Working Dog Radio

Can’t teach an old dog a new trick? Think again! The boys sat down with Sgt. Dick Staal, master-trainer/instructor with the Netherlands’ National Police Agency’s K9-unit (K.L.P.D.). Staal has been training dogs since the 1970’s, and has had his own pin point system since then, including methods for teaching search techniques for evidence/lost objects, retrieves, proper alerts, tracking, suspect se...

From Dachshund lover to DoD trainer to pet dog business, Andrew Ramsey has had quite the journey in the dog world, and he’s not done yet ! Your hosts got an inside look at what it was like to work in the K9 and Puppy programs at Lackland; from breeding the perfect working dog and developing their work drives, to decoying for the fur missiles for years ! The dogs Ramsey worked with have been crucia...

Is the woman buried in the basement?! (What about under the septic tank?!) Tune in to find out!! Your hosts sit down with Melissa Morgan, who has had experience working disaster dogs, FEMA dogs, cadaver dogs, and SAR dogs since 1999 (we’re pretty sure that’s longer than some of you have been alive!). Check out the pros and cons of thumbs vs feet, hear about how stringent the FEMA Fundamental Skill...

The guys sit down with former Law Enforcement Officer of two decades (of which, he spent 10 years as a K-9 handler and trainer ), Justin Rigney, founding member and former President of the Florida Law Enforcement Canine Association, with nearly three decades of professional dog training experience . They discuss the power of food based reward training, and bust some myths as well . Justin speciali...

Your hosts interview Michael Kmiecik of Sheepdog Guardian Consulting, 24-year law enforcement veteran and K9 handler of 15 years, and they did all this in between HRD scenarios . The trio chats about the Utah decision, best practices, some outs, and the Big Bad Boogie Man; liability . What area of K9 has the most liability?? Hint: it has nothing to do with the dog! So sit down, shut up, and learn...

“The dog doesn’t know he’s protecting the President, he’s doing this because he’s protecting ME” Retired Secret Service dog, DHS Award for Valor, USSS Award for Merit, AMC Top Dog Award, PDSA Order of Merit, K9 Hurricane needs no introduction! This episode, we had the honor of interviewing his handler of 4 years and USSS agent for over a decade: Marshall Mirarchi. Everyone knows the Secret Service...

Episode 106: Michael Goosby – the only guy we know who can pull off 21 Jump Street AND blacked out BDUs for the LAPD K-9 unit. Eric and Ted talk to Michael Goosby from LAPD K9. Goosby is a veteran police officer and K9 handler.  He brings a unique view on law enforcement coming from one of the largest agencies in the country.  They cover handler and dog selection, case law and liability, and...

You guys have been asking, and here it is! What are some common mistakes we see handlers make? What are some tips for new handlers? You want stories? Here you go! Your hosts did this episode just for you guys! Tips, trade “secrets”, stories, and more! So stop, sit, and learn a thing or two ⁣ 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘, thank you to our amazing partners:⁣ @KineticDogFood⁣ www.kineticdogfood.com ⁣ 513-615-6904⁣...

This episode is a Two-for-One; the guys sit down with Michele and Jenna (both of the DOD).  ‍♀️Jenna went through the MPC program years ago during her time with Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO), and has been involved with the DOD K9 programs for 15 years. Meanwhile,  ‍♀️Michele was realizing the disconnect between handlers and scientists, and went through handler school to gain...

Episode 103: Maria Goodavage Welcome to Working Dog Episode 103, the third episode of our 2020 Ladies of K9 series . The guys sit down with former USA Today journalist, and published author, Maria Goodavage, to discuss a different angle to Working Dogs. Goodavage has published a handful of books, including “Soldier Dogs, the Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes”, “Top Dog, the Story of Marine H...

Welcome to Working Dog Episode 102, our second  episode of our  2020 Ladies of K9 series . The guys sit down with Erin Purgason, of Highland Canine Training . During her career as a sworn law enforcement officer in North Carolina, Erin has worked with the D.E.A., U.S. Customs and Border Protection, A.T.F., North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations and also served on several multi jurisdictiona...

Welcome to Working Dog Episode 101, the start of our 2020 Ladies of K9 series . The guys sit down with Debbie Johnson, of K9’s United . Debbie talks about how the loss of a local K9 pushed her to action. During the process, she learned the unfortunate truth in our industry; K9 units aren’t always supported well. This new knowledge spawned the beginning of K9s United. Debbie talks about...

Here it is folks, the big ONE HUNDRED Can you believe it?! We are celebrating this milestone with an EXTRAVAGANZA ! And who better to kick this celebration off with, than with THE Michael Ellis! This guy is truly a household name, even if you don’t know him, you know OF him. Anyone can train a dog, only a handful of folks can train a dog well, but even FEWER can teach others the subtle skills of d...

Eric and Ted finally nail down Evan from Denmother K9. Evan talks about how he became a go to guy for dogs that end up in bad situations and his knack for being around when dogs get into bad situations. He talks about the transition from working on soldiers to also working on dogs. They cover some common stuff every handler ought to carry in a trauma kit, some best practices and some myths, snake...

Your Working Dog Radio hosts sit down with The Godfather of the E-Collar, Larry Krohn, and pick his brain! Krohn began his career as a federal agent in 1996, and has been “fixing the unfixable” dogs for over 20 years. Krohn mentions (several times, what a humble guy!) that he is not the inventor of the ecollar, and that he doesn’t necessarily like being known as the “ecollar guy”, but there’s no w...

We cannot begin to express how fitting this Memorial Weekend episode is for us. We sat down with THE Jimmy Hatch, former Navy SEAL, extreme badass canine trainer and handler, and founder of Spike’s K9 Fund, and Emily Soccino, Director of Spike’s K9 Fund. (And yes, we fan-girled for a hot minute! ) This man is an undisputed LEGAND, and it was a pure honor to hear about his stories first hand. We co...

Eric @vanessk9 & Ted @ted_summers sit down with our guest, Lt. John Nores @johnnores, who has served as a game warden with the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. California has become notorious for its environmentally devastating illegal marijuana grow sites; tune in and hear how Nores co-developed the Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET) and Delta Team, the CDFW’s first comprehensive wi...

In case you’ve been living under a rock, “No Ordinary Dog” by Will Chesney has officially been released!! The guys sit down and talk with Chesney about everything from his upbringing (and fear of heights! What?!), to his time in BUDS and the Teams, to what we all want to know – what it was like to build a bond with, and handle, the notorious Cairo; arguably the most famous war dog, and the d...

Welcome our next guest: Ivan Balabanov – a household name in working dog homes. (Excuse us while we fangirl! We’ve wanted to interview Balabanov since the very beginning of WDR!) This episode is jam packed full of information!! This man has revolutionized the world of dog sport, dog breeding and genetics, and boasts several National Championships, as well as a few World Championships. No big...

Amazing episode with Michael Toussaint! Michael discusses his time in the Navy as a Dog Handler and being selected for the Navy’s Special Missions Unit. We go from his very first dog while stationed in Guam to meeting Remco. He recounts the harrowing night his unit was sent to recover deserter Bowe Bergdahl including his teammate being injured and Remco’s death. We cannot thank Mike enough! To lea...

We got the distinct honor of sitting with Connie Cleveland Nolan. Connie is a multi-time retriever champion trainer and all around OB guru. The guys cover a ton of topics and get into marker training, some selection and listen to Connie talk about teaching multiple generations of dog trainers. This is an amazing episode!! Thank you Connie!! To contact her and learn about her training and programs...

Ted and Eric sit down with Marine Handler Mike Dowling and talk about his unassuming start in K9 by training guide dogs for the blind as a child. After enlisting in the Marines and being assigned to a kennel pre 9/11 he talks about his introduction into the MWD Program. After 9/11 he and his dog Rex deploy to the Middle East and Mike tells the story of the first night he and Rex head out with a te...

The guys sit down with Jake Hutchinson and talk about avalanche dogs. Jake details how he accidentally became a handler and covers his lengthy snow safety career covering several continents. They talk about dog selection for this highly specialized field and common themes between that and patrol dog selection. They also cover the myths around avalanche dogs and their training. Jake also runs down...

Eric and Ted get to talk with with Jake Scott of Heights Canine. They didn’t have to try very hard since he’s recovering from both knee and hip surgery. The guys talk with Jake about being a world level Mondio Ring Decoy and transitioning over to a police decoy and the skill set and equipment differences. During the conversation they talk about Jake’s time in the IDF, his time as a professio...

Eric and Ted catch back up with Mike Suttle from Logan Haus kennels. Mike was on last time waaaaaay back on episode 3 of Working Dog Radio and we discussed BRN 60 Duco II. This time we thought we’d pick his brain about puppies. Logan Haus has one of the most reputable and successful breeding programs in North America. They have well over a 100 working litters on the ground. Mike shares his insight...