Authors: Pascalle E.M. Roulaux, Claudia M. Vinke & Saskia S. Arndt

Scent detection dogs remain unmatched by technology and are therefore indispensable for several professional tasks. However, the characteristics that determine their suitability for those tasks are understudied. We aimed to assess such characteristics by comparing 116 detection dogs of 73 professional dog handlers to a control group of 24 recreational detection dogs of 23 civilian dog owners, using a standardized and pretested interview set-up. The participants indicated how their dog scored on a standardized list of 24 possible working dog characteristics and additionally 25 behavioural statements. Principle Component Analyses allowed us to reduce data and find components of relevant working dog characteristics and behaviour, which we then compared between the professional detection dogs and the control group of recreational scent detection dogs. Of the six components found for the working dog characteristics, three differed significantly between the professional and recreational detection dogs. Recreational detection dogs scored lower than professional working dogs on the components capturing ‘environmental imperturbability’ and ‘energy, impulsivity and neuroticism’, and higher on the component capturing ‘handler orientation’. Of the six components found for the behavioural statements, two differed significantly. Recreational detection dogs scored lower on the component capturing ‘search motivation’ and higher on the component capturing ‘disrupted search behaviour’. Our approach requires further validation, though the found components and differences between the study groups imply the inclusion of relevant characteristics and behavioural statements to determine professional working dog suitability.