Scent Detection Dogs - Surveillance Done Dirt Cheap
Bill Davidson

1. State Priority Weed Co-ordinator, Agriculture & Biosecurity, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Calala, NSW 2340.

Scent Detection Dogs are becoming an invaluable asset in the war against prohibited matter weed species. Their prowess in finding prohibited matter species such as Parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus) and Mouse eared hawkweed (Pilosella officinarum) that is missed by the human eye is well known. Recently, these dogs have been trained for Black Knapweed (Centaurea x moncktonii) detection as a vital adjunct to eradication of this species at Tenterfield northern tablelands NSW. This presentation looks at the specialised training process of these dogs to be able to reliably detect specific plants through scent and how they complement human detection methods such as surveillance exercises, mapping and drone use. Additionally, we look at already successful deployment of the dogs for parthenium and mouse ear hawkweed surveillance and the benefits they are providing in moving towards eradication for these species. The efficiency of finding prohibited matter weed species with scent detection dogs will also be surmised and how this can benefit both government agencies and the wider community.

Keywords: Scent Detection Dogs, Weed surveillance, Black Knapweed, Parthenium, Mouse Ear Hawkweed.