A university campus in Northop has hosted the first Great Crested Newt (GCN) Detection Dog Conference and practical training day.
The event was run by Louise Wilson, an internationally renowned detection dog handler and conservation dog trainer from the Conservation K9 Consultancy, based in Wrexham.
Her presentation focused on the complexities of dog selection for this specialist area, drawing upon her extensive experience of working with thousands of dogs both nationally and overseas.
Attendees at the Glyndwr University campus had a unique opportunity to work alongside Louise with their own dogs for an initial assessment of dog/handler performance in a series of odour detection tasks.
The event was fully booked and attended by delegates from multidisciplinary backgrounds, including ecologists, dog trainers, and construction industry consultants based across the UK.
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Angela Winstanley, Senior Lecturer in Animal Studies said: “The day was a huge success and paves the way for future development of courses and accreditation of professionals in collaboration with Conservation K9 Consultancy in this growing area.”
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