Send us a text No special guest for episode #50. We reflected on the previous 49 episodes and discussed changes that we have made to our detection and tracking. Some of these changes came from ideas from some of our guests. Some of these changes have proven to be very helpful with certain dogs, but the one constant is that they are not all the same. What works particularly well for one dog may not work so well for the next. So, as we have said many times on the podcast you have to train the dog ...
Jun 26, 2025•44 min•Season 2Ep. 50
Send us a text We 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 passio...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Season 2Ep. 49
Send us a text We 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 Gaskins US 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 ...
Apr 29, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 48
Send us a text 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 ...
Mar 11, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Season 3Ep. 47
Send us a text From Elite Jockey to Premier Dog Breeder and Traine r David 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 Jockey David has achieved over 1,800 caree...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 46
Send us a text We'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 br...
Dec 31, 2024•1 hr 41 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Send us a text Steve “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...
Oct 29, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Send us a text I 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 ...
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 43
Send us a text We 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 conve...
Sep 15, 2024•59 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Send us a text 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 po...
Aug 07, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Send us a text 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 PD in Texas since 2003. During that time Josh held positions as a field training officer, firearms instructor, active shooter instructor, academy instructor, K-9 handler, and K-9 instruc...
Jul 08, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Send us a text 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 on...
May 28, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Send us a text 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 pat...
May 06, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Send us a text 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 inform...
Apr 23, 2024•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 37
Send us a text 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 Verbruggen Professional Dog trainer I 've been living amongst dogs since my childhood. As a little boy I accompanied my brothers to the dog club. Very soon those dogc...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 36
Send us a text 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 enf...
Mar 08, 2024•59 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Send us a text 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 Verbruggen Professional Dog trainer I '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 ...
Feb 27, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Send us a text 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 episo...
Jan 23, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Send us a text 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 ...
Jan 10, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Send us a text 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 ...
Dec 01, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Send us a text 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 enl...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Send us a text 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...
Nov 08, 2023•55 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Send us a text 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 thro...
Oct 08, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Send us a text 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 nationa...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 30 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Send us a text 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 t...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Send us a text 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 s...
Sep 02, 2023•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 25
Send us a text 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 Hempelmann Brian 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...
Aug 23, 2023•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 24
Send us a text JEFF SCHETTLER CEO / Police and Military K9 Trainer / Author Jeff 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...
Aug 13, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Send us a text 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 o...
Aug 03, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Send us a text 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 ...
Jul 12, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 21
