Explore scent detection, canine olfaction research and the latest sniffer dog news.
Join us to learn about the latest advances in canine scent detection, and take your scent detection to the next level at the WDDO 15th Annual Conference. There’s only one week left to register for live online seminars on April 8-9, 2021. You can’t beat the price, at $50 for two days of K9 Scent …
Don’t Miss Out! World Detector Dog Organization – Setting the Standard, April 8-9, 2021 Read More »
Giant Rats are saving lives by sniffing out TNT in unexploded landmines as featured in National Geographic’s video of detector rats on the job in Cambodia(6). While people with metal detectors not only risk their lives in looking for unexploded landmines, we are slower than the rats. Rats can a 200 square meter area in …
We’re in the golden period of imprinting scent with our 9 week old litter of puppies. Unfortunately, today Alberta is experiencing record-breaking temperatures (1), combined with smoke blowing from forest fires in BC and Washington that is so thick it’s visible on satellite imagery. Throughout the day, the haze obstructs our view of the Rocky …
Our Brittany Jager has been selected by Canadian Border Services Agency for its narcotics and firearms detection training program. Hunters Heart Jager Cimex, our 9-month old Brittany Spaniel pup (from BB x Boo’s last litter), is now on his way to Montreal. CBSA assessed his skills off leash, outdoors, by hiding one ball in trees …
Jager Selected for CBSA Narcotics/Firearm Detection Training Read More »
After years of discussions, we’re excited about the opportunity to compete in Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) Scent Detection, starting Jan. 2019. Small dog owners may be pleasantly surprised to see height divisions with specific guidelines for hide elevation. I appreciate how humans in the search area present an option for distractions in addition to food and …
Canadian Kennel Club Introduces Scent Detection in Jan. 2019 Read More »
Ticks are one pest you and your dog can pickup during outdoor activities, which carries a risk of disease transmission. This fascinating macro video of ticks attaching to human skin and feeding on blood and demonstrates removal. Talk to your vet about the risk of ticks in the areas where you live and travel. (For …
How to Remove Ticks to Lessen Blood Meals with Associated Disease Transmission Read More »
Do infants smell delicious? A 2013 study in Frontiers in Psychology used brain imaging to show that the scent of 2-day-old infants activates the reward related areas of the brain (1). This activation didn’t show up in the olfactory cortex where you might expect, but in the reward areas: the same areas activated by yummy food like …
While horses might not be the first animal that springs to mind for scent detection, there’s no doubt that horses living out on the range regularly employ their senses to find the resources necessary for survival. Check out horses learning search and rescue drills at: http://www.ktvn.com/story/37954691/horses-use-scent-detection-in-search-and-rescue-drills?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=14272991 (on KTVN Channel 2 Reno Tahoe Sparks News). Once they realize …
Horses Have the Nose for Search and Rescue on the Range Read More »
In the race to save Syria’s archaeological treasures, researchers at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center (PVWDC) are looking into the efficacy of detection dogs trained to find smuggled ancient pottery. This video features a candidate named Moxie, demonstrating a change of behavior on the target odor of pottery, during imprinting using a daisy wheel1. At PVWDC, …
Do you ever wish you had a machine to tell you what scents your dog false alerted on? It would be nice to get a definitive answer, especially when you don’t understand what happened after a seemingly easy search went haywire. While expensive, technology exists that can analyze the molecular composition of scents, and has been …
What Should You Do About False Alerts? Mass Spectometry Would Help Read More »
While it was previously thought that bed bugs were unable to transmit disease to humans, recent studies that suggest bed bugs may be able to transmit Chagas disease to humans (1). Entomology Today cited studies that looked at bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) that consumed blood infected with T. cruzi, and found that the parasite remained alive, for …
One British Airways flight crew recently walked off their airplane because it was infested with live bed bugs crawling over its seats (2). Passengers were delayed 4 hours until a plane free of bed bugs could be substituted. The aircraft, originally scheduled to fly from Heathrow to Ghana, was immediately taken out of service, but …
Bed Bug Stowaways Crawl Over Seats and Disrupt Flights Read More »
An Australian woman noticed her husband smelled differently, but dismissed it until after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Upon attending a lecture on Parkinson’s Disease, she recalled the experience and asked the lecturer what scent she might have smelled. Intrigued, researchers explained that the “slightly musky aroma” might be caused by changes in the …
Wife Detects Parkinson’s by Change of Husband’s Scent Read More »
In the Israel Dog Unit (IDU), scent detection dogs are being utilized in conjunction with aerial drones with thermal imaging to apprehend suspected terrorists. In the past, even when authorities found broken fences or sensors confirmed infiltrations, suspects could hide and even after troops arrived, couldn’t be apprehended, sometimes resulting in lost lives. Mike Ben …
Israeli Drone Dog Teams Find Hidden Terrorists To Save Lives Read More »
This week Kevin Maimann reported that the first Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) cadaver dog teams trained using actual human tissue have completed their training program in Innisfail, Alberta. Together with the help of a Medical Examiner Service Director Sean Margueratt in Nova Scotia, families were asked for consent to use the remains of loved …
Alberta RCMP K9’s Trained Using Actual Human Tissue Read More »
