Myth: Rain/scent

[Boogieman1]

This isn't specific to rain, but I found it very interesting. This lady trained dogs for 22 years.

"As you search for a reputable K9 handler with trained dogs, you may hear many different opinions on the viability and a dog's ability to detect scent. There will be purported experts that will spout a 14-day limit while others will swear scent is gone in five days. There are other experts that contend scent lasts for years. In truth they are all right and they are all wrong because viable scent is different from dog to dog. Some dogs will be able to detect and follow scent months after the original trail was laid while other dogs may not be able to detect the scent trail after 24 hours. Much of the confusion about scent comes from the way in which handlers train their dogs. If they believe that scent somehow magically disappears on the 15th day, then they will train this way and their dogs will only be exposed to aged trails less than that. Always inquire as to the philosophy of the K9 handler before hiring anyone so you will know what to expect.

So... keep in mind it is more about training and exposing scent dogs to older scent and that there is no exacting time table by which scent disappears.

After two decades working scent detection dogs and training over 110 dogs in this work, I know this to be the truth."

~Karin TarQwyn

I just find it odd if this was the case. I mean let's take a coyote who is trained by life and death, if scent stayed for weeks, months and years I would suspect them to have a lil more weight on em. Let's look at slow moving prey species, like snakes and frogs. How would they have a chance in helli if a coyote could cut there track from a month ago and run them down. Not saying my assumption is correct but it's my honest thoughts.

They can tell how fresh it is. They know if they're hot on their trail or 2-3 days behind. Just like a buck knows if you're 15 yards or 150. Its about the concentration of scent. In the tracking dog world, any scent is all systems go so how fresh it is doesn't matter.

In a similar way, when MagicMan is snow tracking, he doesn't take every track. He only picks a track he feels he can catch up to. I bet a yote is the same way when they use their nose.

Also I'm betting the comment about scent lasting years is detectable scent in a controlled environment. Ain't no way that's gonna happen outside

In my opinion the game changer is soil type. In some areas I hunt it's rocky sand ( no moisture retention). I'm convinced I could walk barefooted and never get my track cut. In these areas scrapes don't exists! My thoughts are because it's a waste a buck would have to constantly keep freshening them up. There are 5x more rubs in these are areas. Travel 1/2 mile away to the rich dark soil scrapes are everywhere and not near as many rubs. Just how I rationalize

[jmickey]

Growing up with beagles, my best running was during a light rain or a mist. Now a down pour is a different story. Also, some hounds will have trouble in dry or icy conditions. It depends on how the dog is bred.

[Rich M]

I really think some folks read too much stuff into things.

Average Joe hunter - walking around grabbing leaves and branches, pushing limbs out of the way, walking thru waist high grass along trail, etc. VS Someone paying attention to their scent - not touching stuff, walking around vegetation that might grab and hold scent.

Who's gonna much things up more?

Then let's try to add another layer of protection.

What's you r additional layer of protection - rain is about as good as it gets.

[cw2gsp]

Growing up with beagles, my best running was during a light rain or a mist. Now a down pour is a different story. Also, some hounds will have trouble in dry or icy conditions. It depends on how the dog is bred.

Yep this ^. Ask any avid rabbit hunter with beagles what conditions dogs run best in and they'll say rain. I will admit part of that is probably because the rabbit smells more when wet but my GSP's always found more birds in the rain than on dry days.

[NEbowman]

A good rain, instead of "washing" your scent away, could also just let it run off to an area you don't expect it to go. If you strategically cross a deer trail at a particular spot that might be less harmful to your setup, but rain is carrying your scent to an area advantageous to the deer, you might get screwed.

[AfootTrack56]

This isn't specific to rain, but I found it very interesting. This lady trained dogs for 22 years.

"As you search for a reputable K9 handler with trained dogs, you may hear many different opinions on the viability and a dog's ability to detect scent. There will be purported experts that will spout a 14-day limit while others will swear scent is gone in five days. There are other experts that contend scent lasts for years. In truth they are all right and they are all wrong because viable scent is different from dog to dog. Some dogs will be able to detect and follow scent months after the original trail was laid while other dogs may not be able to detect the scent trail after 24 hours. Much of the confusion about scent comes from the way in which handlers train their dogs. If they believe that scent somehow magically disappears on the 15th day, then they will train this way and their dogs will only be exposed to aged trails less than that. Always inquire as to the philosophy of the K9 handler before hiring anyone so you will know what to expect.

So... keep in mind it is more about training and exposing scent dogs to older scent and that there is no exacting time table by which scent disappears.

After two decades working scent detection dogs and training over 110 dogs in this work, I know this to be the truth."

~Karin TarQwyn

I just find it odd if this was the case. I mean let's take a coyote who is trained by life and death, if scent stayed for weeks, months and years I would suspect them to have a lil more weight on em. Let's look at slow moving prey species, like snakes and frogs. How would they have a chance in helli if a coyote could cut there track from a month ago and run them down. Not saying my assumption is correct but it's my honest thoughts.

They can tell how fresh it is. They know if they're hot on their trail or 2-3 days behind. Just like a buck knows if you're 15 yards or 150. Its about the concentration of scent. In the tracking dog world, any scent is all systems go so how fresh it is doesn't matter.

In a similar way, when MagicMan is snow tracking, he doesn't take every track. He only picks a track he feels he can catch up to. I bet a yote is the same way when they use their nose.

Also I'm betting the comment about scent lasting years is detectable scent in a controlled environment. Ain't no way that's gonna happen outside

In my opinion the game changer is soil type. In some areas I hunt it's rocky sand ( no moisture retention). I'm convinced I could walk barefooted and never get my track cut. In these areas scrapes don't exists! My thoughts are because it's a waste a buck would have to constantly keep freshening them up. There are 5x more rubs in these are areas. Travel 1/2 mile away to the rich dark soil scrapes are everywhere and not near as many rubs. Just how I rationalize

I don’t think you can ever beat their nose. I get the privilege of working alongside with some of the greatest detection K-9s. It’s usually very dry and very low humidity. Couple that with bone dry sand and dirt, it should be nearly impossible for em to pick up human scent. Not the case with these pups. If the people you’re tracking have been there within the day, that dog will be on it. Older than that, they still smell it, but they know it’s older. When we get any light rain, dew on the ground, or more humidity the dogs seem to do even better. Heavy rain, not so much. But luckily that doesn’t happen much here. My eye opening moment for their ability to smell was on a vehicle stop. This dog alerted on the gas tank of a truck. We inspected the truck. Found a 12”x12” hidden compartment inside the fuel tank. There was barely enough residual “stuff” to scrape up with a knife and test. Now, it wasn’t human scent, but it was inside a sealed box, surrounded by gasoline and he still smelled it.

We had another incident where we had a K-9 assisting us track. We were looking for the last guy for several hours. The K-9 comes into the area we last had sign. Amongst the suspects scent and our scent all over the place, this pup found the guy in about 10 minutes. He was laying in a stream on his back by a pile of brush. The guy had only his mouth out of the water. I’m sure the pup picked up on the guys breath mostly. But with all the scent we layed out, he was still able to sort through it and work to him. Absolutely amazing. Rain or no rain, snow or no snow, I don’t think human smell can ever be eliminated. Just gotta be smart about what we do out there.

[Boogieman1]

Interesting! How do u think those hound pups would do going after a man who jumped out of a helicopter wrapped head to toe in activated carbon and 4 leaf clovers? Also how come drug smugglers don't wrap there dope in activated carbon to keep the dogs from hitting it? I have my thoughts on why not but curious of answers by someone with your kind of K9 expertise.

[buckcrappie]

I also agree with Muddy’s perspective.

There is an obvious relation to water/moisture bonding with scent molecules. If you’ve ever farted in the shower, then I’m sure you agree as well. I’m sure being in a confined space contributes too

Now we are on my level!!!! That other stuff was affecting my Corona buzz

Rain helps ... IMO

[AfootTrack56]

Interesting! How do u think those hound pups would do going after a man who jumped out of a helicopter wrapped head to toe in activated carbon and 4 leaf clovers? Also how come drug smugglers don't wrap there dope in activated carbon to keep the dogs from hitting it? I have my thoughts on why not but curious of answers by someone with your kind of K9 expertise.

Four leaf clovers!! I love it! Those smugglers try everything! I’ve seen all kinds of crazy stuff. Yet it still gets detected. Animals truly are amazing and I think we don’t give em enough credit. Probably because we rely more on our brain than using our senses as a priority.