Dogs suspected bedbugs in 166 rooms on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, which resulted in a heat treatment of each regardless of whether bedbugs were actually confirmed.
Four dogs were on campus from Feb. 20 to Feb. 24: two beagles named Tracker and Ricky from Plunkett's Pest Control, a Jack Russell terrier named Milo from Brooks Exterminating Service and a black Labrador named June from Sprague Pest.
Brian Shanks, associate director of Housing Business and Fiscal Operations, said the dogs are able to get through 80 to 100 rooms a day. As of Friday, 2,475 rooms have been searched out of a total of 3,256 rooms on campus.
Each room has received heat treatment in order to get rid of the bugs, even if the room is a false positive.
A false positive is when the dog detects an area where there could be bedbugs present, but none are found after a visual inspection.
"If there's any question, we'll just do it," Shanks said.
Kelly Bartling, UNL news director, said she did not know how many rooms were labeled as a false positive, but confirmed it was happening. Handlers have been able to make visual identification in some cases but not in others, she said.
"At this point, I think we're erring on the side of generosity and confirming that if a dog positively identifies a room, we'll try to get another dog to search the same area to see if it's the same result," Bartling said. "We'll try to make a visual identification. If not, we're tending to lead into going ahead and treating it."
A University of Florida Department of Entomology 2008 study, "Ability of Bed Bug-Detecting Canines to Locate Live Bed Bugs and Viable Bed Bug Eggs," found the dogs were able to discriminate live bedbugs and viable bedbug eggs from dead bedbugs, skins and feces with a 95 percent positive indication rate.
A controlled experiment in hotel rooms was also conducted, where the dogs were 98 percent accurate in locating live bedbugs.
"There's no disputing a dog's ability to smell," said Matt Skogen, the training director at Iron Heart High Performance Working Dogs, in a telephone interview.
Located in Shawnee, Kan., Iron Heart provides many fields of training from police work to bedbug detection. On average, Iron Heart trains and sells 50 to 60 dogs per year for bedbug detection, Skogen said.
To train a dog for bedbug detection, the time varies, Skogen said.
"For me, the training process should take three to six months," he said. "Once the dog is really proficient and he's at a certifiable level, we'll have the handlers attend a one-week training session … to be able to identify behaviors and how to eliminate false positives."
Skogen said the dogs should only be rewarded if they correctly find bedbugs and heat treating a room should only be done if there is a visual confirmation of bedbugs.
"I think a big problem is … my dog alerted and we have to heat treat that room," Skogen said. "It's a complete lack of integrity … We need to confirm that the dog is correct."
On Friday afternoon, one of the dog handlers presented a demonstration of how her dog searches a room.
Lindsey Marker from Sprague Pest Control, out of Salt Lake City, Utah, led June through the commons area between Cather and Pound residence halls.
The black Labrador checked every couch, sticking her nose in the cracks to catch the scent of the hidden bedbug. When she smelled the bedbug, which was in a sealed vial, June pawed at the area.
Marker pulled the vial from couch cushions, handing it over to Shanks before rewarding June with a handful of dog food.
"(Dogs) are a great tool," Marker said. "What she could find in two to five minutes could take me hours to find."
Marker and June, who is 2 1/2 years old, have been partners for six months. Since her certification, June has been back to Florida Canine Academy twice. Marker also had a one-week training session with June.
June's certification is given by the National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association (NESDCA), which puts the dogs and their handlers through a rigorous course to recertify the dogs.
During recertification, the test evaluates not only if the dogs are able to find all the hidden bedbugs, but if the trainers know their dogs well enough to notice behavior changes, Marker said.
Barb Ogg, UNL extension educator, said if a dog is tired or even hungry, it might lie.
"It doesn't do it out of the goodness of its heart," Ogg said. "It happens sometimes, if they're hungry. That's not beyond the realm of possibility."
Marker said if June is off of her game, she would be kenneled in order to regroup.
A dog's accuracy in detecting bedbugs is incredible and trainers are taught to trust their dogs at all times, she said.
"In training, we're taught, ‘This is your tool … trust your dog,'" Marker said.
franniesprouls@dailynebraskan.com
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After bedbugs suspected in 166 rooms, accuracy of dogs is questioned
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