Trailing Dogs- getting it right!

Over the course of time as I have worked with Mantrailing dogs it has become obvious that there is more than one way for a dog to be trained. The following text was originally geared specifically toward bloodhound handlers. However, the principles and ideas shared work well with most breeds of dogs. This information was gathered from observing numerous experienced and successful handlers and trainers. There is nothing new or innovative in the suggestions are observations, but a compilation of proven training and handling techniques.

Puppy runs, fire trails, motivation runaways, no matter what you wish to call it playing chase with the dog while he is learning to use his nose is the name of the game. I have found for me that starting with a young confidant dog is much easier than trying to reform one that was started wrong or not started at all. Also I recognize that I am wanting a working dog that has a job to do and does it very well. For myself my dogs are not pets. I do hold them in high value, take care of them, and see to their needs. But the love / play thing is not performed by me but rather by the target person the dog searches for. I need for my dog to have the highest value for the target person he is looking for. I will use the following as an example.

A person naturally has a weak olfactory system and therefore uses his eyes to navigate through the world. So as I am talking to a person, I will call him Scott. I tell him, I will set a trail for him to follow. Using 100 - $1 bills I will walk away and randomly drop then on the ground to mark my way. Now the purpose for this is for Scott to come find me as quickly as possible. I don’t really care about the money or what happens to it. After a time Scott gets to my location. My question to him is, how many of the $1 bills did you pick up? Now most people would say all of them, and we are going to believe that is also Scott’s answer. Why not, right? The money does have value to us. However this money became a distraction that slowed him down from doing his job, which was to get o me as quickly as possible. Now I am setting up a second trail for Scott to follow. This time I will take 100 - $1 bills and randomly drop them on the ground for him to come to find me. Only this time IF Scott gets to me I will give him $10,000. BUT there is a time limit and Scott does not know what that time limit is. So if he does not get to me fast enough then he does not get the money. Now when Scott gets to my location, I ask him, how many of the $1 bills did you pick up? He now tells me zero. Which is great as he did get to me in time and gets his $10,000 reward. THIS is the same principle I take with the dogs only a time limit must be learn. In other words, our reward at the end of the trail MUST be greater than the distractions along the way. This reward is all encompassing. It is food treats, it is play, it is jumping around, and talking in a high pitch enjoyable voice. The dog MUST have a high value for the person that is his target. If I give that dog pets and time spent with me, if I allow him inside to hang in the house. This is all actions on my part that take away value from the target. Yes there may be times when a pet dog still works wonderfully, however day in day out for me, I get a much more reliable dog that truly has value for his target person, and this dog really wants to fine that person, and as a result he will work for it.

Our puppy trails start with all of this in mind. I have a puppy harness and will put this on the dog just before working. Then my target person will show interest in the puppy and as the puppy returns this action then the target runs away dropping their scent article about 10 feet in front of myself and the puppy. Also my target person has quickly run out of view of the puppy. I typically like to start this in a tall grass area so the grass is about the high of the puppy’s face. This way scent will be at his face weather he is trying to use is nose or not. Next as the puppy is struggling to get to that person I slowly let then get near the scent article, sort of making it a surprise to find. As the dog shows attention to it, I release him, and give him the start word. Now I allow the puppy to do its own thing. He will run into the area and pretty much figure out he cannot see the person he wishes to be with. The use of the dog’s nose becomes almost automatic. So the puppy will start to figure out the scent picture and find the target, who is of course going to play to all ends of the earth with this dog. Now realize that in the beginning our runaways may be 20 feet. Then 25 feet and so on. I will either extend the length of the trail or the time before the dog gets to start, never both. After a couple of weeks I will add a line to the harness and let the pup drag it. Then a few weeks for that, I will start to hold the line. I am very fond of the use of implied resistance. Sort of hold the pup back as he really is ready to get to the target. This seems to increase the dog’s interest and adds an element of, this is where I’m going and you can’t hold be back. That is an attitude I need when working the dog in a real search.

I also don’t do much else with my mantrailing dogs. They don’t have much obedience about then. No sitting patiently or staying quiet when others are around. For the most part I like my dogs to be the one that thinks they are in charge. That they can go where ever the scent takes them as that is what is needed to get to their target person. Crossing water, going through manholes, or jumping over fences. All should be nothing that the dog can’t get through. So part of training may require for you to take the pup out for environment training. Go to Home Depot walk around and see the sites. I may let people pet the pup some, but as the pup shows great interest in everyone I may also require him to keep walking, as he needs to know that not everyone is there to play with him but only the target person. You may note as a young 8-9 week old pup, you will only get about 5 minutes in the day for training for his mind to start to understand and develop. As he gets older and into a 5-6 month old pup I do work 5 or 6 days a week. Remember this is this dog’s play and his time to get that people interaction. Consequently this is not work but a part of life. Any other time the dog is in his kennel waiting to work. I want the dog to have almost that cabin fever where he feels he really needs to work and run and just must find this target person. It becomes almost as if the pups life depends on it, he wants it so badly.

Now this information along with the following facts should allow you as a handler to get a dog started and possible avoid mistakes that almost all of us have made in the past.

Commands: There are really only about 4 commands required for the dog while conducting a trail.

1. The start; this is a single word given to the dog in a command voice when the scent article is presented to him. Hunt, Search, Track all or pretty good words to use as they are short, direct, and are not words you are likely to repeat in a stressful situation.

2. Encouragement: This is a word / phrase spoken to the dog to motivate them to continue their work such as a joyful high pitch tone of “Let’s Go”, “Get to Work”, or “Where did he go.” An encouragement command will often speed up the dog and may help him to refocus on the scent he is following. Note that this should be your go to phrase always asking the dog to get to work first, then you can up the stakes with the command of LEAVE IT.

3. Leave It! – This is a command / voice correction given if the dog begins goofing around sniffing distracting odors such as trash, or wildlife animals. Or should the dog begin to eyeball other things and go visual on you instead of using his nose to follow the scent. Note that “Leave It” is not a request. I say it once and it happens. If I say it twice then there is a price to pay. My tone is harsher or maybe I give the dog one spank with the line. Also note that I will do this really hard the first time in hopes not to ever have to do it again. I never want to abuse my dogs but they have to respect me and that comes from both reward and discipline.

4. Wait: This wait command is necessary to momentarily stop the trail. This may be for the dog’s safety such as crossing roads or overheating.

In most of my personal endeavors it seems that the KISS method has always played some role. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID! Using these 4 words or phrases is all that should be needed for a good dog that is wanting to work and is moving with purpose and intent. Outside of this stay quiet and watch your dog.

RSRD - Run Silent Run Deep this comes from one of my first instructors. After scenting the dog from the scent article try to limit the amount of verbal commands given to the dog. Ideally we want to develop the drive of the dog so that after giving the start command we do not have to say anything to the dog until it makes the find at the end of the trail.

Smart dogs and dumb handlers – our goal as a handler and trainer is to build the drive and confidence of the dog so that they can successfully complete any trial. The dogs become more proficient or smarter and smarter in following the proper scent and reacquiring that scent if they lost it, without constant input from the handler. By continually practicing good handler techniques the dog learns that it can no longer rely on the handler to guide it to the target person. The dog’s confidence is boosted each time it completes a trail without your assistance. So in short stay out of the dog’s way, be quiet, and let him do his job.

Your job starts when you get the dog out to the scene. Get what information you need and obtain a scent article that you feel comfortable with. Notice the current weather conditions, those that occurred at the time the person went missing, and the conditions that have occurred since that time. This will help you understand why you dog is working at a particular speed or distance from the possible footstep trail.

Make several scent pads before starting every trail. You will use this article to start your dog. Then it should be secured quickly and exactly so it is not a future distraction or left on the ground as trash. Other articles may need to be used in the future if this trail is not %100 percent successful, or you find that the scent is not at that location. This way time will have been saved due to your foresight. Remember we have taught the dog from a pup that they are sort of surprised or excited by finding the scent article. In your presentation of it make it a little hard for the dog to get to it. Keeping yourself between it and the dog. Then after a few second let him smell it and give your word. There is no need for excessive talking or for you to smother your dog with the article. KISS, just smell and go. Get the article put away quick as your dog should be off and working.

Get a Game plan in place. Mike Tyson once said that “everyone has a game plan until they get hit in the mouth”. This is so ture and you have to be able to adjust quickly. Now get the dog out of the vehicle. Start observing the dog to see what it is interested in. Have him sort of check the area allowing him to be a dog and notice if there are any immediate distractions to work around. This process should take about 5 minutes in time.

Now that you have your game plan have decided where to start the dog at, and what you will use as your article, you will need to gather the dog and do a quick cast of the area. Now it’s time to work. The cast is a circle around your starting point with the dog moving at pace. He is on a short line and we are watching him to see if he starts to give you clues of what way he may have interest in. Don’t put the harness on the dog until you are ready to work. That harness is an indicator to him now that he is going to be working. Sniffing other animals and distractions are no longer an option and the dog is asked to go into Super Dog mode once the harness goes on. Note that the harness and trailing lead is specialized equipment and not a chew toy. This is not an item you pick up at the local Pet Co. I use a Biothane type harness and lead, however leather can also be a good product. Biothane seems to work well in all weathers and does not allow stickers to attach to it. Also my line is between 20 to 30 feet in length and it will have some weight to it. This is not the place for a flimsy make do lunge line. After the trial has ended and the praise time is over, then remove the harness. This is an indicator to the dog that he is no longer working and they can once again be a dog. Don’t rush back to the truck or kennel. Let the dog enjoy the return time as an additional part of his reward and a success trail.

Use the command word of taking scent only once. The word you use as the command for the dog to take the scent from the article will not be spoken again until the next trail starts. I have always liked starting my dogs facing into any wind or breeze that is present. It assures me that the dog will for sure get the scent. If my training is solid he will be turning and heading in the direct he fells is correct right way. In most case work you will not have a for sure direction of travel and need the dog to get you there. He does have the superior olfactory system so if you have trained him correctly let him do his job.

As our dog moves out to work the area often he will stop and start as he is learning what the scent picture truly is. As a handler you move when the dog moves and stop when the dog stops. Frequently new handlers will continue moving toward their dog despite the fact that the dog has stopped moving forward. The dog may have been distracted and stopped to look or listen. It may have stopped because it realized that it was out of scent at this location. When the handler continues moving forward and crowding the dog, the dog does not have the opportunity to turn back and return to the scent trail because the handler is blocking the direction and forcing the dog to continue forward or in a wrong direction. Facing the dog and watching him is what the handler has to work with. We run hundreds of trails to learn the actions of our dogs. What is their body moments like? Should our dog stop pop his head up and turn left, does that mean something different then if he turns right? Is our dog moving with a steady head position, tail position, and set direction of travel? What movements does he perform that indicate to us a positive scent indications? What does his negative scent indicators look like? All of this is obtained from watching our dogs over and over again. I for one can tell that one of my dogs is about to show aggression to another dog before he ever does just because of the way he wags his tail. This does not happen often but it is something picked up over the years of observing his actions. I also know that once he stops his movement forward and his head pops up that he is performing a negative scent indication, and our trail does not go forward. However turning back and circling to my right means he is trying to pick the scent and he is focused on his work, which is a positive scent indicator. I have yet another dog that goes left each time.

Loss of the scent can occur at any point in time. If the dog over shoots a turn or no longer detects the scent of the person it was scented on it may display a number of Behaviors, which he had not displayed up to this point on the trail. One of the most difficult jobs that handlers have to successfully accomplish is that of reading the dog and knowing when he still has the scent of the person he is searching for. A former Instructor of mine had three nick names for actions the dog could take if he lost the scent. They are the Wanderer, The Bounder, and the Whimperer.

The Wonderer is sometimes a challenge as the dog may realize it has lost scent and then he could begin to visually look for likely places, or he sees something down the road that may be interesting and off you go on the preverbal cake walk. Now the dog may actually still be working in that it is attempting to reacquire the correct scent, but it is no on a trail. A “Leave it” command can remind the dog that it may no longer be following the proper scent, or have no scent. Once the dog realizes it does not have the scent at this location it normally will circle around checking the area for the proper scent. Should the dog detect the scent again it will make a consistent pull on the lead in the proper direction. Most often this will require you as a handler to back up the path to an area where you felt sure your dog had scent and was working correctly and you cast at this location.

The Bounders are the dogs that up to this point were on a good scent trail and displayed a number of the listed trailing traits such as a set head position, tail position, and direction of travel. They had a consistent animation and consistent lead tension. Suddenly, the dog begins, leaping in the air and jumping forward, or bounding, in a hurried attempt to reacquire the scent. The handler must observe the dog on numerous practice trails to determine if the bounding behavior is only displayed in a loss of scent condition. Some Bounders will not bound at any time if they are on the proper scent, even if they reach a strong scent area such as at the end of the trail. Some Bounders however, start bounding upon reaching a stronger scent area of the person it is looking for, such as a scent pool along the trail. Should this occur the dog would display a short burst of speed and animation then after a very short distance go back into its trailing form. The decision of what the dog is telling us comes through practice and careful observations of this displayed behavior.

The Whimperer’s are the dogs we all wish we had that upon losing scent stop moving forward and start whimpering or whining and then travel back on their own to an area where it had detected the scent. The vocalization by whimpering makes it easier for the handler to realize the dog is not detecting the scent at this location. It also is a wonderful positive indication that the dog is in fact working and he wants to locate the subject he is searching for.

Establishing a distinguishable ID is needed for the dog to indication it has located the subject of the search. The dog should perform an act that is clearly the action that it displays when it locates this target person. Common ID’s include a Jump ID, the dog may sit, or maybe a sit and push ID. I personally preform a jump Id as this is very easy to teach a young pup in the beginning puppy run stages. I have never seen a time when a dog would jump on the target person if it was not needed. On top of this the handler should ultimately be in control. You would not let a dog finish a trail if the subject was a lost hiker and he was on the ground with a broken leg. It does take reason and responsibility to be a good and proficient canine handler. It is however common for a dog to go to the downwind side of a target before they perform the ID. The dog may also approach from the rear of the target person because they somewhat leery of the person they have been trailing and prefer to sneak up from behind. This could be especially true should the dog be a bit weak nerved or if the person truly putts off a bad vibe. ID’s should be performed by the dog immediately at the end of the trail. If for some reason it does not happen don’t stress or get chatty as a handler. First wait it out possible allowing the target to move to a new location a few feet away. Once the ID is performed in the course of your play and reward have the target do a short run a way to remind the dog of their importance.

At the end of the trail remember you are now on Dog time, not people time. In training the target person is really the dog trainer. They are the one who needs to reward, play and party with the dog. They should be the person the dog has the high value for and the one to give that dog our $10,000. Spending the proper amount of time paying the dog for his work will help increase the dogs trail speed, lesson distractions, and get the dog performing better ID’s. Most dogs average a minimum of 30-45 seconds of high praise and then will turn away and do a shake off, or move away from the target. That’s a cue that the dog was satisfied with the amount of praise given. IF the dog wants more praise time then continue praising it. The most important thing that happens to the dog is the praise time at the end of the trail. It should be fun, exciting, and wanted by the dog.

Keeping Records of all trails and cases worked is a must for each dog. For the Courts, proper foundations will be required to qualify and testify as a K9 Handler. This has been established by the courts. The Federal and Texas State Appellate Courts permit canine scent evidence and trailing evidence as testimony, within the guidelines established by case law. Certification or evaluations are not required, as long as training logs pertaining to the dog’s training are maintained. Understanding this one can easily see that it will be the training records that show if a dog and handler are truly qualified to work a case. That stated, some agencies, both public and private sector, are more comfortable utilizing a K9 team which has demonstrated a certain standard of proficiency. Based on this understanding, K9 teams may need an outside entity to determine the knowledge of the handler as well as the ability of the K9. Having some type of certification can be helpful but it is not a must to be able to work. Not if you have truly done your report righting correctly.

Neighborhood Scent: If you are looking for the scent of a person at a location where he lives or frequents, your dog may detect that scent throughout the area. When starting in a neighborhood you may have to allow the dog to check several of the scent trails to establish what is the freshest trail left by the person you are attempting to locate. IF you trail to the suspect or missing person’s neighborhood it may take the dog a while to identify the actual residence or building the person lives or has gone inside of. With a door ID you dog would have trailed to the door of a building or residence and the potential suspect happens to open the door it is important for you to have the person step outside and close the door behind him. This gives the dog the chance to determine if that person is the source of the scent he is following. If you do not have the person step out, the largest amount of scent may be coming from inside the house or building and the dog will go right past the person and trail into the house.

Taking corners: Often I see people working dogs and the dog will approach a corner of the building. The handler has been good to stay back and not crowd the dog so they may be 20 feet or so back from the dog’s position. Then the dog turns to go around the corner and now the dog is out of our view. This is bad as we do not know what is just on the other side. Is it our target person, is it nothing, or could it be another person that hates dogs? Regardless we should never let the dog out of our site. This requires for a handler to learn to have situational awareness and be able to cut the pie. Realize a corner is come up, and start bringing yourself a bit closer to the dog. Then start swinging out away from the wall and cutting the pie. This lets you see what is around the corner and keeps the dog in your site. Should he turn or go straight either way you can easily fall back in behind the dog and keep working. Now you are working with safety in mind.

Reading your dog and understanding the dogs trailing mannerisms is of the most importance. When starting your dog on a trail and at all times during the trail observe the following.

Nose height: Is the dog’s nose low on the surface, medium or high? The nose height is an indicator on the scent conditions at the start of the trail and the dog’s ability to trail that scent at this time. Does the dog suddenly change nose height during the trail? Nose movement that is rapid zigzag type movement usually means crittering or the dog is not following the required scent. A dog that is working properly will have a constant high for his nose. It stays the same until conditions change. Then his nose should rise and then fall back into the consistence position. Note that could be on top of the ground or several inches up, all the way to the dog having his nose at his shoulders height.

Ear position: Watching the dog’s ears at the start of the trail both in practice and on actual cases. T This may be difficult with a hound but more obvious with other breeds. Is the base of the ears down or up? Often the dog will use his eyes to give further indication that he is listening to a particular sound of interest.

Eye contact: Observe the eye contact from the dog. Your dog may give you The Eye when it does not detect the scent it was commanded to follow, because it is not present at that location. You also over the course of working your dog may see him give a head bob along with a glace to a location as he moves on off working in a particular direction. This could be that your target is in that location he looked at but there is a stronger scent of him flowing to another area.

Head movement: The handler should pay attention to the dogs head. Is it looking all around, straight down at the surface, or a combination of each? If the dog had been trailing properly there should be little movement. But if his head movements suddenly begin to change then many different things could be occurring. It could be that environmental condition or surface condition changed. He might have lost the scent. He may have located the target and have his proximity located. He may have lost his interest in the search. All could be clues that you will need to learn to read to understand what the dog is thinking and doing.

Tail position: The tail may be down between the legs, very low, medium, parallel to the ground, up, up and curved, or up curved with hairs standing out. Begin watching your dog’s tail positions both when he is at play and when in training. You will notice that your dog may display a distinct tail position when it smells other animals and have yet another tail position when it smells people. The tail position is frequently an indicator of how much excitement and effort the dog is using on the trail. When working properly the tail should be in one set position. This position can change from day to day and trail to trail but it will not be up down waging and all over the place when the dog is truly focus on following this one scent. The tail should stay in a set position. You may also see more movement from the tail in the form of a wag as the dog gets close to making the find. He is getting excited knowing the real fun is about to start. It is also possible to know what part of the brain the dog is using based on the way and direction he wags his tail. All can be learn from steady observation.

Speed: The speed and amination the dog establishes working the trail can be a wonderful indication of how the dog is working. Most dog’s establish a working speed while trailing and may change that speed if they lose scent or get distracted with an animal scent. Observe the seed your dog works while training. The dog may trail faster on particular scents, such as a child or older adult. The dog will also trail at different speeds depending on the age of the trail, weather conditions and amount of detectable scent. Remember that the dog has four legs and can go faster than you. You can only trail as fast as it is safe for you to go. Some dogs establish a particular gait such as the waddle when they are on a trail. You will see this set pace along with a set direction of travel a set head and tail position. This is all a good sign that the dog is working correctly.

Shake Off: Observe for the dog Shake off. This may be a consistent signal to you that the scent is not present at this location or that the dog is trying to focus on the scent. The best description of what exactly the dog maybe indicating with the shake off is a change of mind or scent that it was currently smelling. This action is frequently displayed after the dog sniffs a distracting odor and then goes back to work. It is also seen both at the end of a trail and in an area of no scent, as a negative indicator for the scent the dog is searching for. So as the shake of can be a positive indicator that the dog is trying to work, or a negative indicator that he is not finding scent, you must really focus on this action to determined what is taking place.

Stops: Why is the dog stopping? Is he sniffing something he should not, suck as a pee poll? Maybe he has located an item that was dropped by the target. You will need to pay close attention when a stop occurs to determine if the dog needs motivated in some way. Often an action by the dog is him working then stopping flat footed with a head pop straight u giving a negative indication that there is no scent in that direction. Then he should move on off in the correct direction following the scent picture.

Turn about: When your dog is moving with purpose and intent you will see the dog perform a move where he sort of rolls back over hocks or his backend. He does this in working out the scent picture and then may sort of establish a direction he wishes to go. This roll over the back move is a really good positive scent indication that the dog is working and following scent.

Marking areas: Some dogs will consistently mark the scent trail by urinating in the strong scent areas. It is frequently common for the hounds to mark their trail in this fashion. The interpretation of this behavior suggests the dog is saying this trail is mine! The dog may not mark again on the trail unless ir reaches another strong area of scent. Or he could mark over the top of another dog. This all is very natural and I have found it best to let the dog mark then quickly motivate him back into work. This is better than yelling at him for doing what he feels he must do anyway.

Lead tension: This is the dog pulling forward. The dog will display different tensions on the lead when working a trail. Sometimes the dog will be pulling hard, sometimes medium, or sometimes not at all. Changes in lead tension could mean fresher of stronger scent or a loss of scent at that location. Keep the slack tight on the lead in order to obtain the information the dog is sending down the line to you. The lead is like a phone line, when its down you cannot get that signal. Make sure you are not dragging your lead on the ground. Staying at the end of the line not crowding the dog is best and at times when you need to roll up the line, do so in an organized manner.

My final tip along this incredible journey of working mantrailing dogs is do your best to have fun and avoid burn out. Yes I do consider this to be very serious work as on every search someone’s life is in your hands. Yes if you are not the utmost professional you may never get requested for your service. But we must remember that the dogs do this because it is fun and they have an evolutionary need for this work. Our own stress can easily transform over to the dog causing him great stress and possible shutting down. So no fun for us, no fun for him. I have seen many good people come and go as they burn out form all the effort with little rewards. So do what you can as often as you can but keep reality in perspective. If you enjoy this and want to do it for fun, then please do so. And if this is a calling to you to perform a greater good for your community be prepared for the effort needed to be successful.

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ and I said, “here am I, send me!” – Isaiah 6:8