The Working Dog Depot Podcast

Send us Fan Mail
On this episode, Rich and I had a great conversation with Brent Verner. In my book, Brent is one of the unsung heroes. I asked for a brief biography and the several sentence segment below is what he sent. No fluff - just the facts, but there's so much more! In any occupation or industry, there are folks who talk a big game and then there are folks who have been there and done that. Brent has done all that and then some. I feel confident that you'll find his lack of ego refreshing. 
He is currently in the North Hills area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is near and dear to my heart, as that is where my parents were raised and I was born. If you are a dog fancier or a LE K9 handler in the Pittsburgh area, you owe it yourself to seek him out for training. He is truly one of the good guys.  
BioRetired Army Ranger MPC Handler, 8 combat deployments, NSW G2 MPC Trainer,. K9 TCCC instructor. Owner of Verner Canine in Pittsburgh, PA.   vernercanine.com

We are pleased to have Vested Interest in K9's as a sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. 
 
Please welcome  Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.

Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9.   Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms.  For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com

HLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2026 conference will be April 14 - 16 2026. Register today at www.htlk9.com.

 Welcome our newest sponsor NCK9LLC.  Located in Four Oaks NC, just east of Raleigh NC. Jim O'Brien and staff offer a variety of K9 services. Contact them at Phone : 919-353-7149 Email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail
Antonio is a 20-year retired combat veteran of the United States Air Force.  He completed his career in the Air Force as a Military Working Dog (MWD) program manager for twelve military units. His highlights while on active duty include being hand-picked as a Department of Defense MWD trainer, kennel master, unit trainer, pre-deployment senior instructor, and special tactics member/instructor.  

After retiring in 2013, Antonio was employed by various private security firms supporting U.S. Treasury Department and U.S. State Department domestic and international security contracts.  During this period, he was assigned to the following positions: high-threat protection security specialist, emergency response team member, canine handler, kennel master, and training director.  

Following his time in the private contracting world, Antonio was employed by the Department of Homeland Security’s National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program (NEDCTP).  During this time, he served as unit canine trainer and supervisor of canine operations for eleven TSA Passenger Screening Canine (PSC) teams at Colorado’s Denver International Airport.  

In 2018, Antonio left federal service to train high-performance canine teams for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.  He resigned from his position in the fall of 2022 to launch ORO-K9 Services - a lifelong dream.      
We are pleased to have Vested Interest in K9's as a sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. 
 
Please welcome  Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.

Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9.   Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms.  For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com

HLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2026 conference will be April 14 - 16 2026. Register today at www.htlk9.com.

 Welcome our newest sponsor NCK9LLC.  Located in Four Oaks NC, just east of Raleigh NC. Jim O'Brien and staff offer a variety of K9 services. Contact them at Phone : 919-353-7149 Email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail
Antonio is a 20-year retired combat veteran of the United States Air Force.  He completed his career in the Air Force as a Military Working Dog (MWD) program manager for twelve military units. His highlights while on active duty include being hand-picked as a Department of Defense MWD trainer, kennel master, unit trainer, pre-deployment senior instructor, and special tactics member/instructor.  

After retiring in 2013, Antonio was employed by various private security firms supporting U.S. Treasury Department and U.S. State Department domestic and international security contracts.  During this period, he was assigned to the following positions: high-threat protection security specialist, emergency response team member, canine handler, kennel master, and training director.  

Following his time in the private contracting world, Antonio was employed by the Department of Homeland Security’s National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program (NEDCTP).  During this time, he served as unit canine trainer and supervisor of canine operations for eleven TSA Passenger Screening Canine (PSC) teams at Colorado’s Denver International Airport.  

In 2018, Antonio left federal service to train high-performance canine teams for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.  He resigned from his position in the fall of 2022 to launch ORO-K9 Services - a lifelong dream.      
We are pleased to have Vested Interest in K9's as a sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. 
 
Please welcome  Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.

Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9.   Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms.  For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com

HLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2026 conference will be April 14 - 16 2026. Register today at www.htlk9.com.

 Welcome our newest sponsor NCK9LLC.  Located in Four Oaks NC, just east of Raleigh NC. Jim O'Brien and staff offer a variety of K9 services. Contact them at Phone : 919-353-7149 Email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail
Officer Gary Hadden is currently a Criminal Interdiction Unit K9 handler and Trainer for the Indianapolis Metro Police Department and is also a Task Force Officer for Homeland Security Investigations. Officer Hadden started his career in Broward County Florida in 1990 and became a K9 handler in 1995. Hadden has worked many interdiction details in South Florida, including the Blue Lightning Task Force, Multi-jurisdictional counter drug task force and Broward County Pipe-Line Task Force. Hadden has worked multiple canines (Patrol, Narcotics and Bomb) over his twenty-nine-year k9 career and has been on thousands of deployments. Officer Hadden Joined the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana in 1998 which later merged to become the current Indianapolis Metro P.D. Hadden has been training k9 teams for many years and continues to be the head trainer for IMPD’s Narcotic detection, Cadaver, missing persons and Arson dog teams. Hadden is also a certified instructor through the Drug Interdiction Acceptance Program-El Paso Intelligence Center (DIAP-EPIC) and teaches k9 and interdiction courses throughout the Nation. Officer Hadden has published articles in Police Canine Magazines, testifies as an expert on the narcotic contamination of U.S. currency and has conducted training on currency contamination for local and Federal prosecutors as well as the Indiana Attorney General’s Office. Hadden continues to run a parcel interdiction program at the FedEx Hub at the Indianapolis Airport, where drugs and drug trafficking proceeds in the millions have been seized. Detective Hadden has been imprinting and training canine teams for the detection of Fentanyl and has given presentations on the imprinting and training on Fentanyl detection and court testimony.
We are pleased to have Vested Interest in K9's as a sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. 
 
Please welcome  Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.

Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9.   Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms.  For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com

HLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2026 conference will be April 14 - 16 2026. Register today at www.htlk9.com.

 Welcome our newest sponsor NCK9LLC.  Located in Four Oaks NC, just east of Raleigh NC. Jim O'Brien and staff offer a variety of K9 services. Contact them at Phone : 919-353-7149 Email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail
Simon Prins
Simon is a specialist in animal behavior and training, with over 25 years experience of handling and training dogs for police and military operations. His ground-breaking work lies at the intersection of robotics, sensors, and canine abilities, contributing to remarkable success in a wide range of missions. 
He has trained a multitude of dogs and handlers from special units across the world, rooted in his firm belief that science can significantly enhance our interactions and work with animals. 
He became a patrol dog handler after joining the Dutch police force, and in 1996 he set up an innovative k9 research and development project, integrating it with covert operations. This involved conceptualizing and developing a training program for radio-guided camera dogs, a system that has achieved global recognition and application. 
In 2002, Simon handpicked and trained 16 dogs and their handlers to initiate USAR, a dedicated search and rescue operation. His pioneering approach took another step forward in 2006 when he began merging dogs and electronics, outfitting radio-directional canines with sensors and enabling them to carry small robots into operations. 
Throughout his career, Simon has written numerous training protocols, invented innovative training apparatus, and is in constant demand internationally both as a speaker and a provider of training workshops. 
He is a staunch advocate of operant conditioning, and is passionate about empowering trainers through tailor-made coaching techniques, seeking to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and practical training to optimize the effectiveness of operational dogs. 
Currently, Simon leads his own company, ACT!, where he continues to innovate within the remit of police and military k9 training. 
Checkout Simon's website simonprins.com. It's a treasure trove of information and products. 
We are pleased to have Vested Interest in K9's as a sponsor. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab-protective vests and other assistance to dogs. Check it out www.vik9s.org. 
 
Please welcome  Ray Allen Manufacturing as a sponsor to the podcast. Go to the most trusted name in industry for all of your k9 related equipment. For a 10% discount use the RAMWDDP10 discount code.

Welcome our sponsor Gold Coast K9.   Gold Coast K9 trains and deploys hand-selected service dogs for personal and family protection, police agencies, and school districts. Their training programs rank among the best and most trusted in the world. Follow Gold Coast k9 on all social media platforms.  For 10% off merchandise use the GCK910 discount code on their website www.goldcoastk9.com

HLTK9 Conference continues to be a supporter of the WDDP. They are gearing up for the next conference in Myrtle Beach SC. Plan ahead, the 2026 conference will be April 14 - 16 2026. Register today at www.htlk9.com.

 Welcome our newest sponsor NCK9LLC.  Located in Four Oaks NC, just east of Raleigh NC. Jim O'Brien and staff offer a variety of K9 services. Contact them at Phone : 919-353-7149 Email: [email protected]