Every trailing dog exhibits specific behaviours when he is on a scent trail. Each dog is different though. It is a mistake to think that particular tail or head position is the same for each and every dog. When a trailing dog is actively scenting his quarry, his body reacts based on instinct and on the physical traits of the breed and the particular dog.
Head: might be low or high to the ground
Ears: are they pricked forward, laid back to the side of the skull, or splayed wide?
Mouth: how open is it and what is the tongue doing. I most cases the dog's mouth will normally be partially open to fully closed, the better to fully utilize the nose and take up scent.
Tail: no set trailing tail position. Common to see the tail held oup and up but many dogs have tails that droop, swing to the side, or wag incessantaly. The most important feature to remember abou tth etail is the tail set when the dog is actively trailing his quarry. This will stay relatively constant unless there is an injury or some other issue.
How the dog moves along th scent trail: Some dog move in and out of the scent rail. Malinois have this tendency far more than aniy other breed. It appears to be relative to speed and a general impatience to find the quarry.
If the head, tail, and body language of the dog remain constant and there is little to no degree of change, it is safe to assume that the dog is actively trailing. It is ikmporant to be prepared fo rthe time that one trait changes or all of the traits chagne, which will indicate an interrruption in teh scent trail. Very few dogs will stop immediately when there is a scnet change and will generally keep moving in their original diretion. As the scent cone dissipates to nothing, the dogs will often stop or begin to quarter into the wnd in an attempt to relocate odour.
Problelm is the length and breadth of the scent cone. In some cases, human odour might have spread over hundreds of yards past the original trail of the quarry, or perhaps a turn was made. This is espeically true on vast, hard surgfaces such as parking ltos and wide citry streets. If the handler fails to register a subtle body language change as the trail is being overshot or the turn is passed in one of these sitautions, the dog could be so far off the actual trail of the quarry that he might not find it again. On the othe rhand, if the handler registers the first of the body language cues as they are manifested, he will be far better prepared to rememer or relocate the trail and cast the dog.44
Read distraction behaviour
Scent distractions are most difficult because it is easyt
o confused the distracting scnet behavour with trailing behaviour. Can we tell if our dog is on the trail folliwlng the human or another dog?
Three phases to sources of scent distraction:
1. dog detects distraction
Scent discrimination
Propensity f the dog is to (1) find and follow the first trail he discovers; or (2) find and follow the trail he likes the most.
Once the dog is strong in his job, is relatively distraction proof, and is actively using a scnet article to start a trail, it is time to start challening and testing him.
First Phase of Split Trails
Start the first split trail on soft surface, wet grass is the best choice.
Area should be at least 100 x 100 yards and have some places or objects behind which the trail layers can hide at one end.
The wind should NOT be in the dog's favour, i.e. it should be moving with the direction of the trail layer. Wind blowing to the dog at the starting point may trigger the dog to find the first odour he detects, causing him to not rely on the scent article.
Head: might be low or high to the ground
Ears: are they pricked forward, laid back to the side of the skull, or splayed wide?
Mouth: how open is it and what is the tongue doing. I most cases the dog's mouth will normally be partially open to fully closed, the better to fully utilize the nose and take up scent.
Tail: no set trailing tail position. Common to see the tail held oup and up but many dogs have tails that droop, swing to the side, or wag incessantaly. The most important feature to remember abou tth etail is the tail set when the dog is actively trailing his quarry. This will stay relatively constant unless there is an injury or some other issue.
How the dog moves along th scent trail: Some dog move in and out of the scent rail. Malinois have this tendency far more than aniy other breed. It appears to be relative to speed and a general impatience to find the quarry.
If the head, tail, and body language of the dog remain constant and there is little to no degree of change, it is safe to assume that the dog is actively trailing. It is ikmporant to be prepared fo rthe time that one trait changes or all of the traits chagne, which will indicate an interrruption in teh scent trail. Very few dogs will stop immediately when there is a scnet change and will generally keep moving in their original diretion. As the scent cone dissipates to nothing, the dogs will often stop or begin to quarter into the wnd in an attempt to relocate odour.
Problelm is the length and breadth of the scent cone. In some cases, human odour might have spread over hundreds of yards past the original trail of the quarry, or perhaps a turn was made. This is espeically true on vast, hard surgfaces such as parking ltos and wide citry streets. If the handler fails to register a subtle body language change as the trail is being overshot or the turn is passed in one of these sitautions, the dog could be so far off the actual trail of the quarry that he might not find it again. On the othe rhand, if the handler registers the first of the body language cues as they are manifested, he will be far better prepared to rememer or relocate the trail and cast the dog.44
Read distraction behaviour
Scent distractions are most difficult because it is easyt
o confused the distracting scnet behavour with trailing behaviour. Can we tell if our dog is on the trail folliwlng the human or another dog?
Three phases to sources of scent distraction:
1. dog detects distraction
Scent discrimination
Propensity f the dog is to (1) find and follow the first trail he discovers; or (2) find and follow the trail he likes the most.
Once the dog is strong in his job, is relatively distraction proof, and is actively using a scnet article to start a trail, it is time to start challening and testing him.
First Phase of Split Trails
Start the first split trail on soft surface, wet grass is the best choice.
Area should be at least 100 x 100 yards and have some places or objects behind which the trail layers can hide at one end.
The wind should NOT be in the dog's favour, i.e. it should be moving with the direction of the trail layer. Wind blowing to the dog at the starting point may trigger the dog to find the first odour he detects, causing him to not rely on the scent article.
