# Scent Articles



## Kevin Cramer (Jan 26, 2008)

Question I was thinking of today.

I may be wrong but it seems that many people use scent articles when tracking an old track (couple hours.) What is the purpose of the scent article? It's my understanding that most all human scent is gone at approx. 30 mins. (under the right conditions). If that's the case, the dog is obviously tracking ground disturbance so what would be the purpose of a scent article for a dog who is tracking ground disturbance and not air scenting human scent?

Example: Hunter goes missing and it's reported when he's three hours over due. Tracking dog shows up and he's scented off of the hunter's vehicle. Dog casts around then takes off on the track. Is the scent off of the vehicle necessary? Isn't the dog just following ground distrubance at this time?


----------



## Chad Byerly (Jun 24, 2008)

I can't find a link, but most of my tracking books have the chart (or similar) from Syrotuck's Scent and the Scenting Dog. 

(from memory, I'll check later..)
Initially the strongest smell is the chlorophyll, from crushed vege, then that fades and briefly the subject's odor is strongest. Then the vege rots, and that is strongest for a while, then fades off. Bacteria on skin grafts and other odors are still fading at a slower rate, and are now the strongest odor.

So then the dog needs to track more than ground disturbance. Also, people aren't just walking on grass and forest nowadays. 

I forget the times, but think the vegetation element is only strongest for a few hours or so. I'm new to tracking, and only just started with asphalt. Other folks on this forum are very experienced with search work and will help answer your question...

I just reread your post, and see your talking about in a trial, right? If you mean sport FST, then I don't know, and the articles might not be relevant in reality.


----------



## Kevin Cramer (Jan 26, 2008)

To clarify my original post. I'm talking about using an article to start a track in real world tracking. Hope that makes sense.


----------



## Chad Byerly (Jun 24, 2008)

Okay, then I think most of what I wrote still applies, but one of the K9 folks will respond to this one soon I bet. 

More $.02, until an expert chimes in:
My understanding is that in short, yes, many dogs are tracking ground disturbance more than the tracklayer. Steve White (Police K9, Seattle) says that when dogs train primarily on grass, they can become too reliant on that crushed vegetation and get lost without it. He likes earlier tracks to be set up so the dog is learning to follow only the tracklayer's scent, so he starts on asphalt (,concrete, gravel, dirt, grass, woods)... And since when animals experience stress they go back to foundation behaviors, the dog will then continue searching for the track when he hits a large parking lot, instead of running around looking for crushed vegetation scent.


----------



## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Kevin Cramer said:


> Question I was thinking of today.
> 
> I may be wrong but it seems that many people use scent articles when tracking an old track (couple hours.) What is the purpose of the scent article? It's my understanding that most all human scent is gone at approx. 30 mins. (under the right conditions). If that's the case, the dog is obviously tracking ground disturbance so what would be the purpose of a scent article for a dog who is tracking ground disturbance and not air scenting human scent?
> 
> Example: Hunter goes missing and it's reported when he's three hours over due. Tracking dog shows up and he's scented off of the hunter's vehicle. Dog casts around then takes off on the track. Is the scent off of the vehicle necessary? Isn't the dog just following ground distrubance at this time?


I understand that you are talking about "tracking" and not "trailing", but I just wanted to clarify that human scent gone after three hours. 

My Bloodhound was trailing people on trails up to 72 hours old. He was best at 48 or less but could do the older ones. He would sometimes be on top of the original track, but at older ages of trails he would be wherever the scent (skin rafts) settled after shedding from the victim/suspect, depending on the terrain, we sometimes could be several feet away from the original track. 

I am new to the whole tracking business so forgive me if I am incorrect, but a track (ground disturbance) would seem to me to be pretty difficult to follow after three hours. (maybe that would depend on levels of contamination?)

If the dog was trained with scent articles at the start, then yes, the vehicle would be needed since the dog is going to look for whatever scent we have asked them the look for.....ie, the missing hunter.


----------



## Chad Byerly (Jun 24, 2008)

Oops. Skin rafts, trailing... thanks Carol.


----------



## Patrick Cheatham (Apr 10, 2006)

I'm no expert by any means... but here is my two cents worth. The most common use for a scent article in sar is to teach the dog to scent discriminate. So that it is less likely to follow the many different scents that it will inquire when running the track.

Hunter goes missing in three hours there will probably have been at least a few people who have looked for them. Those people not to mention what ever else have crossed the original track. Now this has become the strongest scent. I want the dog to know even if the newest scent is stronger its not what we are looking for. By giving him the scent article first it becomes a mental picture to sort of speak. That the dog becomes accoustom to staying with and blocking out the others. There are many smells in a candy store but only one smells like mints. 

Like as stated before my dogs have followed the actual human scent well over a day old. But I'm sure it was not all along the original track. The question is if I'm the hunter do I care if he follows my actual track or is it more important that he finds me. If the dog can't find the start or recongnize that odor when crossing it. Well the end will speak for it's self.


----------



## Kevin Cramer (Jan 26, 2008)

I was wrong in my original post. I had to recheck my copy of Scent and the Scenting dog Which shows that under the correct conditions, human scent would be the strongest sent from 1:15-2:45 after the person has passed through. 

I understand the concept of using the scent article for scent discrimination. But the question is, is there a purpose to giving the dog a scent article to start a track that's old enough to the point that the ground disturbance is the strongest scent? Or am I wrong that people don't give their tracking dogs scent articles to start older tracks, just trailing dogs? 

For the trailing dogs that are trailing at 48-72 hrs. after the victim passed through, is that victim still in the woods, giving off scent? 

Thanks.


----------



## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

Chad Byerly said:


> Okay, then I think most of what I wrote still applies, but one of the K9 folks will respond to this one soon I bet.
> 
> More $.02, until an expert chimes in:
> My understanding is that in short, yes, many dogs are tracking ground disturbance more than the tracklayer. Steve White (Police K9, Seattle) says that when dogs train primarily on grass, they can become too reliant on that crushed vegetation and get lost without it. He likes earlier tracks to be set up so the dog is learning to follow only the tracklayer's scent, so he starts on asphalt (,concrete, gravel, dirt, grass, woods)... And since when animals experience stress they go back to foundation behaviors, the dog will then continue searching for the track when he hits a large parking lot, instead of running around looking for crushed vegetation scent.



O thank you! That helps me a lot in some planning I am doing for a future training project!


----------



## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Kevin Cramer said:


> For the trailing dogs that are trailing at 48-72 hrs. after the victim passed through, is that victim still in the woods, giving off scent?
> 
> Thanks.


Yes, and depending on where the victim stopped or even wandered in small circles trying to decide which way to go, we would call this a "scent pool". Meaning that there will be more "scent" in that area for the dog to work through to begin the direction of travel again. 

We sometimes will have a victim go run a trail and set up a camp and stay out overnight. It is interesting to watch as the dogs get close and then hit the scent pool around the campsite. 

Depending on weather and terrain conditions, the dogs may get close enough so that we can see the tent, or they may be pretty far out. 

Max usually works a big circle around the site, trying to figure out if there is a direction of travel out of that large area of scent, if he did not detect one, he moves in a few yards and does another circle, and then follows into the site. 

All dogs show a difference in body carriage, and you can sometimes audibly hear a change in their breathing patterns when they hit concentrated areas of scent. 

Max typically is a quiet trailer.....when we hit a pool like I described he will start to intermittently whine very quiet and he gets more methodical in his searching.


----------



## Patrick Cheatham (Apr 10, 2006)

Original: But the question is, is there a purpose to giving the dog a scent article to start a track that's old enough to the point that the ground disturbance is the strongest scent? Or am I wrong that people don't give their tracking dogs scent articles to start older tracks, just trailing dogs? 

I would have to say yes from my experience there is a purpose, but you could probably run the ladder on that line of thinking. I know of LE K'9's that rarely if ever have a scent article. But have followed the trail of the last person having left a specific area. Well passed the time frame mentioned. and dogs that rarely train with a scent article doing the same thing. If only I could ask the real expert which knows which is strongest over time and at that particular time of tracking. [The DOG]


----------

