Eastern Box Turtle Survey Protocol
How we use dogs to find Terrapene carolina
The Basics
Box Turtles are one of the most common targets for conservation detection dogs in the eastern United States.
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​Usually, we have one dog at a time working. As one dog tires we will give it a break in a kennel while we work the other dog, or we may use one dog per day and rotate dogs. Each dog is able to work for three days in a row, and then we allow them a day off to rest. The length of each survey is limited by the endurance of each dog, with our senior dog usually working about four hours on Box Turtles surveys (range: 1 to 6 hours). Endurance will vary by weather, season, topography, vegetative community, and population density. Projects that are longer than 10 field days may require extra rest days.
Both dogs typically work off-leash, which studies show increases detection probability. When necessary we use a 30-foot leash held by the handler. The dogs were trained in a variety of landscapes and generally understand how scent may be moving in an area; allowing them freedom of movement lets them weave through air currents and quickly respond to odors. The dogs generally wear a vest, chest protector, and GPS collar. Since Cat Briar often grows in dense patches in Box Turtle habitat, we may require our dogs to wear boots and safety goggles.
We prefer that our dogs do not touch the turtle, so they use passive alerts to minimize disturbance and stress. This means that they will use their body to quietly indicate the location of a turtle rather than barking, pawing at, or picking up the turtle. This also allows us to know the exact location of the turtle for recording microhabitat variables, and lets the dogs alert to turtles they may not be able to reach (e.g. in hibernacula).
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Often our clients accompany us on Box Turtle surveys so they can record data while Dr. Kris Hoffmann searches with one of the dogs. When Box Turtle population are healthy, there tends to be large numbers of turtles hidden in the area. On many surveys, K9 Newt has found Box Turtles faster than a team of two biologists have been able measure them - though the turtles tend to slow things down by clamping their shells tight!
As the handler, Kris is responsible for using scent theory and turtle behavioral ecology to guide the dog through the search area, reading canine body language to determine when a dog is in scent, and maintaining the safety of the dog. For Box Turtles, this often means finding paths through the Cat Briar.
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​​Since K9 Newt was already a pro at finding other turtles, it took him less than a day to learn to sniff out Eastern Box Turtles. He has since found hundreds of turtles, including hatchlings, juveniles, adults, hibernaculi, nesting females, mating pairs, and forms. Newt’s record is 23 Box Turtles found in one day, making Kris very proud and the researcher very busy trying to process all the turtles. He alerts to the turtle (or highest concentration of scent) by lying down. Kris can ask Newt to indicate more specifically where the source is, and he will point or poke the turtle with his nose. Once the turtle is identified as the target species, Kris rewards Newt by tossing a tennis ball.
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K9 April has made great progress in her training and will soon learn to find Box Turtles as her first live target during winter training in the Southeastern United States. We expect her to bee fully operational by May. April alerts by sitting near the target and is rewarded by rough-house play with the handler.
As a terrestrial species, Box Turtles offer a lot of freedom in survey design. We can conduct linear searches or area searches, timed searches or standardized distance searches, highly structured transects or allow the dog more freedom to search areas that it finds interesting. These decisions are made ahead of time during conversations with the client and depend on the project's goals.
Generally we search for box turtles by walking perpendicular to the wind, zig-zagging across the survey plot (called quartering the field by upland bird hunters, shown as the top light-blue line in the tamage above). Sometimes we instead will walk transects with the handler moving in a straight line and the dog moving around freely within 10 meters of the transect. Occasionally we search along roads, paths, and telephone right-of-ways by walking along one side and then the other (show as the right light-blue line in the diagram above). We pay careful attention to the edges of shrubs along roadways and fields, where scent may eddy and where turtles might hide.
Search Patterns for Box Turtles
​The Box Turtle Field Team
Processing Turtles
Kris is has experience notching, PIT tagging, drawing blood, clipping claws for DNA and isotope analysis, attaching transmitters and thread bobbins, caging nests, surveying vegetation, taking GPS points and tracks, and documenting microhabitat in addition to morphology and health data. We recommend sinlgle-use injectors for reptiles and the reusable PIT tag injectors tend to dull quickly.
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On surveys when we encounter multiple turtles, we may have a backlog of turtles waiting to be processed before they can be released. Generally we will put these turtles in containers and move them to the shade. In plots with limited shade, it can be helpful to have a tarp or tent to help keep the turtles (and staff) cool. We occasionally pause or end surveys early to allow our dog handlers to join the processing team. A second strategy to accommodate a back log of turtles is to flag the location of each turtle, skip handling the turtles, and ask a dog to re-find the turtles when the team is ready - we have not had a dog unable to relocate a turtle of this species on the sane day as the turtle's release. By delaying the capture of the turtle, the team avoids stressing the turtles longer than necessary. This strategy trades the security of knowing the turtle is waiting in captivity for the security of knowing the turtle is able to continue its natural activities. Researchers should bring plenty of flagging tape, markers, chalk pens (for temporarily writing on turtle shells), and buckets to the field site.
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Our final report may include metrics on turtle locations, demographics, and detection. This will include GPS coordinates of turtles, an appendix of completed field forms, plastron images, notch and PIT numbers, and dog and handler tracks mapped in GIS. When we collect data, we often add fields related to scent available (wind direction, wind speed, and humidity) and dog behavior.
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Unless otherwise discussed, we consider all turtle data to be the property of the client. We reserve the right to use and publish data on our survey methods, but not on the biology or location of the target species.
Blood Samples
Collected from the brachial artery
Vegetation and Abiotic Habitat
Canopy cover, leaf litter depth, air and ground temperature, log decay stages, etc.
Notch Codes
Individual identification
Thread Bobbins
Locate nests and test holes
PIT Tagging
Passive Integrated Transponders
Nest Cages
Protection from predators
Transmitter Attachment
and Telemetry
Epoxied to the carapace
Claw Clips
DNA and isotope samples
Decontamination and Parasites
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Decontamination of our field gear follows NEPARC and veterinary (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8739844/ ) protocols. We use 70% isopropyl alcohol to sterilize triangular files, calipers, nail clippers, and other instruments that touch turtles between individuals. Dog vests, leashes, balls and retriever dummies, and boots are soaked in a disinfectant such as 0.5% chlorohexidine solution or 10% household bleach.
When logistics allow, dogs will receive a bath with a mild dog shampoo or a flea and tick shampoo between field sites. We also wipe our dogs' fur with 0.5% chlorhexidine solution to reduce the potential for them to transfer diseases that can harm reptiles and amphibians such as Ranavirus.
We check the dogs for tick as we load them into the car, before dinner, and again before bed. Each dog takes pills for tick prevention, which kill biting ticks within 24 hours. When we are working away from wetlands and sensitive invertebrates, our dogs also wear vests treated with permethin and flea collars that kill ticks within two hours. When we travel, we treat their dog beds with permethrin.
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Please provide us with your expected schedule, including due dates for data reporting.
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Our first priority will always be the saftey of our dogs and the wildlife around them. If the area has not been surveyed before, we request time to scout the area before the start of the project. This allows us to avoid areas where the dog will not be effective or safe during the field season. Should we arrive at a site that does not contain potentially suitable habitat, the hander may choose not to search for the target species (for example, if only swiftly flowing water is available for an amphibian that requires pools of still water).
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Please inform any personnel we are likely to encounter in the field of our presence. This may include wardens, neighbors, grounds keepers, athletic coaches, and gatekeepers.
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Any specific equipment or software provided by the client must come with clear written instructions. We are not responsible for re-collecting data should the need arise due to unclear instructions or failure of equipment provided by the client.
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Please inform us in writing of all applicable policies of your organization prior to field work. This includes areas off-limits to the crew, where we are allowed to park / drive, sign-in procedures each day, communicating other field teams, storage of equipment, pet or dog policy followed by residents or employees, policies on publishing photos, policies on sharing information in presentations, etc. We will discuss with the client any policies that we may not be reasonably able to accommodate.
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The team must be informed of the existence and/or location of all hazards that are unique to the site prior to deployment. This included all hazards that would not be found in the average state park. Some examples include: electric fences, firing ranges, farm animals, heavy machinery, razor wire, guard dogs, waste water basins, etc.
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The client must inform the dog team about any current hunting and trapping seasons. Do not assume that a student / volunteer / staff has looked up your state, regional, and/or local hunting regulations. Dogs are occasionally mistaken for coyotes or shot intentionally by disgruntled hunters.
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