Alaska Storytime 01: Preparing for Fieldwork

It’s time to bust some myths and challenge some hot takes of the conservation detection dog world! Join Kayla Fratt (K9 Conservationists), Paul Bunker (Chiron K9), and Meg Barnes (Detection for Good) as they tackle common claims and controversies that impact dogs, handlers, and the field as a whole. From “training your dog on Kong will ruin them”, to “good training can fix anything”, to “working a dog is unethical”. These seasoned professionals break down why these ideas persist, why they’re wrong, and what good, ethical, and evidence based training really looks like. Hot takes we BUST in this episode include: If you train your dog on Kong/essential oils you will ruin them!Detection dogs can’t do any other sports or it will ruin them!Good training can fix anything!Your dog wouldn’t do ___ if you were a better trainer!You should starve your dog to make them work harder!Confine your dog to a small kennel for days to “build their desire to work”!Making your dog work is unethical!!!You can’t train directional cues without an ecollar!Force fetch is the only way to teach a dog to retrieve!Our guests:Meg Barneshttps://www.instagram.com/detectionforgood/ Paul Bunker https://www.instagram.com/chironk9/ Host: Kayla FrattEditor: Sara Fangton Guest logistics: Brooke Schoeder Intern: Evelyn Combs Website: Meg du BrayMentoring group: Madison Davis

Join Kayla Fratt (K9Conservationist) for a enlightening conservation with Kyoko Johnson and Marlee Monahan (Conservation Dogs of Hawaii), Sally Dickinson (Virginia Tech), and Arden Lumenfall (New York-New Jersey Trail Conference) as we learn about how organizations across the USA are engaging with their communities and using the power of volunteer detection dog teams to help further research and initiatives. Come along as they discuss how volunteers have helped further their causes, how they select dogs, and some of the challenges of using volunteers in the field.This episode also features a science highlight on hard ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) and the effectiveness of detection dogs vs traditional tick drag survey methodshttps://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-024-06519-8 Sally Dickinson - Virginia TechSally’s publications https://data.lib.vt.edu/authors/Sally_Dickinson/11235291 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vtcals?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MW5kN2puMzY1MDQ2bg==  Kyoko Johnson and Marlee Monahan - Conservation Dogs of Hawaii Instagram https://www.instagram.com/conservationdogshawaii?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MTIyOTljbzF6bjJ3Yw== Website https://www.conservationdogshawaii.org/volunteer/ Arden Lumenfall - New York-New Jersey trail conference Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/nynjtc_conservationdogs?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=YWQ5Y3VjcjlsdGs= Website https://www.nynjtc.org/conservation-dogs/ 

In this episode K9 Conservationist co-founder, Kayla Fratt, continues her story about her PhD research and Alaskan field season with a raw and honest look at what “ugly training” really means and why it matters. Kayla shares the realities of working detection dogs in unpredictable weather, adapting when field plans fall apart, and facing the heartbreak of realizing that not every talented dog is a fit for every project. From rough and rain-soaked boat rides to joyful breakthroughs in the field, this episode dives into the art of balancing research, intuition, and compassion in conservation detection dog work.

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, co-founder Kayla Fratt speaks about her PhD research. This episode covers background on the Alexander Archipelago wolf, some past research done by other biologists, and how dogs fit into the picture. She then discusses dog selection, onboarding, and training for this project. This episode ends with Kayla and her field technician Grace missing the ferry to Alaska. Links mentioned in this episode:Genetic Gobeldygook with Ellen Dymit https://open.spotify.com/episode/5oIRUv2sGmVXUYifn7vKee?si=b1b871f994534492 Detection dogs afraid of wolf scat (Vervaecke et al., 2021): https://journals.usamvcluj.ro/index.php/zootehnie/article/view/14092

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Ruan and Tina De Flamingh form Green Trax about incursion dogs.Links Mentioned in the Episode:Science Highlight: Domestic Dog Scent Marks Trigger a Behavioural Response in Wild WolvesWhere to find Ruan and Tina:   Website You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Crystal Wing about toy play to modulate arousal. Links Mentioned in the Episode:Previous Crystal Wing podcastThe Moving CanineScience Highlight: Wildlife detection dogs effectively survey a terrestrial amphibian, but differ among individuals, weather and habitatWhere to find Crystal: Linktree | FDSA You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Ryan Tate about Phytophthora and pigeons. Links Mentioned in the Episode: Evaluating scent detection dogs as a tool to detect pathogenic Phytophthora speciesScience Highlight: Should the cocktail training method cause a stir? Training frog generalist detection dogs with combined species samplesWhere to find Ryan: Website | Facebook | InstagramYou can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Sarah Jackson from New York-New Jersey Trail Conference about sticky sage.Links Mentioned in the Episode: NoneScience Highlight: Impact of variations in training schedules on dogs’ acquisition and retention of an odor detection taskWhere to find Sarah: Website You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Jo Laurens from The Force Free Gun Dogs about gundogs.Links Mentioned in the Episode: NoneScience Highlight: Switching to marine prey leads to unprecedented mercury concentrations in a population of coastal Alaska wolvesWhere to find Jo: Website | Force Free Gundog GroupYou can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Lauren Wendt from Momentum K9 about large search area strategy. Links Mentioned in the Episode: NoneScience Highlight: Comparison of mechanical sorting and DNA metabarcoding for diet analysis with fresh and degraded wolf scatsWhere to find Lauren: Website You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists.K9 Conservationists Website | Course Waitlist |  Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok