In this gloriously moany episode, we dive headfirst into the murky waters of what it really means to be qualified in the dog world. Are you genuinely trained and educated—or just good at looking the part online?
We kick off with a wildly unscientific theory from the Scottish side about why time speeds up as you age (spoiler: the Londoner calls BS). From there, it’s a nostalgic detour into school days: teachers lighting up, sneaky cigarette passes, and Ross getting a ruler wrapped round his head. Classic.
Then we’re onto the good stuff: skiving, consequence-free parenting, consequence-free dog training, and one bizarre but surprisingly helpful PSA about what happens if your car breaks down with dogs inside.
From the Dandie Dinmont (the only dog breed named after a fictional character!) to cockers, Malamutes, Ridgebacks, and the eternal Norfolk vs Norwich terrier debate—we’re digging deep into breed-specific behaviour. We even throw in a dermoid sinus just to keep things weird.
Eventually, inevitably, we land on qualifications. Ofqual’s gutting the dog training and behaviour framework, the industry remains unregulated, and everyone’s got an opinion. So we’ve got one question: are you qualified—or do you just have a qualification?
Rants, facts, laughs, and a few bonkers tangents.
Welcome to another episode where we say what dog pros are thinking—but rarely say out loud.
Share the love. Share the rant. Swerve the nonsense. And always do the best you can—for the dogs.
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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
And if you'd rather watch than listen, you can catch Gundogs and Guard Dogs on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@gundogguarddog