Send us a text Simon Prins Simon is a specialist in animal behavior and training, with over 25 years experience of handling and training dogs for police and military operations. His ground-breaking work lies at the intersection of robotics, sensors, and canine abilities, contributing to remarkable success in a wide range of missions. He has trained a multitude of dogs and handlers from special units across the world, rooted in his firm belief that science can significantly enhance our i...

Send us a text Pacific Coast K9 started operations in May 2004 and specializes in exceptional high drive sporting breeds for detection work. We train and sell approximately 120 dogs per year, with the majority of those being Labradors for single purpose detection work (narcotics, explosives, currency, arson, cadaver, etc.). Our many satisfied long-term clients include the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), United States Department of Agricultu...

Send us a text You can't help but take an immediate liking to Nic. He's humble and passionate about working dogs and helping handlers. As we celebrate our third season we couldn't have had a better guest on the show. We got to sit down with Nic at the ATK9 conference and hear his story. Clearly there are things Nic couldn't share with us, but his story is special and we are so appreciative for what he has done. NAME: NIC FONTAINE BIO: Currently owner operator of KILO III, LLC www.kiloII...

Send us a text Mark Connolly K9 Command A dedicated law enforcement officer with a deep passion for K9 work, Mark reentered law enforcement and is currently serving as a Police K9 Handler with his agency. With years of experience, he continues to bring his expertise in training and handling working dogs. A former Police K9 Handler and K9 Training Director for multiple departments, Mark has handled a wide range of working dogs throughout his career. He is currently handling his fifth po...

Send us a text Robin has been involved in detection work since 2001, beginning in wilderness and human remains detection (HRD), which expanded into disaster work. She trains and deploys with Nebraska Task Force 1 and Iowa Task Force 1. She is a certified explosives and narcotics detection dog handler. ​Robin also works at the nexus of academia and business, managing people and relationships from both sides of the table. Whether working with small business, tier 1 research institutions o...

Send us a text I've known of the gentleman in this episode for over 30 years, but just actually met him face to face around 6 months ago. Ken is one of the pioneers as it relates to working k9's in the state of North Carolina. It is likely that he introduced the Malinois to police work in NC. The description below does not come close to describing his accomplishments or contributions to the police K9 community. If you don't know his name there's a good reason. From my perspective Ken doesn't ...

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 d...

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 t...

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&nbs...

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...

Send us a text From Elite Jockey to Premier Dog Breeder and TrainerDavid 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 JockeyDavid has achieved over 1,800 c...

Send us a textWe'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 ...

Send us a textSteve “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 numero...

Send us a textI 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 succes...

Send us a textWe 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 t...

Send us a textRich 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 ...

Send us a textIt'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 PDin Texas since 2003. During that time Josh held positions as a fieldtraining officer, firearms instructor, active shooter instructor, academyinstructor, K-9 handler, and K-9 ins...

Send us a textWe 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. ...

Send us a textWe 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 assign...

Send us a textCaught 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 info...