Avsnitt
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Kayla Fratt chats with Liza Rothkoff- a 3rd year PhD student at Texas Tech in the K9 olfaction lab- about her most recent paper, "A preliminary study on the impacts of exercise intensity and duration on gastrointestinal temperature and odor detection performance of dogs". They discuss dog selection, study design, results, and what Liza hopes handlers will be able to take from the study.
Read the full study here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159126000614
Host: Kayla Fratt
Editor: Sara Fangton
Sci-comm intern: Evelyn Combs
Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder
Website: Meg du Bray
Patreon: Madison David
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Today Kayla Fratt is joined by Calum O’Flaherty and Dr. Tim Hofmann from the Cheetah Conservation Fund about to discuss livestock guardian dogs, cheetahs, and a very unique approach snake avoidance training.
Snake bites are a huge problem in Namibia. With CCF losing upwards of 10% of their guardian dogs each year to snake bites. CCFs newest approach in how they train their livestock guardian puppies to avoid snakes could be a huge game changer not only for their dogs, but for guardian dogs everywhere.
Host: Kayla Fratt
Editor: Sara Fangton
Sci-comm intern: Evelyn Combs
Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder
Website: Meg du Bray
Patreon: Madison David
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Today, Kayla Fratt is joined by Murrelet Halterman for an in depth discussion on managing multi-year conservation dog projects. Having recently completed three multi-year wind farm projects, Murrelet dives into the challenges of project acquisition, recruiting detection dog handlers, and the nitty-gritty side of long term project management. If you’ve ever wanted to know what goes into the logistical marathon of a multi-year study, this is the place to start!
Host: Kayla Fratt
Editor: Sara Fangton
Sci-comm intern: Evelyn Combs
Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder
Website: Meg du Bray
Patreon: Madison David
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Join Kayla Fratt and favorite of the podcast, Paul Bunker to discuss his fantastic new workbook "The Detection of Buried Targets by Canines". Kayla and Paul delve into the challenges of buried hides and how just digging a hole and covering your target doesn't cut it. This workbook is fantastic for working K9 handlers or anyone who wants to become a more skilled and knowledgeable trainer. Paul brings over 40 years of K9 detection knowledge and experience not only to the workbook but to today's podcast.
( PS: There are some minor audio issues throughout the podcast due to internet issues during recording. We've mitigated them as much as possible. )
Purchase all Paul's workbooks here:
https://chiron-k9.com/publications/
Host: Kayla Fratt
Editor: Sara Fangton
Sci-comm intern: Evelyn Combs
Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder
Website: Meg du Bray
Patreon: Madison David
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Today Kayla Fratt chats with Wes Binder who studies cougars (also known as mountain lions or pumas) in Yellowstone national park. Learn about this unique (but tried and true) method to find these elusive cats and then how they safely bring the cougars down from the trees to perform vital research. Hear first hand stories from the field and how Wes and the team found more than just a cougar on one of their adventures 🐻
Host: Kayla Fratt
Editor: Sara Fangton
Sci-comm intern: Evelyn Combs
Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder
Website: Meg du Bray
Patreon: Madison David
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Join Kayla Fratt and special guest Caden Christopher for this somewhat unorthodox episode of K9Conservationists. Today we're stepping away a bit from conservation detection dogs and imagining what a better world for our canine companions would look like if there were no borders, no financial constraints, breeding and dog placements were truly in the best interest of the dog and people, and so on.
Connect with Caden here!
(Fun fact: There's an additional 15 minutes of this episode over on our pateron! )
Host: Kayla Fratt
Editor: Sara Fangton
Sci-comm interns: Evelyn Combs and Grace Koski
Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder
Website: Meg du Bray
Pateron coaching calls: Madison Davis
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In this puppy-tastic episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla Fratt chats with Lauren Wendt of Momentum K9 LLC about her years selecting, raising, and preparing puppies for various lines of work. Lauren is a highly, highly accomplished trainer that just so happens to have trained upward of 9 puppies for various jobs. Lauren has basically perfected the art of puppy selection and rearing!
In her new online course, Foundations First Course through our platform with K9 Conservationists, you can watch Lauren raise her brand new puppy, Archie, in real time as she tackles everything puppyhood has to throw at her as she raises a confident, independent, and strong conservation detection dog prospect.
Host: Kayla Fratt
Editor: Sara Fangton
Sci-comm interns: Evelyn Combs and Grace Koski
Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder
Website: Meg du Bray
Pateron coaching calls: Madison Davis
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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