How to Train Dogs for Biodefense & Biosecurity

The U.S. government's focus on keeping the country safe from terrorism has led to challenges. Two areas of security are biodefense and biosecurity. Biodefense is defined as measures taken to protect against biological weapons of bioterrorism, while biosecurity is the methods used to secure biological agents and toxins at laboratories and in transit. A facility in Auckland, New Zealand, trains dogs in the detection of items of "quarantine concern" and exports them to Argentina, Korea, Canada and Hawaii.

Instructions

Teach the dog basic obedience. The dog should be able to walk to heel both on- and off-leash, must return to you when called and be able to remain in a sit- or down-stay for up to an hour.

Socialize the dog thoroughly. When a dog is working off-leash in a high-stress environment, it must be able to ignore people and other dogs and focus on the task. It should not be easily distracted or run off to get to know another dog.

Teach the dog to identify specific biohazard scents. Do this using a metal "scent box" that contains a specific odor, to orient the dog to the individual substances. Use each box only for one substance, to avoid cross-contamination of the odors.

Train the dog to identify an odor on a "training wheel." The wheel is made of several scent boxes on a rotating base; one box will contain the training odor, and others may be empty or contain food as a distraction. Reward the dog with treats, toys or praise when it correctly identifies the odor.

Show the dog how to search particular containers. Items of quarantine concern are likely to be hidden in clothing, baggage, cargo, vehicles, and buildings.

Teach the dog to react in a specific way when it identifies a hazardous substance. The dogs trained in New Zealand respond either passively, by sitting next to the discovered item, or actively, by retrieving it.

Determine the type of reward needed by the dog. Reward a passive-response detector dog will with food, and an active-response dog with a toy and a game.

Dress the dog in a specially-made hazard suit to orient it to wearing safety gear, which might be needed during the work. The dog should also become accustomed to working wearing a tracking harness used by other types of detection dogs.

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