaching, perhaps? There’s not much to moan about, but these two certainly manage it! From Bunny heaven, through badger hell, to deer dread, and ending on f#@*ing foxes – the duo are back at it. They also revisit the topic of dog attacks – a...

From the Council House to the Countryside via Canine Karaoke with Di Stevens 🐾 Forget Guard Dogs…this podcast delves into everything Gundog, Gundog and more Gundog! Field Trials, Labradors, and Working Tests, to Show Dogs and much more! Ross and Lez are joined by the amazing Di Stevens, with a career that starts with breaking horses and discovering the Labrador breed, and now has made remarkable...

Another guest joins us, the fabulous Rachel Bean RVN MCFBA. She has more fingers in more pies than anyone we know. After over 27 years in veterinary medicine, an early start at the Dogs Trust…or actually the National Canine Defence League (NCDL) Rachel’s career has just gone from strength to strength. She forms relationships across all sectors and whilst her specialism is Canine First Aid Training...

What does it take to be a dog behaviourist? It sounds like a fun job, doesn't it? But is it really fun, or is it more fascinating, emotionally draining, and even dangerous? Perhaps it’s not all about dogs after all! What qualities and skills are required? What exactly is your "true north"? Be mindful of the wobbles—they happen to all of us who care. Being a chameleon and adapting you...

Unlocking the Future of Canine Regenerative Medicine with Andrew ArmitageIn this groundbreaking episode, we dive into the world of regenerative therapies for dogs with Andrew Armitage BSc (Hons), BVM&S, MRCVS, a pioneer in the field. With thousands of successful treatments under his belt, Andrew and his team at Greenside Veterinary Practice have treated more animals using biological therapies...

The unusual moany greeting…it takes 2 seconds to get on to moaning about the weather…that sets the scene for a talk about dog safety. Ooh…did someone mention ‘positive only training’? Bribing dogs ignoring dogs and growing into behaviour issues! Neuroplasticity…”it don’t work like that!” Self-rewarding behaviours and turning around and ignoring the dog jumping up whilst your back is left gushing w...

A Chat with CIDBT Tutor Diane Kunas from Seattle From a first meeting in Merthyr Tydfil 20 years ago to completing her Master’s degree and returning stateside, Diane Kunas has had quite the journey. We delved into some fascinating insights about dog ownership in Seattle and across various US states. The discussion uncovered surprising similarities between the UK and the US, from our shared obsessi...

Happy New Year from this miserable duo! They’re clearly struggling to muster any exciting New Year vibes and seem as though they can hardly stay awake. Mostly flat, but there is some useful information about puppies teething and transitioning into adulthood. Don’t you ever get bored with just walking and feeding dogs? Walking dogs on leads, paying for their own dinner, and working on films with do...

After a short break, they’re back with a Christmas Special! Don’t get too excited… there’s nothing particularly special about it. There isn’t even the usual wonderful intro music! Team London apologises for the lack of an intro and outro, while Team Scotland couldn’t care less. She’s a natural-born leader, who doesn’t need jingles and angles! Lez gives the game away by revealing that we recorded t...

The end of season 4. After they set the rules for the conversation... both Lez and Ross then promptly ignored them! This episode kicks off with a kerb consultation, a wee-ridden sofa, and a coffee that would please the Bisto kids. The Scottish contingent brings up the spit or swallow conundrum and the pair discuss why you’d never eat cake during a consultation! The conversation wanders to a Staffi...

In this episode, we dive into the world of dog laws and legislation with Trevor Cooper from Cooper & Co solicitors. Despite the usual hiccups and a slightly chaotic introduction (thanks, Ross! 😂), the conversation quickly becomes a must-listen for any dog owner or enthusiast. Trevor Cooper, the leading specialist in dog law for England and Wales, sheds light on both criminal and civil laws af...

A chat about inappropriate laughter is quickly followed by the topic of pet bereavement. Maybe a hard listen, probably a harder conversation for Lez and Ross to have and to put out there. How long does this gut-wrenching feeling last for? How long will it take to smile instead of cry at the memories? Making very hard decisions when it comes to the love of your dogs and what happens when we don’t h...

A flawless start as usual with more lessons in English language from Lez. The nonsense chat covering the weather, recent workshops and other drivel leads the way to discussing living with the convalescent dog. From the conventional spay to cruciate ligament ruptures, hygromas, ruptured bladders and epilepsy. The emotional drain on owners and the strain of caring for dogs after illness or injury. T...

A reflection of lockdown. The southern aspect can’t recover from his initial faux pas of mentioning the lack of guests for this episode! A brief conversation about British Summertime and wet feet leads on to a pretty non-dog related reflection of lockdown. We originally started this podcast during the pandemic, just to make some distraction and provide some relief from the difficult ‘storm’ in whi...

If you listen to just one of our podcasts, make it this one! Lez and Ross are joined by the incredible Julie Shelton from Appledown Dog Rescue. With over 30 years of experience in dog rescue, Julie offers a compelling yet sobering look into the world of dogs in 2024. In this episode, we delve into a variety of topics, including: Professional dog breeders Overseas dogs Pedigree dog breeders XL bull...