S7 E14 You can’t do that…” “Watch me!”

When you dream of chimpanzees, you go through a vodka bar, even if you’re alcohol intolerant, and somehow end up working in conservation. What a journey!Maybe you can read your dog like a book… but not without 24 years of experience.Ross and Lez both joined the conversation thinking that perhaps a new career, or at least a new hobby, might be on the cards. By the end of it? Not a chance.Louise’s immaculate appearance, although sadly we can’t see her, rather defies the reality of a working life spent being dragged through wetlands by dogs, flying in helicopters and keeping a freezer full of scat.The conversation gets fascinating when Louise explains scent, discrimination and the indication of different scent types. You can’t learn this “scat” from a book. You have to experience it, learn it, live it and breathe it. Louise knows her dogs and can spot the subtle indications given by multi scent trained detection dogs.She talks about her courses and dispels some of the romance surrounding the idea of working with conservation dogs. This is serious work, requiring an extraordinary level of commitment, knowledge and understanding.Louise is a truly international worker, making waves across conservation projects around the world.And then there’s newt detection… Jeez. The commitment involved in dealing with changing owners, changing environments and changing scent pictures for the dogs is something else.Who knew newts could be two metres underground… or in a tree?!Water voles. Otters. Cadaver dogs. Buried pigs. Bat carcasses…It’s all glamour!How do you train through emotional responses to scent? What are the best breeds? And could a rescue dog that simply needs a job become a conservation detection dog?We finish, appropriately, with pine marten poo.Louise is nothing short of amazing. An incredibly knowledgeable, passionate and entertaining guest with a career that proves just how extraordinary dogs, scent and the people who work with them can be.A must listen episode.