Working Dogs For Conservation - A Game changer!
Working dog, Camas, with a training ball. All photos courtesy of Working Dogs for Conservation Montana.
Winter 2017
By Nora Howlett, MWC Research Assistant
The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy recently created an Institute for Rare Mammals Studies in Michigan (IRMS). It will develop and employ innovative methods to help determine the status of rare Michigan mammal species, especially those for which federal or state funded research has been lacking. IRMS intends to “go to the dogs,” in a positive way – using specially-trained dogs to determine presence or absence of rare mammals in different areas of Michigan.
Scat detection dogs have been employed around the globe for many years, but strangely, not in Michigan, where the statuses of several mammal species are disputed. The selection process for these valuable canines is interesting. Dogs of any breed can be trained. As many as 600, sometimes “pound” dogs, are subjected to ball-finding tests. The ones that show the most persistence in searching are first considered, then scents are added, and additional “selection cuts” made. Eventually, only a couple of dogs advance to final stages of training in which the dogs are asked to signal detection of scats from only the species of interest.
A well-trained dog with a skilled, experienced handler can find scats of the target species 30 times faster than even an experienced, sharp-eyed human. Money is also saved by reducing the number of scats from non-target species that otherwise might be sent to laboratories for analyses. The rate of accuracy is routinely close to 100 percent, with the dogs able to discriminate among very closely related species. Amazingly, the dogs can detect the feces of very tiny animals, even insects. Below are brief profiles of four “Working Dogs for Conservation – Montana” used by a non-profit organization of the same name. IRMS hopes one or two may soon make a trip to our state.
By Nora Howlett, MWC Research Assistant
The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy recently created an Institute for Rare Mammals Studies in Michigan (IRMS). It will develop and employ innovative methods to help determine the status of rare Michigan mammal species, especially those for which federal or state funded research has been lacking. IRMS intends to “go to the dogs,” in a positive way – using specially-trained dogs to determine presence or absence of rare mammals in different areas of Michigan.
Scat detection dogs have been employed around the globe for many years, but strangely, not in Michigan, where the statuses of several mammal species are disputed. The selection process for these valuable canines is interesting. Dogs of any breed can be trained. As many as 600, sometimes “pound” dogs, are subjected to ball-finding tests. The ones that show the most persistence in searching are first considered, then scents are added, and additional “selection cuts” made. Eventually, only a couple of dogs advance to final stages of training in which the dogs are asked to signal detection of scats from only the species of interest.
A well-trained dog with a skilled, experienced handler can find scats of the target species 30 times faster than even an experienced, sharp-eyed human. Money is also saved by reducing the number of scats from non-target species that otherwise might be sent to laboratories for analyses. The rate of accuracy is routinely close to 100 percent, with the dogs able to discriminate among very closely related species. Amazingly, the dogs can detect the feces of very tiny animals, even insects. Below are brief profiles of four “Working Dogs for Conservation – Montana” used by a non-profit organization of the same name. IRMS hopes one or two may soon make a trip to our state.
Wickett - A shelter dog that had no hopes of getting adopted because of her loud barking and energetic behavior, even called crazy by the shelter employees, found her calling as a working dog. These personality traits made Wickett an ideal candidate as a conservation dog, and she has made her way to the top of the pack. As one of the most experienced detection dogs in the world, Wickett has worked in 14 states, 7 countries, and can detect a whopping 26 scents – including cougar, wolf, grizzly bear, black bear, and Chinese moon bear scats, and emerald ash borer beetles at all life stages.
Pepin - Coming all the way from a Holland working dog breeder, Pepin’s detection work has been called magical. While working on cheetah detection in Zambia, Pepin locked onto a scent and raced over half a kilometer to find cheetah scat, that was not only up in a tree, but in a location that the cats had not been spotted before. He can detect an impressive 18 scents – including ungulate scat infected with the brucellosis bacteria, snow leopard and wolverine scats, and the invasive shrub dyer’s woad.
Tia - Originally bred to become a police dog, Tia perfected her skills in a different market, conservation. On her first job, while still just a puppy, Tia was able to find the very tiny, but very invasive, Rosy Wolf snails in Hawaii. Her ability to do intense and detailed work made Tia the invasive species specialist at Working Dogs for Conservation – Montana. Tia, along with Pepin, was on a team of the first dogs able to find live fish in moving water. She can sniff out 10 scents – including the endangered kit fox scats, invasive zebra and quagga mussels, emerald ash borer beetles, and brook trout.
Orbee - A border collie who lacked a passion for herding and whose high pitched bark rendered him unsuitable as a pet, found his niche as a detection dog. From the arctic dunes in Alaska to the jungles of Africa, Orbee has worked in an array of different environments. He’s able to travel and work in such diverse environments because he can detect 14 scents – including kit fox, lynx, and cross river gorilla scats.
For more information on IRMS, click here.
For more information about Working Dogs for Conservation - Montana, please visit their website wd4c.org.
For more information on IRMS, click here.
For more information about Working Dogs for Conservation - Montana, please visit their website wd4c.org.