K9 Conservationists

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Lindsay Ware of Science Dogs of New England about breed selection for unique uses, big game tracking, and more! Science Highlight: Effects of learning an increasing number of odors on olfactory learning, memory and generalization in detection dogs Different dogs place different priorities that we really have to be on top of How do you start...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Isabelle Groc about her book Conservation Canines: How Dogs Work for the Environment. Science Highlight: Performance of detection dogs and visual searches for scat detection and discrimination amongst related species with identical diets Have you read Conservation Canines: How Dogs Help the Environment yet? Isabelle Groc put together this l...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla hosts a panel of conservationists, dog behavior consultants and trainers, and ecologists. Our panel guests this episode are Dr. Charles van Rees, Ken Ramirez, Ursa Acree, Kim Brophy, Laura Holder, and Dr. Erim Gomez. Questions asked: What kinds of applications are currently practiced in conservation dogs work that might surprise those of us who don’t k...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Paul Bunker 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 know there is no odor to alert to What is a go-no-go response? The dog’s NON-formal response to l...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with James Davis about his work with Padfoot Science Highlight: Detecting Small and Cryptic Animals By Combining Thermography and a Wildlife Detection Dog What is some advice for someone hoping to jump into the industry? Be realistic about your expectations Don’t rely on this line of work to hold a steady income or to sustain you financially How...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Sarah Stremming and Erin Jones regarding what we owe our working dogs, and what they owe us. Science Highlight: Buzzing with possibilities: Training and olfactory generalization in conservation detection dogs for an endangered stonefly species Where to find Sarah Stremming: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Podcast | TikTok Where to find Eri...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla and Charles speak with Kyoko Johnson about her work at Conservation Dogs Hawaii. What are some threats that Hawaii is facing? Hawaii is in the middle of the pacific ocean. One of the major principles of conservation is island biology, which is how species and organisms are not able to easily get there from other places It cannot be “fixed” by just allo...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks to Jennifer Hartman and Heath Smith from Rogue Detection Teams about working with behaviorally “challenging” dogs for conservation dog work. Episode suggestion:  Pay attention to your bedtime routine. Call to action: Go for a walk somewhere new. Once dogs are able to work at a job, a lot of the behavior problems melt away. Making sure their...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks about mistakes, failure, and errors. This week’s science highlight: You Are Not My Handler! Impact of Changing Handlers on Dogs’ Behaviours and Detection Performance . Everything is just data; it’s just information Now we have all sorts of interesting questions to dig into - was it search conditions? Target odor? Study design? Time of year? Train...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla is back for part two with Kyoko Johnson from Conservation Dog Hawaii and Jennifer Hartman from Rogue Detection Teams to continue their talk about things to know before hiring a conservation detection dog team. This week’s science highlight: How Behavior of Nontarget Species Affects Perceived Accuracy of Scat Detection Dog Surveys . Covered in this epis...

In October 2020, Kayla and Barley flew to Maine to compete in a dog human survival challenge now published on National Geographic and Disney+. The show is called Called to the Wild and depicts dog human teams competing to thrive in the wilderness. In this episode Kayla talks about her experience on the show and tells you where to find the show online.

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...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks to Stacy Barnett about fringe alerts in detection dogs. What is fringing? When a dog alerts to odor outside of the preferred range of where the indication should be, aka too far away The final response begins where sourcing ends, so with fringing, the sourcing ends prematurely, making the alert farther away from the scent than is preferred Why do...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks to Dr. Merlin Tuttle about bats and wind farms. Episode suggestion: Come to conversations ready to learn and ready to be curious. Call to action: Research your utility company and ask about green energy options in your area. More than 3 million bats a year are being killed by wind farms, none of which are labelled as endangered What can listeners...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks to Dr. Erim Gomez. They nerd out about amphibians, diversity, and academia! Episode suggestion: Try something new, even if it’s small! Call to action: Update your amazon smile to benefit K9 Conservationist! How could dogs help with amphibian research? Humans can’t see as well as dogs can smell, so dogs would be more accurate Dogs would also be ab...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks about her experience and advice on how to “make it” as a K9 Conservationists handler. Call to action: Join us on Patreon or make a monthly donation. Links Mentioned in the Episode: Lonely Conservationists Essay You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | M...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla and Charles speak with Nate Marshall. They talk about bats, wind farms, and why you should care about the conservation of bats!  Episode suggestion: Win friends, not battles.  Call to action: Build a bat box.  What should we like about bats?   They are around everywhere in multiple types of ecosystems  They eat insects, fruits,...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla introduces Dr. Charles van Rees. Charles has been on the show before, but will now make a more regular appearance as K9 Conservationists new Conservation Correspondent.

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks to Laura Holder of Conservation Dogs Collective. They chat all about puppies!  Episode suggestion: Stay curious by being more “dog”! For 90 seconds a day, find joy in little things and slow down!  Call to action: Update your Amazon Smile to benefit K9 Conservationists. What are the pros and cons of getting a conservation dog as a puppy?...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla discusses the ins and outs of becoming a K9 Conservationist! Episode suggestion:  It’s okay to not finish a book if you aren’t liking it. Call to action:   Check out our new merch!! Suggested by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, create a 3-way Venn diagram of how to get involved. Top circle is “what you love.” Circle off to the left of what y...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Jeff Rennickle. They talk about inspiring others to care about the land and Jeff’s experiences with photographing the world and teaching at the Conserve School. Episode suggestion: Give yourself grace for what you’re capable of right now. Call to action: Find a place that speaks to you, visit it often, and find out what you can do to get in...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Brooke Mitchell-Norman. They talk about tourism, communication, education, and how all of that relates to conservation! Episode suggestion: Don't sacrifice what you want now for what you want most of all. Call to action: Support a local small business that donates or shares some of its profits with a cause you care about. How does travel be...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Dr. Charles Van Rees about data. They discuss the ins and outs of working with data and how to turn data into information scientists can use. Episode suggestion: Take the time to see, smell, and notice things outside! Call to action: Check out ebird , inaturalist or seek ! What is/are data? Information that we can use for inference and for...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Dr. Charles Van Rees about data. They discuss the ins and outs of working with data and how to turn data into information scientists can use. Episode suggestion:  Take the time to see, smell, and notice things outside! Call to action: Check out ebird , inaturalist or seek ! What is/are data? Information that we can use for inference an...

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla and Marissa Martino get personal discussing the woes of conservation work when handling your emotions while working! They discuss ways to balance how you’re feeling while trying to make the job as positive as possible for your K9 partner! Episode suggestion:  Just train the dog! Call to action:   Follow us on social media! Reach out to K...