When it comes to detecting a scent, dogs have definitely got an advantage over humans. While we may be efficient at smelling a coffee or Mum’s roast, the canines’ sense of smell is up to ten million times as sensitive as ours! Luckily for us, man’s best friend is willing to lend a nose for the greater good. 

Whether it be detecting drugs or biosecurity risks at the airport, finding survivors after an avalanche or uncovering prized truffles, our reliance on sniffer dogs is well known.

Dogs are increasingly being used in conservation work with some impressive results. The hugely successful project to rid Macquarie Island of rodents and rabbits would not have been possible without detection dogs. In Kosciusko National Park, dogs have successfully detected the invasive hawkweed, even under snow. More recently, detection dogs were used in northern New South Wales to identify the presence of Red Imported Fire Ants. 

Now, Central Coast Council has joined the pack, working with the Saving Our Species program and dog trainers to detect the Critically Endangered Wyong Sun Orchid Thelymitra adorata. See previous story Clever canines join the fight to save critically endangered local orchids

Well, the Environmental Education and Volunteer Team love to sniff out a good story and we wanted to learn more about the people and pooches behind the headlines! So, we sat down with dog trainers Mel Daly from The Good Dog and Philly Carruthers from On The Scent, to get up close and paw-sonal with their special spaniels! 

The first question that came to mind was ‘how does someone get started in such a specialised role?’

For Mel Daly, it was always about animals. “I was looking for an animal related career but wasn't sure where I was heading. As soon as I found dog training, I knew it was for me". 

Philly found her track in a similar way “My career in dog training began when I was approached by a fellow dog trainer, and asked if I would be interested in becoming a trainer and teaching puppy preschool and older dog classes.”

Both Mel and Philly have since gone on to complete every course with Austin's Dog Training Education to become qualified professional dog trainers. They have both continued on with the scent detection mentorship under Steve Austin. This training program is recognised worldwide after Austin led detection dogs for the rabbit eradication program on Macquarie Island.

The Good Dog currently has two detection dogs, Paddy is a three year old Springer Spaniel and Sully is an eighteen month old Cocker Spaniel. Both are working line dogs. Philly has “five dogs at home; an Australian Terrier, two long haired miniature Dachshunds and a Dalmatian but only one of the five is suitable for scent detection work, Vera the 3 year old Springer Spaniel.”

According to Mel, “these dogs are high drive hunting dogs - hunting for their target odour is their favourite thing to do. Their size and motivation to keep going in a range of conditions when the finds can be few and far between make them perfect for the job. We carefully select our dogs for detection work to make sure they have the drive and qualities we are after” she said.

Some dogs perform better than others according to Philly “Like with any kind of specialised training there are dogs that will succeed more than others. But with the right breed research and selection the success rate can be high.”

Mel continues “It is important to make sure we raise a resilient, confident and well socialised puppy to set them up for success as they progress in their career” she said. “From puppyhood (8 weeks old) they are introduced to odour - ours was koala to begin with,” said Ms Daly. For this part of the training process, koala droppings were provided to The Good Dog by local wildlife parks. While orchid samples were provided by the Saving Our Species program from the Australian Plantbank at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, under a scientific licence, for their training on these.

After the introduction of odour, Mel said “we make a strong association between the odour and reward. Reward being food, toys, ball etc. Introducing a new odour as we did with the sun orchid requires making a new association between that odour and the reward. We then train in harder and harder scenarios before moving to training in the field and then progressing to surveying in the wild.”

Out in the field, the trainers and canines conduct surveys using parallel transects. Once a dog finds its target, Mel continues “the trainers say a marker word ‘yes’ to let them know that is the correct behaviour followed by their reward. Our dogs will work for food or a ball.”

Survey work can be long and sometimes frustrating for dog and trainer. Koalas and sun orchids are both cryptic and hard to find. The main difference being that animal scats give an immediate verification of a find. Orchid tubers are underground and invisible from the surface. But Mel knows “that's the way it goes with these cryptic and critically endangered species (if they were everywhere we would be out of a job ha ha). We can create a set up with odour to keep the dogs motivation high and give them a reward if needed. It also comes back to selecting our dogs for their high drive so they won't give up.”

The dogs also need to be prepared to encounter other wildlife in the bush such as snakes and wallabies. So, in addition to their intensive scent training, Mel ensures the spaniels “are trained to leave wildlife alone, not to chase and have undergone snake avoidance training to keep them safe.” Some bush creatures are unavoidable though and Mel cites leeches as her least favourite animal to encounter!

Despite the occasional blood sucking local, Mel loves being in the bush. “There is nothing better than being out working with the dogs in the environment. Even on cold, rainy days or when we are trekking through hard terrain, we are still having a good day at work. When we get some good finds, it absolutely makes our day. Seeing how much the dogs enjoy the work and providing them with an outlet that is in line with their natural ability couldn't be better for them” she says.

While every dog’s career is different, most work for eight to nine years before putting their paws up. “Our dogs will live out their best lives with us once they retire. They are absolutely part of our family” Mel says. Philly goes into more detail, “I imagine Vera's retirement will be filled with all the things she enjoys doing now in her down time when she isn't working - trips to the beach, horse riding, playing ball, hanging out with her friends at doggy daycare, swimming and relaxing at home just to name a few.”

In the meantime, for Vera, Paddy and Sully, there are scats and tubers to sniff and places to explore. Mel is excited for the future with her pooches. “Australia has so many amazing and unique environments with so many species. We are up for the adventures ahead wherever it takes us – we’re just getting started.”

This article was written by Nick Carson, Environmental Education Officer