K9 Conservationists

Latest Episodes:

Training an "All Clear" for Detection Dogs with Paul Bunker of Chiron K9 Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

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 response?

The dog’s NON-formal response to let the handler know there is no odor to alert to

What’s a situation we may want to teach this for?

Odor recognition tests
Teaching them that they can still get rewarded for no odor, which reduces stress
Good to check for contamination
Teaches them to be confident in leaving a search area with no target present knowing they will still be rewarded

What components make for a successful all clear?

Ensure it is maintained and refreshed
Prepare your training session in advance. Progression plans are extremely important.
Variable reinforcement with your dog’s reward hierarchy
The dog must 100% understand target before learning all clear
Don’t use jackpot rewards for an all clear

What other options do we have for reducing stress and reducing false responses (go-no-go)?

Teach odor separately from systems of searching so they are not codependent
Train blank sessions
Train longer sessions (within the abilities of your dog) so that it is similar to long working days
Develop independence early

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

Where to find Paul Bunker: Website | Instagram | Facebook

You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.

James Davis on Field Safety, Mentorship, and Dealing with Charismatic Invasive Species Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with James Davis about his work with Padfoot

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 to hold a steady income or to sustain you financially

How do you keep your dogs safe in the field?

Use snake avoidance training - teach the dog to avoid snakes by rewarding the behavior of them stepping away from the snake

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

Where to find James Davis: Website | Facebook | Instagram

You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.

Do Our Working Dogs Owe Us Work? Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Sarah Stremming and Erin Jones regarding what we owe our working dogs, and what they owe us.

Science Highlight: Buzzing with possibilities: Training and olfactory generalization in conservation detection dogs for an endangered stonefly species

Where to find Sarah Stremming: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Podcast | TikTok

Where to find Erin Jones: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.

Conservation Dogs of Hawaii with Kyoko Johnson and Dr. Charles van Rees Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla and Charles speak with Kyoko Johnson about her work at Conservation Dogs Hawaii.

What are some threats that Hawaii is facing?

Hawaii is in the middle of the pacific ocean. One of the major principles of conservation is island biology, which is how species and organisms are not able to easily get there from other places
It cannot be “fixed” by just allowing other species to arrive, as they would be considered invasive species and the island is much more sensitive to those

Is there anything unique about Hawaii’s wetlands?

There are some unique wetlands due to orographic rainfall from the volcanic activity
Because there is a lot of water and a lot of sun, it’s so quick for invasive plants to take over
80% of the coastal wetlands were lost due to development

Why are invasive species so dangerous to Hawaii?

The island struggles more than other places with invasive species
On the plus side, it can be easier to square off invasive species and make safe zones

Where to find Charles: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Nature Guys

Where to find Kyoko: Website | Instagram | Facebook

You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.

Difficult Dogs and Conservation with Rogue Detection Teams Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks to Jennifer Hartman and Heath Smith from Rogue Detection Teams about working with behaviorally “challenging” dogs for conservation dog work.

Episode suggestion: Pay attention to your bedtime routine.

Call to action: Go for a walk somewhere new.

Once dogs are able to work at a job, a lot of the behavior problems melt away.
Making sure their needs are met can change the behavior.

Links Mentioned in the Episode:
None

Where to find Rogue Detection Teams: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.

Errors, Mistakes, and Failure in Conservation Dog Training Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

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.

Everything is just data; it’s just information
- Now we have all sorts of interesting questions to dig into - was it search conditions? Target odor? Study design? Time of year? Training sample quality? Dog-project fit? Criteria? Splitting? Timing? Stress or exhaustion? Handler interference?
While applied behavior analysis isn’t always the answer to all training issues, it’s a great place to start.
Remember the ABCs of applied behavior analysis: antecedent, behavior, consequence. If you’re seeing behavior in your dog that you consider an error, there’s likely an antecedent or a consequence that’s cueing or reinforcing the behavior somehow.
There are so many ways to frame the concept of failure, errors, mistakes. As much as possible, strive to set your dogs up in training for low-frustration-learning. Rather than teaching my dogs to deal with failure, build up their resilience, enthusiasm, endurance, and problem-solving skills consciously through training.
When you select ultra-high-drive dogs for a job, frustration is never far away. These dogs are desperate for their reinforcer, and that can be problematic by creating aggressive behaviors towards the target or handler, difficulties in toy play, off-target alerts, and more. Clean training is SO important.
Of course we can’t completely cut frustration and errors from real life: but our training plans don’t intentionally introduce adversity. Instead they focus on building the dog’s skills so the dog has the tools and the confidence to deal with long, hard, difficult searches.
In training, sometimes the dog doesn’t find the target. Video is really helpful with this, but the next question is whether or not the dog actually caught the odor at all. In other words, is the problem that the dog completely missed the odor, or that the dog couldn’t source the odor completely?
Challenging searches often scare people because they’re worried about failure. Blind searches, blank searches, or long searches can make handlers’ palms sweat. That’s ok! Getting used to a search that’s more like an “operational” search is an imperative part of training and field prep. While we never want to demotivate the dog or the handler, embrace challenge in a safe and progressive way.
Most of these minor mistakes can be addressed through teaching the dog specific cues to help direct them in the field and returning to foundational search skills.
Safety is always the first concern. Whether it’s a dog investigating a snake, a handler getting lost, or a predator getting too close for comfort, now is not the time to think about training. Act to keep or get you and your dog safe. If you’re really stressed out, angry, afraid, or otherwise really shaken, take a break from surveying or even consider ending the survey early.

You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.

What to Know Before Hiring a Conservation Detection Dog Team, Part 2 Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla is back for part two with Kyoko Johnson from Conservation Dog Hawaii and Jennifer Hartman from Rogue Detection Teams to continue their talk about things to know before hiring a conservation detection dog team.

This week’s science highlight: How Behavior of Nontarget Species Affects Perceived Accuracy of Scat Detection Dog Surveys.

Covered in this episode:

What hazards might the dog-handler team be facing in the field? How can these be mitigated or avoided? What levels or types of risk are unacceptable?
How does the use of CDDs compare to other methods in its level of acceptability to the local community, esp. Indigenous cultures?
Where are samples going to be sent/analyzed?
What ancillary data, in addition to detections, should be collected by the handler (e.g., time, weather conditions, related field samples of vegetation or soil)?
Can the dog teams access the study area to train and/or do risk assessments prior to project start?
Is there funding secured for the project?
Are the teams you're hiring experienced enough for this job?
Consider cross-training dogs on multiple target species
What is the timeline for this project?
Have you found the dog team that's the best match for your project?
Do you need input from the team on project design?
Have you considered weather/ terrain/ climate/ schedule through the lens of a dog team?
Will the dog teams work alone or accompanied by a researcher?
Are dog teams the right choice for your project goals?

You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.

BONUS: Called to the Wild: Kayla and Barley on National Geographic and Disney+ Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

In October 2020, Kayla and Barley flew to Maine to compete in a dog human survival challenge now published on National Geographic and Disney+. The show is called Called to the Wild and depicts dog human teams competing to thrive in the wilderness. In this episode Kayla talks about her experience on the show and tells you where to find the show online.

What to Know Before Hiring a Conservation Dog Team with Conservation Dogs of Hawaii and Rogue Detection Teams Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks with Kyoko Johnson from Conservation Dog Hawaii and Jennifer Hartman from Rogue Detection Teams about things to know before hiring a conservation detection dog team.

What are some things scientists should consider before hiring a conservation detection dog team?

Lower density finds are easier for dogs
Dogs are often used near the end of a project vs the beginning or brought in to target a more specific area
It is important they have their question ready and prepared in order to figure out if dogs will be useful to the project or not
Conservation detection teams are understaffed, so sometimes it’s best to consider other options that are more feasible

Pros of detection dogs?

They can be used in tandem with other methods, which can be very successful
Detection dogs are non-invasive
They are not biased
Dogs can narrow down species easier

How to know if the dog will be able to successfully collect data?

It’s not possible to guarantee that it will work
Known target types in which dogs have been successfully used in other projects
Go with an experienced team to ensure best accuracy if it is something new

What is the importance of training samples beforehand?

Reliable training samples is important for the dog to be able to detect for your project
It is important to have a sample from the location you are working in
Variety in samples is important (sexes, different individuals, etc.)
The fresher the sample the better, but sometimes it's not possible
It is important to note samples will always differ from live odors when on the job

Why is it important to let teams know about past difficulties with projects?

Some previous difficulties may not be relevant to a dog’s work, but it is good to know to ensure that the teams are able to help with the project

Why are realistic timelines so important for researchers to understand?

It takes time to train a dog on a new odor
Projects may have various limitations
There are travel considerations - vaccines, etc.

Why do some scientists think detection dogs dont work?

Study design may limit teams
Expecting the method to perform the same way other methods do
Patience is needed as it takes time to get the dogs ready on a scent
Limited funding for teams

What are the risks of the dogs being invasive?

The standards the dogs have when working are high
Dogs could not do their job if they were a risk for chasing wildlife

What are some preventative measures to take for both the dogs health and the wildlife’s health?

Vaccinations
Ensuring your dogs have everything they need - fresh water, proper food, etc.
Daily checks to ensure they are healthy
Be prepared to stop work if they are sick or injured

Fringe Alerts with Stacy Barnett Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks to Stacy Barnett about fringe alerts in detection dogs.

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 fringing, the sourcing ends prematurely, making the alert farther away from the scent than is preferred

Why does it happen?

The behavior chain of sourcing and alerting is off balance
- Over-enthusiastic for the search
- Over emphasising the alert/not enough emphasis on sourcing the odor
Different kind of setting with work/trial vs training
- For a trial or working a job, you are under different stressors and you aren’t able to control the environment and set up
- When under pressure, your behavior may be different which can be difficult for your dog to work with
Differentiation of odor concentration
- If working in a situation with different odor concentrations, they may start to conclude a certain concentration of odor and start alerting to only that strength of scent
It may be too easy or too hard
Genetics is a big deal, but training is a bigger deal

What are ways we can fix it?

More balanced training sessions - both sourcing and alerting
“Show me” cue
Ignoring fringe alerts and encouraging them to keep working/”keep going” cue
Working to get the “show me” cue or the “keep going” cue out of the behavior chain

What are the downfalls of the “show me” cue?

Can cause your dog to rely on the handler to source
Can become a prompted cue to alert
It is important to make sure it doesn’t become part of the behavior chain

How do we build sourcing into our training?

Set up for success
- Smaller and shorter puzzles easy for them to source
- More complicated puzzles to get them back into the sourcing mindset
Increase the challenge level for the dogs skill level to keep the flow going
- Too easy may be boring, too challenging may be too frustrating
Hide placement is important in training sessions
- The training doesn't come from the human, the training comes from the hide

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

Where to find Stacy Barrett: Website | Podcast | Facebook | Instagram

You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.