Multipurpose labrador detector dogs join front line
Multipurpose labrador detector dogs, trained
especially for both passive and active
quarantine risk screening operations,
are being introduced at Australia’s international
airports, mail centres and
cargo facilities.
Phasing in the larger and more versatile labradors signals
a move away from the
highly recognisable and iconic beagles, which have been
working diligently in
airports around the country since 1992.
The
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry carried out a successful pilot
program in Brisbane in 2010 of training and deploying multipurpose dogs to
carry out
specific responses to target material in all passenger, mail and
cargo environments.
Active responses by detector dogs are essential for
screening in mail centres and
cargo facilities, allowing the dogs to quickly
and accurately identify target material
among many packages, often on a
moving conveyor belt. Passive responses are
needed for airports and cruise
vessel passenger terminals, where dogs are trained to
sit beside a passenger
or baggage containing detector dog target material.
Matt Holloway, the
National Program Manager for the Mail and Detector Dog
Program, said there
were 22 passive Labradors working in airports around the
country with a
further 10 currently in training. All these dogs have the capacity to be
converted to multipurpose dogs.
“Because the labrador breed generally
possesses both a strong food drive and a
strong retrieve drive we are able
to exploit both drives to maintain environmentally
specific responses,” Mr
Holloway said. “This characteristic makes them highly
suitable as
multipurpose dogs”.
“Multipurpose detector dogs will deliver a greater
operational return through
exploiting the mobility, flexibility and
adaptability of the labrador breed,” he said.
Two multipurpose labradors are
already working in Brisbane and there are plans to
introduce two more before
the end of the year, in addition to a broader rollout in
Sydney, Melbourne
and Perth.
From Pet Industry News.
