The Detection Dog Methodology

[@nebc_yukonyeti]

Excellent description, game on!

[@lindaesterhuysen910]

Thank you for sharing it was very interesting

[@roguedetectionteams]

Hi Linda, Thanks so much! We always appreciate learning whether the information we share is interesting.

[@russrichards6685]

How long is a collected scat viable for? If I were to collect scat from a ground squirrel and freeze it, would that scat be useable to train a detection dog? In central Idaho we have an endemic squirrel (northern Idaho ground squirrel, threatened) that is quite difficult to locate. We know of approximately 3,000 individuals across two USFS ranger districts (~100,000 acres of habitat). If we could find more colonies that constitute another 2,000 individuals, we could move towards delisting. Can sniffer dogs be used to help us? Thanks.

[@roguedetectionteams]

Great question! For detection dog odor introduction, we can work with older scats. Freezing upon collection is great to preserve scats initially, but to use for detection dog training purposes we dehydrate our scats so we can use them multiple times. Once a scat is frozen and then thawed multiple times, it starts to decay. We can only use a scat a couple of times before the odor is no longer that of the target species. We are currently conducting Washington ground squirrel surveys in Oregon and yes, we believe that detection dog teams could help! If you would like to learn more, we'd be happy to connect. Our email is [e-mail]!

[@dogculturereveiw]

dog find scat anyway , and often eat it

[@jordanjaye.m]

Are there particular breeds that are chosen for specific reasons?

[@jenniferhartman]

Hi Jordan, I'm one of the bounders with Rogue Detection Teams. Great question! We don't look for particular breeds. The single most important aspect in our working dogs is that they are fetch obsessed. It's how we reward them for locating data on rare species. We adopt our K9 talent from shelters and have had breeds as diverse as border collie, black lab, to cattle dog, & chihuahua mixes! Also, we work with air scenting dogs so breeds like hounds typically preform better where ground scenting is involved. Hope that helps! We answer questions like these over on our Instagram & Facebook page, too, if you ever have more!

[@granitestatedave]

What kind of dog do you have? Looks like a blue heeler?

[@roguedetectionteams]

Hi David! we adopt many different mix breeds for our detection work and yes, we have many heelers in our program! We also have labs, and in the past have had border collies, retrievers, and german shepherds, too. The one thing in common that all of our dogs share is an extreme desire and need to play fetch. This is how we reward them for locating data in the wild for us! Thanks for watching!