Canine Conversations

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