Becoming a Bounder

Resources for Aspiring Conservation Detection Dog Handlers

Thank you for your interest in going Rogue. Finding our bounders is actually more of a challenge than adopting our diamond in the rough, fetch-obsessed Rogue Dogs. Why? Read on to learn whether this field is for you!

What does it mean to become a Rogue or “bounder,” as we call our Field Scientists and detection dog handlers? A bounder is one who works in tandem with our detection dogs through communication and respect, and as such, are bound together.

This is not #HikingWithDogs

We are "bounders" because we are bound to our dogs, bound to developing the detection dog method, and bound to the ecosystems in which we survey.

We believe in creating a detection team: a bounder plus detection dog duo who works, lives, eats, and sleeps together to detect rare or elusive odors. In addition to the daily care of our detection dogs, each of our bounders conducts professional detection dog surveys and fieldwork anywhere between 6 to 9 months each year, as well as other roles to help keep our small program running.

This is nOt #vanlife.

This involves traveling and being on the road for several months at a time, living with and caring for our canine partner(s), while conducting scientific fieldwork.

A man standing with a dog in front of a parked SUV towing a camper with a background of a thickly forested mountain side in the early evening. — **Bounder, J. Hartman with Rogue Dog Filson enroute to a remote field study.**

Dreary Distractors

Bugs can be a serious enough issue that you need to protect your dog and you! Are you okay being feasted upon as you quietly observe your dog working into a valuable target odor?

Now What?

Your dog has a minor injury that you need to protect and manage. Ensuring your dogs’ safety is the number one priority and making critical decisions happen every day.

Tired? Too bad!

Survey days may be spent crawling on your hands and knees following your co-woofer. This means keeping up, despite the scrapes and stings. Can you keep going, and keep a positive mental attitude when the going gets rough?

Put in the Effort!

Thigh-high snow is tough to work through. But it can be harder for your partner. Make sure you go the extra mile, giving them rests even if it’s cold, or start breaking trail, so they can do their job.

Get in there!

Doodie data is often hidden, scarce, and difficult to reach! Each scat is essential and getting into areas where your dog has alerted is an absolute must.

Meet your New Neighbors

Make sure you manage your dog and your gear at camp. You never know what the neighbors will get up to.

In The Thick of It

Great! You get a day off surveying and your dog can rest, but don’t forget, you don’t get to go home or even be inside. Dealing with the natural world happens every day. You may even be preparing for the next field day…

Think this job is sexy and you’ll be out in the glorious wild with a dog by your side? Think again. The work is rugged, we spend months away from loved ones, we work in rural and remote areas with little to no service or connection to the outside world.

This IS not #NATURE

We crawl, climb, clamber, and get dusty, dirty, and gritty all in the name of locating data on rare or elusive odors in the wild. The work is not for the faint-hearted.

We typically start new bounders as interns on wind facility work. For the first year, we would likely not be putting new hires into our traditional fieldwork settings.

#DIDYOUKNOW

There’s a lot of work that goes into becoming a Bounder, and it’s a long journey.

listen about the rogue tails, projects, and lifestyle

Here are links to several podcasts and presentations we’ve given. Do you really think this is the field for you?

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Still convinced this is the field for you? DOn’t take our word on it…

To learn more about the conservation detection dog team method, here are just a few of the programs conducting valuable wildlife & conservation work around the world.