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 • Fox Terrier = 147 million • German Shepherd = 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? • Dying/dead, bacteria laden skin cells—called rafts • Rafts are shed from • Skin • Respiratory and digestive tracks

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

14. “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

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

16. WIND Scent Dispersal

17. Influences on Scent Dispersal

18. Environmental Influences

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

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

22. Wind • Strength • Direction

23. Humidity • High • Low • Rain

24. Sun • Clear • Overcast • Night

25. Day-time Patterns Night-time Flows

26. Structural Influences

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

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

29. Katrina 2005

30. Scent Flow and Detection

31. Scent Flow and Detection The FEMA 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!

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

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

34. Solid Slabs • Large Chunks Bark! Bark!

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

36. Scent Flow—Funneling Bark! Bark!

37. Scent Flow—Pooling Bark! Bark!

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

39. Lean-To

41. “V”

42. Pancake

44. Cantilever

46. What is this? Cold Wall Hot Wall

47. 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

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

49. Questions?

50. Scent Theory/Air Movement Demonstration