Gundogs and Guard dogs

Another Reloaded episode to help keep our listeners sane over Christmas… or, let’s be honest, possibly the opposite.WTF is a Gonk?A question nobody asked, yet here we are.This episode was originally released on a Bank Holiday just after Boxing Day 2020, continuing our journey through that wonderfully weird moment in history.The team at GaGD hope you’re having a fantastic Christmas break, and we sincerely wish every one of you a happy and successful 2026. Thanks for sticking with us—please keep doing so, we need the company 😅

Another Reloaded episode to help keep our listeners sane (or not) over Christmas.First released during Christmas 2020, this one is a real snapshot in time—one of the strangest Christmases in living memory. And although it genuinely sounds like Ross is recording from the bathroom, we knew it deserved a reload, not just for the sheer weirdness of those days but because it was our very first episode.Take it as a reminder to be grateful for our freedom, and to love the people you’re with—even if they occasionally test your festive spirit.

In this deeply affecting Reloaded Episode, Lez and Ross revisit their conversation with Julie Shelton from Appledown Dog Rescue. Originally recorded in August 2024 and titled “Take a Breath,” it’s an episode that truly asks you to pause before listening. The reality of dog rescue in the UK, both then and now, is nothing short of devastating, and the emotional toll is clear throughout the conversation.Julie speaks with a honesty and compassion that stays with you long after the episode ends. She, and the many people like her working quietly and tirelessly in rescue centres across the country, are the reason so many dogs are still here today. Their courage, their resilience, and their refusal to give up on the animals in front of them is nothing less than extraordinary.This episode is a reminder of the heartbreak, the hope, and the humanity behind every dog that finds safety.

Ho Ho Ho! The Gundogs & Guard Dogs team wishes you all a very Merry Christmas!In this festive episode, our chaotic duo takes a nostalgic wander back to the first Covid lockdown, all in preparation for the Reloaded episodes dropping over the Christmas break. From the initial terror to “Eat Out to Help Out” to “Get back inside immediately!”, they relive the madness… including the era of masked smiles, with Lez accidentally terrifying local children while trying to smile and Ross not bothering to try at all.They chat about the joys, and the not-so-joyous bits, of a big family Christmas. It’s always lovely to get home, unless “home” is anywhere near Lez, whose extreme festive cooking with Bailey’s cake, cherries, and marzipan is enough to frighten even the hardiest soul. Ross remains eternally grateful for the safe distance provided by living in London rather than Scotland.This is our final episode of 2025, but fear not, the ridiculous pair will be back in early January, and we’ve already lined up some incredible guests for 2026, with a few interviews recorded and ready to go.We also take a quick look back at 2025 and some of the wonderful people we’ve been privileged to speak with.Over the next couple of weeks, you can catch our Reloaded episodes, or dive back into the full catalogue whenever you fancy.Thank you to every one of our listeners, we truly appreciate you. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas, and we can’t wait to head into 2026 with this brilliant tribe.We’ll be back on 9th January, in our usual delightfully dreary style! ---- oOo ----Lez and Ross have both been in the industry professionally for well over 20 years and each has been involved with dogs for over 40 years. Whilst sensibly they have stayed away from the ‘limelight’ regarding TV offers, they have regularly been on national and local radio, spoken at national events at NDWA, CFBA, and Kennel Club / Crufts events as well as bespoke speaking engagements for the Dog Safety Education Executive (DogSEE). Ross wrote for Dogs Monthly Magazine for over 12 years and Lez was the first lady feature writer for a national Shooting Magazine (both Sporting Gun and Sporting Shooter). They were also 'study buddies' and were the first in the UK to achieve a Masters Degree (Professional Practice) in Canine Behaviour and Psychology in 2011. They work well together and apart, support and work with dog rescue organisations and train professional dog trainers and behaviourists. Different as chalk and cheese, but maybe not as different as they like to think.Intrigued? want to know more? then check out our websites...www.rossmccarthy.com ~ www.lezgraham.com

Thank goodness, Gundogs are off the menu, Guard Dogs are in.Charles Wall from A1K9 joins the team today. From a dog-mad little kid, the “dog boy” many of us once were, to carving out a career with personal protection dogs, his story echoes the journeys of so many dog lovers.From a hobby to a business, from Exchange and Mart to Koehler dog training books to wrapping newspaper around your arm, this is how we grow. Are some of the old books still the best, or are we forever trying to reinvent the wheel?What is a personal protection dog? The martial artist of the dog world?What separates sport dogs, security dogs, and dogs trained specifically for family and home protection?We explore what truly makes a personal protection dog, the importance of breed lines, and whether a Malinois can work as a protection dog in a family home. Surprisingly, yes… but where they originate is critical. Maybe Dutch really is better than Belgian.There is a bit of a rant about how, in the UK, we continue to get things wrong in almost every aspect of dog breeding and training.Who gets a personal protection dog?How is the changing face of crime influencing this? The team delicately swerves the topic of illegal immigration, but it is still a wake-up call.Scary times.Government statistics might suggest crime is declining, but we all know that may not be the case. Prescribed use of force and the wider security industry come into the conversation too.And once again, the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 appears, opening a frightening hornets’ nest of what future legislation might bring.It seems easy to sort out this mess, yet incredibly difficult and exhausting at the same time. ---- oOo ----Lez and Ross have both been in the industry professionally for well over 20 years and each has been involved with dogs for over 40 years. Whilst sensibly they have stayed away from the ‘limelight’ regarding TV offers, they have regularly been on national and local radio, spoken at national events at NDWA, CFBA, and Kennel Club / Crufts events as well as bespoke speaking engagements for the Dog Safety Education Executive (DogSEE). Ross wrote for Dogs Monthly Magazine for over 12 years and Lez was the first lady feature writer for a national Shooting Magazine (both Sporting Gun and Sporting Shooter). They were also 'study buddies' and were the first in the UK to achieve a Masters Degree (Professional Practice) in Canine Behaviour and Psychology in 2011. They work well together and apart, support and work with dog rescue organisations and train professional dog trainers and behaviourists. Different as chalk and cheese, but maybe not as different as they like to think.Intrigued? want to know more? then check out our websites...www.rossmccarthy.com ~ www.lezgraham.com