World's first kauri dieback sniffer dogs are barking up the right trees

Tuesday, 14 June 2022

The world's first team of kauri dieback sniffer dogs have been sharpening their skills.

The first year of trials for a team of kauri dieback sniffing dogs has shown promise as a preventative tool to fight the tree-killing disease.

Originally just a duo, the team now consists of English springer spaniel Pip, jagdterrier Mawhai and Pip’s son, the newest addition, Marty.

Over a year on from the public launch, the dogs have so far passed all their requirements, with setbacks caused only by Covid-19 lockdowns.

The dogs have been training for over a year and, with some trial and error, have laid the blueprint for future generations of kauri dieback detecting dogs.

Full of the enthusiasm that can only be found in dogs, the group were running tests and sharpening their skills on Tuesday morning, like they do most days.

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Marty is the newest addition to the team and is just entering his teenage years.

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Mawhai checks through oat containers to find the one containing the kauri dieback sample.

Biosecurity Advisor Kerryn Johnson said while field work was starting to be introduced, the last year had been great for creating a blueprint for how to best train up-and-coming dogs – as the team is a world first.

She said she was really happy with the results of the team’s first trial.

“Their sensitivity to the target odour is about 70%.”

There aren’t really any tools, if any, for screening goods for kauri dieback – the dogs will be great for that sort of work, Johnson said.

Pip and Mawhai, the more experienced ones in the team, have started some operational work to supplement their training.

As trainers, it could be a little scary working with something that you can’t see, so you really have to have trust in your dogs, she said.

Marty is still in the early stages of training and, just over a year old, is still working through the energy of his teenage years.

His progress has been good, but it will be about a year before he’ll be released into the field, as they have to be able to fully trust the dogs as they head into environments full of native animals, Johnson said.

Four years on from the first closures of sections of the Waitākere Ranges and Hunua area, kauri dieback is still a big threat for New Zealand forest areas.

Reopening of the ranges is expected to take years, as Auckland Council works to combat the disease that starves kauri trees of nutrients and water.