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Candid conversations about the reality of training, deploying, or competing with a canine partner. Each episode is a cross pollination from the professional and sport canine camps, exploring how we all want the same thing: A great relationship with our dog.With humor, and a big dose of theory, we talk practical training advice and includes interviews with top trainers and scientists. We keep it fun, honest, and rated PG 13ish.
153 Episodes
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What to listen for: Our hosts Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett explore generalization as the foundation of reliable detection work. Together, they reveal generalization as extending far beyond simple obedience across locations. It encompasses odor variability, environmental context, behavioral chains, and handler presentation. They explain how explosive and narcotic sources vary like chocolate-cake recipes: different manufacturers, cutting agents, and absorption materials create distinct odor ...
What to listen for: “[Being a part of] this podcast terrified me. Putting myself out there was so vulnerable, and I felt like it was such a big risk for you guys, as well. I’m so thankful. I’m glad you made me, but I’m also going to say I’m glad that I did it because in the end, I had the final say in buying the microphone and the headset.” After 151 episodes, Crystal Wing says goodbye (or rather, seeya later) to the K9 Detection Collaborative family, and lets us know the exciting things she ...
What to listen for: Our hosts, Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing, break down how time, airflow, and placement reshape detection dog work! They kick things off by describing a week of hides left up to 96 hours, the longest-out scenario that reveals how odor pools migrate and change. Drawing from this experience, our hosts brainstorm creative ways to design hides that can better help your dog read scents. Central is the concept of "odor availability", which explains why surface are...
What to listen for: “Search and rescue work is the volunteer profession that you pay to do and is one of the most stressful things you can ever do, because somebody else's life could depend on what you're doing.” In part 2 of their conversation with Steve White, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett ask about the development of Hydrated Intensive Tracking (HIT), which evolved from experiments with scent-in-a-bottle methods. Steve’s breakthrough came at a U.S. Police Canine Association seminar when ...
What to listen for: Two-thirds of The Dames of Detection, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, welcome Steve White, a veteran law enforcement K9 trainer whose 46-year career began in military working dog handling in 1975. Steve discusses the challenges facing modern police canine programs, particularly how vendor-driven training models often prioritize efficiency over optimization, which creates sessions where handlers log hours without meaningful individual development. Central to Steve's philos...
What to listen for: "Get a dog, take the dog you have, start training, do it yourself. Yes, the client dogs will come, the other pieces will come, but get yourself out there." 2/3 of our hosts, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, sit down with Katelyn Graham from Katalyst Kennels, who shares her expertise in breeding and training Labrador Retrievers for detection tasks while managing a multifaceted kennel operation! Katelyn’s going deep into producing what she calls “green dogs”: canine companio...
What to listen for: Our hosts, Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing, dive deep into a counterintuitive training philosophy sparked by their recent interview with Petra Ford: sometimes accepting imperfection creates better performance in complex behavior chains. The conversation began with Petra's story about reinforcing her dog even when she knew it wasn't sitting perfectly square. When working on complex detection behaviors, trying to perfect every element simultaneously can destro...
What to listen for: Our hosts, Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing, do a deep dive into their recent Intentional Handling and Hide Setting camp where, during a sweltering week in Iowa, seventeen detection dog teams discovered how unconscious body positioning can make or break a search! The breakthrough moment came on Thursday during an outdoor search. A handler, diligently following instructions to avoid "going full frontal" on hides, had positioned herself away from the actual hid...
What to listen for: “We’re always inspired by the students and all the hard work that goes on. It blows my mind every single year.” Today, our hosts, Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing, reflect on their recent experience at Distraction Camp 2025, where handlers and dogs from across the country gathered on Robin's Iowa farm to build deeper relationships through the chaos of real-world distractions. This year's breakthrough came from an unexpected source: cats. The rallying cry “I l...
What to listen for: “I don’t just pet them, I go, ‘this is why you train the way you train, remember that’” Today, two-thirds of the Dames of Detection, Stacy Barnett and Crystal Wing, welcome back obedience trainer Petra Ford to talk about why she believes in a “you do you” approach to dog training. When her dog Zesty dropped eye contact during their first championship run, instead of demanding compliance, Petra simply said, "You do you,” acknowledging that forcing the moment would only add ...
What to listen for: "I care about my dog's emotional state, how they're feeling, and how confident they are. And I work on that a lot." Two-thirds of the Dames of Detection, Stacy Barnett and Crystal Wing, sit down with obedience trainer Petra Ford, who unpacks the importance of seeing dogs as individuals, not assumptions! Real progress, she says, starts when you stop correcting and start connecting. Petra shares how letting go of labels like “nervous” transformed her relationship with her ...
What to listen for: “You’re putting so much pressure on yourself, and that’s impacting your dog.” Today, our hosts Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing chat about what they’ve been up to lately, including their recent experience at the Muscatatuck Open, a high-level canine detection seminar known for its complex scent theory drills and immersive training. They discuss how the seminar’s intense setups—with full-body donor work, long-term odor problems, and unique hide placements—ch...
What to listen for: Robin Greubel and Crystal Wing return with the brilliant Katylynn Sloan for part two of their conversation on the intersection between chemistry and K9 detection! “Train with as much variety as often as you can, in the weirdest of circumstances you can possibly get to, with as many groups and as many people as you can.” Katylynn dives into one of the most misunderstood topics in the detection world: training aids. She breaks down why the term “pseudo” is falling out ...
What to listen for: “The dogs are so good at what they do, it’s brain-boggling.” Today, 2/3 of our hosts, Robin Greubel and Crystal Wing, welcome Katylynn Sloan, a chemist with the U.S. Secret Service, to explore the eye-opening intersection of science and canine detection work. With a PhD in chemistry and years in explosives research, Katylynn brings a fresh lens to how odor behaves, how dogs detect it, and why context matters. She explains how high vapor pressure substances like nitro...
What to listen for: "To truly understand your dog, embrace the power of observation, question the environment, and engage with the nuances of their behavior." Our hosts, Robin Greubel, Crystal Wing, and Stacy Barnett, take a deep dive into the role of critical thinking for handlers. We’ve all been there—reading a viral dog training post and feeling an emotional gut-punch, or second-guessing ourselves after watching a training video. We need to learn to slow down, analyze, and ask better...
What to listen for: In the third part of the series on consistency, our hosts Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing dive deeper into what makes consistency such a challenge—and how to truly make it work in real life. Staying consistent isn’t just about following a routine. It’s about self-awareness, emotion management, and breaking behaviors down into manageable slices. The Dames of Detection get real about how emotions, fatigue, scheduling, and even peer pressure can all derai...
What to listen for: In the second part of the series on consistency, our hosts Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing take a closer look at the mechanics of consistency, from creating intentional setup signals to reinforcing behaviors for longevity! You’ve probably heard about marker timing and reinforcement. Today, our hosts take a fresh look at the finer details—like how you stand, where you point your toes, and even the words you use when training your dog to shape new behaviors....
What to listen for: “You’re constantly writing and rewriting a contract with your dog.” Today, our hosts Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing tackle the power of consistency, the pitfalls of “lumpy” training, and why even small slip-ups can throw your dog off track. They break down how to build a rock-solid training environment and avoid the hidden traps that sabotage progress. “The clearer and more predictable you are, the faster your dog will learn.” Our hosts swap real-li...
What to listen for: Training your dog to adhere to your criteria consistently is not a cut-and-dry process. It’s one of the trickiest balancing acts in dog training: when to hold the line and when to make adjustments within behavior chains. “Consistency is not about perfection, but predictability.” Dog handling, whether for sport or operational detection, is both an art and a science–which means embracing flexibility and precision in equal measure. Our hosts, Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnet...
What to listen for: Today in K9 Detection Collaborative, our hosts Robin Greubel, Stacy Barnett, and Crystal Wing discuss the keys to successful virtual training. “Virtual coaching is student-driven. Anything propelled by student drive, drives results.” Making the switch from in-person to online coaching can be a tough sell for many. But as our hosts explain, there can be many limitations to your growth as a handler when you confine yourself to local training sessions. “When you’re st...
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