Working Dogs: The Ideal Breeds for Scent Detection and Tracking
- Background
They not only have highly developed senses, but are also committed to discipline, training and complex missions all over the world. Among the main bodies in Israel that use working dogs, one can count the Prison Service, the Israel Police and the Border Police, the Home Front Command and other special units, where the dogs are used for tracking, detecting prohibited substances, finding missing persons and more.
In this article we’ll review the ideal breeds for scent detection and tracking, and the advantages that each breed brings with it.
But it’s important to understand: not every dog is suitable for every mission, and even within the same breed – not every genetic line will be suitable for professional work.
- Explanation
Why are dogs suitable for scenting missions?
A dog’s olfactory system includes about 300 million receptors (compared with about 5 million in a human).
In addition, the scent-processing area in a dog’s brain is significantly more developed and larger relative to the human brain.
But the sense alone isn’t enough, and neither is the type of breed, to achieve success in scent detection.
A working dog must also have:
- quality genetics and a high drive
- emotional stability and a high capacity for persistence
- a balanced excitement threshold
- concentration over time
- a strong bond and compatibility with its handler
- professional training
What’s the difference between scent detection, tracking and locating?
Before we talk about dog breeds, it’s important to understand that there are several types of scent work, and each mission requires a slightly different neural structure and drives.
Detection – identifying a specific scent (drugs, explosives, etc.) regardless of a movement route.
Tracking (following ground tracks) – precise work on tracks left on the ground.
Trailing (following an airborne scent) – following a person’s scent even without a clear track.
- Continued
Bloodhound (Bloodhound)
If we talk about classic human scent tracking (Trailing) – the Bloodhound is the most accurate breed in the world.
Why is it considered the leader? The Bloodhound is able to follow a scent over kilometers, even days and weeks after passage. It’s less suited to dynamic operational missions, more of a “pure tracking” dog characterized by-
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hundreds of years of genetic selection for track following
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anatomical structure – an extreme nose with high scent capacity and ears that help lift particles from the floor
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exceptional persistence in tracking, an ability to work on a relatively old scent in the most difficult terrain conditions
Beagle (Beagle)
The Beagle is one of the most common breeds in the world in the field of civilian Detection – they are used in airports, borders and goods crossings to locate food, prohibited substances and more. They are characterized by-
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very high scent motivation
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stable energy
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a convenient size for working in small public spaces
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a high food drive (excellent for detection training)
And what about the German Shepherd and Malinois?
Here it’s important to be professionally precise.
German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois aren’t “classic scent hounds” like the Bloodhound, but they are multi-purpose working dogs of the highest level. Their advantage isn’t only the sense of smell – but the combination of scent, control, discipline and operational adaptation to a wide range of combined missions in changing, multi-disciplinary terrain / pressure conditions.
German Shepherd
- high emotional stability
- physical strength
- a fast learning ability
- suitable for Tracking combined with security
Malinois
- a very high work drive
- speed of reaction and a fast learning ability
- agility and an ability to work under pressure
- excels at tactical work and combined detection
- Summary
The training process
No dog is born a scent hound; this requires long preparation and professional training.
The process of training scent-detection dogs and tracking begins with developing the dog’s ability to focus on a specific “target” scent and follow it. At the start of training, the dogs learn to distinguish between different types of scents and to identify the target scent, being positively rewarded for a correct identification. Later, they undergo training to follow scent tracks over long distances, even in challenging conditions such as rain, wind or complex terrain.
Further exercises focus on identifying the direction of the scent, tracking changes in the environment, including dense forests, urban areas and enclosed structures. Scent-detection dogs are required to maintain high concentration over time and to work quietly and with full focus, which requires meticulous instruction and close work with their handlers.
For training and preparation of working dogs, get in touch with Adam Zeevi, founder of A-ZK9 ISRAEL.
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