Army Study Evaluates Use of Dogs in COVID-19 Detection

Scientists at the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center are partnering with the University of Pennsylvania and various canine training facilities to continue research on how canines can aid in the fight against COVID-19 and other chemical biological threats as reported by Jerilyn Coleman of the U.S DEPT OF DEFENSE.

A team of researchers led by Dr. Patricia Buckley, supervisory biologist and chief of the Center's Biochemistry Branch, recently began phase two of this proof-of-concept study to determine if dogs can be trained to detect the odor of COVID-19 from human sweat.

Center scientists say these dogs are able to detect a COVID-positive person days before a rapid test can. ''We're harnessing that scent-detection capability and figuring out how far we can take their limits of detection,'' said Jenna Gadberry, a research scientist at the center. ''So far, the levels they have been able to detect have been astounding.''

Funded by the Defense Department's Domestic Preparedness Support Initiative, this research is a collaborative effort that includes the center, University of Pennsylvania's Penn Vet Working Dog Center and Tactical Directional Canine (TDK9) Systems. Scientists at the center work together to take on research compliance, communicate with dog trainers, crunch data, and create test plans. The University of Pennsylvania serves as the sample collection hub to set up the clinical trial. The university obtains institutional review board approval to collect the clinical human samples and TDK9 and Penn Vet Working Dog Center conduct the canine detection training.

In the fall of 2020, the team of collaborators completed phase one of the study, which involved collecting human COVID-19 positive and negative urine and saliva specimens. Phase two required volunteer participants to wear a T-shirt overnight and send it to the University of Pennsylvania where the shirt would serve as the training aid sample for the dogs to sniff. Participants were required to have an accompanying COVID-19 test to verify whether they were positive or negative for the virus. Though this was a long and tedious process, center scientists say that it was worth it. ''It took longer than we anticipated, but we were fortunate to get lots of wonderful volunteers who offered to help us,'' said Dr. Michele Maughan, center research scientist.

Having collected samples from the shirts, the team will now analyze the data from the T-shirts and put the dogs to the test using a Center-developed tool called the Training Aid Delivery Device. According to Dr. Kelley Evans, center veterinary medical officer, ''The T-shirt study is going to prove if the dogs can detect those volatile organic compounds in sweat and determine if a person is asymptomatic for COVID-19.''

The detection dogs were selected based on a number of criteria, one being how motivated they were to sniff out the COVID-19 odor. According to Pat Nolan, owner and operator of TDK9, they had to find dogs excited and motivated enough to find the volatile organic compound odor but simultaneously focused enough to do the work. Eight dogs were chosen at the beginning of the project and have moved on to phase two. There are seven Labrador retrievers and one Belgian Malinois between ages 2 and 7. The dogs come from all over the United States, and there's even a dog from Mexico.

The center's team is excited about the major impact that this research could have in the fight against COVID-19, but they're also hopeful that it will positively impact the warfighter by detecting biological threats beyond the pandemic. ''The way that we've been posing this capability to folks is not necessarily a COVID-19 detection capability; it's a biological threat detection capability,'' said Gadberry. ''We know that this isn't going to be the last time we see some sort of a virus or pandemic, but we're demonstrating the ability for dogs to be able to find a positive person or threat. We can take what we learn from the dogs to actually apply it to some of our handheld detectors or laboratory detection systems. They're able to detect far different elements at this point in time than our laboratory equipment can.''

Scientists at the center hope to use the canine capability in settings where large groups of people gather, including large ships, training environments and events such as the U.S. Military Academy graduation. ''Utilizing this capability would be good for the Army in many ways, especially whenever they have large-area exercises or a large number of people who have to be congregated in one place. We're looking to see if we could have a way to promote the safety of warfighters in large gatherings by screening while they're in that element,'' Buckley said.

For more information, visit the DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center website. https://www.cbc.devcom.army.mil/about-us/

WHAT DOES A DOG'S SOUNDS AND VOCALIZATIONS MEAN?

 

Just like amongst humans, vocalizations and sounds in dogs are a way of interaction and communicating. What makes things complicated is that every different dog vocalizations may sound very similar, if not totally identical, to us humans, yet might mean opposite things.

If we are greeting someone for the first time, depending on the situation, there are a variety of responses and tones we will possibly use. Most often, unconsciously. If your dog feels intimidated or outshone, or threatened in some way by this new individual (dog or human), its response may underline apprehension, shyness, fear or aggression and hostility.

Dog sounds are emitted by a pet to be understood . Such dog vocalizations can be made to scare an unwelcome visitor, for example, or to display amusement during playtime.

By working toward an understanding of why a dog makes a certain sound, it is possible to process their communication on an almost human level. It takes a lot of time, and what was learned with one dog will differ with another, but the day you understand what your dog’s sounds mean, you will be fulfilled.

Historically, dogs were used for guard purposes but in modern society this need is reduced and with it, the ability for humans to understand as easily the message a dog is trying to convey when it expresses itself through vocalization.

The ability of the human ear to perceive changes in tone and process them, but it’s easier for us to do it with fellow humans than with dogs. We do not really know what is a dog’s vocabulary or what would be the equivalent to a word. Often, when people hear dog sounds, the tone or underlying context is lost, we simply focus on the sound. And we should not!

HOW K9 SECURITY SERVICE CAN PROVIDE PEACE OF MIND AND BOOST PRODUCTIVITY

 Many people take safety and security for granted until they are faced with a breach or threat. Whether or not your facility has experienced a recent incident, many employees value the peace of mind that comes with an on-site security team. Staff members who work on large properties or take evening shifts can be even more vulnerable, particularly if they work in isolation.

K9  patrols have the added benefit of boosting employees’ sense of safety and business owners and facility managers can often utilize K9 security patrol services to protect their assets. 

Here are a few of the hidden benefits of K9 security patrol services for commercial properties.

Let Your Staff Stay On Track

When employees are constantly dealing with trespassers and vandals, they can get distracted from their primary responsibilities. K9 security patrol officers take the burden of physical security away from your other staff members, allowing them to focus on their work you’re paying them for.

Consider K9 Security Patrol for Peace of Mind

One of the most significant benefits of an on-site K9 security team is the peace of mind afforded to your staff members and clients. Working night shifts or tackling solo projects in an isolated area can leave employees always looking over their shoulders, and walking around a deserted property can leave anyone feeling nervous.

Many employees find themselves vulnerable when walking to and from their vehicles at night. K9 patrol services are ideal for larger properties because of their fast response times and visible security presence. Your staff members can rest assured knowing that security is just a quick call away, and an escort to their car is available for their safety.

A Secure Facility Can Translate to Increased Productivity

Securing your facility with a K9 security can boost productivity in a variety of ways. Employees can become more focused and productive when they do not have to worry and keep watch for trespassers and would-be thieves. With assets tightly secured, the tools and supplies that your staff members need are less likely to vanish, and your team can avoid spending valuable time dealing with security issues. 

Kindly Contact us at FrontGuard K9 today to learn more about the benefits of K9 security patrol services for your property and businesses.

READING THE DOG

If you are already experienced at reading dogs during aggression and bite work, you should probably stick with the method you use. However, if you are new or do not have an established system for some reasons, I want you to know the following description will help get you started. Always try to look at all dogs in the same sequence so that all of them receive uniform treatment. If you look at the head first one time and the tail first the next, you will eventually miss something important. Also remember to allow for physical causes for the dog’s body language. For instance, if there is a noise in front of the dog, and he flicks his ears forward, it probably means he is listening and nothing more. At that point you will have to ignore his ears and read the rest of his body to find out how he feels about what he is hearing. If he slinks around slowly, it may mean he is feeling sick, not that he is insecure. Try to always eliminate physical causes before you assign emotional meanings to a dog’s body language. It also helps to observe the large indicators first (such as the body axis) and then move to the smaller ones (like the ears and eyes). This can be done in a series of seven steps, beginning with energy level and moving on through body axis, stride, muscle tone, neck, head, and tail.

SEVEN KEY FACTORS IN READING A DOG

1. Energy Level

2. Body Axis

3. Stride

4. Muscle Tone

5. Neck

6. Head

7. Tail

Start by reading the dog’s energy level, as is outlined above. Steps two through seven should be read in the order listed, since they are listed in order of importance. In other words, information from each step is more important than information from any of the steps coming lower on the list. For example, if a dog is leaning away from a loud noise but shows confidence in the head and tail, he is showing insecurity, no matter how good the head and tail look. Information from step two is more important than information from steps six and seven. A dog that shows insecurity in all three of the steps just mentioned is in much worse shape than the one whose head and tail look confident, but when signals give conflicting information, give more weight to what you see in the steps higher on the list. This will help you understand ambivalent dogs that send confusing sets of signals. If you already have an established pattern of reading dogs, you are probably not going to change your order of observation at this point. My advice is to stay with the pattern you are comfortable with, but add the levels of importance from the seven steps when dogs give you ambivalent signals. In the long run, you will understand dogs better and read them faster. In my next post I am going to describe each of the key factors when reading the dog during aggression work.