A team of 10 English Springer Spaniel and Cocker Spaniel detectives will soon be deployed in NSW to sniff out endangered plants and animals, as well as predators.
Dog trainer Steve Austin said the initiative was a great way to utilise the animals' superior sense of smell, and the training wasn’t too different from dogs who worked on narcotic-detection and rescue teams.
"Technically the way you train a narcotic dog and an explosive detector dog is basically the same.
“It's about making sure the dog has a good time and learns to associate the odour with a high reward, such as a tennis ball," he said.
NSW Environment Minister Mark Speakman said the pups would boost the state's conservation efforts.
"We're always looking to be ahead of the pack, and we'd be barking mad if we ignored our canine friends."
