Japanese Knotweed Detection Dogs

Dogs have long been used to sniff out drugs, bombs and other dangerous items. Today, dogs have also been trained to sniff out the rhizomes in Japanese Knotweed.

Dog detection surveys can be used to identify small amounts of knotweed in vast areas without the need for human intervention.

Why Use Detection Dogs?

Japanese knotweed can be hard to spot, is often found in hard-to-access places, and can be buried amongst deep shrubbery. Dogs, being smaller and lighter on their feet, are able to access riverbanks, marshes and other tricky spots easier than humans, and also at a greater speed.

Dogs can also detect knotweed buried under the ground’s surface without the need to dig, which is good for properties that want to avoid extensive excavation in gardens or neighbouring land.

Unlike a traditional survey which can only happen in spring/summer, Japanese knotweed detection dogs are able to go out in any weather, during any season. Dogs can detect knotweed through snow, rain and deep mud all year round – so there is no delay on the start of the removal process.

How Can Japanese Knotweed Detection Dogs Help Home Buyers & Sellers?

Thanks to their fine-tuned noses, detection dogs can find any presence of knotweed with little disruption to a homeowner’s garden. If a TA6 form has been marked ‘not known’ when it comes to knotweed presence, a dog detection survey is a harmless way to make any presence known.

Japanese knotweed as small as a bunch of roots can be found before the problem spreads