Detector Dogs

The program has over 80 detector dogs.

There are three types of DAFF Biosecurity detector dogs:

• Active detector dogs–trained to dig in response to items that contain a target odour. They are rewarded with food or a game of tug-of-war when they find biosecurity material. Active detector dogs mainly work at mail centres and private courier depots

• Passive detector dogs–trained to sit next to items with a target odour. They are rewarded with food from their handler. Passive response detector dogs generally work around the public in airports and seaports

• Multipurpose detector dogs–trained to deliver the appropriate response to the environment in which they are operating. At an airport or cruise vessel passenger terminal, they will sit beside a passenger or baggage. When scanning objects in mail and air cargo facilities that dig at the source of the target odour.

• A detector dog will, on average, find between 3000 and 3500 items of biosecurity concern during its working life of about six-to-eight years.
• Dogs have a keen sense of smell said to be at least 100 times greater than humans.
• Some interesting finds from detector dogs include a rhinoceros head, an elephant foot and a turtle.
• The longest currently serving detector dog is nine-year-old Diesel the Beagle who works at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.

Pre 1991–Australian Biosecurity officials monitored the quarantine dog programs in the United States and Canada.

1991–Australia contracts a trainer from the US Department of Agriculture to help develop a pilot program in Australia.

1992–In February the first two detector dog teams became operational, one in Sydney, the other in Brisbane.

1995–The Detector Dog Program was expanded by introducing active response dogs into international mail centres.

2002–At the ten year mark the program had expanded to 26 teams covering Sydney, 16 in Melbourne, 12 in Brisbane, 4 in Cairns, 8 in Perth, 3 in Darwin and 1 in Adelaide. There were also three teams in Tasmania and three in Perth undertaking state government quarantine work.

2009–In May the program introduced Labradors into airport and seaport operations. Until this time only Beagles were used as passive detector dogs in airports and seaports.

2011–In late 2011, based on the success of a pilot program, the DDU began converting passive response Labradors to multipurpose response dogs.

2012–The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry celebrates twenty years of detector dogs as a part of a smart, integrated biosecurity system in Australia.

Visit Australia’s Biosecurity system to find out more

Where?

DAFF Biosecurity detector dog teams are deployed at airports, seaports, mail centres and private courier depots throughout Australia.

Why?

DAFF Biosecurity’s detector dogs are one element of Australia’s extensive biosecurity system that manages the risk of pests and diseases from entering Australia.

Passive response detector dogs are trained to sit when they find a target odour, such as fruit or seeds and await a food reward from their handler. Passive response detector dogs generally work around the public in airports and seaports.

Training of a passive response dog entails placing a target odour (e.g. a plant cutting) in a cardboard box and encouraging the dog to sniff it—the dog is then told to sit and is rewarded with a piece of food.

When the trainer is certain the dog will respond to all target odours by sitting, irrespective of the presence of non-target odours (e.g. soap), the detector team progresses to an airport for training under field conditions. The dog progresses to being encouraged to find a box with a target odour in it, in amongst many boxes. If the detector dog sits next to the boxes that contain the target odour they are rewarded.

Active response detector dogs are trained to dig in response to items that contain a target odour and are rewarded with food or a game of tug-of-war (play reward) when they find high risk biosecurity material. Active response dogs have to be agile due to the nature of the environments in which they work such as mail centres and private courier depots.

Training an active response dog involves encouraging the dog to get into a cardboard box to retrieve a dummy (a length of rolled fabric). Once the dog has developed a strong drive to retrieve the dummy, the target odours (e.g. an apple) are placed in selected boxes along with it. At the right stage of training the dummy is left out of the box to see if the dog can find the odour where no dummy is present. If the detector dog is able to find the target odour the dummy is produced to reward the dog with a game of tug-of-war.

Multipurpose detector dogs are trained to deliver an environmentally specific response. They will sit beside a passenger or baggage containing a target odour in airports and cruise vessel passenger terminals and dig at the source of the target odour emanating from packages in mail centres and private courier depots. Multipurpose dogs are initially trained as passive response detector dogs and later instilled with an active response capability.

Dogs are generally trained to detect the following target groups:

• fresh plant material
• dried plant material
• fruit
• vegetables
• eggs
• all meat products (excluding fish)
• seed
• cheese
• bees
• soil.

The recruitment of trainee dogs is achieved through formal agreements with international and domestic agencies, purchase from private breeders and donations from welfare organisations and the public.

DAFF is only currently recruiting Labradors, as they are the most suitable dog breed to be trained as Biosecurity detector dogs. They have an extraordinary sense of smell—said to be at least 100 times more acute than our own, are co-operative and gentle with people, and possess extreme hunt, food and play drives.

As the dogs work in public areas, they are also socially well adjusted.

The dogs DAFF looks for are generally either:

• fanatical about food (even after being fed) or
• fanatical about play (tug-of-war/retrieving).

They must also be:

• friendly, agile and outgoing (not upset by noisy and stressful environments)
• 1 to 3 years of age at time of assessment and/or training
• physically sound and healthy.

To help you judge if your dog has the required drive to become a detector dog here are some simple tests you can try.

Throw a handful of dry dog biscuits in the garden or long grass. A dog with good food drive will seek out all the biscuits and continue searching after all the biscuits have been found.

Repeat the above exercise but this time at the local park where there are increased visual and audio distractions (e.g. other dogs, children playing, people on bikes).

Does your dog ignore these distractions and focus completely on finding the dog biscuits in amongst the grass? If the answer is yes, your dog may have the food drive required to become a detector dog.

Pick up your dog's favourite tug toy or ball and walk around the yard. A dog with a strong play drive will follow you everywhere and remain transfixed by the toy waiting for you to drop or throw it.

Repeat the above exercise but this time at the local park where there are visual and audio distractions.

Does your dog ignore these distractions completely and remain entirely focused on the toy in your hand? If the answer is yes, your dog may have the play drive required to become a detector dog.

If your dog has successfully completed either the food drive or the play drive tests described above and meets socialisation, age (1-3 yrs) and health requirements, DAFF would love to hear from you. Simply contact the Detection Operations Program (02) 6272 3198 and we will arrange for a manager in your State or Territory to contact you and organise an assessment of your dog.

Please note that DAFF will only recruit in line with its requirement for dogs and to meet its training schedule. Your dog must pass evaluation assessments before being accepted for training as a detector dog.

1. Initial assessment

   An initial evaluation will be completed over the phone with the manager assessing dog suitability. Should the manager wish to evaluate further, they will arrange to visit the dog at your home or arrange for the dog to be assessed in an alternate location. This process aims to evaluate your dog's interaction with new people and an assessment of its hunt, food and play drive.

   If your dog is of sound temperament and displays the required drives it will then progress to a formal assessment.

2. Formal assessment

   This formal assessment takes about an hour and is a detailed review of the tests carried out during the initial assessment and is conducted in an unfamiliar environment. The owner is not present for the assessment as it can create a significant distraction for the dog. It is important to understand at this stage that dogs may behave differently when taken out of their 'normal' environment and results can vary greatly from initial testing. We will provide you with open and honest feedback in regards to your dog's suitability.

   If your dog passes the formal assessment they will be provisionally accepted for training.

3. Provisional acceptance

   This stage of the assessment requires that the dog spend 1-2 weeks in the DAFF detector dog kennel facility (we will need to view current vaccination certificates). During this time your dog will be introduced to the kennel and operational environment where it will be closely monitored to ensure it is coping with the transition to detector dog life.

   It is important to note that this is a provisional acceptance for training and your dog will be returned to you if we do not believe it will be happy as a working dog.

   This has the added advantage of providing you with 1-2 weeks away from your dog to ensure you are comfortable with your decision to offer the dog to DAFF.

4. Notification

   The manager in your State or Territory makes the final decision on whether your dog has been successful in passing the assessment process and will advise you of the outcome.

All recruited dogs are given the highest level of care and attention. Dogs live in a kennelled environment and are assigned to highly trained handlers who are responsible for dog welfare and work performance. Dogs receive regular veterinary check-ups throughout their career and when they eventually retire from work, DAFF will find them a loving and caring home.

We are happy to discuss any concerns you may have regarding your dog's future.

The final stage is simply signing ownership of your dog over to DAFF. The dog will be entered on to the next training course and be well on its way to a new career with DAFF!

For further information email DAFF Detector Dogs or phone +61 2 6272 3198.