The use of bed bug sniffing dogs in detecting and treating bed bugs at home is not as popular as other methods. But it is one of the most effective and less expensive methods of dealing with bug infestations.
Over time, dogs have been trained to detect many things: bombs, carcasses, drugs, termites, etc. So it is not a surprise that in recent times, they are trained to detect a bed bug scent without seeing the pest.
Through canine bed bug inspection, you can know if you have as little (in number) as just one bug hiding behind your appliances without having them moved.
Without lifting your bed, you can be able to tell if a bug is hiding under it or not.
READ: Herbs That Keep Dogs Away
You don’t have to remove the entire carpet to check if there’s one or two; bed bug detection dogs take away all that stress.
Are Bed Bug Sniffing Dogs Accurate?
Ninety-five percent of the time, yes! These dogs are professionally trained to the point they can effectively detect the presence of a bed bug behind a wall, in a pile of clothes, etc., even if there’s just one bedbug there.
They have trained following the National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association (NESDCA) guidelines. Once they meet the standard set by NESDCA, they are certified and listed on the agency’s official website www.nesdca.com. NESDCA also sees to it that bed bug sniffing dog training facilities and handlers abide by the high standards set by the organization.
Due to their training, the majority of the time, bed bug sniffing dogs are very accurate. However, there are times when false positives do occur. False positives here mean that the dog signals a bed bug where there is none.
Such a situation does not always happen. And when it does, it is primarily due to body parts or dead eggs from a previously treated infestation remaining in the corner of the room.
The average canine bed bug inspection accuracy is around 97%, excluding false positives.
Certain studies have also established that the probability of canine detection was not associated with the level of bed bug infestations.
What Breeds Of Dogs Sniff Bed Bugs?
While some argue that dogs can be trained to detect bed bugs, others say that certain breeds perform better.
Based on our findings, the breeds of dogs widely used for bed bug detection are Belgian Malinois, Beagles, and Labrador Retrievers. These breeds have from 225 million to 300 million scent receptors in their nose, while most dogs have about 150 million.
That is the primary reason the breeds mentioned above perform far better than the others in detecting bed bugs after training.
Do Bed Bug Detection Dogs Sniff The Eggs?
Yes, they do. During training, the dogs are taught to detect them like live bed bugs. They are also trained to see all stages of the pests, including their dead bodies, shell, etc. They can smell the eggs inside mattresses, pillows, under the bed, in corners and crevices of the room, etc.
How Do You Know When The Dogs Have Detected Bed Bugs?
The dogs are professionally trained to give out signals to the handler when they detect a bed bug in a particular place. Those signals include baring, sitting down in a specific spot, or pawing.
If you are focused, it will be easy to notice and work with these signals.
-
Handling False Positives
Sometimes the dogs can signal that there are bed bugs in a place where there are none. These are known as false positives.
Sometimes, a bed bug can be right within a distance, and the dogs will fail to detect it. These are known as false negatives. Although this rarely happens, you need to learn the factors that always lead to this and how to handle it. That way, the rate at which they occur will be significantly reduced. (Read on).
The ability of a dog to detect a bed bug can be affected by several things. One of them is the smell of other things around it.
Strong smells in a room where bed bug canine inspection is to be carried out can affect the accuracy of the result. Strong odors like the smell of food from the kitchen can distract the dog, causing it to miss one or two bedbugs it could have easily detected.
Also, the presence of tools and tapes that were used in the treatment of an infestation can cause dogs to give out the signal that there is a bed bug where there is none.
To prevent these two situations, here are a few things to do:
- Do all the cooking hows before the canine inspection begins.
- Avoid the use of detergents with a pungent smell while the review is still going on.
- Do away with anything that will distract the dog in terms of sounds. Sound from music, movies, etc., can cause the dogs some distractions and make them miss a bed bug.
- As the handler, you need to pay real attention to the dog to avoid missing a signal it may give to you about bed bugs in a particular area.
- If possible, use more than one dog per time for more accurate results. You can also confirm the signals you received from the dogs before going on with the extermination process.
- Ensure that the dogs are properly trained and certified to handle the type of bed bug inspection job you need them to take.
How To Train Your Dogs To Detect Bed Bugs At Home
Bed bug sniffing dogs can help save you from lots of expenses. They can help you avoid spending too much money on expensive equipment for bed bug detection.
They can also help you identify and treat an infestation while it is still early. Though there are several of them available in the markets, you can train yours at home to perform the same function.
Before showing you how to train your dog to detect bed bugs, let me inform you that training your dog for this is not an easy task. It will require lots of effort, time, and patience. It’s not a one-time thing; you would have to do it over and over before your dog can be truly ready for it.
However, the training is worth it. Because once your dog is good at it, you have much to gain.
Below is a step-by-step on how to do that.
You will need five containers (live bed bugs will be placed in 3 of them later), a reward for your dog, and live bed bugs.
Steps
- Place the live bed bugs in 3 out of the five bedbugs and leave the other two empty or place dead bed bugs in them.
- Allow your dog to sniff the containers with live bed bugs and those with open bed bugs.
- Afterward, reward the dog with anything you know it will like, and it sniffs the two containers again.
- Take the dog outside the room and hide all the containers. This shouldn’t be very difficult to find at first. You can scatter them across the room, behind electrical appliances or cushions.
- Ask your dog to “find the containers.” If it figures out where the ones with the live bed bugs are, reward with whatever you know the dog likes. If it finds the empty ones or the ones with dead bed bugs, ask it to keep going but don’t reward him with anything.
- The more it finds the containers with the bed bugs, the more reward you give to it.
- Repeat that several times a day using different rooms and containers. The more you keep doing this, the more the dog will learn to recognize the scents of live bed bugs.
Note: While doing this, you must ensure the bed bugs are inside one container. Do not mistake placing them on your mattress or cushion and asking your dog to find them.
To avoid some of them escaping and getting deep inside the mattress.
In the beginning, it will look like it won’t work. There’s no way your dog can perfectly master the differences between a live bed bug scent and a dead one. But as you keep practicing, it will eventually learn.
Bed Bug Sniffing Dogs Cost
If you do not have the time to train your dog to identify live bugs, you can buy or hire the one that professionals have already taught.
How much does a bed bug sniffing dog cost?
Presently, the price for a well-trained bed bug sniffing dog starts from $7,500. Depending on the size, age, and location. It can be far costlier than that.
You can also hire one for use at home. Presently, the hourly rate for them starts from $325.
Should You Go For Canine Bed Bug Inspection?
From our discussions, giving this bed bug detection method a chance can be a great idea. However, the choice is still yours to make.
Carefully consider all we have explained in this article, and then do whatever you feel is best.
In Conclusion
Bed bug sniffing dogs are gaining much popularity among homeowners in recent times. While some are still wondering how effective they are, others are already using them to detect and eliminate bed bugs at home, in hotels, etc.
Are you searching for bug-sniffing dogs? I hope you find this helpful information.