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PODCAST

Hunting Dog Confidential

Project Upland Media Group

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.

science nature

All Episodes

22:59

Stichelhaar: The Rare German Pointing Dog You’ve...

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2025/11/18

In this episode of Hunting Dog Confidential, host and dog historian Craig Koshyk uncovers the turbulent and almost-forgotten story of the Stichelhaar—Germany’s oldest rough-haired pointing breed and one that nearly vanished more than once. From 19th-century arguments over its origins to the nationalist politics, studbook battles, and misguided purity standards that choked its gene pool, Craig charts how this rugged old hunting dog survived in spite of its breeders rather than because of them....

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26:23

Pudelpointer: The Dog That Challenged the Breeding World

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2025/11/04

In this episode of Hunting Dog Confidential, host and dog historian Craig Koshyk unravels the unlikely origins of the Pudelpointer—the world’s first true “designer dog” that actually worked. From the ambition of German hunters seeking the perfect versatile gun dog to the barons, breeders, and field trials that defined a generation, Craig traces how this bold experiment challenged tradition and reshaped the very idea of what a versatile hunting dog could be. Along the way, he explores the bree...

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39:16

Where Did the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Come From?

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2025/10/01

In this episode of Hunting Dog Confidential, host and dog historian Craig Koshyk takes us deep into the fascinating history of the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. Beginning in the 1800s with Eduard Korthals’s vision as a young Dutchman working for a German prince, through international debates over crossbreeding, nationalism, and breed standards, Craig traces how the Griffon emerged as a versatile gundog with its own unique identity. Along the way, he explores the myths about the breed’s hunting...

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59:58

Can Dog Shows Judge Hunting Dog Performance?

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2025/08/27

In this episode, host and hunting dog historian Craig Koshyk joins co-host Jennifer Wapenski—co-owner and director of operations at Project Upland—to unpack where show-ring conformation meets real field performance. Can the show ring judge a dog’s ability to hunt? Are parts of show-ring culture promoting lines that haven’t hunted for generations? They trace how standards originated, question assumptions such as straight-set legs and “ideal” shoulder angles, and compare Europe’s performance-an...

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41:14

The History and Debate of High Tails Versus Low Tails...

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2025/06/01

In this episode, Craig Koshyk explores two distinct perspectives on pointing dog tails—whether they should be held high or low. What might seem like a minor detail sparks a deeper debate shaped by centuries of breeding, cultural differences, and shifting hunting styles. Craig takes us back in time through research, art, photographic evidence, and written accounts from the early years of pointing dogs. He expands on his own personal experiences, from Europe to the United States, and offers the...

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35:15

Breed, Strain, Variety, and Class: How Dog Breeds Got...

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2025/03/26

In this episode, Craig Koshyk—renowned hunting dog historian and author—takes us on a deep dive into the fascinating world of breed names. From the earliest landraces to today’s officially recognized breeds, Craig unpacks how language, geography, and hunting traditions shaped the names we use for dogs today. Through engaging stories and expert insight, Craig explores everything from the confusion around the word spaniel, to double-nosed pointers in Spain, to the meaning behind terms like braq...

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20:19

The German Influence on Hunting Dog Breeds

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2025/01/19

The episode, hosted by Craig Koshyk, a renowned dog historian, explores how early German immigrants, particularly those who settled in Texas, may have introduced hunting dogs before the popularization of breeds like the German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP). Koshyk, author of Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals and Pointing Dogs, Volume Two: The British and Irish Breeds, provides historically accurate insights, suggesting that settlers arriving in the 1830s and 1840s could have brought

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23:02

The Rise of the Pointer in America

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2024/10/13

Craig Koshyk, author of Pointing Dogs, Volume Two: The British and Irish Breeds, explores the unlikely story of how the Pointer rose to fame over the English Setter in America. At the time, this was something no one in the field trial circuit ever imagined possible, and before long, the Pointer dominated trialing. This is a story of culture, changing times, and America's continued efforts to advance everything they put their hands on.

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17:17

A Quick Update on HDC

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2024/06/14

Don't adjust your sets - we are back with a brief update on all things HDC! We've been getting lots of questions about the podcast, the magazine, and what other projects we have in the works. Craig and Jennifer are here to answer those questions and let you know what's in the pipeline for Hunting Dog Confidential!

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57:27

Episode 32: Drahthaars, Langhaars, Bretons, and Other...

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2022/06/08

We’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, German

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01:09:26

Episode 31: The Modern Era of Bird Dogs in North America

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2022/03/31

The 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 Pointers. Others,

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46:54

Episode 30: The Golden Age of Hunting Dogs in North...

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2022/02/09

Up 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 found their

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50:57

Episode 29: Early America, Part 2

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2021/12/30

We 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 pointers

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34:48

Episode 28: Early America, Part 1

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2021/12/09

This 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 years after

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31:09

Episode 27: A Sense of Place

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2021/11/18

We 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 spaniels,

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01:13:40

Episode 26: Hawking and Bird Dogs with Anthony Williams

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2021/09/01

Anthony 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 wirehaired

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01:04:56

Episode 25: Conservation and Forestry Management in...

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2021/07/10

This 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 overarching theme

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01:11:17

Episode 24: Big Game and German Utility Dogs with...

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2021/06/18

We 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 pythons in the

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01:15:05

Episode 23: Irish Water Spaniels with Russell Dodd

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2021/05/15

We 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 has owned

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01:07:44

Episode 22: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers with...

Hunting Dog Confidential ·

2021/04/29

We’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 addressed some

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