The planned scat dog training of Naturschutzhunde aroused great interest. After the training curriculum was completed at the beginning of the year, we were able to invite potential trainees to a first virtual meeting. On the 3rd of March 2021, the first coordination meeting for the training of the scat dog teams took place – known by many as wolf-sniffing dogs.
Please also read: February 2021 News Update
The primary aim was that the 17 interested people from Austria, Germany and South Tyrol could literally sniff each other and the trainers. Who are you? What dog do you have? What have you worked with you dog before? IAs it turns out, not only a great variety of dogs and people were part of the group, but also a lot of previous experience and competence.
We discussed the course of the training and the structure of the theoretical and practical modules in detail. For the time being, we will start with the theoretical parts online and organize practical courses in Austria and Bavaria as soon as possible. The theoretical part will start on the 10th of March 2021 with aOnline-Webinar about „Orientation in the field“.
Scat dogs as a helper in an emergency
The dogs’ sense of smell makes them ideal helpers. If there is a suspicion that a wolf is nearby or even an attack has taken place, sniffer dogs can quickly and efficiently prove the presence, or not, of the wolf. This gives livestock owners clarity without having to wait for DNA analyses. Thus, effective livestock protection measures can be implemented quickly.
And what does it take for a scat dog to be good? On the one hand a well-trained dog, but on the other hand also a well-trained human. The dogs are trained so that they enjoy their work and that they enjoy the different tasks. Motivation is the key. The humans are given the knowledge they need to understand the dog’s sense of smell and how to deal with it properly.
