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      Using Scent Detection Dogs in Conservation Settings: A Review of Scientific Literature Regarding Their Selection

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          Abstract

          Dogs are widely used for scent detection work, assisting in searches for, among other things, missing persons, explosives, and even cancers. They are also increasingly used in conservation settings, being deployed for a range of diverse purposes. Although scent detecting dogs have been used in conservation roles for over 100 years, it is only recently that the scientific literature has begun to document their effectiveness and, importantly, how suitable dogs should initially be selected by organizations wanting to develop a detection program. In this paper, we review this literature, with the aim of extracting information that might be of value to conservation groups considering whether to invest in the use of dogs. We conclude that selection of appropriate dogs is no easy task. While olfactory ability is critical, so also are a range of other characteristics. These include biological, psychological, and social traits. At present, no validated selection tools have been published. Existing organizations have adapted selection instruments from other contexts for their use, but very little published information is available regarding the effectiveness of these instruments in a conservation setting. In the absence of clear guidelines, we urge those wanting to invest in one or more dogs for conservation purposes to proceed with extreme caution and, preferably, under the watchful eyes of an experienced professional.

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          A ‘components’ model of addiction within a biopsychosocial framework

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            The need for a new medical model: a challenge for biomedicine.

            The dominant model of disease today is biomedical, and it leaves no room within tis framework for the social, psychological, and behavioral dimensions of illness. A biopsychosocial model is proposed that provides a blueprint for research, a framework for teaching, and a design for action in the real world of health care.
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              Human-like social skills in dogs?

              Domestic dogs are unusually skilled at reading human social and communicative behavior--even more so than our nearest primate relatives. For example, they use human social and communicative behavior (e.g. a pointing gesture) to find hidden food, and they know what the human can and cannot see in various situations. Recent comparisons between canid species suggest that these unusual social skills have a heritable component and initially evolved during domestication as a result of selection on systems mediating fear and aggression towards humans. Differences in chimpanzee and human temperament suggest that a similar process may have been an important catalyst leading to the evolution of unusual social skills in our own species. The study of convergent evolution provides an exciting opportunity to gain further insights into the evolutionary processes leading to human-like forms of cooperation and communication.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                URI : http://frontiersin.org/people/u/307744
                URI : http://frontiersin.org/people/u/386016
                URI : http://frontiersin.org/people/u/314161
                Journal
                Front Vet Sci
                Front Vet Sci
                Front. Vet. Sci.
                Frontiers in Veterinary Science
                Frontiers Media S.A.
                2297-1769
                28 October 2016
                2016
                : 3
                : 96
                Affiliations
                [1] 1Anthrozoology Research Group, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University , Bendigo, VIC, Australia
                Author notes

                Edited by: Cynthia M. Otto, University of Pennsylvania, USA

                Reviewed by: Craig A. Schultz, Federal Bureau of Investigation, USA; Aimee Hurt, Working Dogs for Conservation, USA

                *Correspondence: Pauleen C. Bennett, pauleen.bennett@ 123456latrobe.edu.au

                Specialty section: This article was submitted to Veterinary Humanities and Social Sciences, a section of the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science

                Article
                10.3389/fvets.2016.00096
                5083854
                26858953
                f20e79dd-f5b1-40d5-a41c-08659cabfe5b
                Copyright © 2016 Beebe, Howell and Bennett.

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

                History
                : 29 January 2016
                : 12 October 2016
                Page count
                Figures: 0, Tables: 1, Equations: 0, References: 75, Pages: 13, Words: 10473
                Categories
                Veterinary Science
                Review

                conservation,detection dog,olfaction,scent,biopsychosocial,scat,wildlife,selection

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