#132 Detection Therapy Dogs with Deputy John Grey
From K9s Talking Scents by Cameron Ford
January 15, 2026 · 1h 1m · Season 7 · Episode 132
About this episode
This episode features John Grey discussing his innovative program that trains puppies as both therapy and detection dogs, challenging traditional beliefs in the K9 field.
In this groundbreaking episode, I sit down with John Grey, a law enforcement K9 handler who's doing the "impossible" - running a program with PUPPIES that are BOTH therapy dogs AND detection dogs (firearms/explosives).The traditional K9 world said this would never work:❌ "Puppies have too high a washout rate"❌ "Therapy dogs are low-drive couch potatoes"❌ "Labs can't detect anything"❌ "You can't do both - pick one"John's program is proving all of that WRONG.What We Cover:Why their puppy washout rate is LOWER than agencies buying adult dogsHow therapy work actually IMPROVES detection capabilityTraining while working (no pulling officers off the road)The massive PR and funding benefits agencies don't expectUsing rituals and signals to switch between therapy and detection modesWhy "crackhead" high-drive dogs are actually HARDER to work withHow obedience training makes detection dogs betterWorking in elementary through high schoolsAdding tracking to the mix (and the lessons learned)Why this ISN'T entrapment (they're NOT drug dogs)Real Results:✅ Lower washout rates than traditional programs✅ Enormous public support and…
People in this episode
Host: Cameron Ford
Guest: John Grey
Topics covered
- detection dogs
- therapy dogs
- K9 training
- law enforcement
- puppy training
- community engagement
Keywords
- detection therapy dogs
- puppy washout rate
- K9 handler
- law enforcement
- training methods
- community support
- firearms detection
- explosives detection
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Colorado Police K9 Association, Fundamentals First K9 Training
More episodes of K9s Talking Scents
- #142 Narcotics Interdiction with Jeremy Bedingfield · June 4, 2026 · 1h 26m
- #141 How To Reward On Blanks with Eric Stanbro · May 22, 2026 · 1h 38m
- #140.5 Are Kong's Really Addictive? | Dr. Paola Tiedemann Explains · May 15, 2026 · 14 min
- #140 Firearms Detection Data and KONGs with Dr. Paola Tiedemann (Part 1) · May 7, 2026 · 45 min
- #139 Firearm Detection LAPD Metro K9 Tom Onyshko · April 23, 2026 · 1h 30m
- #138 Fire Investigation Dogs: Why One Odor Works Better Than Thirteen | Jared Harms · April 9, 2026 · 1h 25m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the K9s Talking Scents podcast page.