Edwards, Timothy L.Parker , Chloë2026-01-062026-01-062025https://hdl.handle.net/10289/17835Scent detection work exists in many fields such as medical research/diagnostics and law enforcement, in which canines have proven success in detecting biological and non-biological scents. Their olfactory capabilities allow them to detect trained odours while ignoring nontrained odours existing in the environment. This study aimed to determine if odour complexity altered the influence of intermittent reinforcement on dogs' scent detection performance. Using an Applied Behaviour Analysis framework, dogs were trained to use a carousel and be exposed to odours varying in complexity. This study used a within-subject, cross-over design where dogs completed one condition before switching to the other condition. The Complex Condition consisted of one target odour comprised of three chemicals and deionised water and nine non-target odours with overlapping target components and deionised water. The Simple Condition consisted of one target odour comprised of one chemical and deionised water and a blank segment that served as the nontarget. Data was collected using custom-designed software for every session. Potential sequence effects were observed which might have impacted the overall results however, this cannot be confirmed. Longer session times were also observed for the Complex Condition compared to the Simple Condition. This indicates that although a sequence effect may be responsible for some of the results, the increased complexity of odours in the Complex Condition likely impacted dogs’ scent detection performance. It may be helpful for future research ideas to replicate the study with applied targets and try to recruit more dogs.enAll items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.Thesis