I've just came back from a seminar of dog handlers/trainers from all over Australia and met a guy who trains dogs to find termites. In his presentation he mentioned his previous line of work which was using dogs to survey mine fields in Mozambique and anti poaching patrols in Zimbabwe, with dogs. Great stuff. Interesting to hear about his work on the anti poaching patrols as thats sort of what I do (Not poachers but track down enemy soldiers)Some good storys came out over a few bourbons at night and we even managed to show this Zimbabwean how us Aussies can drink (he wasn't a well dog handler the next day )

It's neat to see all the ways people get on in the world. I wonder who first thought of dogs for mines? Sensible when you think about it, but who'd think about it?

I know what you mean about Aussies and drinking. I invited a boatload to go water skiing one time down in Texas. We ran out of beer, which was a first for that boat. I had two livewells full of beer as well as two coolers when we started. We watched the moon rise and set. Skiied all night.

I took vacation the next day -- I think they went to work!

The department I work for currently has four dogs. Our first German Shepard had a huge play drive when he was younger. He was very good at finding things that didn't fit the enviroment when told to, like a purse or gun left laying in the woods. His first dope hit was from a roach left in an ashtray and he was outside the car.



Our bomb dog is a lab and she'll indicate on expended cartridge brass laying in the grass from the smell of the powder residue.



It's amazing what scents we humans miss out on



Aussies and beer and Texans and more beer, sounds like a real chance for debauchery. Glad I missed it.

Rick

Bakes,

Apparently research is going on (and is being successful)at "conditioning" rats to find mines. Its seem its relatively easy to condition rats to associate the scent from mines/explosives with food and even with adult caught wild rats, this can be done in only a few weeks. They are supposedly better at it than either dogs or pigs.

Another research project is doing something similar with honey bees and again at least in concept is working...

The next and I guess more difficult step is how to use these traits practicially in the field.

Regards,

Pete

Sorry, Pete, I have a lab that's essentially my 4th daughter, but I can't see getting that kind of working relationship with rats or bees!

I guess if they are looking for land mines that would be a good thing -- in case they find one....

Don,



I had a mate who was a EOD dog handler in Northern Ireland during the height of the Troubles. He had a ESS bitch which he was very close to, she having saved his life at least once before by finding various PIRA bomb's and explosives ect.



On one operation they had cordened off a remote derelict farmhouse.



The security forces were pretty sure that it was a "come-on" by PIRA ie a ploy to get the security forces to the area to be ambushed/attacked. In a lot of cases, where possible, the best solution was deemed to do nothing and force PIRA to making a move. This is what the did at the farm house. After several days more reports of hidden arms were recieved and as the area seemed "cold" they decided o go in. Once the operation was under way, they came to a point where they wanted to put my mates dog into the building to check it out; it was deemed the best thing rather than risking a soldiers life. After a survey, the guy decides to use a downstairs window for entery instead of the more obvious front or back doors. The plan is approved by the brass on the ground and he dissapears to send his dog in...Nothing happens for a couple of minutes, then the front door opens and he is standing there inside!



Seems he would not risk his dog so went in himself! As it happend it was a hoax, but he was not to know that..and he got a serious "official" dressing down off his CO, but was told off the record that he knew how he felt as the CO himself was a Lab man



Regards,



Pete

Never ask a subordinate to do what you won't!

The hardest thing we and other dog users have found is convincing the brass that the dogs are the best tool for the job. They seem to think that a piece of equipment costing $500,000 is better that a dog at detection things. Happily they are proven wrong time after time.