Dogs with Jobs

What is canicross? Team GB athletes, Sarah Gillam and Jen Davies, explain the challenges and joys of this ultimate team sport for two athletes running together - one canine, one human.

Canicross UK describes it as "...off-road running with your dog. Your dog wears a harness specifically designed to allow them to pull, you wear a belt/harness which allows hands-free running and you are attached to your dog with a bungee line."

Canic...

Veteran police dog expert, Bernhard Flinks, talks to Kate Fairweather during a break at the UK's National Police Dog Trials 2025. 

A wide-ranging conversation with Bernhard, who spent over 40 years in the German police force.

Bernhard has been hugely successful in the uniquely German sport, "Schutzhund" (German for Protection Dog), also known as IGP.  This is something of a triathlon for working dogs (tracking, obedience,...

Hear the UK's top police dogs demonstrate the skills and qualities needed to operate at the very highest level. Courage, physical strength and agility, tracking ability, steadiness, precision and responsiveness are all tested during the UK trials. For the handlers, too, the pressure is on: competing against the best, being watched and judged by their peers. 

Join Kate Fairweather at the National Police Dog Trials 2025, which t...

A short but uplifting episode, with a timely update on an important medical research project that seeks to isolate and establish what is hoped will prove to be unique bio-markers for Parkinson's disease.

Our interiewee is Claire Guest OBE, whose charity, Medical Detection Dogs has been at the forefront of some remarkable breakthroughs using bio detection dogs.

When Dogs with Jobs visited in 2023, the charity was just starting ...

When the time came to step up, much loved pet collie Tay abandoned the sofa for the sheep farm, where his herding talent has made him indispensable to lambing season on the farm.   

Owner and professional trainer Martina Miradoli tried Tay on various sports, including agility, scent detection (he was good at this) and introduced him to sheep. Despite her efforts to stimulate him, his drive remained low. 

Then, Martin...

Viper is a German Shepherd just months off retirement after a colourful career in the West Midlands Police as a Firearms Support Dog.

Handler, Police Constable Dave Short gives an insight into how the relationship has evolved over the years with Viper, who was his first police dog.  Dave joined the Dog section with 17 years of policing under his belt, but as a newbie in the Dog Unit, learned alongside Viper on the job. 

I...

Meet Harley, trained in peanut allergen detection - a highly unusual discipline - yet one that makes perfect sense. 

Harley is one of two golden retrievers in the busy family household of this episode's interviewee, Natalie Rice. 

Natalie is the primary handler, but we’re focusing less on Harley's training in this episode; instead exploring the human element and the impact of her work. 

Natalie is a great inter...

Reporting from Crufts, the best known dog show in the world. 

On International Women's Day, we hear from Police Constable Sue Cheek, who was the first woman instructor in the West Midlands Police's Dog Unit.

Police Dog Chase has already shown his superb recall and restraint in the ring earlier in the day. He'll be taking a starring role in the main arena later as part of the Dog Unit's traditional display...In a show that is h...

Herbie, a jet black labrador retriever works as a golf ball detection dog at several golf courses around Petersfield.

Owner Roger Hetherington explains how Herbie came to be a golf ball detection dog, the astonishing personal contribution he has made to the cancer charity Macmillan through a golf ball recycling initiative, and the unexpectedly grave danger that lurks on the golf course in high summer. 

Dogs with Jobs

Dogs with...

Father of two, Nathan Foy, has worked with a guide dog since he was 18 years old.

Nathan explains the profound loss the accompanies the end of a partnership, as well as the gratitude he feels every time he steps outside his house with his guide dog partner.

It is also a fascinating insight into the human guide dog partnership and its evolution over time. Nathan explains the efficiencies that mark out a veteran dog and how non-verba...

Dogs with jobs pays an early morning visit to the Hursley Hambledon pack of English Foxhounds in their lodges.

Amid the early morning excitement of the pack, Kennel huntsman Keiran gives an insight into pack life. He explains that there's no a particular "top dog" among the boys. The social hierarchy is more complex and changeable among the girls. Surprisingly, the individual canine most "in charge" is not a foxhound at all - but a...

In this Christmas AND 4th birthday show, creators Kate Fairweather and John Welsman discuss how Dogs with Jobs has evolved and play snippets from some of their favourite episodes. They celebrate four years of fun making working dog podcasts together and discovering more jobs being done by dogs than they had ever thought possible back in 2021.

What started as an amusing lockdown project created by two community radio volunteers duri...

A throwback to summer... this episode of Dogs with Jobs was recorded at the Hampshire Gun Dog Show in August, which featured around 30 gun dog breeds, from golden retrievers and springer spaniels to rare European gun dog breeds. 

Joy Venturi Rose of the Hampshire Gun Dog Society describes the various events put on by the society, which include open shows, working tests, field trials and training classes.

Joy touches on working bree...

We first heard about the work of Reid the biosecurity dog five months back. 

Conservationist and handler Rachel Cripps talks to presenter Kate Fairweather about Reid's work, visiting Scotland's islands during the course of the year, in all weathers, searching for evidence of rat incursions. 

Rachel explains the plans for winter, when weather stops all island visits, and how she keeps Reid ticking over and his skills developing. 

Wh...

With long waiting lists for autism assistance dogs and medical alert dogs, and little prospect of getting one, teenager Ella Walker decided to train her own.

Meet Ralph, a multi-tasking medical alert and assistance dog, who’s just perfect for Ella.

They've been together since golden retriever Ralph was less than a year old. Since then, Ella has focused on training him for a range of specialist tasks and functions, with the help and...

Dogs pretty much outnumbered people at the Country Sports Day at Bereleigh, East Meon, both inside and outside the arena.

A particular delight was the arena demonstration from seasoned gun dog trainer, Graham Watkins, whose five spaniels, including a talented two year old and a 12 year grande dame, showed the range of jobs these dogs do on shoots during the season.

Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather, caught up with veteran t...

Black Labrador, Echo and her daughters, Delta and Polar pick up on shoots in the shooting season, and excel at scurries, trials and other activities during the summer.

The trio are much loved pets, but their owner, Kevin Warburton, is also a seasoned gun dog handler and part of the Hamble and Hound Gun dog Club.

The club puts on scurries at the South Downs Show, which takes place just outside Petersfield every summer.  

Kevin tells...

Daisie is a black Labrador retriever, who works as an "ambassadog" for the assistance dog charity, Canine Partners. 

Daisie and her handler, Ellie Chadwick, demonstrate to the general public the various tasks that an assistance may do to support its disabled human handler. They do this on a voluntary basis at weekends at country shows and other events all over the country, as part of the charity's fundraising efforts. 

Ellie's day ...

Darcey, the golden Labrador retriever has been partnered with illustrator and teaching assistant, Wren Rawlings for over six years. 

Wren explains to presenter Kate Fairweather what Darcey does for him and how the partnership has seen him through a roller coaster seven years. Having had pretty normal health through his childhood and teenage years, Wren was struck with life-altering illness when he was a university student, which le...