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learned from training EDD in the RAVC and the delineation method. The WAS assessments were area
searches with oil targets placed in glass jars and hidden within the area. These trials aimed to compare the speed and accuracy of the oil detection canines to the same survey completed by human-only teams. The dogs were 100% in detection and considerably faster than humans compared
Training targets were planted an hour before the dog started its search. There was one target on the first pallet in the training area, and while the dog placed its nose very close to the target and sniffed, there was no recognition. The dog had
no issues with two other targets, which were further into the search, so I had the handler research the start point, and the dog showed an
dog’s detection threshold of methyl benzoate (the prominent odor of cocaine) was established. Then, the dogs were housed at a standard temperature but worked in a hot/ humid, hot/dry, standard, cold/dry, and cold/humid chamber.
I expected the dogs to show a decline in performance going from standard conditions into hot/dry
and hot/cold, but what the research demonstrated was that there was
a decline in all conditions. The decline in detection capability was seen even when the dogs went from standard conditions and conducted the trials in the same conditions. This demonstrated that the canine olfaction system needed a period
to “warm up” before it reached full potential and that commencing searches before the start point was an advantage in ensuring the dog was at full potential within the target area.
STIMULUS CONTROL OF ODORANT CONCENTRATION: PILOT STUDY OF GENERALIZATION AND DISCRIMINATION OF ODOR CONCENTRATION IN CANINES Mallory T. DeChant, Paul C. Bunker, and Nathaniel J. Hall
While conducting searches in Canada following an oil spill incident (my dogs are trained to
to historical survey data. The main focus of the research was delineation; for this phase, 50 PVC pipes were used in a 5m
“The dogs were 100% in detection and considerably faster than humans compared to historical survey data”
obvious change in behavior from distance and response. These situations made me question if sudden climate change affected the olfactory
x 5m grid. Outer casing pipes were pre-installed into a field, and smaller diameter PVC pipes were capped
at one end and filled with soil from the holes where the casing pipes were installed. The inner pipes
had either native soil or native soil with oil added. This way, the inner pipes could be lifted out and moved around to allow different setup configurations in the grid. The canines achieved a 99.7% detection rate with 30 – 91cm targets.
EFFECT OF RAPID CHANGES IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ON CANINE DETECTION
OF METHYL BENZOATE
Madelyn Brustkern, Ryan Thompson, Sara Lawhon, Kevin Good, Paul Bunker, Paola Prada-Tiedemann and Nathanial Hall
A couple of situations I experienced made me question if the rapid change in temperatures a dog works in affected their detection capability. Firstly, I saw a police officer take a dog out of an air-conditioned vehicle and start searching for a car during a very hot day. The dog started panting almost immediately, and while it
did show search behaviors, it didn’t appear to be sniffing. Another time, I was conducting certificates at a warehouse. The dog was kept in a heated office, and the certification was kept in a cold store warehouse.
system. When I recall training with the RAVC, I know we were taught
to commence our search before starting the priority area. One reason is that it settles the dog into the environment and acclimates them. I have continued to teach this but have not seen others practice, as the examples above demonstrate.
The research was conducted at Texas Tech University’s Canine Olfaction Lab and involved seven dogs I had trained using an Olfactometer. A computer-driven three-port device delivers odor, distractors, and plain air for the dog to investigate. In this research, each
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