EP 50: Designing a Dog That Can Win Anywhere

Season 3 kicks off with a deep dive into what it really takes to build a “Grand Slam” retriever.

In this episode of the Hunt Test Hobo Podcast, Chris sits down with multiple Grand Champion Ron Anderson and training partner Scott Arceneaux to unpack the journey behind one of the most accomplished amateur-trained dogs in the game.

We talk about Rip — a true unicorn — and what it means to build a dog capable of winning across formats:

• Field Trials
• Hunt Tests
• The Grand
• The Crown

This isn’t a “we got lucky” story. It’s a 30-year evolution of selective breeding, intentional development, and a training group built on trust, ego-free collaboration, and high standards.

We break down:

• Why Ron flipped the script and built a field trial foundation first
• The “brick by brick” philosophy of developing a complete dog
• Breeding decisions behind Rip
• The importance of memory, pressure tolerance, and comfort in chaos
• How serious amateurs can compete at the highest levels
• Why intimidation — not mechanics — loses most big events

If you’ve ever dreamed of building a dog that can run the SRS one weekend and a field trial the next… this one is for you.

This is about more than titles.
It’s about building the dog — and the handler — the right way.