08/01/2026
This video marks the culmination of our research project on the canine detection of a root-infecting fungus, conducted in collaboration with a laboratory. It presents the protocol, tools, and preparation stages that preceded detection in real-world conditions.
The dog’s olfactory potential has always been extraordinary. What has changed dramatically is the way we train, observe, and understand canine decision-making. More precise tools, better-structured protocols, and systematic data collection now allow us to limit certain biases, compare repetitions, and analyze the dog’s work far more objectively.
We incorporated into our own methodology several tools and approaches developed by friends and colleagues who continue to move the canine detection field forward:
The SciK9 TADD®️ system, which provides controlled odor presentation while minimizing contamination of the training sample; the ACT! Smart Wheel and its app, developed by Simon Prins, which record the dog’s investigations and turn them into usable data; and the guidance of Paul Bunker, who advised us on sample collection and helped us better understand the specific challenges associated with buried targets - accessible through his book: The Detection of Buried Targets by Canines.
At CaniOps, our role is not simply to bring these different pieces of equipment together. It is to integrate them into a coherent methodology built around a specific research question: structuring the imprinting process, controlling variables, adapting progression to the individual dog, organizing the testing process, and interpreting the resulting data.
This project also reflects a field that moves forward through shared knowledge. Thank you to SciK9, Simon Prins, and Paul Bunker, as well as all the researchers, designers, trainers, and handlers who continue to test, measure, question established practices, and share their experience.
Together, we are doing more than improving training. We are learning to better understand the true superpower of canine olfaction and to unlock even more of our dogs’ extraordinary potential.
