Instinct at Work: Australian Shepherds with a Job That Matters
What if your Australian Shepherd’s biggest superpower isn’t speed or herding instinct… but their nose?
In this episode of The Instinctive Australian Shepherd, host Jacque Tinker sits down with Kallie Bongtrager, a Nursery Inspector and Compliance Officer with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources—and a handler who takes her working Aussies into the field to help detect one of the most disruptive invasive pests in the U.S.: the spotted lanternfly.
Kallie shares what her job looks like on the ground—inspecting nurseries, tracking plant pests and pathogens, and responding to public reports—then takes us deep into the real-world process of training detection dogs on lanternfly egg masses (including the surprising challenges: “dead” vs. “live” eggs, changing scent over time, tiny odor cones, and why trust in your dog matters more than your eyes).
You’ll also meet her three Aussies:
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Que (retired, still brilliant, still hungry)
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Epic (the seasoned field dog with the “freeze-and-dance” alert)
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River (the young trainee learning the difference between “search” and “follow my footsteps”)
Along the way, you’ll hear a jaw-dropping story about egg masses hidden inside a woodpecker hole and under bark—found by scent alone—plus a candid look at how conservation detection work is built through experimentation, mistakes, and miles.
If you’ve ever wondered what “a real job” for an Aussie can look like outside the ranch—or you’re looking for ways to channel that busy brain into meaningful work—this one will light you up.
Topics include: conservation detection dogs, spotted lanternfly impact, training aids and scent tubes, field searches on the edge of infestations, handler trust, and why mental work can tire an Aussie better than endless fetch.
