K9 Detection Collaborative

What to listen for: Today, the Dames of Detection Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing reflect on last week’s episode with Jo Laurens on Gun Dog Training. All three agreed that Jo’s teachings are incredibly useful for any kind of search, sport, or working dog. They explore the concept of environmental reinforcement and how it can be utilized to train our dogs effectively. They discuss th...

What to listen for: "Basic gun dog training is just good general dog training, really. It’s outside, in a natural environment, in a sort of rural environment where you have all the distractions or environmental reinforcers that every dog is exposed to.” Discover the world of gun dog training and its incredible benefits for both dogs and dog trainers in this engaging conversation with Jo Laure...

What to listen for: Today, the Dames of Detection dig deep into the meaning behind talent and desire as these often-subjective terms pertain to the world of dog training and detection work. Our hosts Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing share experiences and stories in an attempt to pin down what it means to have a talented dog or be a talented trainer. How much of the equation is talent...

What to listen for: Discover the fascinating world of canine detection and odor science as Stacy and Crystal chat (for the second time!) with special guest, Lauryn DeGreeff. Lauryn is hosting an exciting conference at the end of May that brings together experts in the field to share their knowledge and the latest research. You’ll be amazed by the impressive list of speakers and topics, ranging fro...

What to listen for: Today, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal take a moment to bring us up to speed on what they’ve been up to during this busy dog season. The Dames of Detection cover a wide range of topics related to dog training, competitions, and certifications. Our hosts also delve a bit deeper into their personal experiences with their canine companions, including health updates, but also keep it lig...

What to listen for: Today, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal talk all things resiliency in our dogs. They kick off the discussion with examples of lack of resiliency in detection work, including slowing down or checking out. This is often when the handler starts to over-direct, sending the dog further down a vicious cycle of learned helplessness. Our hosts agree that play is the best way to teach resilien...

What to listen for: Today, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal sit down to discuss the biggest takeaways from their recent conversation with Tazzie Winkler, in the previous episode (#60). They discuss what it means to see scenarios from your dog’s point of view in order to ensure that they get from point A to B as efficiently as you intend. With the powerful lesson that “dogs never lie” ringing in their min...

What to listen for: Today, Robin and Crystal sit down with Tazzie Winkler. Born in Norway, raised in England, and now based in Virginia, Tazzie’s original dream was to be an Olympic dressage rider. However, she discovered a far more alluring path for herself after spending time around military dogs while in the Army. She was given the opportunity to join the dog platoon in 2005, mainly working wit...

What to listen for: Living with a powerful, high-drive dog obviously has its set of challenges. That’s even more true when sharing a household with multiple working dogs. In today’s episode, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal open up about the realities of managing the day-to-day lives of dogs bred for work. They explain that drive expresses itself in dogs in a lot of ways owners don’t expect. But no matte...

What to listen for: What’s keeping me from training on a regular basis? What’s keeping me from unlocking my dog’s full potential? These are questions that almost every handler asks themselves at some point in their career, often many times! Today, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal unpack these common pain points on the path to progress in the K9 world by drawing on their own experiences. Listen in as our...

What to listen for: Today, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal reflect on their biggest takeaways from speaking with previous guests Liz Joyce, Bobby Lyons, and Melissa Stagnaro, where everything from self-care to physical fitness to search-and-rescue sport was covered. Listen in as our hosts highlight the value of making incremental progress in our fitness and skill development, and how the right coach can...

What to listen for: Today, Stacy and Crystal sit down with Bobbie Lyons. She owns and operates Pawsitive Performance LLC which offers dog training, fitness training, and trick training around the globe. Bobbie is the lead instructor and program director for the Certified Canine Strength and Conditioning Coach program that is offered through North Carolina State University and North Carolina State...

What to listen for: Today, Robin and Crystal sit down with Melissa Stagnaro, Vice President of American Rettungshunde Sport Association. She’s here to discuss “sport” search and rescue, or RH: an FCI-sanctioned sport that has many similarities to IGP (Schutzhund). RH is recognized as an ideal supplement to IGP as well as AKC tracking, obedience, and agility. Trials consist of two phases: a search...

What to listen for: Today, Stacy and Crystal sit down with Liz Joyce of Canine Handler Fitness. Since 2016, she’s worked closely with dog sport handlers of all fitness levels to improve their transferrable strength, athleticism, agility, and speed. Listen in as Liz shares why it’s vital to keep up our level of fitness just as much as we want the same for our furry partners. “We focus so much on ou...

What to listen for: In this special Valentine’s Day episode, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal do a deep dive into the topic of self-love. They kick things off with a discussion of “conditional” words: those “buts,” “althoughs,” and others that creep their way into our thoughts and speech without us even realizing it, pretty much negating whatever we just said. Our hosts explain why it’s important to give...

What to listen for: In the second part of this two-part series, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal share their biggest takeaways from previous episodes of the podcast, covering everything from Odor Hygiene to Incentive Salience Theory to imposter syndrome in K9 training, and more! Key Topics: The Dames of Detection answer questions from the K9 community (01:19) Distraction Camp 2022 (12:38) Training your d...

What to listen for: In the first part of this two-part series, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal share their biggest takeaways from previous episodes of the podcast, covering everything from training best practices to the importance of mindset and relationships to your success as a K9 trainer! Key Topics: Our hosts’ best advice for all trainers (01:49) Taking pressure off of yourself and paying attention...

What to listen for: Carrying on along the same lines as last week’s discussion on gratefulness, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal sit down to talk about K9 Detection Collaborative’s greatest hits so far - this time in celebration of 50 episodes of the podcast! Our hosts look back on previous episodes to single out those lasting “ah-ha” moments, both from each other and from guests. They also highlight the...

What to listen for: In today’s episode, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal talk about overcoming imposter syndrome as a dog trainer, with a particular focus on what it means to “own” your training methodology. According to our hosts, a great trainer is able to package existing concepts into a cohesive framework that not only can be applied, but also adjusted on a dog-to-dog and team-to-team basis. Put anot...

After two episodes of celebrating what they and their guests were most grateful for in the past year, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal dedicate today’s conversation to their personal and professional goals in 2023! Listen in as our hosts talk about the importance of a growth mindset and open-mindedness to new possibilities. They share why setting big goals doesn’t need to be an overwhelming process as lo...

What to listen for: In the previous episode, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal brought back all six of their guests over the past nine months of K9 Detection Collaborative to share what they’re most grateful for and what they’re most looking forward to in 2023. To cap off a successful first year of the podcast, our hosts discuss their own moments of gratitude in 2022 and finish strong with a vision for th...

What to listen for: On this very special year-end episode, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal bring back all six of the guests they’ve had on the podcast over the past nine months of K9 Detection Collaborative. They share what they’re most grateful for and what they’re most looking forward to in 2023 and beyond! Police K9 officer Tabitha kicks things off by talking about the value of having a support team....

What to listen for: Today, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal explain how being intentional with your handling helps accelerate your dog’s understanding of your goals for them as a trainer! By “intentional handling,” our hosts refer to putting together a routine that creates consistency and predictability in your dog training. To them, clarity is kindness , and having intent in every training session build...

Today, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal reflect on their recent conversation with Amy Herot, co-founder of K9 Nose Work alongside Ron Gaunt and Jill-Marie O'Brien. Amy has over 20 years of experience under her belt as a trainer, handler, and educator. She has certified teams in Narcotics and Explosives and has logged over 1,500 instructional hours in detection dog training. Our hosts touch on the di...

Today, Stacy, Robin, and Crystal sit down with special guest Amy Herot, co-founder of K9 Nose Work. Amy has over 20 years of experience under her belt as a trainer, handler, and educator. She has certified teams in Narcotics and Explosives and has logged over 1,500 instructional hours in detection dog training. Amy kicks off the conversation by sharing what drew her to the world of detection and h...