Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Detection Training”
In January 2022, the K9 Conservationists Team was hired to come to Kenya to help with a struggling conservation detection dog program. Action for Cheetahs in Kenya has two experienced detection dogs paired with two very green handlers. Our job was to help mentor the handlers and create new best practices for the program going forward. One of the most …
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Lindsay Ware of Science Dogs of New England about breed selection for unique uses, big game tracking, and more! Science Highlight: Effects of learning an increasing number of odors on olfactory learning, memory and generalization in detection dogs How do you start training a dog for tracking? Links Mentioned in the …
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Paul Bunker about all clear procedures. Science Highlight: An assessment of the effects of habitat structure on the scat finding performance of a wildlife detection dog What is an all-clear response? The dog’s formal response to let the handler know there is no odor to alert to What is a go-no-go …
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with James Davis about his work with Padfoot and the Conservation K9 Podcast. Science Highlight: Detecting Small and Cryptic Animals By Combining Thermography and a Wildlife Detection Dog What is some advice for someone hoping to jump into the industry? Be realistic about your expectations Don’t rely on this line of work …
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks about mistakes, failure, and errors. This week’s science highlight: You Are Not My Handler! Impact of Changing Handlers on Dogs’ Behaviours and Detection Performance. Sign up for our fundraising trivia night here or make a plain old donation here. Everything is just data; it’s just information Now we have all sorts of interesting …
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks to Stacy Barnett about fringe alerts in detection dogs. Episode suggestion: Get up and go for a little walk! What is fringing? When a dog alerts to odor outside of the preferred range of where the indication should be, aka too far away The final response begins where sourcing ends, so with …
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla discusses what it is like working with a teenage dog and gives tips and tricks to get your young dog in the world of conservation work. Start small. Niffler searches in small plots, each search only commencing around 15 minutes at a time. While conservation detection can be unpredictable, it’s best to find …
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla Fratt speaks with Dr. Simon Gadbois to talk about signal detection theory and his conservation work. Discussed in this Podcast: Dr. Gadbois and his work in Nova Scotia What is signal detection theory? Signal detection theory is a means to measure the ability to differentiate between information-bearing patterns and random patterns that distract …
In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla Fratt speaks with Dr. Nathaniel Hall to talk about lengthy searches for conservation dogs. Discussed in this Podcast: How does a dog’s sensitivity to scent affect their work? All sensory systems are learned behaviors, so there will be genetic differences and learning history differences. Because of this, what one dog smells will not …
Today I have the joy of talking to Esther Matthew about training conservation dogs for a critically endangered lagomorph. Read Esther’s full bio at the bottom of the show notes and see some photos of her, the riverine rabbits, and her dog Jessie. Key Takeaways: There are opportunities for using conservation detection dogs in concert with other technology, including thermal …