Canine Search Specialist Training

1. Canine Search Specialist Training Unit 5: Scent Theory

3. Unit Objective Upon completion of this unit, you will be able to explain the theory of scent as it relates to the canine search for live victims in a collapsed structure

4. Enabling Objectives • Explain the rationale for understanding scent movement • Describe the factors that may affect scent • Describe how scent is transported away from the victim • Plan the search of a collapsed structure to efficiently work canines into scent

5. Rationale • Dogs “see” the world through their nose • Scent is 3-dimensional to them • Our job is to put them where they can best detect scent

7. The Canine Olfactory System

8. The Nose Knows

9. Canine Olfactory System Olfactory sensory cell estimates • Human = 5 million • Canine = 220 million

10. CONTRIBUTORS TO HUMAN SCENT COMPLEX Adipose Bacterial Action MEOH H2SO4 Volatile Fatty Acids K, Cl, Urea, Ca Mg, PO4, HOH Human Scent Eccrine Sebaceous Sebum, Squalene Volatile Fatty Acids Amines Respiratory Tract GI Tract Apocrine Other factors: Genetic, Diet, Environment

11. Huh?

12. What is scent to a canine?

13. The Raft Theory • Dying/dead, bacteria laden skin cells—called rafts • Rafts are shed from • Skin • Respiratory and digestive tracks

14. Approximately 40,000 per minute! Skin raft loss

15. “If one gram of butyric acid was made to evaporate evenly in all the rooms of a ten story office building, a man would barely be able to perceive its existence by standing in one of the rooms. However, if the same gram of butyric acid was diluted to fill the air above the entire city of Hamburg, the dog could still perceive it at an altitude of 300 feet.” William Syrotuck Scent and the Scenting Dog, pg. 13

16. How is scent dispersed? The scent is heaviest at the source and dispersed away from the victim in a cone

17. WIND Scent Dispersal

18. Influences on Scent Dispersal

19. Environmental Influences

20. Environmental Influences • Temperature • Wind strength and direction • Humidity • Sun

22. Temperature • Hot • Cold • The temperature of victim versus the temperature of the environment

23. Wind • Strength • Direction

24. Humidity • High • Low • Rain

25. Sun • Clear • Overcast • Night

26. Day-time Patterns Night-time Flows

27. Structural Influences

28. Structural Influences • Building architecture • Elevator shafts • Closed stairwells • Windows • Breached floors/walls

29. Structural Influences (continued) • Scent flows well in • Broken rubble • Light framing • Brick

30. Katrina 2005

31. Scent Flow and Detection

32. Scent Flow and Detection The disaster search canine is trained to indicate the presence of a live victim by performing a focused bark alert at the point in the rubble where the strongest live human scent is emitted Bark! Bark!

33. DETECTION versus LOCATION Dogs are SCENT detectors NOT victim locators!

34. BARK Scent Flow—Channeling scent cone scent cone scent cone • Solid Slabs • Large Chunks

35. Solid Slabs • Large Chunks BARK BARK

36. Scent Source Detection • Be able to interpret your dog’s alert • Document • Debrief • Handler to STM • Handler to Handler

37. Scent Flow—Funneling Bark! Bark!

38. Scent Flow—Pooling Bark! Bark!

39. Typical Collapse Patterns • Lean-To • “V” • Pancake • Cantilever

40. Lean-To

42. “V”

43. Pancake

45. Cantilever

47. What is this? Cold Wall Hot Wall

48. Use your scent knowledge • Identify scenting conditions • Surveyor’s tape, puff bottles/talc mirror scent pattern • Interpret pattern of alerts • Send canine from position which maximizes probability of detection

49. Considerations • Hazardous materials • Live versus dead • Number of victims found • Distractions

50. Questions?