What happens when decades of law enforcement experience, a career working with police K9s, and an interest in officer wellness come together?
On this episode of Dog Works Radio, Robert Forto talks with Dr. Coby Webb, a retired captain with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department who spent much of her 28-and-a-half-year law enforcement career working with dogs. Her experience included patrol dogs, bloodhounds, detection dogs, and supervising a canine unit that included 26 dogs.
Coby shares what life is really like as a police K9 handler, how different breeds are selected for different jobs, and why the relationship between a handler and working dog extends far beyond a normal shift. She also tells the story of launching a bloodhound program and explains why training dogs in the environments where they will actually work matters.
The conversation then turns to her work with Guide Dogs of the Desert and an unexpected idea that began when a dog trained for guide work simply did not enjoy being a guide dog. Coby brought the dog into her workplace as a pilot program and discovered how much of an effect he had on employees dealing with demanding, stressful work. That idea grew, and Coby says she has now placed more than 70 dogs across the United States.
Robert and Coby also discuss her work imprinting dogs on the odor associated with cortisol so they can gravitate toward people experiencing stress without performing a conspicuous formal alert. The goal is to give the handler a chance to start a conversation while keeping the dog engaged with the person.
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This episode was recorded on the Shure SM7B and a Rodecaster Pro II
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