Working Like a Dog

They're only the size of your thumbnail, but Zebra and Quagga mussels could cause irreversible damage to Alberta's waterways. Although these mussels are not native to North America, they can hitch a ride on boats and other watercraft  from areas where they have successfully invaded, such as the Great Lakes and Mississippi Basin. A single female mussel can produce a million eggs in a single year. With no natural predators in Alberta, it wouldn’t take much for these species to get a strong foothold in the ecosystem, with dire consequences for the ecological landscape, the immense irrigation system, and recreational areas of Alberta. The economic impact of such an infestation is estimated to carry a 75 million dollar price tag, annually.

For these reasons, Alberta Environment and Parks is keen to keep Alberta mussel free. A public education campaign highlights the proper protocols when transporting watercraft between provinces, and across the border from Montana. But given the high stakes, mandatory roadside checkstops with trained inspectors have become a key part of preventing an infestation.  It was in talks with the Montana Flathead Basin Commission that Cindy Sawchuk, with Alberta Environment and Parks, was first introduced to the idea of enlisting a new weapon in the fight against these invasive species.

Quagga mussels cover a boat propeller. Photo credit: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Working Dogs for Conservation is a non-profit organization based in Montana that uses dogs for a variety of conservation efforts. For example, their dogs’ ability to detect animal scat has been used for ecological monitoring projects. Orbee, a Border Collie with a piercing high-pitched bark, has been used to assess populations of the endangered (and highly elusive) San Joaquin kit fox. Thanks to his work, the kit fox has gained key protected habitat in the San Joaquin Valley of central California.

Pepin, a golden brown Belgian Malinois, is trained to detect the scat of grizzlies, black bears, mountain lions, and wolves. His skill set was put to test in the rugged terrain of the Centennial Mountains, in Idaho and Montana, which was subsequently identified as a key migratory corridor that linked two larger habitats. The results of this study successfully squashed the development of an 18-hole golf course and residential development that would have disrupted this corridor, and fragmented the habitat of these large-range animals.

Wickett, a black Labrador mix with an expressive set of ears, is one of the most experienced detection dogs in the world. She has been trained to detect over 26 scents, and her nose has been used in over seven countries. Her skills are used, among other things, to take on illegal poaching. She can detect the metal snares that are a key tool of the poaching trade in Africa. Currently working dogs like Wickett are being trained to detect ivory, rhino horns, and illegal bushmeat, among other poached products.

Upon learning of the remarkable feats of these dogs, Sawchuk wondered if they could be enlisted in Alberta’s fight against invasive mussels. In the summer of 2014, she spearheaded a pilot program with Working Dogs for Conservation that enlisted two lead handlers, Aimee Hurt and Ngaio Richards, and working dogs Wickett, Lily, and Orbee to help detect mussels at roadside checkstops.

In trials that compared the working dogs with human inspectors, dogs identified 100% of all boats bearing invasive mussels, while human inspectors missed up to 25% of contaminated watercrafts. Dogs took an average of 3.5 minutes to inspect each watercraft, while it took human inspectors 5.3 minutes. The dogs’ noses are exquisitely sensitive; dogs were able to detect crushed or frozen mussels that made up less than 1.5mL in volume.

Cindy Sawchuk with Hilo. Photo credit: Debra Hamilton, California Department of  Fish and Wildlife. 

The efficiency and efficacy of the working dogs rendered the 2014 summer pilot program a success. Sawchuk was determined for Alberta to have its own dogs to be used in this conservation effort. Each dog must have its own highly trained handler with them at all times. Without hesitation, Sawchuk enlisted herself as a candidate. Hearing Sawchuk describe her new working partner, it’s obvious she is smitten. “He is absolutely gorgeous…he’s a black lab crossed with a golden [retriever].” Hilo is only a year old, which is considered very young for a working dog. Sawchuk reports that he is a great traveller, and has a very mellow and calm demeanor while at work. But she reminds me that despite his benign looks and intensive training, like all working dogs, Hilo is not a pet. Hilo is a workaholic. And when he’s not working, he will find other ways to work off energy. She points out her destroyed patio cushions, and a (formerly) great pair of shoes to illustrate her point.

Sawchuk rewards Hilo with his favourite toy. Photo credit Debra Hamilton, California Department of  Fish and Wildlife. 

The selection process for working dogs is intensive, and the training even moreso. Less than one in a thousand dogs have what it takes to be a working dog. Working dogs are selected based upon the intensity of their “ball drive”-that is, their desire for their ball (or some other toy). Generally such dogs have an incredibly high amount of energy, and are extremely focused on just one thing-their ball. Consequently, they are often too energetic and intense to be a family pet. This is one of the reasons why many working dogs are recruited from animal shelters, and are often considered to be unadoptable.  But experienced working dog handlers know that these dogs have much to offer. Access to their ball becomes their paycheque, and these dogs are very motivated to get paid. In the right hands, such dogs are highly trainable, and have great potential as a working dog.

California Fish and Wildlife operates a Canine Academy, where the dogs destined for the mussel detection program underwent an extremely intensive 140 hours of training. Once the candidate animals were selected, handler and dog were paired together based on their personalities. A suitable match is a key component of the training process. Handlers have to be prepared for these pairings to be switched around if things are not progressing. Sawchuk and Hilo were assigned together on the second day; within a few days, he was spending the nights in her hotel room to help build the bond.

When Sawchuk related her experience to me, it became very clear that as much as the dogs are being trained, so too are the handlers. “…when he’s working, he’s very mellow…. and myself, I’m more energetic and enthusiastic. So I really had to pare down my tone and style and my energy to meet his, while at the same time, keeping him interested”.

Hilo was able to detect a single byssal thread in his training. Byssal threads are the filaments that mussels use to anchor themselves to a substrate, such as a boat propeller, or irrigation pipe. Photo credit: Government of Alberta.

One of the key parts of training begins with imprinting the target scent. Dogs are presented with a series of boxes containing various odours. Only when the target scent is encountered-in this case a jar full of mussels-are the dogs rewarded with their toy. Once the target scent is imprinted, the strength of the scent is slowly diminished. Dogs begin smelling a jar of particularly odiferous dead mussels, and are weaned down to a single live mussel. 

Training facilities at California's Fish and Wildlife Canine Academy. Photo credit: Debra Hamilton, California Department of  Fish and Wildlife. 

Throughout the training process, the dogs will be introduced to a variety of off-target scents that they might encounter in the field-such as motor oil, gasoline, fish bait, food, or even their favourite toy. As well, the scents may be contained within a box, a pipe, a locker, or some other vestibule. Dogs are only rewarded with their toy when they target scent is detected, and ultimately only if the dogs respond to the target scent by sitting down. This ‘passive alert’ indicates to their handler that the target scent has been detected. Eventually, dogs and their handlers are presented with more realistic scenarios, with mussels hidden on watercrafts. 

In addition to the wide variety of tests used to imprint the target scent, there were agility training programs and trust-building exercises. Handlers coax their dogs through dark tubes, around corners, along long steep walls, into wheelbarrows, and ultimately into boats. These trials are designed to help train the animal when they need to climb aboard boats, and to trust their handlers to guide them, further developing their bond.

Now, thanks to Sawchuk, California Fish and Wildlife’s Canine Academy training, and Working Dogs for Conservation, Alberta has welcomed a team of three newly trained dogs - and their handlers - to be a permanent fixture in Alberta Environment and Park’s efforts to prevent an infestation of these invasive mussels. Hilo is joined by Seuss, a German Shepherd, and Diesel, a Chocolate Lab mix. When on duty, the dogs wear bright orange vests, and are fitted with booties to ensure they don't damage boats while hunting for mussels. 

At the time this article was written, the 2015 season has seen over 16,000 boats inspected by the dogs alongside their human inspector counterparts. To date, invasive mussels have been detected on twelve watercrafts. Sawchuk stresses that “if the dog doesn’t find the mussels, it’s the handlers fault. The dogs know how to sniff. If they don’t find it, it’s because we didn’t direct them to the right spots. So when the boat pulls in, I’m looking at the sides of that watercraft, and all the possible places that mussels could hide.” 

Sawchuk is very optimistic about the future of this program, which is the first of its kind in Canada. “Alberta is set up for the most sustainable program that we could possibly have, thanks to California Fish and Wildlife, and Working Dogs for Conservation. We were trained by the best ... and we have the mentorship going forward with them. I feel very fortunate to be connected with them.” 

So if you're hauling watercraft into Alberta during the summer months, you might find yourself being sniffed.  Alberta's mussel dogs are working hard to keep invasive mussels from devastating our irrigation systems, aquatic ecosystems, and recreational areas. And they do it all for the love of their ball. 

Cindy Sawchuk and Hilo meet with Alberta Environment and Parks Minister, Shannon Phillips.