Gage is a chocolate Labrador that was rescued and is currently 18 months old.  He is a true Labrador with the ideal disposition of eagerness to please. He is non-aggressive, gentle, intelligent and adaptable which makes him an ideal house pet and working dog.  His favorite activity is going to work.  Sniffing out bed bugs is a game to him that he instinctively with great enthusiasm will fully apply himself when in “search” mode. He has excellent scenting powers and perseverance.
 
Gage lives with his handler, Ellen, and her husband.  They have five daughters between the ages of 15 and 25 who adore Gage. As a true characteristic of Labradors, Gage thrives on human companionship and has the rare ability of being able to be everybody’s friend and still maintain an undying allegiance to his master/handler.   Some of Gage’s personal favorite activities are playing frisbee and running on the beach along with his untiring devotion to people.
 
 
Gage's Training

Gage had his obedience and bed bug detection training from “Falco Academy” located in Brea, California. Andy Falco’s training system is based on the United States ATF standard which goes above and beyond NESDCA (national entomology scent detection canine association) with supporters such as UC Davis, US FDA, Orkin, Western and Terminix.  Andy Falco has been training rescue dogs for police service, search and rescue, explosives, arson, cell phone detection, narcotics, protection and obedience training using only positive reinforcement along with a toy reward system. Gage’s certifications are actively maintained and are kept current. He is tested daily in many different environments, which keeps him sharp and ahead of the curve.
 
Gage has been trained to alert only on live bed bugs and their eggs, and not to other insects.  We frequently use other insects and scents (including carpet beetles, lady bugs, cockroaches, food and toys) as controls in our training, as they are commonly found in residences and offices. Our dogs do not alert on these bugs or other scents.  When a successful alert is confirmed; a specific toy is the reward.  The “toy reward” concept is to keep our dogs focused on “searching” for bed bugs, not eating as many other bed bug dogs are trained through the “food reward” system.  We have found dogs that are trained using the “food reward” system tend to get distracted by food or even crumbs that are left on the floor or between couch cushions.   This can result in a “false alert” for detecting bed bugs.

For more info on the Falco Academy and to see Gage in action go to: