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

Puppy selection with Lauren Wendt

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.info [http://musseldogs.info/]Instagram @mussel_dogs

Facebook: Mussel dogs

Dogs with Jobs

dogswithjobs.info [http://dogswithjobs.info/]

Instagram: @dogswithjobsk9



Host: Kayla Fratt

Editor: Sara Fangton

Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder

Website: Meg du Bray

Patreon: Madison Davis

When Conservation Dog Prospects Aren't The Perfect Fit: Featuring Debi Deshon

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

Raising spaniels for detection with Reetta Kangaslampi and Dr. Natasha Underwood

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

Part 2: Emma Gaalaas Mullaney- Heterodox Approach to Selecting and Raising Detection Dogs

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

Emma Gaalaas Mullaney- Heterodox Approach to Selecting and Raising Detection Dogs

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



Year in Review 2025

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

Skipper's Story

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

Dogs, Bogs, and Slogs: Inside the Island Wolf Project

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



A conservation dog book for kids?! With Alison Pearce Stevens

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



Mythbusting with Meg Barnes and Paul Bunker

Welcome to the K9 Conservationists podcast, where we’re positively obsessed with
conservation detection dogs! Join us every week as we discuss detection dogs,
ecology, conservation, dog behavior, training, and much more. K9
Conservationists is hosted by Kayla Fratt, CDBC and co-founder of K9
Conservationists. Along with her two co-founders, she trains dogs to detect
data. Support the work we do at patreon.com/k9conservationists.

Kayla fratt

Shows