This talk will cover recent research on the ability of dogs to differentiate novel odors including studies demonstrating that dogs can be reliably trained to differentiate between hemp and marijuana samples and the impact of the training aids used including pseudo scents. The talk will also discuss the ability of dogs to be trained to locate mass storage devices including the unique volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in cellular phones, hard drives, CDs, thumb drives, SIM cards and electronic controls and the limitations of using selected VOC chemicals for training of dogs to differentiate these devices. The ability of dogs to differentiate human scent of from healthy individuals and those with medical conditions will also be discussed. The development of canine detection calibrants will be discussed and the potential impact on improving the reliability of detection teams.
This talk will conclude discussing the latest efforts in standardization efforts over the past 19 years which have culminated in the past year in approved American National Standards (ANSI) for Detector Dogs. Standardization efforts began with SWGDOG best practice guidelines in 2004 that then transitioned to OSAC Dogs & Sensors guidance documents in 2014 which then were developed into ANSI-accredited standards by the Academy Standards Board Dogs and Sensors consensus body beginning in 2016. The currently 7 national standards will be discussed as well as dozens under development and how the community can get involved including through the International Commission on Detector Dogs (ICODD) launched in 2022.