Conservation Dog Alliance is a professional organization for current and prospective conservation dog handlers, researchers, biologists and others who are interested in the conservation dog methodology. We welcome people interested in scenting dogs of any discipline and adjacent professionals who don’t fit neatly into a category.
Our mission is to unite conservation dog professionals for the promotion and advancement of conservation scent detection.
To fulfill our mission, we:
Foster awareness of conservation detection dogs in conservation and research communities.
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Support conservation dog practitioners through education, guidance, collaboration, and community-building.
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Promote evidence-based practices that prioritize the welfare of dogs, humans, wildlife, and habitats.
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Guiding Principles
We strive to form a diverse community centered on respectful discourse and evidence-based practice. We are happy to invite all to the table. As such, we ask that all members observe and honor the following guiding principles when interacting with fellow members, clients, and the public.
- Respectful Communication and Participation – We choose to honor one another with kind feedback and useful observations rather than vague judgements.
- Build Bridges, Not Barriers - We welcome newcomers and enthusiastically nurture their growth and we work to avoid creating barriers for people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
- Curiosity, Growth, and Education - We are generous in sharing knowledge, establishing connections, and collaborating with others. We start with questions, not conclusions.
- Evidence Based Practice – We aim to see the world through impartial observation rather than through ideology and tradition. We strive for innovation, quality, and credibility for the detection dog method.
- Reliability, Responsibility, and Professionalism – to the clients, to the natural world, to the dogs, to each other.
There are guiding principles that are so obvious that most can agree but, while words matter, simply stating them will not make them so. The dog world is notoriously critical and divided, we set ourselves apart as lifelong learners who strive for compassion, inclusivity, respect, and professionalism in our work. It is only through the actions and behaviors of our members that this culture can truly be formed.
Conservation Dog Alliance promotes evidence-based, effective, and ethical training for conservation dogs. As such, our central goal is to promote welfare-focused, Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) dog training methodologies for our members.
CLICK HERE FOR PDF OF FULL POSITION STATEMENT ON TRAINING METHODS.
