The dog chosen for training in scent tracking must first pass rigorous obedience testing. Each type of scent tracking is specialized. The human body, alive or dead, emanates unseen particles that carry the scent of a person. The dog is conditioned to follow that scent. Dog and handler train together.
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Air Scent Tracking
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Air scent tracking means the dog follows human scent in the air. This is an off-leash skill. Training begins as a game of hide and seek The dog is lavished with praise and treats when he "finds" the victim. Gradually, training is extended to more difficult phases.
Scent Discrimination
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The Bloodhound is trained for scent discrimination. He requires an article of clothing recently worn by the victim and follows the scent on the ground. The trail begins where the missing person was last seen. This dog follows the scent of one specific person without being distracted by the scent of anyone else in the area.
Tracking
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The tracking dog learns to search for an individual when no scent article is available. He might be used to track an escaped criminal. National Association For Search and Rescue (NASAR) includes the following statement on its website, "Experts estimate that a single dog team can be as effective as 20 to 30 trained human searchers in locating a missing person in a given period of time."
Disasters
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Training equips this dog to detect human scent under difficult conditions. She will be adept at searching collapsed buildings. The Humane Society of the United States placed this statement on its website. "The September 11 tragedies have demonstrated the important role urban search and rescue (USAR) dogs and their handlers play in responding to disasters. These dogs are trained to work with their handlers, using instinctual behavior and natural scenting abilities to recover survivors or find bodies in conditions that make other methods impossible."
Cadaver Dogs
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The cadaver dog finds human remains lying on the ground or buried. This dog can detect partial human remains and blood regardless of when they were placed there. According to Newschannel5.com, June 30, 2009. Cadaver Dogs Find Suspicious "Mound" Outside Nashville Airport. "Airport police were training with their cadaver dogs Monday afternoon when dogs seemed to discover something."
Water Search
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Gases emanating from a submerged body will rise to the surface. A dog trained in water search will focus on that scent. Several teams may search the same span of water. Determining an exact underwater location is difficult. Divers search underwater after the dog indicates the surface location.
Avalanche Dogs
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This dog detects human scent under snow. He locates, then digs into the snow to find the victim. Speed is crucial since a victim has a 50 percent chance of freezing to death if not retrieved within 30 minutes. The Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association says on its website, The Scoop: Dogs in the News. Wednesday, April 24, 2002. Four Dogs Save Seven Lives. "victims have a 50 percent chance of surviving if buried for over 30 minutes."
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