Observations from the Use of Dogs to Undertake Carcass Searches at Wind Facilities in Australia - Wind and Wildlife - page 113

The Relationship Between Dog and Handler
Thereisoftenamisconceptionthatthedogisdoingallthework.Withouttheright
handler who can “read” the cues of the dog, many smaller and partial carcasses
would be overlooked. Experience has repeatedly shown that if the dog is signalling
the presence of a target scent, then there is something there to be found, even if the
handler cannot see it. I have found that investigations in these circumstances have
resulted in a partial fragment of a micro bat wing, a dehydrated micro bat hidden in
long grass, partial skeleton of a small bird and even a partially formed chick buried
in leaf litter.
Withoutagoodworkingrelationshipbetweenthedogandhandlerthereisthe
potential to impact on the detection rates. In addition to reading the cues of scenting,
the handler must also be aware of any wavering interest in the task and understand
when the dog is losing focus and needs a break. Regular baiting of the site with
carcasses also helps to stimulate interest and assists the handler to monitor the dog's
performance.
Weather Conditions
As with human searchers, environmental factors can influence the dog's perfor-
mance. An understanding of how each dog's performance is affected by the weather
is essential for maintaining high search efficiencies. Paula et al. ( 2011 ) demon-
strated that weather conditions did not affect the ability of the dog to detect the
carcass (accuracy) only the time required to detect the scent (efficiency). Efficient
scenting relies on the ease with which the scent can reach the dog's nose. I con-
ducted routine testing of the dogs in various weather conditions during carcass per-
sistence trials where carcass locations were known to the handler. Table 2 shows the
interaction between temperature and wind speeds on the efficiency of the dog to
locate targets. This table is based on field observations of two dogs which were of
the same breed (German Short-haired Pointers) and it should be noted that different
breeds may react to changing temperatures differently. Table 2 is offered as a guide
for further investigation and should not be considered as definitive. Low wind and
extreme cold was observed to be poor weather conditions for scenting, however
appropriate management of the search protocols through reducing search intervals
and extra encouragement from the handler can ensure that mortality detection is not
impacted.
Similar to my findings, Paula et al. ( 2011 ) found that although weather condi-
tions can vary considerably, they did not influence the ability of the dog to find a
target (accuracy) only the time in which it took to find the carcass (efficiency).
Although precipitation can have a negative impact on searcher efficiency; scenting
in good to ideal conditions post a rain event actually increases scenting capabilities
as it washes away confounding scents from the survey site.