Meet Skye, an English springer spaniel who is one of a ten strong stoat detection dog team working on the Orkney Native Wildlife Project.

That may sound like a lot of dogs, but since 2010, when the first stoat was spotted on Orkney, this INCREDIBLY successful predator has bred in its thousands, posing a huge problem to the island’s wildlife:

• Its super high metabolism means it eats 25% of its own body weight every day;
• It’s not fussy - eggs, chicks, voles, mice, rabbits, hedgehogs, fish, insects and even roadkill are all acceptable;
• It tends to kill more than it needs to eat and stores the rest to eat later;
• It’s an amazing hunter - fast, agile, can climb well and has great eyesight, hearing and sense of smell;
• It’s a great swimmer too, and can swim 3 km or more (eg to another island);
• When the baby stoats, called kits, leave home, they can travel over 40 miles in search of their own territory.

Handler and conservationist Chantel Carr explains to Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather that just two years ago, stoats were running around all over Orkney. Since then, over 6,000 stoats have been trapped. Now the numbers are coming down, the dogs’ work is even more important, as they actively find stoat scat (poo) and can alert the team to “stoat hot spots”.

The Orkney team swaps information and best practice with counterparts in New Zealand, where stoats were introduced to keep rabbits down, but have caused the extinction of a number of native birds.

• Find out more information on the Orkney Native Wildlife Project;
• Find out more about the work of the RSPB in Scotland and NatureScot, which support the Orkney Native Wildlife Project.

Other dogs working in conservation

• Reid, the bio-security dog, who patrols the Scottish isles
• Five detection dogs survey the Isle of May for storm petrels
• Barley the conservation dog and his international projects
• Nica, Nettle and Phoenix, the Japanese knotweed detection dogs

Do you work your dog or dogs?

Kate would love to hear from you. Get in touch via team@shineradio.uk or katefairweather5@gmail.com, and follow Dogs with Jobs on your podcast app.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The display from the Odyssey Flyball Club proved one of the delights of the Goodwoof arena at the Goodwood Estate in Sussex a few weeks back.

Flyballer handler Hilary Larkham explains to Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather what flyball is all about, how it came to the UK, and why precision timing is just as important as speed in this high octane, four dog relay race.

Although you can see flyball at Crufts every year, this emerging, wildly exciting relay race over obstacles is not as well known as it deserves to be in the UK. We hope to bring you a longer version, but this is a great taster.

Other interviews recorded at Goodwoof 2024:

• Ninja, the Barkour dog, who travels around Europe practising the noble art of parkour, or freerunning;
• Police Dog Meika, who searches for criminals cash, drugs and firearms with the London Metropolitan Police

Find out more about Goodwoof.

Do you work your dog or dogs?

If you know a dog with an interesting job, Kate would love to hear from you! Find me at kfairweather5@gmail.com or team@shineradio.uk.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six year Ninja is probably the best known proponent of "barkour" (parkour for dogs) in the world. Owner and handler Dominik Arend used to teach parkour to children in his native Germany, but Ninja and he now work professionally together.

Parkour, also known as free-running or l'art du déplacement (art of movement) originated in France and is a discipline, which demands both athleticism and artistic expression. The urban environment is viewed as an obstacle course to be engaged with in one’s own individual, often gymnastic style.

Dominik is eloquent and fascinating on the activity that has turned into a career for them both and how their relationship has developed over their shared working life, which clearly suits them.

Barkour's popularity is such, that Ninja and Dominik have almost half a million followers on Instagram and recently found themselves performing at Goodwoof, on the Goodwood Estate in Sussex. Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather caught up with them both backstage.

Thanks to Dominik for taking time to chat (@parkour.ninja on Instagram).

Thanks to Noni Needs (@nonineedsmedia on Instagram) for the photo.

Find out more about Goodwoof.

Do you work your dog or dogs?

If you know a dog with an interesting job, Kate would love to hear from you! Email team@shineradio.uk or katefairweather5@gmail.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet talented youngster, Police Dog Meika, of the London Metropolitan Police's Dog Section.

A week shy of her second birthday, Springer spaniel Meika is already trained in detection work across several disciplines, including drugs, firearms and cash detection.

Police Constable Emma Robling explains some of the training and demands on Meika, as well as what a working day looks like. She also gives some context - the Met has its own breeding scheme and lays claim to the UK's biggest urban police dog section, with a dizzying variety of specialist search disciplines. Meika and Emma are part of one of four teams on duty at any given time in London.

Recorded at Goodwoof, the annual dog event held on the Goodwood Estate, where Meika and Emma were part of an arena display put on by the Metropolitan Police's Dog Section.

Thanks to Emma for taking a few minutes to talk about Meika's talents and work.

Thanks to Noni Needs (@nonineedsmedia on IG) for the photo.

Related episodes:

• P.D. Ted, the explosives detection dog with the West Midlands Police
• P.D. Jax the victim recovery dog with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary;
• Champ, the office based engagement dog in child protection team in the Victorian police in Australia
• Mabel the emotional support dog in the Hampshire & Isle of Wight fire service
• P.D. Didi, the general purpose police dog
• Keo, the wellbeing support dog in the police

More photos at shineradio.uk/dogswithjobs

Do you work your dog or dogs?

Or perhaps know someone else whose dog is dooing an interesting job. I love to hear about dogs with interesting dogs.

Find me at kfairweather5@gmail.com or team@shineradio.uk.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hear about the vital contribution to seabird conservation made by Reid, an English springer spaniel who works as a rodent detection dog in the Scottish islands.

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.

Biosecurity is the practice of protecting places from the threats to wildlife posed by the introduction of new diseases or types of plants or animals that do not naturally occur there.

The work of Biosecurity for Scotland focuses on protecting 38 seabird islands around Scotland from invasive non-native mammalian predators, such as rats, mice, mink and stoat. These Scottish islands are remote, home to many globally important colonies of seabirds. Native seabirds, which have not evolved alongside predators and are vulnerable to invasive predators, which eat the eggs, chicks and sometimes adult birds.

Thanks to Sophie at RSPB for introducing Reid and Rachel to the show. Biosecurity for Scotland is funded by NRF, and is a partnership of RSPB Scotland, NTS and NatureScot.

Other dogs working in conservation

• Five detection dogs survey the Isle of May for storm petrels
• Barley the conservation dog and his international projects
• Nica, Nettle and Phoenix, the Japanese knotweed detection dogs

Do you work your dog or dogs?

Get in touch with Kate at team@shineradio.uk with suggestions or introductions to working dogs to feature on the show - she's always interested to hear about dogs with interesting jobs.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 at the Canine Brains Project. This is a non-invasive brain imaging study into selected working breeds. A major goal of this research is to benefit the working dog community by improving breeding and training practices.

• Participate in The Working Breeds Study
• More about the Canine Brains Project

Do you work your dog or dogs?

Get in touch with Kate via team@shineradio.uk if you have a dog that does an interesting job. She loves to hear about working dogs.

Also, if you have suggestions for guests for the podcast - either handlers or people who are working in an academic or training area in this field, please do get in touch!

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather, 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 handler and instructor. Damo was part of the West Midlands Police display team in the Crufts arena with dozens of police colleagues and dogs.

Performance over, he joins Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather in the press room at Crufts to talk about P.D. Ted, and where such specialised police dogs fit into the overall framework and resources within the police service.

Travel sickness is a no-no for explo dogs, who must be away from home for big sports events and royal occasions as part of the job. Damo explains why it also takes a certain attitude from the handler to work these dogs, given the high stakes involved. So a steady attitude and the ability to relax once the work is over is key.

Damo explains what he looks for in an explo dog and what it takes to search at this level - and to search safely.

Connected episodes:

• Jax the victim recovery dog with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary;
• Mabel the emotional support dog in the Hampshire & Isle of Wight fire service
• P.D. Didi, the general purpose police dog
• Keo, the wellbeing support dog in the police

More photos at shineradio.uk/dogswithjobs

Do you work your dog or dogs?

If you would be interested in coming on the show, please get in touch with Kate at team@shineradio.uk or call 10730 555 500.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Bakersfield's handler, Lucy Creek, explains what the sport entails and how she fell into it. To do well, her dogs have a focus and energy that marks them out from being tiny puppies. Lucy explains how distractions in the arena might call for a bit of improvisation on the fly.

Heelwork to music demands precision movement from the dog. The freestyle round allows plenty of room for humour and artistic inspiration and the individual performances are very different from each other, so a delight to watch from the arena side.

It's the first time Strike has performed at Crufts, but his handler, Lucy Heath has been here 16 times with various dogs, performing in the heel work to music category. She's honouring her last, beloved dog by choosing her favourite medley from the musical, Grease for the freestyle. With Spike by her side, their performance is a huge crowd pleaser.

Update, Strike and Lucy Heath have been on Britain's Got Talent to great acclaim since this was recorded, in April 2024.

More photos at shineradio.uk/dogswithjobs

Do you work your dog or dogs?

If you would be interested in coming on the show, please get in touch with Kate at team@shineradio.uk or call 10730 555 500.

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2024

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.