Dogs Trained To Detect Crop Disease
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Teaching dogs to detect clubroot weeds in canola fields was a challenging project for dog trainer Bill Grimmer. At 71, the owner of Grimmers Canine College used the same training techniques he used for detection of other things - explosives, narcotics, mold, pole rot, cadavers, and fire accelerants, for example.
Clubroot is a soil-borne disease that causes galls – or nodules – on canola plant roots resulting in yield losses. It also affects cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and other high-value crops. They can become infested by equipment traveling between fields. One management tool has been to thoroughly disinfect equipment between fields.
By proving a dog can detect clubroot, Grimmer says there is opportunity for entrepreneurs and industry to offer services to farmers and canola oil companies.
The Shediac, New Brunswick, man began his project last spring at the request of a plant pathologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, paid with a Canadian Agricultural Partnership grant.
Grimmer worked with 3 dogs, an 8-month-old Goldendoodle from a shelter, a 2-year-old German Shepherd that had been trained for tracking, and a Labrador he owned that had been originally trained for narcotics.
Using clubroot roots that were shipped to him, Grimmer and trainer Mario Bourque started the training inside and then took the dogs to the field. They were trained to sit, bark and dig whenever they detected clubroot.
“I only reward the dogs for the right target scent and it eventually becomes habitized,” Grimmer says. “We completed the training in 3 months.”
In October, the trainers flew with the Goldendoodle and German Shepherd to Alberta for trials on 4 fields. They performed the clinical trial demonstration flawlessly.
However, the dogs were distracted the first day in the fields by all the new experiences stressors such as flying, staying at a hotel, gophers, and many people standing around. The dogs settled down the second day and found clubroot and responded as they had been trained.
“Ninety-nine percent of the training work is developing confidence in the dog,” Grimmer says.
The dogs were fitted with GPS collars, and each time they stopped the spot was marked on a map on an iPad.
The dogs also inspected brand new and used equipment and successfully detected areas where clubroot pieces as small as a dime had been placed.
“They found them 100 percent of the time,” Grimmer says.
Thoroughly cleaning heavy machinery is a lengthy and expensive process. But even with the cleaning, they still might not find and remove all of the clubroot.
“If they can sweep equipment with a dog, that’s opened a whole new industry for people to train dogs both for canola and the exploration industry,” Grimmer says. “A dog can cover 100 sq. ft. in a minute, so a day’s work in a field could cover a lot of territory.”
That is much more efficient than sending workers out in the field looking for damaged plants and cleaning equipment every time between fields.
Grimmer says he can train people who want to work with their own dogs or for people who want to start a clubroot detection business.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Grimmers Canine College, 59 Chemin Ohio Rd., Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada E4P 2J8 (ph 506 532-8852; www.grimmer.ca; grimmer@rogers.com).
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Dogs Trained To Detect Crop Disease CROPS New Techniques Teaching dogs to detect clubroot weeds in canola fields was a challenging project for dog trainer Bill Grimmer At 71 the owner of Grimmers Canine College used the same training techniques he used for detection of other things - explosives narcotics mold pole rot cadavers and fire accelerants for example Clubroot is a soil-borne disease that causes galls – or nodules – on canola plant roots resulting in yield losses It also affects cabbage cauliflower broccoli and other high-value crops They can become infested by equipment traveling between fields One management tool has been to thoroughly disinfect equipment between fields By proving a dog can detect clubroot Grimmer says there is opportunity for entrepreneurs and industry to offer services to farmers and canola oil companies The Shediac New Brunswick man began his project last spring at the request of a plant pathologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry paid with a Canadian Agricultural Partnership grant Grimmer worked with 3 dogs an 8-month-old Goldendoodle from a shelter a 2-year-old German Shepherd that had been trained for tracking and a Labrador he owned that had been originally trained for narcotics Using clubroot roots that were shipped to him Grimmer and trainer Mario Bourque started the training inside and then took the dogs to the field They were trained to sit bark and dig whenever they detected clubroot “I only reward the dogs for the right target scent and it eventually becomes habitized ” Grimmer says “We completed the training in 3 months ” In October the trainers flew with the Goldendoodle and German Shepherd to Alberta for trials on 4 fields They performed the clinical trial demonstration flawlessly However the dogs were distracted the first day in the fields by all the new experiences stressors such as flying staying at a hotel gophers and many people standing around The dogs settled down the second day and found clubroot and responded as they had been trained “Ninety-nine percent of the training work is developing confidence in the dog ” Grimmer says The dogs were fitted with GPS collars and each time they stopped the spot was marked on a map on an iPad The dogs also inspected brand new and used equipment and successfully detected areas where clubroot pieces as small as a dime had been placed “They found them 100 percent of the time ” Grimmer says Thoroughly cleaning heavy machinery is a lengthy and expensive process But even with the cleaning they still might not find and remove all of the clubroot “If they can sweep equipment with a dog that’s opened a whole new industry for people to train dogs both for canola and the exploration industry ” Grimmer says “A dog can cover 100 sq ft in a minute so a day’s work in a field could cover a lot of territory ” That is much more efficient than sending workers out in the field looking for damaged plants and cleaning equipment every time between fields Grimmer says he can train people who want to work with their own dogs or for people who want to start a clubroot detection business Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Grimmers Canine College 59 Chemin Ohio Rd Shediac New Brunswick Canada E4P 2J8 ph 506 532-8852; www grimmer ca; grimmer@rogers com
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