K9 Conservationists

In the second episode of the odor discrimination mini series, we revisit an older episode of K9 Conservationists where Kayla speaks with Paul Bunker of Chiron K9 about all clear procedures. Science Highlight: ⁠An assessment of the effects of habitat structure on the scat finding performance of a wildlife detection dog⁠ What is an all-clear response? The dog’s formal response to let the handler kno...

In the first episode of the odor discrimination mini series, we revisit an older episode of K9 Conservationists where Kayla Fratt speaks with Dr. Simon Gadbois to talk about signal detection theory and his conservation work. Discussed in this Podcast: Dr. Gadbois work in Nova Scotia What is signal detection theory? What’s the potential problem with proportion or percentage correct data as performa...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Lauren DeGreef about the upcoming Canine Olfaction and Detection Science Conference.  Science Highlight: None this week! Where to find Lauren: Facebook | LinkedIn Links Mentioned in the Episode:  Conference Registration   You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservatio...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Rachel Curtis-Robles and Devin Christopher about dogs detecting insects carrying diseases.  Science Highlight: Dogs can sense weak thermal radiation Where to find Rachel: Website    Where to find Devin: Linked in  Links Mentioned in the Episode:  None You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9co...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Jay Gurden about imposter syndrome!  Science Highlight: You Are Not My Handler! Impact of Changing Handlers on Dogs' Behaviours and Detection Performance Why is imposter syndrome so common in the dog world?  We care about what we do Extra pressure Young industry Success is related to our dog’s behavior No path to success like law school...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Kristine Hoffman and Julia Sirois from St Lawrence University about their work with wood turtles, building on our conversation with Scott Buchanan. Science Highlight: Training with varying odor concentrations: implications for odor detection thresholds in canines Links Mentioned in the Episode:  None Where to find Kristine: Website Where to...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Scott Buchanan on his work with wood turtles.  Science Highlight: A Glimpse into the Use of Dogs to Address Global Poaching, Overharvesting, and Trafficking of Aquatic Species Links Mentioned in the Episode:  None You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists We...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with our patreon Caisa Persson Werme to answer questions about training and alerts. Science Highlight: Back to the basics with conservation detection dogs: fundamentals for success Questions asked:  During the search he might stop after a while and look at me. If I don't acknowledge it in any way he takes off to search again with the same in...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Melissa Houghton about using dogs for pest eradication on a remote world heritage island. Science Highlight: Methodology and challenges of a complex multi-species eradication in the sub-Antarctic and immediate effects of invasive species removal Links Mentioned in the Episode:  You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla is back with Ellen Dymit to talk about their experience with the fieldwork in Guatemala. Science Highlight: None Links Mentioned in the Episode: Where to find Ellen: Ellen’s Twitter | Taal’s Twitter You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Merch | Support Our...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Ellen Dymit before their fieldwork in Guatemala. Science Highlight: None Links Mentioned in the Episode: Barley’s First Find Where to find Ellen: Ellen’s Twitter | Taal’s Twitter You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Merch | Support Our Work |...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Chris Hartnett to talk about Baw Baw frogs. Science Highlight: Obedience training effects on search dog performance Links Mentioned in the Episode: Where to find Chris: Website You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Merch | Support Our Work | Fa...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Sho Rapley about dogs finding GPS trackers. Science Highlight: Diving in Nose First: The Influence of Unfamiliar Search Scale and Environmental Context on the Search Performance of Volunteer Conservation Detection Dog-Handler Teams Where you can find Sho: Twitter | You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at pa...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks about field work preparation for the upcoming project. You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks to Toni Proescholdt from Utah State about the data that dogs can’t detect. Science Highlight: Can volunteers train their pet dogs to detect a novel odor in a controlled environment in under 12 weeks? Links Mentioned in the Episode: You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conser...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla provides an update on what K9 Conservationists has been up to and answers some Patreon questions. Science Highlight: Detection distance and environmental factors in conservation detection dog surveys Questions tackled in this episode include: How do you take into consideration your dog team and their strengths/motivators/style when deciding on projects...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Kassidi Jones to talk about antiracism and detection dogs. Science Highlight: Handler beliefs affect scent detection dog outcomes Links Mentioned in the Episode: Reading list Where to find Kassidi: Instagram You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Kim Brophy and Mike Shikashio to answer an important question: what is a dog trainer? Science Highlight: Relationship between aggressive and avoidance behaviour by dogs and their experience in the first six months of life Links Mentioned in the Episode: Where to find Kim: Website | Facebook  Where to find Mike:   Website | Bitey E...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Andrew Ishimaru from RyTech about building and growing companies. Science Highlight: When the nose knows: ontogenetic changes in detection dogs' (Canis familiaris) responsiveness to social and olfactory cues Links Mentioned in the Episode: Growth Hackers Demand curve Inbound Marketing Certification Trust Me, I’m Lying Ryan Holliday course C...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Gael Sanchez about joining the field of ecology and conservation. Science Highlight: Curtailment as a successful method for reducing bat mortality at a southern Australian wind farm Links Mentioned in the Episode: REU Where to find Gael: Website | Instagram  You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patr...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Emma Lustig about her first season as a conservation detection dog handler. Science Highlight: Effect of odorant pre-exposure on domestic dogs' sensitivity on an odorant detection task Links Mentioned in the Episode: Where to find Emma: Instagram  You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9c...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Cate Roscoe about Expertise, Accessibility, and Gatekeeping. What does DEI stand for? Can we define each term? Diversity - who is at the table Equity - diversity + inclusion = equity, what is needed to achieve equality Inclusion - who is involved/included Links Mentioned in the Episode: Why Diversity and Inclusion Are Good for Business Wher...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with our long time patron Tayllor Pittman about selecting and preparing dogs to be demonstration dogs. Science Highlight: Detection Distance and Environmental Factors in Conservation Detection Dog Surveys Links Mentioned in the Episode: Fill in the Blank Episode All Clear with Paul Bunker Where to find Tayllor: Instagram | Facebook You can suppo...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla is back with Katie Brennan for part two about sourcing shelter dogs for work. Links Mentioned in the Episode: Where to find Katie: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Recruitment You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Inst...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Katie Brennan from Search Dog Foundation about sourcing shelter dogs for work.  How do shelters know to reach out? ie, what do they see in the dog? Energy level Age Breed: lab, golden, aussie, border collie, mal/dutchie, gsd, + mixes Reaction to strange people and dogs What do they do with toys? Cleared by veterinarian team How do you...