subject: Pest Inspectors' Newest Employees: Termite Sniffing Dogs [print this page] Termite infestations can seriously compromise the structural integrity of a home. It's imperative to hire a qualified building inspector to ensure that none of these crafty creatures are roaming about. Although they are notoriously tough to detect, they're running out of hiding places thanks to the increasing popularity of termite sniffing dogs.
Why Dogs?
Without question, most of us are familiar with the concept of dogs being used to sniff out things like drugs, weapons, missing people and other things. Dogs are adept at performing these tasks because their noses are incredibly sensitive. There's no way to properly convey just how sensitive a dog's nose is when compared with a human nose; generally speaking, their noses can be anywhere from ten to one hundred times more sensitive. With 200 to 250 million scent receptors at work, dogs' noses are truly amazing things - and they are being used with great success in hunting down termite infestations, with an accuracy rate of up to 97%.
Dogs At Work -
Inspectors who choose to put dogs to work on tracking down timber pests in a home work with them to train them properly over a period of time. Different dogs respond better to different kinds of training, but the gist of it is that a reward-based training regimen is generally used. Dogs are taught to detect termites based on their smell, and when they get a "hit," they receive a treat. This provides the motivation that is necessary to make a dog enthusiastic about performing his all-important work. In fact, the reward aspect is so critical that many inspectors bring small, sealed containers of termites along so that the dog is guaranteed to "find" something, no matter what.
Termite-Sniffing Dogs Increase Efficiency -
Pest inspectors have relied on many different tools to detect termite infestations through the years, but few will argue with the fact that the more tools at their disposal, the better. Some homes are easier to inspect for timber pests than others, and termite-sniffing dogs offer one more way for inspectors to increase their efficiency and reduce inspection times. In turn, homeowners often enjoy smaller bills and accuracy rates are vastly improved. The next time you need a pest inspection, don't be surprised if a furry, four-legged friend shows up along with the inspector - and be prepared to be amazed!
