K9 Detection Collaborative

Stacy Barnett, Robin Greubel
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  • EDUCACIÓN
  • CADA SEMANA

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.

  1. HACE 10 H

    Using Engagement, Relationship, and Arousal to Combat Distractions

    What to listen for: "Unless you have a dog who is engaged with you, you can't build that relationship. And you can't get through distractions. It's impossible.” Today, our hosts, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, are talking relationships. Specifically, what it actually means to have one with your dog when the pressure is on. They argue that a real relationship isn't Kumbaya, it's the thing that keeps a dog still on a medic's table and calm on a tailgate in Texas! Robin describes bringing her working dogs, the Labs Flash and Flare, and her Malinois, Nico, to a USAR medic training where the team practiced catheter placement and restraint under veterinary supervision. Flash and Flare wrestled the medics into a genuine upper-body workout. Nico simply lay still, held by a raised finger and three years of earned trust. Meanwhile, Stacy recounts her wilderness air scent SAR dog, Prize, enduring an improvised dewclaw removal on a truck tailgate during a study at Texas Tech, stoic because the years of shared work had already made Stacy's presence genuinely reassuring. Relationship and engagement are not soft concepts but functional prerequisites. Without engagement, a dog cannot regulate arousal. Without regulated arousal, a dog cannot sustain focus through distraction. Without focus, a search develops holes, and holes erode the handler's ability to call an area clear with confidence, whether in competition or in the field. Stacy and Robin are careful to frame searching not as a single behavior but as a layered chain requiring relationship, engagement, arousal, focus, and what Stacy calls the reinforcement event. That means a full celebratory interaction, not just a cookie, that imprints the preceding behavior far more deeply. Reading a learner, distinguishing processing from disengagement, hunting from scavenging: these are the observation skills that underlie everything else.   Key Topics: Nico at Medic Training: Trust Under Restraint (02:32)Prize's Field Dewclaw Removal at Texas Tech (06:04)Reframing Relationship as Engagement (07:38)Directionals as a Tool for Reading Disengagement (09:21)Reading Body Language at Distance: Prize and the Cinder Blocks (14:33)Reinforcement Events vs. Simple Rewards (19:48)Arousal Cycles in Dogs… and Chickens (28:30)Focused Searchers and Clearing Areas With Confidence (35:20)  Resources: Distraction Camp and Upcoming Events: https://www.k9detectioncollaborative.com/events We want to hear from you: Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!K9Sensus Detection Dog Trainer AcademyK9Sensus Foundation can be found on Facebook and Instagram. We have a Trainer’s Group on Facebook!Scentsabilities Nosework is also on Facebook. Here is a Facebook group you should join!You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at k9detectioncollaborative.com to enjoy the freebies, and tell your friends so you can keep the conversations going.And don’t forget to check out the YouTube Channel!

    43 min

  2. 10 MAR

    Beyond the Buzzword: Deconstructing Opt-In/Opt-Out in Training

    What to listen for: Our hosts, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, break down why "opting out" has become a buzzword that may obscure more than it reveals. While the term sounds empowering (giving dogs agency and choice), they argue it can become a self-congratulatory label that prevents handlers from addressing underlying training gaps. Stacy shares the story of 15-year-old Ray, who "opted out" of FEMA disaster work but later excelled at narcotics detection on a short lead. Ray didn't dislike detection work. Rather, she disliked working independently, far from her handler. Had Stacy recognized this earlier, she could have placed Ray in close-proximity disciplines like historic human remains detection instead of washing her out entirely. Robin recounts how one of her own dogs initially refused to search even three boxes in his front yard due to environmental overwhelm. But rather than accepting "he's opting out," she methodically built confidence through smaller areas, easier hides, and massive reinforcement. She eventually produced an elite champion! The key was asking why and adjusting the training plan, not accepting a vague opt-out label. They warn against the variable-reinforcement trap, in which dogs train handlers by occasionally succeeding, keeping handlers stuck in ineffective patterns. Stacy describes Dash's trained "collar-itch" behavior: a displacement signal she accidentally reinforced by making hides easier each time he scratched. Robin and Stacy do believe that legitimate opt-outs exist. Pain, slick floors, and overwhelming environments are just some of them. But these require specific diagnosis, not broad constructs. They advocate observable behavior analysis over anthropomorphic interpretations. This means that handlers need to teach opt-in through thoughtful progression rather than celebrating opt-out as a virtue. Key Topics: Defining Opt-Out vs. Observable Behavior (00:49)Ray's Independence Issue in FEMA vs. Narcotics Work (04:18)Environmental Confidence Building to Elite Level (07:35)Dash's Trained Collar-Itch Displacement Behavior (11:30)Variable Reinforcement and "Maybe Dogs" (15:29)Constructs vs. Specific Behavior Questions (18:40)Legitimate Opt-Outs: Pain, Slick Floors, Environmental Pressure (27:44)Teaching Opt-In from Day One with Puppies (34:31)Clever Hans Effect and Handler Cues (38:54)  Resources: Dogs distinguish human intentional and unintentional action (study)  We want to hear from you: Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!K9Sensus Detection Dog Trainer AcademyK9Sensus Foundation can be found on Facebook and Instagram. We have a Trainer’s Group on Facebook!Scentsabilities Nosework is also on Facebook. Here is a Facebook group you should join!You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at k9detectioncollaborative.com to enjoy the freebies, and tell your friends so you can keep the conversations going.And don’t forget to check out the YouTube Channel!

    47 min

  3. 24 FEB

    Dr. Jenny Essler: Goby Fish and Spotted Lantern Fly Detection (Pt. 2)

    What to listen for: In the second half of the conversation with Dr. Jennifer Essler, our hosts, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, discuss her current research and future goals bridging academic science with real-world handler expertise! At SUNY Cobleskill, Dr. Essler's conservation work demonstrates how detection dogs fill practical niches. Her Round Goby project (tracking invasive fish from the Black and Caspian Seas) uses dogs for water sampling rather than locating individual fish. This mirrors eDNA methodology but delivers immediate field results instead of days of laboratory processing. Dogs trade some sensitivity for real-time assessment, making them viable alternatives when speed matters. The project's success has attracted government conservation agencies interested in applying dogs to other invasive species like hydrilla plants and certain crawfish. Her Penn Vet ovarian cancer research revealed the limitations of lab-based detection. While dogs successfully identified cancer in blood plasma, clinical deployment was never the goal. Instead, the objective was helping develop electronic detection systems. The fundamental problem is that even superstar dogs have off days without visible behavioral indicators explaining poor performance. Unlike field work, where handlers notice changes, lab settings offer no safety net for medical diagnosis. Repetitive scent wheel searches also eventually bored excellent performers into retirement. That shows all the difference between detection work and examination work. Dr. Essler's future priorities center on quantifying practitioner expertise. That’s documenting how experienced trainers accurately assess young dogs through seemingly instinctive judgments.   Key Topics: Conservation Detection Research Projects (01:11)Round Goby Invasive Species Work (02:20)eDNA vs. Dogs: Trade-offs and Applications (11:32)Ovarian Cancer Detection Research Insights (20:51)Why Dogs Can't Replace Medical Testing (24:02)Future Research on Quantifying Handler Expertise (29:15)Puppy Selection Science and Practitioner Knowledge (35:07)Quarterly Research Review Plans (42:44)Understanding Research Sample Size Constraints (44:04)  Resources: Dr. Essler's WebsiteSUNY Cobleskill Canine Science Program  We want to hear from you: Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!K9Sensus Detection Dog Trainer AcademyK9Sensus Foundation can be found on Facebook and Instagram. We have a Trainer’s Group on Facebook!Scentsabilities Nosework is also on Facebook. Here is a Facebook group you should join!You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at k9detectioncollaborative.com to enjoy the freebies, and tell your friends so you can keep the conversations going.And don’t forget to check out the YouTube Channel!

    49 min

  4. 10 FEB

    Dr. Jenny Essler: Talking Monkeys, Dogs, and Wolves and Their Understanding of Inequity (Pt. 1)

    What to listen for: Our hosts, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, sit down with canine cognition researcher Dr. Jennifer Essler. She unpacks her journey from coding Capuchin monkey videos in a windowless lab to studying fairness in wolves and dogs. Starting with music studies before discovering comparative psychology, Essler's academic trajectory took her from Georgia State's primate labs to hand-raised wolf packs in Vienna's Wolf Science Center. It’s a unique research environment that controls for lifestyle differences between wolves and dogs by raising both species identically in packs. As a result, you can isolate domestication effects from environmental variables. The wolves, however, proved far more challenging subjects than primates, requiring complete experimental apparatus redesigns after initial safety failures. Her inequity aversion research uncovered pretty interesting species differences: wolves, like primates, showed quality sensitivity by refusing to work when partners received superior rewards. Dogs, conversely, accepted any reward as long as they received something, possibly reflecting their domestication-driven tolerance for human-directed work, or their reduced attention to partner outcomes. Robin, Stacy, and Dr. Essler discuss the practical implications this finding has for multi-dog training scenarios and reinforcement strategies. Essler's transition to Penn Vet Working Dog Center brought her expertise to practical applications: ovarian cancer detection, COVID-19 screening, and spotted lanternfly detection. All while developing behavioral assessment batteries.   Key Topics: Academic Journey from Primates to Canines (03:04)Wolf Science Center Research Design (05:45)Pack Living Challenges: Dogs vs. Wolves (08:12)Impossible Task Apparatus and Behavioral Flexibility (16:14)SUNY Cobleskill Teaching and Detection Class (19:33)Glow Germ Contamination Training Exercise (27:13)3D Printed Vessels and Odor Considerations (31:18)Inequity Aversion: Dogs vs. Wolves vs. Primates (41:39)  Resources: Dr. Essler's WebsiteSUNY Cobleskill Canine Science Program  We want to hear from you: Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!K9Sensus Detection Dog Trainer AcademyK9Sensus Foundation can be found on Facebook and Instagram. We have a Trainer’s Group on Facebook!Scentsabilities Nosework is also on Facebook. Here is a Facebook group you should join!You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at k9detectioncollaborative.com to enjoy the freebies, and tell your friends so you can keep the conversations going.And don’t forget to check out the YouTube Channel!

    53 min

  5. 27 ENE

    What Sport and Professional Detection Teams Can Learn from Each Other with Bob Deeds

    What to listen for: “Trust your dog, but trust your training first.” Our hosts, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, welcome back veteran USAR handler Bob Deeds to talk about the artificial divide between working dog and sport detection communities, and why both sides desperately need each other! Bob shares his journey from FEMA disaster work into nose work, leading into his innovative "geo-scenting" protocol. This hybrid sport combines geocaching with scent detection using clove oil, specifically chosen to avoid the venue-hopping confusion he observed in sport handlers who switched between organizations. Sport handlers often remain clique-ish, loyal to single venues (K9 Nose Work vs. NACSW) despite identical underlying science. Bob advocates aggressively for cross-training, noting how watching elite sport handlers transformed his leash skills after a Belgian trainer bluntly told him they "sucked." Meanwhile, working dog handlers can learn environmental assessment and body language reading from sport competitors operating under time pressure. Bob describes sport handlers' eyes "scanning like machines" upon room entry. He also considers puzzle work as the great equalizer. He recounts how a struggling student's reactive Standard Poodle transformed after two weeks of pure puzzle training. All this and more in this episode of K9 Detection Collaborative!   Key Topics: Geo-Scenting Origins and Clove Oil Selection (08:04)Building Confidence Through Scent Work in Reactive Dogs (16:00)Environmental Assessment Skills in Sport vs. Working Dogs (17:56)Leash Handling Skills and Learning from Sport Handlers (19:34)Final Response Debate and Reading Body Language (21:02)The Clique Problem in Sport Detection Communities (26:13)Puzzle Training Philosophy and Adapting on the Fly (35:58)Takeaways (41:15)  Resources: Dog Scouts of America: GeoScentingCanine ConnectionK9 Sensus: Using Chickens to Train TrainersFenzi Dog Sports Academy: Schedule  We want to hear from you: Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!K9Sensus Detection Dog Trainer AcademyK9Sensus Foundation can be found on Facebook and Instagram. We have a Trainer’s Group on Facebook!Scentsabilities Nosework is also on Facebook. Here is a Facebook group you should join!You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at k9detectioncollaborative.com to enjoy the freebies, and tell your friends so you can keep the conversations going.And don’t forget to check out the YouTube Channel!

    48 min

  6. 13 ENE

    Ferrari's, 4 Runners, and Ford Raptors: Talking Drive, Motivation, and Arousal

    What to listen for: Our hosts, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, explore how drive, motivation, arousal, and focus work together as an integrated system—rather than isolated traits—to create elite performance. Using a car engine metaphor, Robin explains drive as the engine size or “genetic horsepower” a dog is born with. It’s fixed hardware that defines inherent desire for the work. Motivation is the fuel, built through reinforcement history. Even the biggest engine won’t run without gas, and Stacy stresses that fuel quality matters: powerful, varied reinforcers outperform “cheap” rewards, while poisoned reinforcement can stall performance entirely. Arousal is the fuel’s octane—too high and the engine overheats, too low and performance lags. Robin describes arousal mobility as training dogs to work across a wider range, smoothly transitioning between high excitement and calm control without corrections. Focus and engagement are the steering wheel and pedals. Without them, balanced drive, motivation, and arousal just mean “going fast into a wall.” Engagement channels intensity into productive teamwork. Examples like drive-capping passive alerts versus drive-leaking bark-and-hold behaviors show how training strategies must adapt to balance these elements. The takeaway: performance problems aren’t about lacking drive alone, but about managing the full system.   Key Topics: ●      The Car Engine Metaphor (02:15) ●      Arousal Mobility: Widening Performance Range (13:30) ●      Passive Trained Final Response as Ultimate Drive Cap (20:16) ●      Fluency Reducing Arousal Sensitivity Over Time (26:38) ●      Powder's Comfortable Arousal Range Theory (29:11) ●      Sport vs. Working Dog Arousal Requirements (32:02) ●      Takeaways and Events + Workshops (35:55)   Resources: ·      Stacy’s class – How to Handle a Rocket Ship ·      Upcoming Events We want to hear from you: Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!K9Sensus Detection Dog Trainer AcademyK9Sensus Foundation can be found on Facebook and Instagram. We have a Trainer’s Group on Facebook!Scentsabilities Nosework is also on Facebook. Here is a Facebook group you should join!You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at k9detectioncollaborative.com to enjoy the freebies, and tell your friends so you can keep the conversations going.And don’t forget to check out the YouTube Channel!

    42 min

  7. 30/12/2025

    Announcements for 2026 Distraction Camp and Intentional Handling and Hide Setting

    What to listen for: Our hosts, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, announce the opening of signups for the 2026 Distraction Camp and Intentional Handling and Hide Setting. Signups begin on January 4 at noon Central Standard Time. Christi Raak, who has been on the podcast, will lead the Distraction Camp, focusing on engagement, focus, arousal, and mobility. Lily Strassberg, currently in Israel, has given a tentative yes to co-teach Intentional Handling and Hide Setting. Both camps are expected to sell out quickly, with past camps selling out in 45 minutes and 24 hours, respectively. The Dames of Detection wish you a Happy New Year and hope to seeya soon at an upcoming event! Resources: K9 Detection Collaborative Upcoming Events!K9 Detection Collaborative Episode 83: Kickin Back with Christi RaakChristi’s New Venture: DogWizard.comLily Strassberg We want to hear from you: Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!K9Sensus Detection Dog Trainer AcademyK9Sensus Foundation can be found on Facebook and Instagram. We have a Trainer’s Group on Facebook!Scentsabilities Nosework is also on Facebook. Here is a Facebook group you should join!You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at k9detectioncollaborative.com to enjoy the freebies, and tell your friends so you can keep the conversations going.And don’t forget to check out the YouTube Channel!

    10 min

  8. 16/12/2025

    Bob Deeds: FEMA K9's, Nosework, and Chicken Workshops

    What to listen for: Our hosts, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, welcome veteran USAR handler Bob Deeds, whose journey from compulsion-based training to positive reinforcement transformed both his career and the field itself! His career trajectory spans volunteer search and rescue in the early nineties through Texas Task Force One, where he deployed to the World Trade Center with his partner, Kenzie. The devastating loss of Kenzie in a 2007 training accident nearly ended his career until his friend Sonja Heritage called at 2 AM with a powerful message: quitting meant Kenzie died for nothing. Bob credits Bob Bailey's chicken workshops as the single most transformative experience for his training mechanics. The fast-paced chickens force observational skills development whether trainers want it or not. Those mechanical skills translated directly to his dogs: when his Malinois Remy would nip holes in Bob's shirt from frustration over poor timing, Karen would smile knowingly. The dog was using positive punishment to remind Bob to pay attention to delivery, timing, and curriculum! Now teaching directionals to pet dog owners and planning chicken workshops with Robin in Iowa, Bob teaches that directional control isn't about perfect patterns, but recovery. As handler Shirley Hammond told him after his first FSA certification, disasters aren't perfect, and recovery from mistakes matters most! Key Topics: Transition from Compulsion to Positive Reinforcement Training (01:33)Loss of Partner Kenzie and Nearly Quitting (04:13)Bob Bailey's Chicken Workshops and Mechanical Skills (11:50)Chickens vs. Dogs: Speed, Visual Cues, and Pecking Behavior (17:03)Directional Training Philosophy and Real-World Applications (26:43)Arousal State Management and Food Drive Testing (40:58)Recovery Over Perfection in Disaster Work (46:16)World Trade Center Emergency Stop Example (50:51)Takeaways (53:53)  Resources: Chicken Workshops:3/16/26 Option3/23/26 OptionDeeds Canine ConnectionShirley Hammond’s Book: Training the Disaster Search DogFenzi Dog Sports Academy We want to hear from you: Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!K9Sensus Detection Dog Trainer AcademyK9Sensus Foundation can be found on Facebook and Instagram. We have a Trainer’s Group on Facebook!Scentsabilities Nosework is also on Facebook. Here is a Facebook group you should join!You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at k9detectioncollaborative.com to enjoy the freebies, and tell your friends so you can keep the conversations going.And don’t forget to check out the YouTube Channel!

    1 h
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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.

Información

  • Creador
    Stacy Barnett, Robin Greubel
  • Años de actividad
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodios
    161
  • Clasificación
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © 2026 ©℗ K9 Detection Collaborative
  • Mostrar sitio web
    K9 Detection Collaborative

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