The DogFather

Charlie is joined by John Henderson, General Manager of Holland & Holland.

Holland & Holland Limited is a British gunmaker and clothing retailer based in London, England, which sells handmade rifles and shotguns. The company holds two royal warrants.

Find out more here: https://www.hollandandholland.com/

Charlie is joined by his old friend, Ollie Routledge, whose early shooting trips with Blaze the Cocker helped spark Charlie's passion for dogs and, ultimately, led to the creation of Mordor Gundogs.

Join them as they take a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about their university days, their first dogs, and the shooting trips that started it all.

0:00 - Introduction

0:43 - University Days

17:43 - Ollie’s & Charlie’s Early Dogs

34:43 - Growing Up

42:43 - What Ollie Does Now

Charlie is joined by John Duncan who owns Newlands estate in Dumfries, and along with Roxtons Sporting which runs the shooting at Drumlanrig Castle.

0:00 - Introduction

0:49 - Newlands House History

10:20 - Evolution of Shooting

17:54 - Taking on Drumlanrig

24:30 - Impact on Community

31:00 - Roxtons Sporting Agency

34:39 - John’s Dogs

Charlie is featured on the American Hunting Dog Podcast - "Go Flush Yourself".

They talk about a host of topic across the shooting spectrum from habitat management, temperament vs ability, and how to choose the right breeder.

Listen to the original episode on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ZiWbiaKkArutsFlB1poEK 0:00 - Introduction 0:34 - Do U.K. Dogs Adapt To US? 6:29 - Habitat Management? 15:46 - Temperament vs. Looks vs. Ability24:46 - Nature vs. Nurture?39:30 - Choosing The Right Breeder50:10 - U.K. vs US Training

Charlie sits down with Kim Stewart who in a few short years went from novice to the British Championships.

Local to Charlie, they met recently on a shoot and sit down to talk about Kim’s background, common mistakes with dogs, the perils of training other people, and how to encourage the next generation to get into Gundogs.

0:00 - Introduction

3:25 - Getting Into Dogs

11:11 - Getting Into Trialling

22:25 - The Stop Button

26:40 - Training Other People

37:45 - Encouraging The Next Generation

Charlie is interviewed by Veronica of the Gundog Congress, and then delve into a host of different topics.

0:00 - Introduction

0:49 - What Has Charlie Been Up To?

7:30 - The Dog Ranch

14:05 - Fixing A Dog’s Lack of Enthusiasm

27:30 - German Cocker Spaniels

32:49 - Buying A Puppy From Mordor

39:45 - What Charlie Looks For In Breeding

Charlie is joined by Edward Martin of Sealpin Gundogs for part two of their conversation. They discuss how the two met, how Edward filmed his early training videos, and go on to debate Springers vs. Cockers, as well as how a Labrador should look.

0:00 - Introduction

2:00 - How Charlie & Edward Met

10:20 - Working Dogs vs. Trailling Dogs

19:40 - Patience In A Dog

22:25 - Edward’s Training Videos

32:25 - Flex The Cocker

36:39 - Aftermath of the Videos

42:49 - Springer vs. Cocker

47:30 - Good Looking Labradors

53:35 - How Do You Become A Gundog Trainer?

Charlie sits down with his original mentor, Edward Martin of Sealpin Gundogs. Edward created a training "masterclass" series on VHS - later released on DVD - which a young, impressionable Charlie watched on repeat.

They later met and became friends, and now, two decades into that friendship, they sit down for a conversation.

This first episode explores Edward’s early life and how he got into dogs.

A following episode will cover his relationship with Charlie.

0:00 - Introduction

2:22 - Background

11:45 - Getting Into Gundogs

17:49 - Starting Trialling

29:17 - The Sealpin Prefix

34:02 - Buying Lanton Hill

36:02 - Crufts

40:45 - Labradors vs. Spaniels

54:01 - Competing For Scotland

Charlie is interviewed by Ron of the Hunting Dog Podcast.

Listen to the original podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7zjCGIgi1EEEpQPgAapXQ5?si=QkLQTD7MSG-io3qkbxEOow Check out their website: http://www.thehuntingdogpodcast.com

Charlie is joined by James Robson who runs Primrosehill shoot in the Scottish Borders. What started as a passion, Primrosehill grew into an ecosystem of businesses which all service one another and the community at large.

James shares the journey of buying the farm, starting a shoot, refurbishing the local pub, opening a pizzeria, and how fieldsports as a whole has a positive impact on the local community. They close by talking about dogs and James runs through his eclectic group of labradors, lurchers, and terriers.

Images & Thumbnail Image Courtesy of Jason Baxter

Watch a video on Primrose Hill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-nnMYr25l8

0:00 - Introduction

0:40 - Buying Primrosehill Farm

4:36 - Starting The Shoot

8:40 - Integrating The Businesses

15:25 - Benefitting The Local Economy

22:00 - The Day Job 25:10 - The Dogs

Charlie and Joe are back to discuss the next instalment of Charlie’s journey. We pick up where we left off in the mid-2010s, exploring the growth of the business, navigating lockdown, and why Charlie decided to start a YouTube channel.

Charlie shares why he shows his mistakes on YouTube, why he values the honesty of presenting things warts and all, and why he doesn’t mind the criticism that often comes his way.

He goes on to discuss the next big project and reveals a few long-kept secrets.

0:00 - Intro

0:40 - Picking Up Where We Left Off

3:10 - Building the Log Cabin

6:55 - Navigating COVID

15:53 - Mordor Pedigrees

22:10 - Why Charlie Started YouTube

30:00 - Showing Mistakes

32:45 - Increasing Demand

34:40 - The New Project

Charlie is joined by Dane Maltsberger of Lebncroft Labradors. Dane’s family farm in Indiana has been breeding gundogs since 1888, with the vocation passed down through the generations.The programme began with Setters, then moved on to Brittany Spaniels, before settling on Labradors in the 1980s. Together, Charlie and Dane discuss the optimal Labrador, how Dane introduced U.K. bloodlines into his established U.S. lines, why he felt the need to bring British genetics into the programme, and much more.

0:00 - Introduction

0:42 - Early Days

4:00 - Creating The Mordor Aesthetic

10:20 - Pioneering The Fox Red Labrador

12:15 - Breaking Into The America Market

22:30 - Does Charlie Have An Agent?

25:35 - Delivering Dogs

28:20 - Employing Staff

37:30 - Gaining Momentum

45:20 - Lots of Demos

Charlie is joined by Joe as they chart the next instalment of the Mordor journey. In the podcast’s very first episode, Charlie shared how he went from school, to dogs, to founding Mordor. In this episode, he explains how Mordor went international.

How does he have so many dogs spread across multiple states in America and in countries around the world? How does he build these connections—and, crucially, maintain strong client relationships? He shares all this and more in the episode.

Charlie is joined by John Carpenter at Orvis Sandanona in New York State.

John is the upland manager of the club and speaks in detail with Charlie about U.K. and U.S. Labradors. John breeds Labradors in the States but is well-versed in British practices, while Charlie breeds Labradors in the U.K. but knows the U.S. scene well.

The pair discuss the breeding process, selling puppies, field trials, the types of work each line of Labrador performs, and much more.

Check out Orvis Sandanona - https://www.orvis.com/sandanona-shooting-grounds.html

Follow John on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/glynevian_gundogs

0:00 - Introduction 3:00 - What Is Orvis Sandanona?3:00 - 6:30 - How Did John Get Into Dogs?6:30 - 18:40 - U.K. vs U.S Labrador 18:40 - 20:12 - Breeding Dogs 20:12 - 23:30 Artificial Insemination 23:30 - 28:45 - American Field Trials 28:45 - 32:50 - Selling Puppies 32:50 - 41:20 - Types Of US Work For US Dogs

Charlie sits down with Kevin Kelly from “Kevin’s” Store in Thomasville. Having known each other for nearly a decade—thanks to Charlie’s frequent dog deliveries in the area—the two cover a wide range of topics.

Kevin shares how he launched his store, why it has gained global appeal, and what the future holds for the business. They discuss how to move their respective ventures forward and reflect on the importance of having great employees.

Naturally, they also swap stories and anecdotes about dogs in the field, with Kevin offering a few touching remarks about his canine companions.

The episode wraps up with Kevin giving Charlie a tour of his gun room.

0:00 - Intro

0:41 - Start of Kevin’s

6:50 - The Day-to-Day In Kevin’s

11:30 - The Future Of Kevin’s

17:41 - Early Days Of Working

22:05 - Kevin’s Dogs

29:38 - Kevin’s Gun Room

Harry Bremner, founder of Tuggs dog food, joins Charlie to share his journey, the unique approach behind Tuggs, Charlie’s investment and the early days of product testing, the future of the industry, and much more.

Click To Get 50% Off Your First Tuggs Order: https://tuggs.uk/mordor50

0:00 - Introduction

0:47 - Insect Based Protein

5:20 - Early Days Testing

12:40 - Starting The Brand

15:20 - Bringing Production To The UK

19:10 - Improving & Expanding The Product

28:10 - Expanding Into Retail

30:10 - Subscription Model

32:55 - The Future

Charlie and Neil are back, and in this episode, they’re discussing dogs’ eyes - what they can and can’t see, whether they perceive colour, how well they see in the dark, what kinds of objects they can recognise, and whether they’re short- or long-sighted.

Neil is a leading ophthalmologist (eye specialist), and Charlie has trained thousands of dogs, so their combined experience makes for a truly fascinating conversation.

Join the team with your own Mordor merchandise: https://mordorgundogs.myshopify.com/

Sheldon “Shelly” Steinmetz sits down with Charlie after a day’s shooting at Logiealmond to reflect on their long-standing friendship and the many stories they’ve shared. Originally from America, Shelly came to Scotland to study veterinary medicine at Glasgow University — a move that sparked his passion for terriers and field sports.Fast forward a few years, and Shelly became the first person across the Atlantic to take delivery of a fully trained Mordor dog — and the rest, as they say, is history.0:00 - Introduction 0:57 - How Shelly Found Scotland 5:45 - Working With Terriers 9:05 - Frisbee Dog 13:35 - Setting Up In Connecticut 20:03 - Getting His First Mordor Dog28:40 - Creating The Mordor Gundogs Model34:00 - How Many Mordor Dogs?

Charlie sits down with the owners of Airpets to discuss all aspects of their business: from it's history, how they pivoted from kennels to pet travel, how they actually ship the dogs, runway number 5 and so much more.

Mordor Gundogs use Airpets for all their international travel and couldn't recommend them enough.

See more here: https://airpets.com/

Philip is the estate manager of the Logiealmond Sporting Estate, based in Perthshire. In this episode, they discuss the owner’s remarkable journey in transforming the estate from an ecological desert into the thriving, award-winning haven it is today.If you’d like to join or host your own Mordor shooting party with our dogs—either this season or next—please feel free to email Charlie at info@mordorgundogs.com.0:00 - Introduction0:46 - Charlie & Logiealmond4:15 - Logiealmond’s Redevelopment 9:25 - Philip’s Golden Retrievers 14:55 - Taking On Logiealmond20:05 - All About Dogs24:05 - International Clients28:20 - Rough Shooting With Mordor