Amphibian and Reptile Detection Dogs

07/08/2024

🌎 🦎 🐸 World Congress of Herpetology - detection dog symposium 🐶. It was an honour to present alongside my idols at the first ever detection dog symposium. It just shows how detection dogs are being more widely recognised as an important method to survey for critically endangered and threatened amphibian and reptile species. Thoroughly enjoyed the discussion between presenters as we delved deep into important questions. Sharing experiences and ideas openly and honestly.

🙏 Big thank you to for funding the trip and a special thanks to Dr Natalie Calatayud, Dr Robert Jehle and Louise Wilson for making the symposium happen.

23/07/2024

Awesome work Paws For Conservation 👏🙌🦎🐶💡

23/07/2024

🐶 🦎 Yesterday we had the opportunity to train on an active construction site (no GCN present) with both Newky and Obi and trainee handler/Senior Ecologist, Freya.

👏 Freya did a wonderful job handling both Obi and Newky, navigating through woodland, spoil mounds and log piles. Both dogs maintained focus around a very busy construction site. Having these sites to train on is so valuable.

🔦 🌙 in the evening I took detection dog Freya to a site with low numbers of GCN present. We wanted to gauge how the terrestrial habitat is being utilised to help inform mitigation measures for an upcoming scheme.

💡 Freya indicated on refugia in close proximity to the works therefore suitable mitigation measures will be applied to prevent GCN from harm during construction.

👌 Trainee detection dog handler Alice had a go handling Freya and did a fabulous job working her up the side of a steep reservoir.

16/07/2024

Big thank you to Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK - ARG UK for asking me to present at their AGM this evening.

🙏 I feel so honoured to be asked to share my research and operational work with passionate individuals and organisations that are interested in expanding their methods to help locate cryptic amphibians 🐶

🌎 my next presentation will be in Borneo at the World Herpetological Congress in a couple of weeks time 🤩 I cannot wait!

15/07/2024

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend an indication clinic ran by Santi Font of Scentdogs at Conservation K9 Consultancy beautiful venue in north wales. The workshop was extremely informative 🤩. Santi has a dog centred approach when it comes to indication training and is able to choose the best method depending on the individual dogs as well as the type of detection work the dog team is doing 👏👌. Would highly recommend this course ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

06/07/2024

📢 In a months time myself, Conservation K9 Consultancy, Natalie Calatayud and Dr Robert Jehle will be heading to Borneo to help deliver a symposium on canine scent detection as a herpetological conservation tool 📢

I will be presenting alongside other wildlife detection dog handlers and researchers across the globe 🌎. If you’re heading to the World Congress of Herpetology then come and check out the symposium on the 5th August 😃🐸🐍🐢🦎 🐕

28/06/2024

Very excited to deliver my presentation to Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK - ARG UK in a couple of weeks 😁🦎🐶.

23/06/2024

🗣️ In final preparations for presentation at the annual SPARC conference at this Wednesday.

👩‍🎓 Really looking forward to meeting students and discussing the work we have done so far 😁.

🏝️ I will be embarking on an exciting trip to Borneo in August delivering talks at the World Herpetological Congress. I am so excited to present alongside other amphibian and reptile detection dog handlers and researchers at the detection dog symposium, discussing all the exciting research happening around the world!

Cannot wait for the next two months 😆

21/06/2024

🐶🐶 Happy National Take Your Dog to Work Day 🐶🐶

Today I worked Newky on a job over in beautiful Wiltshire! We searched an access route and area requiring excavation to improve our existing infrastructure. No great crested newts located so the works are ready to commence 👌.

Detection dogs provide a fast, reliable and effective solution to assist in essential works.

15/06/2024

Operational assessment day 2 by Louise Elizabeth Wilson of Conservation K9 Consultancy.

✔️ As I work independently it’s so important for me and my canine team to be assessed regularly to make sure we are keeping up the standards and making sure our quality of work hasn’t slipped.

🧐 Even though we have been working on GCN detection since 2018, problems can arise, therefore having a second opinion can really help troubleshoot any issues we are having in the field.

🙏 Big thank you to Louise for being my long term mentor and trainer. We are so so lucky to have you!

14/06/2024

Fantastic work! Can’t wait to read this. Scientific evidence to show dogs can detect reptiles at depth and through substrate 🙌 well done Artenspürhunde Schweiz 👏👏👏

Due to high interest in Madita's work on Vipera berus hibernacula detection, we share some more details of her thesis (pn us if you want to read the whole thesis :nerd_face:):

Two different sample types (swabs and sheds) and two different substrate types were used for the depth-variable line-up tests. The results showed that the dog was able to detect the odours at a depth of up to 1.2 metre, with search success decreasing with increasing depth. The overall performance of the dog resulted in a sensitivity of 90.7% and an overall effectiveness of 85.8%. No significant influence of the substrate type could be found.

Additionally, transect searches were performed to investigate how successful the search and localisation of the target is under realistic environmental conditions and which factors influence the search performance. A total of 12 transects per sample type, each approximately 50 square metres in size were searched. Per search between two and four positive samples were hidden by the assistant at a standardised depth of about 50 cm below the substrate. In addition, four blank samples were placed at the same depth. Of the 70 positive samples placed, the dog correctly indicated 69. There were no false alerts during the trials. The overall performance of the dog for sensitivity and effectiveness was 98.6%. It took an average of 37 seconds for the dog to find a new sample.

Finally, the dog was able to correctly localise the tagged adders in their hibernacula. The distance between the GPS point set by telemetry and the dog’s indication was less than 50 cm in both cases.

13/06/2024

Fabulous day with Louise Elizabeth Wilson of Conservation K9 Consultancy assessing and providing advice on Obi’s odour discrimination trials that will be commencing soon. So so proud of this boy ☺️🐶🦎

11/06/2024

🦎 More newt searches today down in Milborne Port with Freya and apprentice Obi working alongside the fabulous keystone

🚜 We made sure Obi was able to maintain focus when working in close proximity to machinery and wasn’t distracted by the friendly staff at Keystone whilst they were hard at work. The boy did exceptionally well.

🍀 I’m so lucky to work alongside my canine companions.

🙌 Back again tomorrow with Newky and Obi to continue searches as we finish off the site ready for construction.

😍 We are looking forward to have Louise Wilson of back with us on Thursday and Friday to carry out our annual assessment and make sure we are maintaining operational standards.

06/06/2024

🦎 Obi has been busy shadowing his cowoofers, Newky and Freya this week across the Wessex region, helping to check areas prior to emergency and planned works. Later this month we will commence his assessments from June to October 😄

04/06/2024

This morning I worked Newky and apprentice Obi on a small Wessex Water repair job located adjacent to a pond with great crested newts present. No GCN were found before reinstatement 🙏

In the afternoon I took Queen Freya to the head office to do a demonstration to the Business Improvement team. Big thank you to human Freya for assisting with the demonstration 👌😊

20/05/2024

🇦🇺 I had the pleasure of hosting the wonderful Melinda Bowen all the way from Australia 🇦🇺 😱

Melinda works for the Australian government and wanted to learn more about amphibian and reptile detection as part of her exciting project.

During the consultation we discussed everything from detection at distance, depth, intricate search technique, play reward, managing seeking system, setting up the right training scenarios, problem solving, picking up behavioural changes not just focusing on the final response, how environmental factors can influence scent emission of the great crested newt. The consultation also involved working on controlled training set-ups as well as wild searches.

If you’re interested in learning more get in touch at [email protected]

13/05/2024

🗣️Last week I had the pleasure of presenting and undertaking a demonstration of my great crested newt detection dog team at Wessex Water’s head operational centre.

😱We undertook five separate demonstrations back to back to around 100 people. It was a fantastic event and a great way to raise the conservation awareness of great crested newts and showcase the dog’s exceptional talents.

🙏Big thank you to my wonderful assistant Alice Orpin 🙏.

06/05/2024

Freya displaying a subterranean indication on a recent job. You can hear the intense sniff she does to draw up the odour from below ground.

Dogs provide a fantastic non-invasive indication for subterranean species. We have no other method for confirming this type of refuge!

03/05/2024

Girls day down in Dorset working in a beautiful woodland and wetland area adjacent to a Special Area of Conservation. Freya confirmed presence of great crested newts within close proximity to an emergency job. Dogs provide rapid results out in the field saving considerable time in comparison to other methods.

27/04/2024

🙏 Big thank you to noses for nature for inviting me to Belgium to present a case study of amphibian detection dogs in the UK. The networking event comprised getting wildlife organisations and dog trainers together to discuss how wildlife detection dogs can be used moving forward.

My presentation hopefully inspired those that listened into investing in the deployment of wildlife detection dogs. After being told numerous times that ‘dogs can’t do it’, myself and other teams in the uk have demonstrated that dogs can do it and can even exceed our expectations!! This has been shown through research and operational success!

The success of the projects are however only achieved through motivated and determined teams, hours of hard work and dedication as well as support from researchers and organisations. There were some really great project idea proposals during the round table discussions! Looking forward to seeing how things progress 👀

24/04/2024

All checked in and ready to go! Excited to meet everyone at the conference and my host Hilde Vervaecke!!

22/04/2024

🦎 Newky working his little paws off carrying out a precautionary search of grassy soil bunds prior to reinstatement down in Dorset. Love working this boy! He loves his job and the attention from his fellow Wessex Water colleagues.

✈️ I have an exciting week ahead! on Wednesday I will be flying to Belgium to deliver a conference talk for Noses for Nature! Providing a case study for the use of detection dogs in the UK focusing on my PhD research and operational work at Wessex Water

05/04/2024

🦎 Big thanks to Matt for joining us on our newt hunt last night! Conditions were great! Also had a newt emerge from a previous unconfirmed refuge (side of another manhole)! Matt’s currently working towards his newt licence so was a good opportunity to see the newts terrestrially as well as in the ponds🦎

28/03/2024

I did a podcast interview with Richard Dodd at the Ecology Academy the other week. We discussed everything from great crested newt licencing with detection dogs, research trial results, dogs versus traditional methods, cost savings etc. I had a wonderful time and Richard was a fabulous host 😊. Thank you again for having me on 😄

Welcome to an enthralling episode of the Ecology Academy Podcast, where host Richard Dodd is joined by special guest Nikki Glover, a Senior Ecologist at Wessex Water renowned for her innovative newt detection techniques. Our dynamic conversation delves into Nikki's essential contributions to large-s...

28/03/2024

Big thank you to for joining us on our newt hunt the other night. Dog Freya and Obi had a great time locating newts out in the open and in refuges. Unfortunately Newky sustained blackthorn injury in the week so had to sit this search out. He will be back out next week after his course of antibiotics 💝

25/03/2024

Big thank you to NatureSpace for inviting me to present at their internal monthly meeting this afternoon regarding great crested newt detection dogs. I covered everything from my scientific research to operational success as well as licencing, training requirements and guidance. Great reception from the team and fantastic questions 🙌😊.

We bring licensing and planning together for all parties involved in development in England when it comes to great crested newts. Our scheme speeds up development delivery, keeps the process simple, provides certainty and ensures a sustainable future for newts.

21/03/2024

Freya undertaking a thorough search of a grassland field margin prior to vehicular access and trial hole digs. Freya covered the large area in a short space of time. This would’ve taken a hand-searcher hours to check. Dogs provide such a fast and effective method in comparison to traditional tools. The search was completed in time for the site guys to begin their investigations without delay. 🦎🕵️‍♀️

14/03/2024

🌧️ 🦎 Perfect conditions tonight for some wild great crested newt training at one of my training grounds 🌧️🦎.

👌All three of the dogs worked incredibly well and had their own individual finds, both on the surface and confirmed subterranean and refuge indications. Made me so very proud 🥹 . Obi was on top form and has really focused and matured since last season. Can’t wait to kick start his assessments 💪.

🙏Big thank you to fellow Wessex Water ecologist Anna Burnham who accompanied us on the search and got to see the dogs in action. Anna has recently joined Wessex so was nice to showcase the dogs individual talents 😁🙏🎉🦎🐕

13/03/2024

We are busy busy busy carrying out GCN searches over the Dorset and Wiltshire region the past few days for essential pipeline schemes. Apprentice Obi is doing really well keeping up with his professional cowoofers.

My colleague was also called to site to help rescue GCN that had somehow ended up in our treatment system. We were asked to do a search of the site and the connecting network to try and pinpoint potential areas they were getting into the system. The dogs indicated on a chamber located outside of the site. The newts are likely refuging in the cracks and then falling into the sewer main 😱. Well done doggos 🐶 👏🦎

04/03/2024

🦎🐶 We were down in Somerset this morning carrying out GCN searches. The closest pond to the site was eDNAd out of season and returned negative; however, as a precaution we deployed the dogs to give a thorough search of the site just before soil stripping took place. Obi (the apprentice) performed a beautifully methodical search of the area and stayed very focused even with people watching and machinery being unloaded. Newky and Freya then ran over the area afterwards and confirmed the site was ready to be stripped. Thank you to human Freya for accompanying us and having a go handling doggy Freya. 🦎 🐶