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  • Conservation Dogs Collective

    Welcome!

    Are you considering using a conservation detection dog for your project?

    Conservation Dogs Collective has developed an assessment form to help! In this form, you'll answer two critical questions: 

    1. Is a conservation detection dog a good option for your project?
    2. If yes, how do I go about selecting an appropriate conservation detection dog team?

    To answer these questions, you’ll assess various factors of your project under four sections:

    • Section 1: Safety
    • Section 2: Efficacy
    • Section 3: Economics
    • Section 4: Conservation Detection Dog Team Selection

    We recommend alloting 5-10 minutes to complete the toolkit. Before you get started, gather materials to take notes (paper and pencil) while you answer the questions presented in each section. When you're done, a copy of your answers will be emailed to you.

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    Does the target species pose a potential risk to the dog?

    In this section, you'll consider aspects of the target species' behavior and physiology and document what aspects pose a potential danger to the dog.

  • Safety Assessment Check Point

    Remember: Some risks can be reduced or mitigated to acceptable safety levels. 



  • Example mitigation options might include:

    • Searching for evidence of the animal rather than the species itself (for example finding species’ scat, fur or feathers), 
    • Using muzzles to prevent the dog contacting toxic substances, 
    • Searching during the dormant or hibernation phases of the target, or 
    • Recruiting additional team members to assist with threat reduction.

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    Does the search location or environment pose any risks to the conservation detection dog or human searchers?

    In this section, you'll consider and document aspects of the environment that pose a potential danger to the dogs or humans involved in the project.

  • Location

    Isolated locations may lack access to emergency medical facilities and good transportation networks cell coverage, accommodation and/or food provisions.

  • Weather

    Intense heat or cold or unpredictable weather changes such as storms, flash floods or tornadoes may cause hazardous working conditions.

  • Terrain

    Steep or otherwise dangerous surfaces, sinkholes, bogs, sharp rocks or other hazards could cause the dog or human to get stuck or injured.

  • Vegetation

    Plants or underbrush that are toxic if eaten or have thorns that could injure the dogs eyes or pads.

  • Safety Assessment Check Point

    Remember: Some risks can be reduced or mitigated to acceptable safety levels. 

  • Example mitigation options might include: 

    • Utilizing safety equipment for the dog, such as eye protection, booties, jackets, or sun reflecting vests, 
    • Utilizing safety equipment for the human, such as personal locator beacons, sun shirts, gloves, hard hats,
    • Implementing safety protocols, such as shorter search times, water breaks, working in teams, decontamination protocols, regular assessment and monitoring of the dog or human (for example temperature taking).

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    Does the dog pose a potential safety risk to the target species?

    In this section, you'll consider aspects of the target species—along with the typical behavioral traits of dogs—and assess if a dog could pose a threat to the species.

  • Safety Assessment Check Point

    Remember: Some risks can be reduced or mitigated to acceptable safety levels. 


  • Example mitigation options might include: 

    • Careful and thoughtful training of the dog, 
    • Utilizing special equipment, such as muzzles,
    • Conducting field work during appropriate times of the day and/or year.

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    Can a conservation detection dog get the results you need?

    Once you have established a conservation detection dog can be used safely on your project, the next consideration is to evaluate efficacy.

    Dogs can be trained to find anything that has an odor. That is not usually the issue. Rather, the more important consideration is whether or not a conservation detection dog can produce the data and results you need. There are several factors that make a conservation detection dog a good choice and help to maximize the success of their involvement with project goals.

  • Training Aids

  • Study Design

    If the goals and design of the project are not already a good fit for a dog, and the design needs to be altered to make the use of a dog work, consider whether a dog is really the best method for your project.

  • Previous Methods

    Dogs have been proven to be more successful on many projects where the target is hard for human searchers to see or recognize, such as targets that are very small or well camouflaged, where humans have difficulty accurately identifying the target compared to closely related species, or if the target is elusive, hard to access or rare.

  • Detection Goals

    Dogs can be very useful for projects where there are very specific detection goals, such as eradication projects where missing some of the invasive targets will adversely affect the success of the project. Using dogs to detect all targets and reducing the amount of missed targets is a good use of this detection method.

  • Time Contraints

    Dogs are often a good choice for wildlife relocation projects where there are hard time constraints, and the race is on to locate as many individuals as possible and move them to safety.

  • Efficacy Assessment Check Point

  • Can conservation detection dogs offer affordability without compromising results?

    The final factor to evaluate is whether the data and results a conservation detection dog can provide justifies the investment required when compared to alternative methods.

    Most conservation detection dog groups are either not-for-profit entities or businesses dedicated to protecting the environment. It is important to remember reputable conservation detection dog organizations employ skilled, experienced, and dedicated people who deserve to make a living wage from what they do.

    When exploring the possibility of adding conservation detection dog to your project, assess the actual costs of using other methods and then talk openly and honestly about your budget to find a team that can produce a financial plan to meet your goals. If you can’t find a group that can operate within your budgetary constraints, then dogs may not be the best method for your project.

  • Prior Experience

    Conservation detection dog groups are a sociable bunch who are generally happy to collaborate and to share what went well and what was learned on previous projects. That experience can be invaluable in reducing your costs and set up time.

  • In-house or Hire Out

    Using an in-house dog can seem appealing if the project requires long-term data collection, but both the cost and the skills required to do this well are often underestimated. Hiring a conservation detection dog team to help you do this efficiently is often more cost effective than going it alone. It is also a good idea to consider hiring experienced teams at least for the first search season to learn what works and what doesn’t so you don’t waste your precious resources on these mistakes and your own dog training.

  • Dog Keeping, Training, and Equipment Costs

    Keeping, training, and working alongside a conservation detection dog requires a surprising amount of gear. Most conservation detection dog groups already have all the necessary equipment to do this work safely and do not tend to itemize and pass on these costs to customers unless very specific equipment is needed for an individual project.

  • Mobilization Costs

    Travel and housing cost needs will vary from project to project and different conservation detection dog teams have different approaches, so it is worth understanding this and thinking carefully about the budgetary constraints of your project. Often these costs can be reduced by thinking laterally about what you could provide. For example: If you are an organization that has access to cabins, or vacant student accommodation, then perhaps this could be a way to house your conservation detection dog team without adding large costs to your project.

  • Multiple Targets

    One great way to make the use of conservation detection dogs more economical is to take advantage of the fact that dogs can be searching for several different targets during the same search. This increases the potential return by increasing the amount of data collected and also provides the opportunity for you to spread the costs by collaborating with colleagues or pooling funding from other projects. The added advantage is that for projects where the target species numbers are low and successful finds likely to be rare, adding in other targets to increase the find-rate will actually help to keep the dog motivated and improve overall search efficiency.

  • Economics Assessment Check Point

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    Congratulations! Your answers suggest that a conservation detection dog could be a good fit for your project.

    The industry of conservation detection dogs is still relatively new, nevertheless there are already many different organizations to choose from.

    Selecting the right team is important to the success of your project. In this section, we'll dive into the final set of question to consider when thinking about who to partner with for your project needs.

    If you plan to train your own dog in-house, we still recommend completing this section to assess the full labor involved with using a conservation detection dog team.

  • Proximity

    While most groups may be prepared to travel long distances for projects, the travel and accommodation requirements will add costs and time to your project compromising affordability. Ask about these needs and costs upfront.

  • Availability

    Many groups will often have work schedules planned out as far as 12-24 months in advance. If you are considering adding a dog to your project, it is well worth starting the conversation early in your planning process.

  • Qualifications

    While there is currently no formal certifying body or testing procedure for conservation detection in the USA there are moves to create such processes in other countries and there are also other professional and dog training qualifications that can offer clues as to the level of knowledge or expertise within a conservation detection dog organization. Ask for the CVs of the personnel who will be working on your project.

  • Skills & Experience

    Ensure that the conservation detection dog team has the necessary skills and experience by asking lots of questions. Consider if you need them to partner with you on the research or to write a joint paper. Assess whether they understand the species sufficiently and have the skills to collect the data you require. With regards to safety, ensure they have enough experience of the types of terrain they will encounter in the search area.

  • Professionalism

    If your project or data is particularly sensitive, you need to be able to trust in the discretion of your conservation detection dog partners so employing experienced professionals will be important. Ask about their data security procedures and policies on publicity. In addition, review the conservation detection dog team's portfolio of previous projects, check their references and ensure that their image (both in person and online) is one you would feel happy about sharing with board members, donors, partners, and peers.

  • Ethics

    Finding a conservation detection dog team with high ethical standards and sound welfare practices both toward the target species and the care of their dogs and employees are important qualities for a group you chose to partner with. Ask probing questions about their policies and practices to ensure they are a good fit for your organization.

  • Thank you for using our Selecting a Conservation Detection Dog assessment form!

  • We wish you the best with your project and encourage you to reach out any time with questions or project inquries. 


    Sincerely,
    The Conservation Dogs Collective Team
    sniff@conservationdogscollective.org
    www.conservationdogscollective.org
    414.600.9099

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    Click here to start a new assessment.

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