Predation Substitute Training with Simone Mueller

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Simone Mueller about Predation Substitute Training. Science Highlight: Performance of Pugs, German Shepherds, and Greyhounds (Canis lupus familiaris) on an odor-discrimination task What is predation substitute training? A force free protocol to stop predatory chasing. What are the steps? Management/prevention: stay …

Breeding Functional Working Dogs with Dr. Jessica Hekman

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Dr. Jessica Hekman from Dog Zombie about Breeding Functional Dogs. Science Highlight: Advancing Genetic Selection and Behavioral Genomics of Working Dogs Through Collaborative Science What is functional breeding? The population is no more at risk of X disease than the dog …

Airports to Moors: Invasive Species Mitigation with Grant Blackley

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Grant Blackley from Orkney Native Wildlife Project about transitioning from airport screening detection dogs to working with conservation detection dogs. Science Highlight: Olfaction-based Detection Distance: A Quantitative Analysis of How Far Away Dogs Recognize Tortoise Odor and Follow It to Source What …

What are Getxent Tubes? With Gregory Herin

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Gregory Herin from Getxent to discuss Getxent tubes.  Science Highlight: Noninvasive Identification of Herpetofauna: Pairing Conservation Dogs and Genetic Analysis  Links Mentioned in the Episode: Dr. Mallory DeChant and Dr. Hall research on odor thresholds University of Otago Graduate Thesis Getxent …

Thinking Bigger with Dr. Megan Parker

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Meg Parker from the Center for Large Landscape Conservation to discuss thinking bigger in the world of conservation detection dogs. Science Highlight: Factors That May Affect the Success of Scent Detection Dogs: Exploring Nonconventional Models of Preparation and Deployment What does …

Roundtable: How Did You Select Your Conservation Detection Dog?

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla hosts multiple guests as they answer one of the top questions conservation dog handlers get: how did you select your conservation detection dog? You can find our guests online here: Jo Lock:     Website | Instagram | FacebookLindsay Ware:    Website | Instagram | FacebookConservation Dog Collective:  Website | Instagram | FacebookRachel Hamre:   InstagramArden Blumenthal   Website | InstagramAbby Smith …

Science Highlight: Nontarget Species Behavior and Scat

This week’s science highlight concerns something many K9 Conservationists are very familiar with: scat! The study, “How Behavior of Nontarget Species Affects Perceived Accuracy of Scat Detection Dog Surveys” was published in Nature’s Scientific Reports in 2018. The authors Karen E. DeMatteo, Linsey W. Blake, Julie K. Young, and Barbara …

Growing as Consultants for Scat Dog Teams: A Co-Founder Conversation

In this episode, we sit down with Heather Nootbaar and Rachel Hamre, cofounders of K9 Conservationists. We dive into the work we did in Kenya, especially what Heather and Rachel worked on after Kayla went home. We also discuss what we found surprising, inspiring, challenging, and fun about working with …