This document discusses canine scent detection for bed bugs. It provides an introduction to canine scent detection and how the methodology is applied to detecting insects, mold, and other targets. It discusses the science behind a dog's powerful sense of smell and how training ensures quality assurance. Several factors can impact a canine inspection's accuracy, including air flow, pesticides, and the level of infestation. Realistic expectations are outlined, noting that canines are not 100% accurate but are the best tool currently available to detect low-level infestations through odor. Contact information is provided for two canine detection companies.
4. Canine Scent Detection
• Well-known canine careers
▫ Narcotics Detection
▫ Bomb Detection
▫ Tracking Lost Persons
• Training methodology applied to new fields
▫ Insect (Bed Bug) Scent Detection
▫ Mold Detection
▫ Tumor Detection
▫ Conservation- Sea Turtles, Ivory Trade
▫ Agriculture- Fruit Trees, Golf Courses
• Utilizing dogs in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) makes a difference!
▫ NYC went from #1 to #9 on Orkin’s list of Most Infested Cities in 2012
5. Who Uses Our Services?
• Commercial Clients
▫ Landlords
▫ Hotels
▫ Call Centers / Offices
▫ Healthcare Facilities
• Residential Clients
▫ After travel / houseguests
▫ When bites appear
▫ Frequent use of public
transportation
7. It's All About The Nose!
• The Nose
▫ Beagle: 225 million scent receptors
▫ Human: 5 million scent receptors
• The Brain
▫ A dog’s brain devoted to analyzing
smells is 40% LARGER than a human's
▫ Dog: 8"x11" Paper
▫ Human: Postage Stamp
9. Training
• Dogs Are Highly Trained & Well
Maintained
• Team (Handler + Dog)
• Use live bed bugs in training daily
• Keeps daily logs: training &
deployment
• Communicates with trainer
• Attends Advanced Training Seminars
10. Evaluations
• Annually evaluated by NESDCA
• Team (handler + dog)
• Third Party Evaluators
• NESDCA’s certification is an
evaluation method modeled
after law enforcement
• Evaluation should include live
bed bugs & dead bed bugs
12. Accuracy of Inspection Depends On:
• How the team trains
• Blind hides vs. Known hides
• Air Flow
• HVAC, Fans, Computers, Exhaust Fans
• Protocols in place to protect the integrity of the search
• Pesticides (30 days after application) & Cleaning Products
• Heavy Infestations
• Overwhelming odor = canine may not alert. Not trained to detect high amounts
(high threshold vs. low threshold). Humans should notice bugs at this point. Staff
must be trained!
• Odor must be present for the canine to alert. The team counts on the odor
dropping, not rising.
• Where was the canine trained?
• Does the trainer have scientifically proven training techniques to back up claims
of accuracy?
• 98% rate is based on Univ. of FL study using canines from J & K canine
Academy in High Springs, FL trained by Pepe Peruyero & Bun Montgomery &
published in Entomological Society of America 2008
14. Expectations
• Be realistic
• Teams are not 100% accurate- nothing is! But K-9’s are the most
useful, scientifically proven tool we have to this date.
• Communication is critical for success
• Documentation of areas inspected & not inspected should be
included in the inspection report
• Teams train with low quantities of bed bugs (1-15)
• Goal is to identify low infestations- Low Threshold # of bed bugs
• Canine is alerting on the odor presence of live bed bugs &/or
viable eggs
• Keep in mind - air flow can move the odor
• Target scent/odor must be present for the K-9 to alert
• Checklist/Protocol adherence is vital for success