The Ugly Dog Podcast
The Ugly Dog Podcast celebrates bird dog training, hunting wild places, habitat conservation, and the journeys that bring all three together. Brought to you by Ugly Dog Hunting Co.
Episodes
63 episodes
61. Ben Brettingen - The Importance of Public Lands in Bird Hunting, Transitioning from Drahthaars to Cover Dogs and Building a Career in the Hunting Industry.
Ben Brettingen from onX Maps joins the show this week to cover the current movement in the Senate to sell public lands (speaking of, have you called your Senator yet?), and share his journey from filming hunts in college to a career in marketin...
•
Episode 61
•
1:26:03
60. Your Public Lands Are For Sale - Are You Really Going To Let That Happen Without Speaking Up?
Your public lands could be for sale soon if your Senator doesn't help torpedo a specific part of the budget reconciliation bill. Call them and let them know that CANNOT happen.Call: 202-224-3121Ask for your Senator's office. ...
•
Episode 60
•
34:41
59. Mike Neiduski - Planning a Long Distance Bird Hunting Trip
This episode is the audio of a presentation Mike did at the 2025 NAVHDA Annual Meeting in Montana. He covers his tips and tricks to plan and execute a long distance road trip including pre-planning, checklist making, and some helpful pro-tips t...
•
Episode 59
•
1:00:02
58. Tanya Caram - Her Journey With Wirehaired Vizlas and Attacking Goals Tenaciously
Tanya Caram joins the show this week to share how she fell in love with Wirehaired Vizlas, her journey to having the first VC WHV, spending extended time in Hungary, and working to develop the breed here in North America. Tanya also shares some...
•
Episode 58
•
1:15:14
57. Matt Sather and Jason Rice - Bird Hunting and Dog Training from a Track Chair
Matt Sather and Jason Rice join the show this week to share Matt's journey into NAVHDA and hunting with a versatile dog. Jason discusses connecting Matt with the Track2Wing Project and Matt reflects honestly on how much of the world has opened ...
•
Episode 57
•
1:13:49
56. Ted Wentink - The Beauty and Function of the Spinone, Walking Along in European Hunt Tests, and The Importance of Taking Things Slow
Ted Wentink joins the show this week to share his never-ending love for Spinoni Italiani. He shares candidly about his journey with dogs throughout the years, making an effort to show his dogs form and function, and his experiences attending hu...
•
Episode 56
•
1:24:38
55. Ellen Neiduski - Lessons Learned On The Journey to A Well-Trained Companion
For a little something different this week Mike sits down with his mother, Ellen, on Mother's Day to discuss their family history in pets. Ellen shares her decision and commitment to having a well-trained family dog and a variety of lessons she...
•
Episode 55
•
1:21:49
54. Christy Langston - Fighting Imposter Syndrome, Solo Hunting Shenanigans, and Lessons from a Failed Breeding
Christy Langston joins the show this week while Mike visited the Missouri Uplands NAVHDA chapter to judge. She shares candidly about fighting imposter syndrome, gives more great photography tips, and opens up about a recent failed breeding with...
•
Episode 54
•
1:44:31
53. Carey Killion - Marathons to Bird Dogs, Facing Failure Head On, and Building Better a Weimaraner
Carey Killion joins the show this week to share how marathons brought her to bird dogs, facing failure head on, and how she is committed to bettering the breed of Weimaraners. Carey is refreshingly honest about her pursuits, whether that be mak...
•
Episode 53
•
1:09:39
52. Yia Vang - Hunting and Fishing as a Way of Life, The Power of Food, Conservation, and Community, and Bringing Hmong Food to the Mainstream
Yia Vang joins the show this week to discuss his award winning restaurant and how growing up in the Hmong community presented hunting and fishing as a way of life, not just a hobby. Yia is a James Beard Award Finalist and creator and head chef ...
•
1:24:41
51. Bailey Petersen - Falling in Love with Ruffed Grouse, Her Gaggle of Setters, and Pro-Tips for Navigating Grouse Cover
Bailey Petersen joins the show this week to talk all things Northwoods, Ruffed Grouse, and her pack of setters (and one microphone loving Munsterlander). She dives into how she grew her love of ruffed grouse and woodcock, moved from a golden re...
•
Episode 51
•
1:09:13
50. Q&A with Mike - NAVHDA Invitational Prep, DD vs GWP, and The Day Everything Changed
This week's episode features Mike answering questions submitted on our Facebook and Instagram pages. He covers his mindset heading toward the NAVHDA Invitational, his thoughts on DDs vs. GWPs, answers a whole bunch of silly geese questions, and...
•
Episode 50
•
1:43:59
49. Nick Dulas - Being the Young Guy in a PF Chapter, Driving All Night To Get a Setter, and Making The Choice To Go
Nick Dulas joins the show this week where he recounts his pre-COVID journey to joining the Rice County PF chapter and why he's stayed involved since. He also shares how he developed a love for setters and the french brittany. He and Mike also t...
•
1:13:28
48. Nikki Flander - Loving Dogs So Much She Snuck One Home, Her Love of English Setters, and Diving Into The Industry and Creating Spaces for Women.
Nikki Flander joins the show this week to share her journey to working with the Minnesota Horse & Hunt Club, how she fell in love with English Setters, that one time she wanted a dog so bad she snuck one home in high school, and creating co...
•
Episode 48
•
1:08:39
47. Hannah & Kyle Peterson - A Match Made Over Bird Dogs, Diving Into Cover Dog Trials, and Wanting An Assertive Female Setter.
Hannah & Kyle Peterson are a match made with a shared love of dog training, and then bird dogs in grouse country. In this episode they share their journey into dog training in very separate realms and how they eventually met, married, and n...
•
Episode 47
•
1:28:28
46. John Zeman - Letting a Dog Fill Up The Country, The Power of Helping Others Train Their Dogs, and Ensuring Others Have Access to Dog Training Areas
John Zeman got his first German Shorthair in 1978 and has had various types of bird dogs ever since. Through mentors he found field trials and training methods which he now shares with many who show up at his home on Wednesday nights for traini...
•
Episode 46
•
1:19:04
45. Greg Blair - An Education in Field Trials and Landing a Dream Job with Purina.
Greg Blair joins the show this week to share his origins in bird dogs, NSTRA, and ultimately field trials. He shares how he landed his dream job at Purina, became a field trial judge, breaks down accessibility in field trialing as well as a loo...
•
Episode 45
•
1:29:17
44. Ray Esboldt - Finding NAHRA, Kelly Farms, and Keeping Keystone Woods WMA Open to Train Bird Dogs
Ray Esboldt is a member of the Four Points Retriever Club and an avid NAHRA enthusiast. Mike & Ray sat down to discuss his experience going from a meat dog to appreciating the abilities and year round training opportunities or a NAHRA dog. ...
•
Episode 44
•
1:19:33
43. Jacob Walter - Transitioning from Labs to Shorthairs, Going All-In on Bird Dogs, and Why Physical Fitness Is An Underrated Component for Bird Hunting
Jacob Walter joins the show this week to share his journey of upland bird hunting from growing up with Labrador Retrievers to raising a young family with German shorthairs. Jacob also discusses what inspired him to become a local volunteer for ...
•
Episode 43
•
1:17:40
42. Luc Ramthun - Loving Large Munsterlanders and a National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic Preview!
Luc Ramthun from Pheasants Forever joins the show this week to give a preview of the upcoming Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic being held in Kansas City (see y'all there), and share his journey into bird hunting. Luc shares how he pivoted from b...
•
Episode 42
•
1:14:49
41. Dr. RuthAnn Lobos - On When and How To Feed Your Hunting Dog, Choosing a Puppy Food, and Coming to Hunting Later in Life
Dr. RuthAnn Lobos is the Senior Veterinarian for Purina. She joins the show this week to share her journey with bird dogs and give some incredible, research backed insight into how we feed our dogs. You'll learn how to prioritize and plan your ...
•
Episode 41
•
1:04:17
40. Sam Tillman - A Lifelong Desire for Bird Dogs, The Importance of Going at Her Own Pace, and Making Sure to have Fun.
Sam Tillman joins the show this week where she shares her lifelong love of bird dogs and that love has only deepened over time. She also takes a dive into qualifying for the NAVHDA Invitational, building a lasting bond with her Pudelpointer, St...
•
Episode 40
•
1:10:05
39. Matt Kucharski - The Importance of Curiosity, Dogs of Opportunity, and The Power of Habitat
Matt Kucharski joins the show this week to discuss his "dogs of opportunity" and now having to raise a puppy, how an ad for a used truck landed him on the board of Pheasants Forever, and the importance of habitat is best demonstrated in before ...
•
Episode 39
•
1:13:24
38. Jake Faas - Marrying Into Grouse Hunting, The Importance of Managing Your Dogs, and His Journey From Bite Dogs to Bird Dogs.
Jake Faas of True Loyalty Dog Training joins the show this week to share how he fell in love with dogs doing bite sports and training working dogs and then through marriage came to upland hunting and owning French Brittanies. Jake is an experie...
•
Episode 38
•
1:26:35
Bonus Episode: Scent Work and Birds Dogs with the Road to Detection Podcast
This special bonus episode is a pod-share between Road to Detection, The Ugly Dog Podcast, and The Accidental Bird Dog.This episode dives into Scent Work and how it can be beneficial for you and your bird dogs. This includes laying a so...
•
1:08:36