Noses for Nature: The First Conservation Dog Conference in North America
- Jessica Gatzow
- Apr 3
- 3 min read
Conservation Dogs Collective embarked on a weekend trip to the west coast to celebrate and collaborate on all things conservation detection dogs! The inaugural Noses for Nature Conference brought together humans and dogs with a green nose from across the United States and beyond, and Conservation Dogs Collective is honored to have lent a paw in the planning.
Connecting the Industry
Researchers and conservation dog practitioners and enthusiasts gathered in Santa Paula, California in mid-February where National Disaster Search Dog Foundation hosted us at their canine training grounds. Over 80 presenters, attendees and volunteers joined us from every corner of conservation work. Academia representatives made the trek from the East Coast at State University of New York and University of Florida, and scientists joined from federal programs like the National Park Service and USDA Wildlife Services. Noses for Nature even drew oversea and international attention — Conservation Dogs of Hawaii, Origins Environmental Services in Canada and Puro Perro Dog Training in Costa Rica to name a few.
This opportunity for educators to mingle perked our ears to some exciting projects going on in the world of conservation dogs. We learned about Wisdom of Owls looking to detect pellets of owl species in Illinois, and California's Mussel Dogs inspecting watercraft for invasive quagga, zebra and golden mussels. We also caught up with our longtime friends from Mequon Nature Preserve where Wisconsin’s first conservation dogs help restore prairies and wetlands.
Conservation Dog Curriculum
Conservation Dogs Collective helped New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and Working Dogs for Conservation put together a packed Noses for Nature schedule with over two dozen sessions — lectures, roundtable discussions, campus tours and workshops with fellow working dog demonstrators.
A presentation from Aimee Hurt with Working Dogs for Conservation dove into the history of conservation detection dogs in North America — a reminder that this sub-field of scent detection has come a long way in 30 years! But with the field still in its infancy within the scheme of the broader scientific community, we also took a look forward at how detection dog teams should interact with ecological study designs. Collette Yee with Rogue Detection Teams brought perspective on how wildlife researchers can follow guidance from detection dog teams to design research methodologies that consider the detection methods of Finders and Keepers — that means better data collection and prioritized safety for everyone!
Speaking of safety, presenters shared some tips and tricks to help conservation dog teams be prepared for anything in the field. Those include maintaining a fitness plan to prevent injuries, learning strategies to counter heat stress, building mental stamina, predation substitution training, and going over rescue essentials in the case of a trap or snare encounter. We also explored training strategies for common problematic behaviors — creating a step-by-step plan when learning a target odor, reviewing obedience for recall or emergency stops, and learning how to approach searches that turn up with very few or no targets.
Conference Recordings Available
As field work season kicks into gear, we're wagging our tails with excitement to use this wealth of knowledge in our mission for the betterment of the planet! If you missed the 2025 conference but want to learn more about any of the presentations, recordings are now available for purchase.
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