Canine Conversations

On this week's episode of K9Conservationists Kayla Fratt chats with Debi Deshon the pack leader of Mussel Dogs and Dogs with Jobs. Debi discusses the process of screening prospect dogs, training, and what happens when the dogs tells her that this job just isn't for them. Connect with Debi and her amazing work! Mussel Dogs musseldogs.infoInstagram @mussel_dogs Facebook: Mussel dogs Dogs with Jobs dogswithjobs.info Instagram: @dogswithjobsk9 Host: Kayla Fratt Editor: Sara Fangton Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder Website: Meg du Bray Patreon: Madison Davis

Join Kayla Fratt, co-founder of K9Conservationists, as she chats with Reetta Kangaslampi, a PhD researcher from the University of Eastern Finland and Dr. Natasha Underwood, an ecologist, environmental consultant, and specialist conservation detection dog handler about their journeys raising cocker and springer spaniels for detection. Reetta and Natasha discuss how they went about choosing their perfect spaniel, early training, and some of the classic spaniel hurdles they run into. Reetta Kangaslampi Instagram: K9barkbeetles https://www.instagram.com/k9sbarkbeetles?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== Dr. Natasha Underwood Instagram: NHU Ecology and detection dogs https://www.instagram.com/nhu_ecology_and_detection_dogs/ Host: Kayla Fratt Editor: Sara Fangton  Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder  Intern: Grace Koski Website: Meg du Bray Mentoring group: Madison Davis

If you haven't heard part one- we highly recommend going back and listening to that fist! Then head right back here and listen to this second part of our two part interview with Emma Gaalaas Mullaney, PhD. Learn more about her roll as the director of detection and search and rescue at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center and about the extraordinary dog teams she works with today. Host: Kayla Fratt Editor: Sara Fangton  Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder  Intern: Grace Koski Website: Meg du Bray Mentoring group: Madison Davis

In this episode of K9Conservationists, Kayla Fratt is joined by Emma Gaalaas Mullaney as they discuss her heterodox (unconventional) approach to selecting and raising detection dogs. In this episode, Emma discusses her first detection dog, Toby, and how his unorthodox breed, personality, and drive lead Emma to her deep understanding and empathy for not only Toby, but for the dogs she works with today. This is a two part episode, so join us for the next one to learn more about her roll at Penn Vet and to learn more about the dog teams she works with today. Host: Kayla Fratt Editor: Sara Fangton  Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder  Intern: Grace Koski Website: Meg du Bray Mentoring group: Madison Davis

Check in with all THREE co-founders of K9 Conservationists as they go over all the highs and lows of 2025. Kayla, Rachel, and Heather discuss their organizational roles, major project wins, team expansion, handler and dog highlights, and lessons learned from fieldwork across Texas, Wyoming, Maine, Alaska, and beyond. If you want to know everything K9C has been up to in 2025- this is the episode for you! Host: Kayla Fratt Editor: Sara Fangton  Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder  Interns: Evelyn Combs and Grace Koski Website: Meg du Bray Mentoring group: Madison Davis

Ever wonder how a seasoned handler selects their new co-woffer? Kayla Fratt, co-founder of K9Conservationists, walks through her process of how she selected her newest recruit Skipper! Kayla talks about how she went about finding potential candidates, how she screened over 70 dogs, and how she finally landed on Skipper. If you're looking to find your next detection dog and want to know all the nitty-gritty on how that happens- this is the episode for you! Massive shout out to Thrifted Kittens Animal Rescue for their help and taking such amazing care of Skipper (then Pretzel) https://thriftedkittens.org/ Want to follow along on Skippers training journey? Consider joining the Pateron! We have monthly training calls where Kayla will answer your questions and you can get valuable insight from other handlers in the field. https://www.patreon.com/k9conservationists Host: Kayla Fratt Editor: Sara Fangton  Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder  Interns: Evelyn Combs and Grace Koski Website: Meg du Bray Mentoring group: Madison Davis

Kayla Fratt of K9Conservationists wraps up her Alaska fieldwork mini-series with a deep dive into life on the Island Wolf Project. She shares what a day in the field really looks like from loading the boat at dawn, hiking through temperate rainforests, relentless rain, and working with the Barley, Niffler, and Itooma across 25+ remote islands. Kayla answers Patreon questions about how she chooses search routes, when to work dogs on- and off-leash, how to stay safe around bears and wolves, and how to navigate the somewhat unpredictable logistics of boat-based surveys. She also breaks down what she packs, how her and the team collects data, and how the dogs’ different search styles shape the team. Barley’s veteran brilliance, Tooma’s breakout finds, and Niffler’s scat sprint days. And of course: wildlife highlights! Breaching humpbacks, puffins, swimming black bears, playful wolf pups on camera, and the thrill of finding fresh wolf tracks.  Kayla also shares preliminary diet and DNA results from her 2024 samples. Then looks ahead to next season as Barley transitions to “professor emeritus” and her new dog Skipper begins his paw-pprenticeship to fill Barley’s big paws. Host: Kayla Fratt Editor: Sara Fangton  Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder  Interns: Evelyn Combs and Grace Koski Website: Meg du Bray Mentoring group: Madison Davis

In this episode of K9Conservationists, Kayla Fratt chats with Alison Pearce Stevens, author of Detective Dogs: How Working Dogs Sniff Out Invasive Species. They discuss the inspiration behind her new book, her experiences shadowing detection dog teams, and what it was like to bring the story to life. Alison’s website https://apstevens.com/  Get a signed copy! Don’t forget you can personalize your copy, just put your desired personalization in the comment box when ordering. https://francieandfinch.com/  Host: Kayla Fratt Editor: Sara Fangton  Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder  Interns: Evelyn Combs and Grace Koski Website: Meg du Bray Mentoring group: Madison Davis

It’s time to bust some myths and challenge some hot takes of the conservation detection dog world! Join Kayla Fratt (K9 Conservationists), Paul Bunker (Chiron K9), and Meg Barnes (Detection for Good) as they tackle common claims and controversies that impact dogs, handlers, and the field as a whole. From “training your dog on Kong will ruin them”, to “good training can fix anything”, to “working a dog is unethical”. These seasoned professionals break down why these ideas persist, why they’re wrong, and what good, ethical, and evidence based training really looks like.  Hot takes we BUST in this episode include:  If you train your dog on Kong/essential oils you will ruin them! Detection dogs can’t do any other sports or it will ruin them! Good training can fix anything! Your dog wouldn’t do ___ if you were a better trainer! You should starve your dog to make them work harder! Confine your dog to a small kennel for days to “build their desire to work”! Making your dog work is unethical!!! You can’t train directional cues without an ecollar! Force fetch is the only way to teach a dog to retrieve! Our guests: Meg Barnes https://www.instagram.com/detectionforgood/  Paul Bunker https://www.instagram.com/chironk9/  Host: Kayla Fratt Editor: Sara Fangton  Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder Intern: Evelyn Combs Website: Meg du Bray Mentoring group: Madison Davis

Join Kayla Fratt (K9Conservationist) for a enlightening conservation with Kyoko Johnson and Marlee Monahan (Conservation Dogs of Hawaii), Sally Dickinson (Virginia Tech), and Arden Lumenfall (New York-New Jersey Trail Conference) as we learn about how organizations across the USA are engaging with their communities and using the power of volunteer detection dog teams to help further research and initiatives. Come along as they discuss how volunteers have helped further their causes, how they select dogs, and some of the challenges of using volunteers in the field. This episode also features a science highlight on hard ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) and the effectiveness of detection dogs vs traditional tick drag survey methods https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-024-06519-8  Sally Dickinson - Virginia Tech Sally's Publications Instagram Kyoko Johnson and Marlee Monahan - Conservation Dogs of Hawaii  Instagram Website  Arden Lumenfall - New York-New Jersey Trail Conference  Instagram Website

In this episode K9 Conservationist co-founder, Kayla Fratt, continues her story about her PhD research and Alaskan field season with a raw and honest look at what “ugly training” really means and why it matters. Kayla shares the realities of working detection dogs in unpredictable weather, adapting when field plans fall apart, and facing the heartbreak of realizing that not every talented dog is a fit for every project. From rough and rain-soaked boat rides to joyful breakthroughs in the field, this episode dives into the art of balancing research, intuition, and compassion in conservation detection dog work.

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, co-founder Kayla Fratt speaks about her PhD research. This episode covers background on the Alexander Archipelago wolf, some past research done by other biologists, and how dogs fit into the picture. She then discusses dog selection, onboarding, and training for this project. This episode ends with Kayla and her field technician Grace missing the ferry to Alaska. Links mentioned in this episode: Genetic Gobeldygook with Ellen Dymit https://open.spotify.com/episode/5oIRUv2sGmVXUYifn7vKee?si=b1b871f994534492 Detection dogs afraid of wolf scat (Vervaecke et al., 2021): https://journals.usamvcluj.ro/index.php/zootehnie/article/view/14092

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Ruan and Tina De Flamingh form Green Trax about incursion dogs. Links Mentioned in the Episode: Science Highlight: Domestic Dog Scent Marks Trigger a Behavioural Response in Wild Wolves Where to find Ruan and Tina:   Website  You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Crystal Wing about toy play to modulate arousal.  Links Mentioned in the Episode: Previous Crystal Wing podcast The Moving Canine Science Highlight: Wildlife detection dogs effectively survey a terrestrial amphibian, but differ among individuals, weather and habitat Where to find Crystal: Linktree | FDSA  You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Ryan Tate about Phytophthora and pigeons.  Links Mentioned in the Episode: Evaluating scent detection dogs as a tool to detect pathogenic Phytophthora species Science Highlight: Should the cocktail training method cause a stir? Training frog generalist detection dogs with combined species samples Where to find Ryan: Website | Facebook | Instagram You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Sarah Jackson from New York-New Jersey Trail Conference about sticky sage. Links Mentioned in the Episode: None Science Highlight: Impact of variations in training schedules on dogs’ acquisition and retention of an odor detection task Where to find Sarah: Website  You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Jo Laurens from The Force Free Gun Dogs about gundogs. Links Mentioned in the Episode: None Science Highlight: Switching to marine prey leads to unprecedented mercury concentrations in a population of coastal Alaska wolves Where to find Jo: Website | Force Free Gundog Group You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Lauren Wendt from Momentum K9 about large search area strategy.  Links Mentioned in the Episode: None Science Highlight: Comparison of mechanical sorting and DNA metabarcoding for diet analysis with fresh and degraded wolf scats Where to find Lauren: Website  You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla is back for part two with Sage Gustafson and Tiff Shao about the challenging topic of life with high-energy, high-drive, and/or high-arousal dogs who are injured or sick or otherwise cannot physically perform the behaviors that their brains want without causing pain. Links Mentioned in the Episode: None Where to find Tiff: Website | Instagram | Facebook Where to find Sage: Facebook You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks with Sage Gustafson and Tiff Shao about the challenging topic of life with high-energy, high-drive, and/or high-arousal dogs who are injured or sick or otherwise cannot physically perform the behaviors that their brains want without causing pain. Links Mentioned in the Episode:  Science Highlight: Benefits and limitations of using innovative tools like detection dogs, thermal imaging and drones to increase wildlife carcass finds during health surveillance and management efforts You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok