Odor Discrimination Part 2: Training an "All Clear" for Detection Dogs with Paul Bunker

In the second episode of the odor discrimination mini series, we revisit an older episode of K9 Conservationists where Kayla speaks with Paul Bunker of Chiron K9 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 let the handler know there is no odor to alert to

What’s a situation we may want to teach this for?

Odor recognition tests

Teaching them that they can still get rewarded for no odor, which reduces stress

Good to check for contamination

Teaches them to be confident in leaving a search area with no target present knowing they will still be rewarded

What components make for a successful all clear?

Ensure it is maintained and refreshed

Prepare your training session in advance. Progression plans are extremely important.

Variable reinforcement with your dog’s reward hierarchy

The dog must 100% understand target before learning all clear

Don’t use jackpot rewards for an all clear

What other options do we have for reducing stress and reducing false responses (go-no-go)?

Teach odor separately from systems of searching so they are not codependent

Train blank sessions

Train longer sessions (within the abilities of your dog) so that it is similar to long working days

Develop independence early

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

Where to find Paul Bunker:  ⁠Website⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Facebook⁠

You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at ⁠patreon.com/k9conservationists.⁠

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