Dogs with Jobs

We hear a lot about breeding in working dogs. Yet we know little about their brains: 

• How might a guide dog’s brain differ from that of a hunting hound?
• Where does personality fit in with a working dog? 
• Can a dog have ADHD? 

Kate Fairweather asks these questions and more of Sophie Barton of the Canine Brains Project, based in the Hecht Lab at Harvard University in Boston.

Sophie oversees the Working Breed Study a...

Explosives detection work is a highly specialised discipline within the police, and the stakes are high.

On this episode of Dogs with Jobs, we meet Police Dog Ted, one of 17 explosive detection dogs working within the West Midlands Police Service, one of the largest urban police forces in the UK, which even has its own breeding scheme.  

Ted's handler, Police Constable Damo Smart, has over 21 years' experience as a police dog han...

Meet Bakersfield and Strike, as they relax in the dressing room, during a break between performances. These two collies are competing at the highest level in the Heelwork to Music competition at Crufts, the world's biggest dog show. 

It's a glamorous business, yet the atmosphere in the dressing room is cosy and good natured. Both handlers are veterans of the heelwork to music competition, with many appearances at Cruft behind them...

A fascinating and rare glimpse into the world of fox red Labrador Jax, a police victim recovery dog.

There are fewer than 40 dogs working in this highly specialised field within the police in the UK.  Victim recovery dogs - also known as cadaver dogs or human remains dogs - search for human remains, blood or tissue as well as shallow graves or blood spattered evidence such as clothing or weapons.

The stakes are high. On the one h...

This month's episode is a short but interesting one.

Presenter Kate Fairweather introduces springer spaniel Bonnie, who works as a bedbug inspector checking hotels - including some household name, super smart hotels - for bedbugs.  

Many of the best hotels consider it best practice, to have regular sweeps for bedbugs.  Sometimes a hotel has had a past problem, had it treated, and wants to check that these unwelcome little visitor...

The first seabird conservation project to use detection dogs in the UK.

A team of five detection dogs are deployed to an island off the east coast of Scotland, UK.

"Sprocker" spaniels Molly and Nelson, Storm the Belgian Shepherd and Piper the Springer spaniel are experienced detection dogs, but this was their very first conservation project. With a short time window in which to work on the project, a pet dog, Esme, a Belgian Mali...

Meet a talented trio of highly specialised detection dogs, who focus on UK’s most  invasive plant, the notoriously tough Japanese knotweed.

Nica the springer spaniel, Nettle the working cocker spaniel and Phoenix the Dutch shepherd devote their entire working lives and considerable skill on finding Japanese Knotweed.

Together with their talented handler, Kat Janczur of Canine Detection Solutions, they work with knotweed eradicati...

Barley is a hugely talented 10 year old Border Collie, who works as a conservation detection dog on projects in the U.S. and Latin America.  

Barley has travelled all over national parks in the United States as well as Guatemala in the course of a varied and glittering career to date. He has trained and worked on 16 separate plant and animal scents, from zebra mussels to ocelots and other wildcats. 

And there's more on the horizo...

Presenter Kate Fairweather and co-producer John Welsman and his guide dog Benjy are delighted to be recording from the UK-based charity, Guide Dogs charity’s  Christmas Brunch. 

Over 50 dogs in a lovely restaurant in the heart of the City of London - what a delight. What an amazing atmosphere and absolutely no barking or dodgy behaviour, because they’re all beautifully trained. 

They’re not all guide dogs: Kate meets Zack the bud...

"Endeavoured" is a show dog champion with a lot of silver trophies. 

His owner Patricia Sutton describes working life as a show dog, and the qualities needed to compete at national level. Pat is hugely knowledgeable, with an earthy turn of phrase, so the episode is packed with humour and detail. She runs the venerable Rossut Beagles kennel, which was founded by Pat's parents in the 1940s.

Known as Dev these days, the former show ...

This episode of Dogs with Jobs gives a rare glimpse into truffle hunting at the highest level, from the Italian National Working Trials, which took place in October. 

Louise Mizen Ferguson, chairman of the Chairman of the Lagotto Romagnolo Club of Great Britain takes Dogs with Jobs to Italy.  Her own Lagottos, Dario and Sage, have had a lot of success in the show ring both in the UK and Italy. Indeed Dario has previously been grad...

Breed enthusiast Barbara Brown introduces the wonderfully named Oberon.

He's a Clumber Spaniel, which is the largest English spaniel, and is a vulnerable breed, hailing from Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire. 

Oberon works as a gundog, specialising in heavy cover - using his superior nose to clear ground after a shoot. Barbara talks to Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather about his talent, and discusses the breed, which is str...

Kate Fairweather discovers how far instinct can take a sheepdog with no formal training when it comes to working sheep. 

The dog handler, trainer and author, Stuart Barnes performs as the “Dog and Duck Show” at country shows. He draws on decades of experience as a shepherd for his performance, which took place at the South Downs Show in August 2023.

Stuart introduces Jess the sheepdog and Lassie the totally untrained sheepdog, wh...

Meet Alfie, a super-fit fox-red Labrador whose owner Chris Green performs as the "Cornish countryman" at country shows.

Water-fowling is hunting wild ducks or geese for the pot. It remains legal under the UK's Hunting Act to hunt particular species during the shooting season. It is both solitary and - it's fair to say - a minority sport. Both dog and human require patience and a high level of physical fitness. Chris has ornitholog...

Presenter Kate Fairweather dropped in on this year's National Sheepdog Trials 2023, which took place in August.

With 150 dogs competing over three days for the privilege of representing England at the next stage, it's a jaw-dropping display of human/canine teamwork, precision herding and communication. While they respond to whistled commands, these dogs must work independently of their handlers, often out of sight.  

Shepherd Cat...

Louis the yellow labrador volunteers at Queen Alexandra (QA) Hospital, a large and busy hospital serving Portsmouth and the surrounding area.

Today, Louis is joining a monthly session for those who serve or have served in the military. Led by Keith Malcolm, Armed Forces Covenant Lead Nurse, it is a welcoming space, just off the canteen, where people can relax with people who have experienc of and understand life in the services. T...

Meet a working rat pack of Sealyham terriers, a Welsh breed, which is teetering on the edge of extinction.

Recorded at the Game Fair 2023 at Ragley Hall, interviewee Harry Parsons is known by many for his work in keeping the Sealyham terrier breed viable.  He has a pack of 30 at home, and has dedicated the last several decades to this engaging, intelligent terrier. With fewer than 140 puppies born last year, the Sealyham terrier i...

Champ is a six year old yellow Labrador retriever working full time as an engagement dog within the Australian police. 

It's an office-based role, five days a week for Champ, who supports the police officers' wellbeing within the Victorian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET), which falls under the aegis of the Victoria police, but which also works collaboratively with other agencies in child protection within the state and ...

As country show season begins in the UK, this month on Dogs with Jobs, we’re seeing some of the top working beagles.  

Eleven packs are competing in the South of England Hound Show, which takes place in June each year under the auspices of the South of England Show near Ardingly. It's a timeless scene - show judges wear bowler hats and white coats and the event observes customs that have changed little in centuries.

Lifelong beag...