The ABCs of K9 Bed Bug Detection

BY JOE KUHN

Would you like to get rid of bed bugs in your home before you’re even sure they’re there?

If that’s the case you’ll want to contact ABC of K9 Bed Bug Detection, a bed bug screening service that uses highly trained sniffer dogs to preemptively root out the parasites. The company has been training dogs for more than 16 years and employees certified handlers that practice with live bed bugs.

ABC began as generalized dog training service, but after a few years in the business the trainers found themselves inundated by calls from exterminators asking them to train sniffer dogs for them. It soon became one of their most sought after services and it wasn’t long before company founder Mike Mei decided to make it the focal point of the business; ABC’s training methods proved so effective that they quickly decided “to cut out the middle man” and offer bed bug detection themselves.

Because they don’t also offer extermination services the company “has no vested interest in finding bed bugs” and can be totally trusted for an accurate appraisal of a potentially infested area, Mei points out. ABC originally used Polish hounds for its detection work, but currently uses pit bull terriers and border collies to sniff out the bugs.

Mei said their dogs are specifically chosen for their superior sense of smell and undergo hundreds of hours of intense training before being sent into homes and business. “What make’s (ABC) different from other handlers is we retrain,” Mei said, when describing his teaching methods.

ABC dogs are constantly taught and retaught to recognize the scent of bed bugs and respond accordingly. When confronted with the “trigger scent” that they are conditioned to recognize, the canines will sit and focus on the specific spot where the odor originates from. The dogs are trained via positive reinforcement, receiving a treat every time they correctly identify the scent of bed bugs.

ABC of K9 Detection operates in New York City, Long Island, Rockland and Westchester counties and New Jersey. They offer training programs and bed bud detection services and also sell dogs.

Contact: 917-599-2586 or www.bedbugk9ny.com