Hunting Dog Confidential
34 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago -Explore the history, myths, and incredible stories of hunting dog breeds around the world. Co-hosted by Jennifer Wapenski and Craig Koshyk. A Project Upland Podcast.
HUNTING DOG CONFIDENTIAL is made possible by Eukanuba Sporting Dog. Complete and balanced nutrition for your canine athlete. https://www.eukanubasportingdog.com/
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Episodes
Episode 32: Drahthaars, Langhaars, Bretons, and Other International Breeds in America
June 08, 2022 02:35 - 57 minutes - 78.9 MBWe’ve been talking about the role of “place” in the history and culture of hunting dog breeds, but not every breed fits neatly within geographical boundaries. There are several breeds in North America who have a foot in two worlds: the parent country (often Germany) as well as North America. We explore breeds such as the Deutsch Drahthaar, Deutsch Langhaar, and Deutsch Kurzhaar which are known by their German language names in order to differentiate from the German Wirehaired Pointer, ...
Episode 31: The Modern Era of Bird Dogs in North America
March 31, 2022 02:51 - 1 hour - 95.3 MBThe end of World War II saw thousands of American servicemen and servicewomen returning home to the United States and Canada, many of whom brought home new dogs they’d met while in occupied Germany. These “new” dogs were unlike the setters and Pointers that dominated the bird dog scene in North America. Defying labels, these dogs could search, point, retrieve, and track. Some of these dogs fit in well with the American field trial culture and found success alongside setters and Pointer...
Episode 30: The Golden Age of Hunting Dogs in North America
February 09, 2022 13:00 - 46 minutes - 64.4 MBUp until the late nineteenth century, the use and breeding of hunting dogs in North America was rather chaotic. Dogs were used in a variety of different ways, whether it was market hunters using Setters to retrieve waterfowl or big game hunters using Pointers to track and hold wounded elk at bay. There was no consistency in the breeding, either, as different types of dogs were often mixed and matched at will. Before long, though, some of the same concepts from the industrial revolution...
Episode 29: Early America, Part 2
December 30, 2021 23:22 - 50 minutes - 70 MBWe continue the history of hunting dogs as a function of place and time, resuming our discussion about dogs in North America in the colonial era. When Europeans arrived on North American shores—whether it was the Spanish, the French, or the English—we know that they had dogs with them. Early writings and paintings from this era depict a variety of dogs that accompanied the colonists for purposes of protection and hunting. Some of these dogs bear a strong resemblance to old varieties of...
Episode 28: Early America, Part 1
December 09, 2021 22:07 - 34 minutes - 47.8 MBThis season of Hunting Dog Confidential will explore the history of hunting dogs as a function of place and time. We begin in North America, starting with the earliest evidence of domesticated dogs from about 10,000 years ago. This episode brings us right up to the end of the pre-colonial era in the fifteenth century. We’ll continue our exploration of North American hunting dog history in the next episode. Fossil and DNA evidence suggests that dogs arrived in North America about 5,000 ...
Episode 27: A Sense of Place
November 18, 2021 13:00 - 31 minutes - 42.8 MBWe are back with a new episode providing a sneak peek of season three of the Hunting Dog Confidential Podcast. Craig and Jennifer catch up on what they’ve been up to since the last episode (hint: they’ve been hunting with their dogs) and what’s new in the Hunting Dog Confidential world. As a recap, season one explored the what…what breeds are used as hunting dogs and what were they developed to do. We did a quick survey of all the hunting dog breeds, ranging from pointing dogs to spani...
Episode 26: Hawking and Bird Dogs with Anthony Williams
September 01, 2021 03:19 - 1 hour - 101 MBAnthony Williams is the epitome of versatility when it comes to the bird dog world. Growing up in Queens wasn’t going to dissuade him from his goals of hunting, running bird dogs, and flying a hawk. His initial exposure to birds was raising pigeons in urban New York, followed by his first experiences with falconry in an overgrown junkyard. This eventually led him toward bird dogs, where Anthony developed a love for the versatile breeds and also became a hound trial judge. Now, he has wirehai...
HDC Episode 25: Conservation and Forestry Management in Germany with Nadja Niesner
July 10, 2021 06:30 - 1 hour - 89.2 MBThis episode is the continuation of the discussion we started last time with German hunter and hunting instructor, Nadja Niesner. Before we get into the conversation, though, we address a listener question regarding the colors of hunting dogs. A simple question of “why do German hunting breeds tend to be darker and English breeds tend to have a white base” sent us down a long rabbit hole about the theories and origins of the variety of colors and patterns that dogs come in. The overarc...
Episode 25: Conservation and Forestry Management in Germany with Nadja Niesner
July 10, 2021 06:30 - 1 hour - 89.2 MBThis episode is the continuation of the discussion we started last time with German hunter and hunting instructor, Nadja Niesner. Before we get into the conversation, though, we address a listener question regarding the colors of hunting dogs. A simple question of “why do German hunting breeds tend to be darker and English breeds tend to have a white base” sent us down a long rabbit hole about the theories and origins of the variety of colors and patterns that dogs come in. The overarc...
Episode 24: Big Game and German Utility Dogs with Nadja Niesner
June 18, 2021 05:17 - 1 hour - 97.9 MBWe start this episode with a discussion about versatile dogs or, as they are known in Germany, “useful” or “practical” dogs. In North America they are primarily used for bird hunting, their roots stretch back to a variety of purposes related to hunting and tracking. We discuss a couple of fun examples of the usefulness of hunting dogs, including a Boykin Spaniel who finds and retrieves box turtles in the name of science, as well as a hunting dog that is used to locate invasive Burmese python...
Episode 23: Irish Water Spaniels with Russell Dodd
May 15, 2021 19:56 - 1 hour - 68.7 MBWe start this episode with a discussion about the practice of tail docking. Depending on where you are located, this may be a well-accepted practice or it may be controversial or even banned. We discuss the historical context of docking tails as well as the modern applications for working and hunting dogs. It’s our hope that this will better inform your discussions when this topic comes up in dog circles. Our guest interview this week is with Russell Dodd, an AKC hunt test judge who ha...
Episode 22: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers with Grant St. Germain
April 29, 2021 16:22 - 1 hour - 93 MBWe’ve been talking about the development of hunting dogs and how they were shaped by the humans and cultures where they originated. We received an interesting listener question asking us to consider the inverse of this concept: would human development have been any different if we did not have dogs at our side? It’s a fascinating thought experiment to consider what might have been different, which of course leads us down a few trails. Back on the topic of hunting methods, we also addre...
Episode 21: Hunting and Field Trials in Continental Europe with Marjolein Kamman-van Eijk
April 16, 2021 03:54 - 1 hour - 106 MBContinuing our discussion of the various methods with which hunters use hunting dogs, we discuss the origins of the term “gun dog” and how bird dogs developed right alongside modern firearms. Both pointing dogs and breech-loading shotguns tended to reach their peak at the same time in the same locations: the mid-nineteenth century in England, but not until the early twentieth century in places like North America. Because of their shared history, it’s no accident that bird dogs and bird guns ...
Episode 20: Pointers and Setters on the English Moors with David Hudson
March 12, 2021 04:18 - 58 minutes - 80.4 MBKicking off our exploration of the methods of hunting with a dog, we start on the grouse moors of England and Scotland. We welcome our first guest to the show, David Hudson, who is an author, photographer, and pointing dog enthusiast with a rich history in the world of Pointers and Setters in the UK. Before we can get too far, a language lesson is in order. What we call “hunting” in North America is typically referred to as “shooting” in the UK; there, hunting refers to pursuing game w...
Episode 19: Hunting Methods
February 25, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 86 MBWe are back with season two of the Hunting Dog Confidential podcast. In the first season, we answered the question of “what dogs are used as hunting dogs?” We looked at various breeds and types of dogs that are hunted all over the world, both in the modern day as well as throughout history. Now, we turn our attention to the “how.” How are dogs used and what are the various methods of hunting with dogs? Since the beginning of the human-dog partnership, dogs assisted humans in find...
Episode 18: Terriers
January 07, 2021 16:40 - 57 minutes - 78.6 MBWe wrap up our survey of hunting dogs with a look at working terriers. Terriers developed to fill a need where humans needed to get to game in a situation where we were ill-equipped to do so. Just like sight hounds were developed to be faster than us to catch running game, retrievers were developed to swim better than us to get game out of the water, and scenting dogs were developed with better noses than us to find otherwise-camouflaged game… terriers were developed to be able to locate and...
Episode 17: Teckels and Feist
December 10, 2020 13:00 - 55 minutes - 75.5 MBIn this episode, we explore two very different types of hunting dogs, both of which defy any attempt to fit neatly within a single category. Dachshunds, also known as Teckels or Dackels, are incredibly versatile hunting dogs that excel at hunting birds or tracking wounded game. Feist, on the other hand, are a category of dogs that represent the varied needs and preferences of squirrel hunters throughout North America. Both dogs are relatively unknown as hunting dogs outside of their circles,...
Episode 16: Scent Hounds, Running Hounds, and Badger Hounds
November 26, 2020 13:00 - 1 hour - 83.6 MBIn this episode, we continue our journey through the hounds, moving into the well-known category of scent hounds. These dogs are characterized by their extraordinary ability to follow a scent trail, not only the fresh trail of a wounded animal, but also the “sweat trail” of an animal that may have passed through days earlier. Scent hounds have enjoyed a prominent place in pop culture, with references and well-known examples ranging from Disney cartoons to the iconic song, “Hound Dog.” ...
Episode 15: Lurchers and Longdogs
November 12, 2020 18:22 - 47 minutes - 65.9 MBIn this episode, we take a detour off the path of well-known sighthound breeds and venture into the somewhat murky and mysterious world of lurchers and longdogs. A lurcher is a hybrid dog resulting from the cross of a sighthound with another working breed of dog. Their origins reach back far into history, when purebred sighthounds were highly revered and could only be owned by the wealthy and noble. Commoners secretly took advantage of opportunities to breed their farm dogs to the nobl...
Episode 14: Introduction to Sight Hounds
October 29, 2020 12:00 - 53 minutes - 73.3 MBIn this episode, we look at the group of hounds known as sight hounds or gaze hounds. These dogs are known for using their eyesight to find and track prey, but more importantly, these dogs use their incredible speed to pursue and overtake their quarry. Having been developed almost exclusively for speed, sight hounds even have larger hearts and different blood chemistry from other breeds of dogs. Sight hounds are commonly thought of as originating from the desert regions of the Middle E...
Episode 13: Overview of Hounds
October 15, 2020 12:00 - 45 minutes - 62.6 MBIn this episode, we begin a broad survey of hounds, beginning with a linguistic exercise to uncover the meaning of the word “hound.” The general nature of the word perhaps explains the very broad range of hound dogs today. Hounds are separated into categories such as sight hounds, scent hounds, leash hounds, podengos, and pariah dogs. Perhaps the oldest of these categories is the pariah dog, which is thought to have originated at the refuse piles out on the outskirts of early towns and...
Episode 12: The Spitz Breeds
October 01, 2020 16:02 - 58 minutes - 80.7 MBIn this episode, we travel way back in time to some of the earliest types of dogs that developed alongside humans for the mutual benefit of dog and man. These dogs are classified as spitz dogs, named for their pointy ears and muzzle. While the various breeds are found around the world and used in a variety of working tasks, they all share a few key characteristics: a thick coat, pointy ears, a short muzzle, a tail that curls up and over their back, and an independent character that harkens b...
Episode 11: Duck Tolling and the Murray River Retriever
September 17, 2020 12:00 - 49 minutes - 67.8 MBIn this episode, we respond to some listener feedback about a couple of more unusual retriever breeds and a strange way of attracting ducks to waiting hunters. First up, we discuss the Murray River Curly-Coated Retriever. A listener from Australia alerted us to this rare landrace which has been used for centuries along the Murray River of South Australia. This dog’s short, strong build and curly, brown coat share many similarities with other breeds developed around the same time. While...
Episode 10: Curly-Coated, Flat-Coated, and Golden Retrievers
September 03, 2020 04:05 - 56 minutes - 77.9 MBThis episode continues our path through the origins of today’s modern retriever breeds by focusing on the Curly-coated, Flat-coated, and Golden Retrievers. All three of these breeds were developed in England and came to be known by the characteristics of their coat as opposed to a geographic name. The least well-known of these breeds is the Curly-coated Retriever which, despite a reputation for a strong work ethic and agreeable personality, has never enjoyed much popularity in the retr...
Episode 9: The History of the Labrador and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers
August 20, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 90.5 MBContinuing on our path through the origin stories of the retriever breeds, this episode focuses on two of the most well-known hunting retrievers: the Labrador Retriever and the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Both of these breeds trace their roots back to the St. John’s Water Dog of Newfoundland, but the similarities end there. Wealthy, noble Englishmen were importing the St. John’s Water Dogs from North America and breeding them to suit their style of estate hunting. Two men in particular, ...
Episode 8: Origins of the Retrieving Dogs
August 06, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 95.4 MBOur exploration of the history of hunting dogs has led us to North America, where we uncover the earliest origins of the retriever breeds. In this episode, we discuss whether the Labrador Retriever is really a North American breed, or whether it’s a British breed that owes its roots to the back-and-forth trade between England and the new communities on the eastern coast of North America. For the purposes of this discussion, “Retriever” is meant to refer to the breeds that were specific...
Episode 7: From Spaniels to Retrievers
July 23, 2020 12:00 - 53 minutes - 73.9 MBWe are in the midst of talking about the origins of hunting dogs; specifically, we are covering the history of flushing spaniels, retrievers, and hounds. In this episode, we pick up where we left off with some further discussion about spaniels. A running theme for Hunting Dog Confidential has been the idea that hunting dog breeds are a reflection of the culture from which they originated. Two spaniel breeds are particularly good examples of this idea: the Welsh springer spaniel and the...
Episode 6: Hunting Spaniels
July 09, 2020 12:00 - 57 minutes - 78.3 MBThis episode kicks off a new mini-series on other types of gun dogs: flushing spaniels, retrievers, terriers, scent hounds, and sight hounds. This broader look at hunting dogs will explore the history of each type of dog and how it fits into the overall timeline of hunting dogs as they developed alongside their human partners. We’ll also look at where these dogs are today and how they are being used in the field. Like always, we dive into some linguistics to better understand the cultu...
Episode 5: Breed Origins Part 3 - United Kingdom and Ireland
June 25, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 82.6 MBIn the final chapter of this mini-series on the origins of pointing dogs, we cross the English Channel to talk about Pointers and setters. Some might argue that by crossing the channel we are leaving behind the versatile breeds and are now looking at more specialized bird dogs. However, like everything else in the bird dog world, it’s a lot more complicated than that. Pointers and setters likely came to England in the 1600s and 1700s, most likely originating from the area now serving a...
Episode 4: Breed Origins Part 2 - East of the Rhine
June 11, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 103 MBWe are deep into talking about the origins of pointing dogs; we’ve been looking back through history and discussing how dogs were developing alongside the hunting culture. In this episode, we focus on the development of hunting dogs east of the Rhine river: primarily in Germany, but also Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Unlike what was going on across the river in France, these breeds owe their development to a qualification system of hunt tests, rather than competition through field t...
Episode 3: Breed Origins Part 1 - West of the Rhine
May 28, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 88.6 MBIn this week’s episode, we explore the development of pointing dog breeds in the regions of Europe that fall west of the Rhine River, including Italy, Spain, and France. Aside from being a convenient geographic divide, the Rhine also roughly divided the hunting dog culture in how people used and promoted their dogs. Countries to the south and west generally followed the British method of “proofing” their dogs by competing in field trials that crowned a champion. In comparison, countries to t...
Episode 2: Culture
May 14, 2020 12:00 - 59 minutes - 81.9 MBIn this episode, co-hosts Craig Koshyk and Jennifer Wapenski explore the idea that hunting dogs are a reflection of the culture from which they originate. This broad survey of hunting cultures across time and place will set the stage for future discussions at the regional and breed level. Craig’s experiences while researching pointing dog breeds across Europe were not only educational, but also deeply enriching for his own hunting practices and traditions. Cultural exchanges with hunte...
Episode One: Origins
May 04, 2020 18:45 - 50 minutes - 69.1 MBJennifer and Craig dive into the origins of pointing dogs and discuss how bird dogs have developed alongside humans to match our hunting styles throughout history
Episode 1: Origins
May 04, 2020 18:45 - 50 minutes - 69.1 MBCo-hosts Craig Koshyk and Jennifer Wapenski launch Hunting Dog Confidential by diving into the origins of pointing dogs. This first episode will kick off a mini-series exploring the origins of pointing dog breeds across continental Europe, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. So what’s actually happening when a bird dog goes on point? Did you know that you are likely an experienced pointer? If you’ve ever paused just before swatting at a fly, then you have exhibited this same behavior tha...