Doug Goodman

A few months ago I read Scent and the Scenting Dog, by William Syrotuck.  From what I can tell, it is kind of the granddaddy of scent books (though not of trailing dog training books).  I highly recommend the book for anyone who wants to work with a scent-trailing dog.  I was reminded of the book this weekend when I was working with Mojo on a narrow strip of trail.

The trail cut through a slope, with an embankment on one side and trees on the other.  A creek, which was full of water due to recent rains, ran through culverts under the trail.  The scent items were placed early in the morning, but Mojo and I did not work them until a few hours later.  Several interesting things happened.

1.  The water pulled the scent away from one scent item.  The scent was pulled down the slope, across the deck, and onto the water.  Both dogs searched the dock thoroughly, and Mojo kept air scenting on the creek.  He also at one point went into the woods next to the dock, where the scent was likely pooling due to the creek. 

2.  The creek had more of an effect than the air currents.  It was a windy day, but back on the trail, the air currents were almost dead.  This meant that the scent would have floated up, which it seemed to do with the exception of the scent item near the water. 

3.  Last (and this is where I think it gets really interesting), Mojo, who worked the area later in the day, kept returning to the embankment above the scent item.  This was due to the temperature rising.  Although we started in the morning around 34, the temperature had risen to a balmy 37 by the time I started Mojo.  The scent was rising along the slope and getting caught in the clover and weeds there. 

To Mojo, this was another game of find.  For the human involved, it was a great chance to see scent theory in work, and a good reminder that if you know the right conditions, it will help you to interpret the dog's reaction to the scent.