Early olfactory pre-conditioning during sensitive developmental periods is associated with enhanced detection performance in working dogs.

Early olfactory imprinting has been proposed as a strategy to enhance the performance of detection dogs, yet empirical evidence from operational contexts remains limited. This study evaluated the effects of early exposure to target odours on four core detection variables: sensitivity under tight-containment conditions, reaction distance, work endurance, and detection reliability. Twenty operational adult dogs served as controls, and four dogs underwent an early-learning protocol beginning during sensitive stages of neurosensory development. All dogs completed parallel test batteries under equivalent conditions, and data were analysed using Welch's t-tests with effect size estimation. Dogs exposed to early imprinting showed higher detection sensitivity in tight-containment conditions and reacted to the target odour at substantially greater distances than control dogs. Work endurance was also higher in early-learning dogs, which maintained effective performance for extended periods compared to conventionally trained dogs. In contrast, false-positive behaviour did not differ between groups, indicating that response inhibition and decision control were not modified by early imprinting alone. Taken together, the findings indicate that early olfactory imprinting is associated with improvements in detection sensitivity, reaction distance, and work endurance, while detection reliability remains unchanged. These results suggest potential benefits of integrating early imprinting protocols into breeding and training programmes for detection dogs and highlight the need for larger, controlled studies to further characterise their developmental and practical implications.