The future of detector dog research

Troisi et al.’s (2019) target article provides a thorough and timely review of the various cognitive and behavioral aspects of detection dog performance. With rising demands for explosives detection dogs, as well as recent innovations in the specialization of scent detection dogs for nontraditional applications like ecological conservation or disease detection, refining the practices of training and using scent detection dogs is imperative. The breadth of the review underscores the constellation of factors that affect the success of detection dogs and the importance of considering how they interact as a system rather than in isolation. One point raised by the authors cannot be emphasized enough: the importance of synergy between the scientific and professional working dog communities. Studying the underlying factors that influence performance from an empirical perspective, borrowing from theory and methodologies of comparative cognition and behavioral sciences, can offer an important objective approach. However, working dog professionals should be consulted in the development of research questions and experimental design to determine ecological validity and practical relevance. Bridging the gap between Troisi et al. thoroughly review the range of cognitive and behavioral factors that can influence detection dog performance. In this commentary, we focus on the industry goal of identifying dogs with the highest chance of a successful working career. We propose a bio-behavioral approach involving systematically identifying functional relations between variables related to success within working dog populations. We suggest developing an endophenotype for identifying the factors related to success and discuss related implications and challenges.