As a scent detection dog handler, your main role is to observe your dog’s behaviour changes which occur as the dog’s brain processes sensory information from smells. These behaviour changes will be happening whilst your dog is investigating, is in the odour plume, on environmental sniffs and at the source of the scent they are tracking. Some changes can be obvious, others are so subtle they can be missed with a blink of the eye.
I am in the fortunate position to have been able to observe hundreds of different breeds and thousands of searches this has enabled me to gain a keen eye on a range of behaviours displayed and to recognise what these are signalling. On saying that there is nothing more golden than the symbolic relationship built between an experienced handler and their dog.
The only way to build on this powerful unity is to observe your dog searching repeatedly in different environments. Video recording searches is an essential part of your training progression and assists the handler in be able to watch them over again and to also put the footage in slow motion to observe the behaviour changes the dog is exhibiting throughout the different components of the search
It can seem very complicated when looking the overall picture and small changes can easily get missed especially when you are on the other end of the lead so to speak. To simplify this there are key behaviours elements to watch out for which will progress your observation skills as your dog tells you their search story through their body languages.
My diagram is framed around Mackenzie’s eight scent work indicators. I have tweaked my visual to be more biased towards pet dog scent work training than operational tracking dogs.
The visual indicators can differ in intensity throughout a search and vary from dog to dog but universally the elements will be shown in some way for every dog. Studying and learning what your own dog does is essential. Watching other dogs is also useful and assists you in having a more experienced eye when viewing your own dog.
- Breathing changes – Sniffing changes can be heard when the dog inhales and exhales at a faster speed, breathing becomes deeper, and the intensity can increase when the dog is nearing the target odour or trying harder to locate. Dogs can inhale and exhale at the same time and up to 300 times a minute when searching. This can also be seen in movement within the rib cage area. The breathing can become noisy as more moisture is brought into the nasal cavity, grabbing hold of those all-important scent molecules which are packed full of information to the dog.
- Direction changes – Change in movement in direction and/or intensity whilst chasing down and latching onto target odour particles. Sometimes losing the trial then re-entering to reassess, to locate or to dismiss. Circling, side stepping, zigzagging are all dog body languages seen when a dog searches for a target odour.
- Speed of movement – Active searching speed V the speed in odour and nearing the target scent. This is dependent on the individual dog. Watching your own dog’s movement speed and gait whilst in odour and not in odour will enable you to see the variations in speed.
- Head flicks, head hooking (knocking the odour plume) – Usually an obvious sign but is it the target odour or something else of real interest? Observation of all other behaviours up to this point and the final response on the sought odour will help the handler determine the sudden change in head movement. A ‘knock’ on an odour but not seen through is something for the handler to mentally note and return to the area to reinvestigate if necessary.
- Tail carriage and speed of movement – The dog’s tail position and speed of movement can give a lot of information to the handler. Knowing their dog’s neutral tail carriage and natural movement is key and then monitoring their tail position and speed of their wag when in and out of odour. Some dogs tail slows down other speed up. An area of behaviour to capture on camera.
- Nose height changes – Nose height in relation to the dog’s body is a key indicator, the nose is the leading beacon, observing the changes in direction is a really important element and runs alongside what the rest of the dog’s body is telling you. Has it gone ground level? or has the nose lifted high. The nose variants tell the handler if the dog has hit a scented molecule trail. Keen observation skills will advise the handler that the dog is on to something in that area
- Mouth position – The dog’s mouth is active being partially open throughout the search. This enables the dog to take in more information from the area and to grab particles of interest to assess within their olfactory system or disregard as not of interest in obtaining the target odour. The mouth will display some degree of closure when on the target odour as these locks in the scent they have located as the strongest. This might be momentarily or a longer duration, observe your dog and I am sure you will see their mouth closing to what it was prior when they have located the source of the odour.
- Dog’s final response on source – Staying at source and displaying their usual final response (s) to the target scent
Placing these key body language changes into categories makes it clearer to know what you are looking for within your dog’s search. Some are obvious, some are subtle. The more you observe and record your dog the more the subtle will become obvious to you.
Scent Work Training Progression
Video record your dog doing an interior and exterior search. Replay and select one of the areas of body language indicators, for example, tail carriage and watch the replay with just this part of your dog’s body in mind. Take some notes. Choose another element to observe within the same video and note what your see. You will watch the same video’s eight times, but you will learn so much about your own dog’s search indicators.
Video record every search and repeat the process.
Happy Sniffing
Mandy Rigby
Scent Detection Instructor Solihull West ,Midlands