Bob Deeds: FEMA K9's, Nosework, and Chicken Workshops

Dec 16, 2025

2 min read

What to listen for:

“The power is not in perfection. It's in the ability to take those adjustments and flex on those adjustments.”

Our hosts, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, welcome veteran USAR handler Bob Deeds, whose journey from compulsion-based training to positive reinforcement transformed both his career and the field itself!

His career trajectory spans volunteer search and rescue in the early nineties through Texas Task Force One, where he deployed to the World Trade Center with his partner, Kenzie.

The devastating loss of Kenzie in a 2007 training accident nearly ended his career until his friend Sonja Heritage called at 2 AM with a powerful message: quitting meant Kenzie died for nothing.

Bob credits Bob Bailey's chicken workshops as the single most transformative experience for his training mechanics. The fast-paced chickens force observational skills development whether trainers want it or not. Those mechanical skills translated directly to his dogs: when his Malinois Remy would nip holes in Bob's shirt from frustration over poor timing, Karen would smile knowingly.

The dog was using positive punishment to remind Bob to pay attention to delivery, timing, and curriculum!

Now teaching directionals to pet dog owners and planning chicken workshops with Robin in Iowa, Bob teaches that directional control isn't about perfect patterns, but recovery.

As handler Shirley Hammond told him after his first FSA certification, disasters aren't perfect, and recovery from mistakes matters most!

Key Topics:

· Transition from Compulsion to Positive Reinforcement Training (01:33)

· Loss of Partner Kenzie and Nearly Quitting (04:13)

· Bob Bailey's Chicken Workshops and Mechanical Skills (11:50)

· Chickens vs. Dogs: Speed, Visual Cues, and Pecking Behavior (17:03)

· Directional Training Philosophy and Real-World Applications (26:43)

· Arousal State Management and Food Drive Testing (40:58)

· Recovery Over Perfection in Disaster Work (46:16)

· World Trade Center Emergency Stop Example (50:51)

· Takeaways (53:53)

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