05/06/2026
A proposito di Kong…
Sono completamente d’accordo con Stu Phillips K9, gli studi rimangono studi e sono importanti per riflettere.
Poi bisogna avere esperienza e conoscenza nella preparazione dei cani da rilevamento.
Conoscere profondamente la discriminazione olfattiva ed i suoi processi, programmare e misurare obiettivi e risultati.
Troppo spesso vedo fare cose “a caso” derivanti da visualizzazioni di video senza comprensioni profonde di quello che si sta facendo.
Il problema è sempre la preparazione del trainer…
𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗴. 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿.
There has been a lot of discussion recently following research and presentations highlighting that Classic Kong toys contain compounds such as decanol, and that this could have implications for detection dog training.
I have read the information with interest, and whilst I welcome scientific research that helps us better understand odour and canine detection, I do not believe this means the detection dog world should suddenly abandon the use of Kong toys.
For many years, handlers and trainers across the world have successfully used Kong as a reward and as part of the early stages of reward development and odour imprinting. I certainly have.
When I assess a new puppy or green dog, I test a variety of rewards, Kongs, tennis balls, tuggies and others to identify what truly motivates that individual dog. Motivation is one of the foundations of successful detection work, and for many spaniels that happens to be a Kong.
My own process uses a simple pairing method. The dog first develops a strong association with the reward item, which is then paired with the target odour. As training progresses, the reward object is gradually removed from the search picture until the dog is working purely for the target odour.
Importantly, I do not simply assume this process is enough. As training advances, Kong itself becomes a distractor. My dogs are expected to ignore operational Kongs and only respond to the target odour. The reward remains the Kong, but the search criterion is the odour.
One important point that I think is often overlooked is that detection dogs are not generally trained to identify a single isolated chemical. They learn a far more complex odour picture made up of multiple volatile compounds. If detection dogs simply alerted on one shared chemical, operational detection would be almost impossible because many everyday substances naturally contain compounds that overlap with target odours.
Likewise, Kong is not unique in carrying its own odour signature. Every training aid does. Tennis balls smell of rubber and adhesives. Leather and jute tugs have their own distinctive odours. Plastic training pots, storage containers, gloves, packaging materials, and even the handlers themselves all contribute odour to the training environment.
The goal of good detection dog training has never been to eliminate every possible background odour, that would be impossible. The goal is to teach the dog to discriminate between the target odour and everything else.
This is no different in principle to many other reward systems that have been used successfully for decades.
A good example is the use of tennis balls. For many years, UK police explosive detection dogs have been rewarded with tennis balls, yet they have also been deployed to search environments where tennis balls are abundant, including major sporting venues such as Wimbledon. The presence of the reward item itself has not resulted in widespread operational problems because properly trained dogs learn to discriminate between reward and target odour.
Over more than two decades of operational work, using Kong-based reward systems, my own dogs have located countless genuine targets in real-world environments whilst working around toys, rubber products, and countless everyday odours without any evidence that they were simply searching for Kong.
For me, the important lesson from this discussion is not that Kong is inherently a problem, but that trainers must fully understand exactly what they are teaching. Good training should include proofing, discrimination work, and the use of reward objects as distractors where appropriate.
Science should encourage us to ask questions and improve our methods. It should never be ignored. But equally, scientific findings must be considered alongside decades of successful operational experience.
I will continue to use Kong in my training because, when used correctly, it remains one of the most effective motivational tools I have found for developing high-performing detection dogs.
Good detection dog training has never been about avoiding every possible contaminating odour. It has always been about teaching the dog to discriminate between what matters and what doesn’t.
In my experience, that remains the hallmark of a truly operational detection dog.
