Help Raise A Hero: Detection Dog Obstacle Course

Rapunzel loves to sniff things out almost as much as she loves her tennis ball. Rapunzel works at Auburn's Canine Performance Science program, which is arguably the most elite canine research and development program in the world. Every single day, Rapunzel helps researchers understand how dog noses work and how detection dogs and handlers can work best together.

It turns out dog noses work better than anything humans can build for detecting things. And if you can name it, dogs like Rapunzel (or one of her buddies) can detect it. Explosives? Yes. Pathogens and diseases? Everyday. Underground fungus? You bet. Pythons in Florida? No problem. Dog noses are naturally talented at this – Man’s Best Friend is also Man’s Best Defense.  A few of Rapunzel’s buddies have even learned to lie still and sniff things while a functional MRI tells scientists how their brains are processing the scent.

To harness the power of the dog nose, though, requires some training – both of the dog and the handler. Handlers need to learn to follow their dogs, and what motivates a detector dog has to be identified (Rapunzel is motivated by a tennis ball).

It’s intense training for both members of the team, and both of them benefit from down time to keep mentally and physically fit. The dogs currently get plenty of exercise on lead, but a play yard would be ideal for both training and fun.

That’s where you come in. We would like to build our crew of pups a play yard and provide them with room to run off lead, obstacles for fun and exercise, and interactives (toys) to keep them fit and motivated for work. Think of this like having a great break room at the office, but for a dog. Your gift will help Rapunzel and her buddies have a top-notch place to hang out.