Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Detection / Identification of bed bugs
Dog inspections – debris vials
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jrbtnyc
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Feb 18 2011 0:12:13
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It's frequently pointed out that dog inspections, to be valid, should include the handler visually confirming each K9 alert. Otherwise the K9, if incompletely trained, may just be earning his treat by barking/pawing/sitting where there are no bb's.
Is it also generally agreed the handler should have one or more vials of live bugs to place in known locations during the search as a control to verify the dog finds them.
I'd like to propose something additional that should be standard in my view, and ask for comments: the handler should also have one or more vials of dead bb's and eggs, and bb fecal matter, and bb cast skins, to place in known locations during the inspection as a negative control to verify the dog *does not* alert to them.
In fact I think people hiring dog companies should acquire, if possible, vials of bb debris to place in known locations in their homes/offices/etc. to verify the dog does not alert to them. The handler wouldn't know the locations of the debris vials, as a safeguard against inadvertently prejudicing the K9.
Unlike vials of live bugs, the debris vials would be safe for laypersons to handle.
Maybe the dog company could send such vials to their customer a day or so before the planned inspection; or could hand such vials to their customer just before the beginning of the inspection and give the customer a few minutes to hide the vials in locations in the home/office/etc. that are unknown to the handler.
The debris vials should be placed in locations which the customer can easily, thoroughly inspect just before the K9 inspection to assure no live bugs are in those locations, only the debris vials. Then if the dog alerts to any of those locations, it will be decisive proof the dog is alerting inappropriately, to the debris.
To me it wouldn't seem excessive that dog companies should expect this kind of being-held-honest, given how expensive their services are and also, given how expensive it is for their customers to treat unnecessarily if the dog incorrectly alerts to areas which have bb debris but no live bb's.
Has anyone heard of dog companies that include debris vial placement as regular procedure? Or is there some reason why this would be counterproductive or unnecessary?
For instance, have the companies found by experience it's easy and reliable to train dogs to never, ever alert to debris? (I for one would be skeptical if they told me that's the case.)
Do the companies already use debris vials in the regular training of their animals?
Supposedly if the handler is visually confirming alerts to make sure they're to live bugs, that should mitigate the worry that the dog might be alerting to debris. But sometimes, for example in a cluttered area or in an area where bugs are located high on a wall or whatever so the K9 can't pinpoint its alert to them, visual confirmation by the handler may be impractical even though live bugs are indeed present.
Therefore I for one, if paying for a K9 inspection, would feel more comfortable to have ongoing proof the dog doesn't alert to debris.
I'm intending to call some dog companies and ask their views on this, but would appreciate any opinions here as well.
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oldtimer
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Feb 18 2011 5:15:46
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Really bad idea, adding bed bug "debris" to the search area is only going to add bed bug related VOCs (scent) to the room that will hinder the search... The issue isn't incompletely trained dogs... It is a lack of quality control provided by visual identification
Problems with a K9 teams are usually due to issues with the handling practices.
It is not generally agreed that a K9 handler should bring vials of live bed bugs into a job site... That is typically a PepeDog practice.
Bringing live bed bugs into a building can have catastrophic results both real and imagined... Ever hear of a handler being accused of planting bed bugs on a job or being accused of inadvertently causing an infestation in a residence?
If a company regularly brings live specimens into a building,... How do you prove that bugs can't escape from the vial and create an infestation?
Performing a search with vials of live bed bugs in one's pocket is an indication of a poorly trained K9 handler... It is the equivalent of wearing a cologne made from marijuana and performing a search with a drug dog.
The appropriate time to utilize vials of dead bed bugs and feces is during training or during an odor recognition test... The best way to verify a K9 alert in the field is to break out a flashlight and identify the bed bugs with a visual inspection.
If the visual inspection leads us to evidence of live bed bug activity... why would we want to play games of hide and seek with vials of dead bugs which will only add bed bug scent to the room?
This is an extremely counterproductive practice, if you are truly interested in an accurate inspection as opposed to paying a K9 team to perform your own personal research into K9 olfactory capabilities.
Some NYC K9 handlers perform a demonstration with a vial of live bugs... then fail to make any attempt to visually identify the source of their K9s alert... This is a sloppy handling practice that produces unreliable results... Finding vials of live or dead bed bugs is not a substitute for performing a manual search.
I don't have time to get into all of the technical aspects of how a K9 can discriminate between live and dead bed bugs, but I can tell you that there is a lot of overlap in the scent picture...
Deliberately adding dead bugs to the room is a really bad idea... if a high level of accuracy is your goal.
You don't clean a luggage room at the airport with hydrogen peroxide before bringing in a bomb detection K9 because H2O2 is a potential bomb component... Same principle applies for a bed bug detection dogs.
I'll send a PM with my contact info, if you want to explore the issues in depth on the phone.
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rs1971
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Joined: Oct '10
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Feb 18 2011 12:32:46
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DougSummersMS - 7 hours ago »
It is not generally agreed that a K9 handler should bring vials of live bed bugs into a job site... That is typically a PepeDog practice.It's funny you should mention that. When I had my inspection the handler had a vial with, if I recall correctly, a single live bug. I remember being surprised and wondering why it's presence wouldn't confuse the dog, but I was in the middle of about a dozen things when she was here so I didn't bother to ask. I should also mention that this was a service which you once singled out as being, in your opinion, particularly good.
-rs1971
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oldtimer
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Feb 18 2011 19:31:19
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Common handler error... It is important to maintain security for a vial of live bugs, but carrying them is not the best practice for the reasons that I outlined in my earlier comment.
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toledo
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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Feb 18 2011 20:51:45
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If the visual inspection leads us to evidence of live bed bug activity... why would we want to play games of hide and seek with vials of dead bugs which will only add bed bug scent to the room?
Because most handlers DON'T find anything or in my case, they alert, but DON'T make an effort to verify anything the dog finds.
My handler bragged about being able to find even a single bed bug so I tried this with a live bed bug and the dog failed the test. First the handler tried to tell me that the dog couldn't smell through the plastic sandwich bag, so I captured the bug on a piece of Scotch tape and hid it behind a throw pillow, in a room that had already received the "all clear". When the dog came back in the room, he alerted at three other pieces of furniture, before alerting at the fourth and final piece. I was not impressed.
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