Bobby is a native of Missouri. Born in Boonville, he attended Southwest Missouri State and majored in journalism. He trained retrievers as an amateur under the tutelage of T.W. "Cotton" Pershall through the early 80's. In the 1989, he worked with Cotton to author Training Retrievers: The "Cotton" Pershall Method . Bobby also has the distinction of training the first-ever qualified all-age / master hunter / show champion Labrador retriever, Topform's Edward, owned by Larry Reider of Independence, Missouri.

While working with Pershall, Bobby learned a more traditional-style of training, sans electronic collar. It wasn't until he came under the guidance of Bill and Becky Eckett that he started to develop as a "modern" trainer.

In 1989, he came to work for Blackwater Retrievers. Bobby stayed on for about three years before starting his own business in 1991. In 1996, he returned to Blackwater where he focuses his training skills on transition and all age level field trial dogs. Bobby is quick to admit, though, that all good trainers, modern or traditional, share a common skill: the ability to "read" dogs and make split-second training decisions.

"The best dog man I know is Bill (Eckett)... whether it is training or handling at a field trial...he knows what is happening in every dog's head and his reactions and timing are almost always right on the money. Hopefully, after all these years of working with him, some of that has rubbed off."