Henry and Daisy are more than a couple of cute pooches — they’ve been trained to do a very important job.
As sniffer dogs, they are tasked with detecting invasive plant species, and for the first time they have their sights — and scents — set on a weed known as Chinese violet.
These two detection canines have undergone extensive training to locate the invasive weed in bushland, with infestations in the Hunter, North Coast and Greater Sydney regions.
Chinese violet has been found in Port Stephens, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, and it’s a state priority to stop it from spreading.
“It’s a really fast growing, low perennial scrambler and it’s got a little purple flower that looks a little bit like a violet, hence its name,” Lake Macquarie Council natural assets coordinator Dominic Edmonds said.
“It’s able to really smother and outcompete native plants and crops, which makes it difficult for them to grow and thrive.
“It can also reduce food and shelter for native animals.”
Also found in backyards, the weed can smother garden plants and lawns, as well as compete with crops like soybeans, vegetables, tea trees and cut flowers.
After a similar program found success with sniffer dogs detecting parthenium weed, a new trial got underway.
The dog’s elite sense of smell can detect a single specimen in a large area and do so with minimal impact on the environment.
Naiomi Finlayson is a conservation dog handler and trainer with Indago Environmental, a specialist detection dog company.
She works with dogs like Henry, a three-year-old border collie, who knows it’s time to get to work when he wears his high-vis vest.
Henry has learned how to pick up the scent of Chinese violet in any location, but it took a lot of work.
“We start somewhere he’s very familiar with, where he knows all the scents, and we introduce Chinese violet to that space as a unique scent,” Ms Finlayson said.
“At that point, any interest the dogs show in the scent is heavily rewarded.”
Trainers then increase the complexity of the environment, so the dogs learn to find the weed in any location.
Final line of detection
Daisy, an 11-month-old cocker spaniel, is also trained to detect Chinese violet.
She’s been involved in scent detection since she was 12 weeks old.
