Latest / Ducks Unlimited Podcast / Nutrition, Training, and Conservation with Purina @ DUX 2025 (Ep. 709)

Transcript

Nutrition, Training, and Conservation with Purina @ DUX 2025 (Ep. 709) · Ducks Unlimited Podcast

• 0:00
  VO: Can we do a mic check, please? Everybody, welcome back to the Ducks Unlimited podcast. I'm your host, doctor Mike Brazier. I'm your host, Katie Burke. I'm your host, doctor Jared Hemphith.
• 0:08
  And I'm your host, Matt Harrison.
• 0:18
  Welcome to the Ducks Unlimited podcast, the only podcast about all things waterfowl. From hunting insights to science based discussions about ducks, geese, and issues affecting waterfowl and wetlands conservation in North America. The DU podcast, sponsored by Purina Pro Plan, the official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited. Purina Pro Plan, always advancing. Also proudly sponsored by Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails.
• 0:44
  Whether you're winding down with your best friend or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.
• 1:05
  Matt Harrison: Hey, everybody. We are back live in the duck den at DUX, and I have two very special people with me that I consider friends that I have gotten to spend some time, not only at shows with and at headquarters with, but also chasing some ducks. We have mister Carl Gunzer and doctor Ruth Ann Lobos. I cannot thank y'all enough for taking some time out of your busy schedules because I watched y'all yesterday, and y'all are very busy. Okay?
• 1:30
  Matt Harrison: But thank y'all so, so much for carving a little bit of time to hop in the duck den and talk to her a little bit about our listeners. But before we get going, kinda about the expo, I would like both of y'all to just kinda give us a rundown about your job titles for Purina and what you handle on that side of things.
• 1:45
  RuthAnn Lobos: Carl, you're going first.
• 1:46
  Karl Gunzer: Ladies first.
• 1:47
  RuthAnn Lobos: Ladies first. Ladies first. I'm gonna look around then. So I'm the senior veterinarian for Purina. I wear a number of hats, but I would say my favorite hat with the organization is doing things like this and supporting the sporting dog world, the conservation world.
• 2:05
  I'm an adult onset hunter myself, so in 2020, I jumped into this world, and I thanks to one hard charging yellow Labrador, and I haven't looked back, thanks to the the career change here, but love to educate dog owners, cat owners just about what they can do better for their pets Yep. All through the power of nutrition.
• 2:28
  Matt Harrison: That's awesome. Mister Carl?
• 2:29
  Karl Gunzer: You you wear a lot of hats, but none are as as white as Matt's today.
• 2:32
  RuthAnn Lobos: That that is true. That is My
• 2:34
  Matt Harrison: very white hat right here.
• 2:36
  Karl Gunzer: I'm the director of the Sporting Dog Group, so I I manage our sponsorships of sporting dog events, and then lead our relationships with nonprofit conservation organizations like Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever and others that are great partners from a sustainability perspective as well as a relationship. Absolutely.
• 2:53
  Matt Harrison: And we've talked about y'all's booth, I think every segment we've had, we've had a lot of segments because Purina is such a big supporter and partner of Ducks Unlimited, we're super thankful for that. The presenting sponsor for DUX, which is huge, and I was telling on our last our second to last little segment we had that I think y'all have, and I'm not this y'all weren't even on the segment, so I meant this, okay? But I think y'all have the coolest booth. I think it is so cool. I know that we've panned to it a couple times to show our our viewers, but it is so cool.
• 3:30
  So will y'all just kind of give us a little bit of rundown because it's really unique. Like on this side, you have I mean, look at the people right now sitting down, which is incredible, but kind of break down how y'all's booth is set up, then I want y'all to talk a little bit about what each part of the booth does.
• 3:46
  RuthAnn Lobos: Yeah. So, I mean, certainly we got the presentation stage. There's a whole lineup every day. I'm in that lineup a couple of times during the day, and then we do have you know, we have some sample giveaways. We want people to be able to experience what, you know, our great formulas can do for their dogs as well as some joint supplements because we know that's super important.
• 4:06
  And then we've got a little bit of an interactive side on the other which I think gives the attendees kind of a feeling of what their dogs experience and also the amazing talent of their dogs when they're out there.
• 4:22
  Matt Harrison: Yep. Now, I saw y'all working really hard yesterday. Y'all had a bunch of different seminars, kind of how we have been over here in the Duck Den, y'all have been over there on the seminar stage. Mr. Carl, what are some of the things I saw there at the end that y'all, you were kind of walking around holding the mic, letting people ask questions to the panel that y'all have, but y'all have a lot of different seminars going on that are not only really just neat, but educational.
• 4:50
  Like Doctor. Ruth then said, that's great to learn. It's a great opportunity for people to come in and learn about our lovable pets.
• 4:58
  Karl Gunzer: Yeah, and everything from like right now Wild Rose Kennels is up, and Tom Smith is presenting, and then we've got people talking about spaniel training, nutrition, all kinds of different topics.
• 5:11
  RuthAnn Lobos: First
• 5:12
  Karl Gunzer: All aid, kinds of different topics from with veterinarians, trainers, and those folks are also in the booth, so they'll present, but they're also in the booth if people just have questions and want to come talk to and learn and ask questions.
• 5:27
  Matt Harrison: It's that's what I love about it too is how approachable y'all are when y'all aren't presenting your, like you said, in the booth, and anybody can come on the wall, and I guarantee you, out of the number of people here today, I bet 70% own a Labrador, a Golden Triever, a Cocker Spaniel, whatever it might be, and there's a lot of people that need that education. So it's great to have that set up here so people can come up. I mean, look at the people still just flooding in, and look at the people stopping there and listening. It's great to have. It's great to have, and I know that y'all enjoy it too, being able to give back, and I think you said one of your most favorite parts of your job is being able to come here and the relationships that you're able to build, but also the education side of things, I know that that means a lot to y'all.
• 6:09
  RuthAnn Lobos: Yeah, and I really try to like help people sort through the marketing noise too, because I'm not, I mean, right? The pet food world is so confusing, so really trying to give them, you know, my talk is like your top 10 nutrition questions answered, and I don't think I even have like, a pro plan product slide in there at all. It's really about trying to empower those owners so that they can have that information and do better by their dogs because, again, you know, like, at Purina, we believe people and pets are better together and that's why we support DU. Yep. We give we've got the land and the water space and all of that to be able to have this great adventure with our dogs.
• 6:54
  VO: Stay tuned to the Ducks Unlimited podcast, sponsored by Purina Pro Plan and Bird Dog Whiskey after these messages.
• 7:10
  Matt Harrison: What would you say, mister Carl, yesterday was the biggest hit seminar wise, the one that maybe was the most well attended or most asked about or most engaging? Because, like I said, I know throughout the day y'all had a bunch of different ones, but what are some, and I'll let you as well after speak, what are are some of the questions people come up to you with, the most asked questions, but what would you say seminar wise was one of the most best received?
• 7:33
  Karl Gunzer: I always like the panel discussion at because the people can you know, the presentations are great, but people like to ask their questions, and then what's really fun is sometimes you get different answers from the different trainers or even veterinarians up there because there's a lot, you know, there's the old joke, the only thing two dog trainers can agree on is what the third one is doing wrong, you know, and there's always different ways to do things. The other second biggest hit in our booth was the free 100 Easy Birds we gave away to the first 100 people by the booth. So if anybody's watching this and they're coming tomorrow, the first 100 people by the Pro Plan booth get a free Avery Easy Bird.
• 8:08
  Matt Harrison: Look at that.
• 8:09
  Karl Gunzer: Now we've got coupons for people, 40% off Pro Plan, so there's a bunch of things besides the seminars just to come and check out at the booth. That's awesome.
• 8:18
  Matt Harrison: What would you say, Doctor. Ruthann, are some of the top asked questions whenever people come by and they wanna doctor Ruth Ann, I got a question for you. What would you say?
• 8:25
  RuthAnn Lobos: I would say that they should come to my talk today at 12:30, and then it's your top 10 nutrition questions So answered right perfect.
• 8:33
  Karl Gunzer: Shameless plug.
• 8:36
  RuthAnn Lobos: But honestly, like I would say even on the panel and then when I was in the booth, got a lot of questions about food allergies or just allergies Really? In Wow. Because we see I mean, it's not uncommon in our dogs that they've got allergies, but I think a lot of people have a misperception that it's food related first, and really that is way down the list on things that dogs And are allergic
• 8:59
  Matt Harrison: you're gonna be hitting on that
• 9:00
  RuthAnn Lobos: I will be. Yep.
• 9:01
  Matt Harrison: Today at At 12:30. 12:30. So if you're listening and you're not here, you've got some time. You've got a little bit of time. You've got about two hours and twenty one minutes to be exact.
• 9:13
  Karl Gunzer: That's good math.
• 9:14
  Matt Harrison: Was correct. Yeah. We got a little clock But down no, so that's that's so, you know, interesting to to hear about what are some of those, and I love that you're talking about that today, like, as well as a lot of y'all seminars. I know that there's a bunch of different seminars going on on the conservation side for Ducks Unlimited. Purina's having one.
• 9:32
  I think Mossy Oak is doing something today as well. So it's been really cool to see. What have you all enjoyed the most about the show so far? And I know we're only about halfway through it now. Today's gonna be the biggest day, I believe.
• 9:43
  That's my personal opinion. Tomorrow may be bigger, I hope it is. But we have I mean, people are still piling in. Our chief communications officer just came up and said that there's a massive line of people still trying to get tickets outside, so it's great. But what have y'all enjoyed the most so far from DUX twenty twenty five here in Memphis, Tennessee?
• 10:03
  Karl Gunzer: The weather. The weather inside the Renaissance Convention Center. It's 72 in fluorescent here, and, you know, after doing the the DU expos in Florida, it was 102 and sunny, 72 and fluorescent, no, kidding. I love how many different vendors displays and things are going on. Like it doesn't matter if you're interested in dogs, firearms, or decoys, or boots, or apparel, or We've got it.
• 10:32
  It doesn't matter, it's here, and multiple vendors. Yep. So it's really fun. It's always, all these shows are kind of like homecoming every year, Absolutely. Know what I But I think this one, to me, what, two fifty vendors or something like that?
• 10:44
  Matt Harrison: 200 mean, the final count I think was two fifty three. There
• 10:47
  RuthAnn Lobos: you Nice.
• 10:48
  Matt Harrison: Completely sold out on both sides of the floor. So this first year back in Memphis, which is huge, and it's been it's been great.
• 10:54
  Karl Gunzer: It's been truly
• 10:55
  Matt Harrison: great. What about you, doctor Ruth Ann?
• 10:57
  RuthAnn Lobos: I I love the people. I mean, secretly, I'm not secretly, I'm an introvert, but I do love to talk to people, and then I like to go back to my hotel room in flat silence and not talk to anyone for a while. But, you know, the the folks coming in, they have great questions. Passionate about what what they're doing, not only in the duck hunting, but their dogs and, you know, they just wanna they wanna do right, and so I just I love talking to them and hearing their stories and what kind of dogs they're working and and all of that. That that's been really fun.
• 11:27
  Also really love our two little interactive stations that we've got at our booth.
• 11:33
  Matt Harrison: That are awesome.
• 11:34
  RuthAnn Lobos: So it's you know, you can come by. Dogs have 300,000,000 scent receptors, right, so in their noses, which is insane. You've got little jars out there for people to test to see if they can find which jar has the duck scent in it. Really? Yeah.
• 11:49
  Yeah. To see if you're as good as your dog.
• 11:51
  Matt Harrison: And then there's also another one where you can put your hand
• 11:54
  RuthAnn Lobos: Yep. In 35 degree water How
• 11:56
  Matt Harrison: long you can last.
• 11:56
  RuthAnn Lobos: Yeah. See you know, simulating what your dogs jump into in that January cold water and see if you can last as long as they can.
• 12:03
  Matt Harrison: It's so neat
• 12:04
  Karl Gunzer: To put a dead duck in your mouth. Yeah. They're they're amazing.
• 12:07
  RuthAnn Lobos: Have you had a dead duck in
• 12:09
  Karl Gunzer: your mouth? No. No. No. No.
• 12:10
  No. Okay.
• 12:11
  RuthAnn Lobos: I was just wondering if you were speaking from personal experience.
• 12:15
  Matt Harrison: He's been 35 degree wild with a dead duck in his mouth. That's what mister Carl's been doing this Not on purpose. Yeah. No, no. Well, thank y'all both so much, like I said, for carving time out of your busy schedule.
• 12:27
  I know you have a lot going on today, and I know tomorrow as well, and not only thank y'all for what y'all have going on today, but thank y'all for what y'all do for Ducks Unlimited as well. I know, like I said, starting this off as Purina's a huge, huge support to Ducks Unlimited, we are so thankful for that, giving back to Wetlands Conservation and all the waterfowl that we love to chase, so thank y'all truly. Not gonna keep y'all any longer so y'all can get back and start answering some of these new people that, I mean, they're still just coming in the doors here. I know a lot of people have a lot of questions for you, so I'm gonna let you get back to it, but thank y'all both seriously so much for taking time to hop on the DU podcast here in the DUX Duck Den.
• 13:08
  VO: Thank you for listening to the DU podcast, sponsored by Purina Pro Plan, the official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited. Purina Pro Plan, always advancing. Also proudly sponsored by Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails. Whether you're winding down with your best friend or celebrating with your favorite crew, Bird Dog brings award winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly.
• 13:30
  Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show and visit ducks.org/dupodcast. Opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect those of Ducks Unlimited. Until next time, stay tuned to the Ducks.