Company Trains Dogs to Detect Bed Bugs

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STEAD, NV - Vigilant Canine Services International has a background in training dogs to detect explosives and narcotics for both the military and law enforcement. So when the company started getting calls from hotels and exterminators to ask whether their dogs could detect bed bugs the handlers got right to work. Despite the fact that this is a new service for the company, owner and CEO Buck Dikes says it was not a difficult process.

"We imprint the odor of live bed bugs through the normal imprinting process that we've used for our bomb dogs and our drug dogs for many years," he says.

That's right, they use real bed bugs to teach the dogs how to find the scent. The handlers are sent in to random rooms, some of which have bed bugs, while the others are blanks. VCSI trainer Steve Holidy says the dog will make it clear when it has found its mark.

"The dog will have a change of behavior, which could be a change in breathing or body posture. What we would like is for the dog to go into a sitting position to pinpoint where the bugs are," he says.

According to Dikes, VCSI is the only company in northern Nevada to offer this kind of service. It can be beneficial to not only homeowners, but hotels, hospitals and day cares as well. It also makes life a little easier for exterminators. Dikes says early detection is very important because it means reducing the bed bug population.

"These bed bugs are hiding in walls and in carpets. They sleep during the day and come out at night to feed. So, to find them is difficult at times," he says.

The handlers at VCSI say that in addition to training their own dogs they can also train your dog how to detect bed bugs.

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Company Trains Dogs to Detect Bed Bugs

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