The Conservation K9 Podcast

In this episode, conservation dog team trainer and host James Davis is joined by Kyoko Johnson and Michelle Reynolds from Conservation Dogs of Hawaii. They talk about training dogs to detect signs of avian botulism in the Hawaiian Islands, and James tries to get the team to spill the beans on some of the other cool projects they’re working on. For more information on Conservation Dogs of Hawaii pl...

In this very special episode, conservation dog team trainer and host James Davis is joined by some of the participants and presenters from the inaugural Conservation K9 Camp which was held in Queensland, Australia between 8-12 September 2021. They talk about their experience of starting their journey to train and handle their dogs for conservation detection in a world-first, fully interactive form...

In this episode, conservation dog team trainer James Davis from Padfoot Conservation K9s in Australia is joined by Laura Holder from The Conservation Dogs Collective. They talk about cryptic species detection, the differences between sport nose work and conservation detection, and the contents of Laura’s wine cellar. Click here for more info about Laura and the Conservation Dogs Collective or find...

In this episode, conservation detection dog team trainer James Davis is joined by Paul Bunker from Chiron K9. Paul is a conservation detection dog training specialist, researcher and author of Imprint Your Detection Dog in 15 Days . They talk about Paul’s life working with dogs, some of the amazing projects he’s been involved in, and what he’s working on at the moment. For more information on Paul...

In this special episode, James joins forces with the K9 Talking Scents podcast in a mashup on all things conservation with detection specialist Cameron Ford and Jeff Milner from the Conservation Canine Officers Association. For more information please visit: https://www.fordk9.com/podcast Conservation Canine Officers Association For more information on T he Conservation K9 Camp , being held betwee...

In this episode, host James Davis is joined by Dr Roberta Bottaro. Roberta is a psychologist, animal behaviourist and conservation dog trainer based in Italy. They talk about training dogs to detect signs of African Swine Fever (ASF) in wild boars and detecting poison for wolf conservation in the Alps. For more information on Roberta and her work please visit: A Nose For Conservation Azienda Agric...

In this episode, host James is joined by Nick Rutter. Nick is a researcher and conservation dog trainer and handler with La Trobe University and Zoos Victoria in Australia. They talk about olfaction generalisation, the important of training in different contexts, and working with volunteer dog teams. For more information on Nick and his work please contact him at n.rutter@latrobe.edu.au For more i...

In this episode, James is joined by David Ian Howe from Enthnocynology. Dave is an anthropologist and archaeologist specialising in the relationship between early humans and dogs. They talk about domestication, the partnership between us and dogs, and their place in early religions globally. For more information on Dave and his work please visit: https://www.davidianhowe.com/ http://instagram.com/...

In this episode, James is joined by UK-based ecologist and great crested newt detection specialist Nikki Glover. They talk about Nikki’s journey from ecologist to dog trainer and handler, and listen to her advice for all career ecologists looking to use conservation dogs in their work. For more information on Nikki and her work please follow: https://www.instagram.com/ar_detectiondogs/ The Conserv...

In this episode, Australian conservation dog team trainer and host James Davis is joined by Heath Smith of Rogue Detection Teams. They talk about searching for sign as small as caterpillar scat, and explore the ethos and approach of the Rogue team. For more information on Heath and the rest of the Rogue team please visit: https://roguedogs.org/ https://www.facebook.com/roguedogs/ https://www.insta...

In this episode, conservation dog team trainer and host James Davis is joined by Louise Wilson of Conservation K9 Consultancy. They talk about handler skills, the challenges of maintaining high industry standards, and the importance of keeping our dogs a little bit wild. For more information on Louise's work please visit: https://www.conservationk9consultancy.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Con...

In this episode, conservation dog team trainer and host James Davis is joined by Dr Nathan Hall, Director of the Canine Olfaction Lab at Texas Tech. They talk about a dog’s olfactory ability, the importance of keeping and using appropriate training aids, and how to reduce the risk of false indication. For more information on Nathan's work please visit: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/afs/people/nat...

In this episode, Australian conservation dog team trainer and host James Davis is joined by Megan Parker, co-founder of Working Dogs for Conservation and a pioneer in the use of dogs in conservation. They talk about innovation, dog and handler selection and training, standards and certification worldwide, and some of the amazing projects Megan and her colleagues have been involved in. For more inf...

In this episode, specialist conservation dog trainer and host James Davis is joined by Dr Samuel Wasser, the 'guru of doodoo'. Sam holds the endowed chair in Conservation Biology at the University of Washington, where he is Director of the Center for Conservation Biology. They talk about the groundbreaking work Sam and his team are doing in the analysis of scat for conservation purposes,...

In this episode, host James Davis is joined by Chris Aycock, President and CEO of the American Society of Canine Trainers (ASCT). They talk about canine neuroscience, and the training and certification of conservation K9 teams around the world. Chris can be contacted at asctpresident@aol.com American Society of Canine Trainers can be found at: http://asctk9.org/ https://www.facebook.com/asctk9.org...

In this episode James Davis is joined by Bennie Van Zyl. Bennie is the Specialist Canine Technical Adviser for the Frankfurt Zoological Society at North Luangwa National Park in Zambia.  He talks about his career from explosives detection in Iraq through to conservation dog work and helping build North Luangwa’s successful canine unit. Bennie can be contacted at  benny.vanzyl@fzs.org North Luangwa...