Choosing a Scent

[valleydog]

I've found someone whose specialty is scent training. On her site she offers advanced narcotics detection.

I've wanted to take some kind of tracking class, and in exchanging emails the trainer keeps saying, "But what kind of scent are you wanting to train for?" and I'm confused. I thought you just started sharpening scent tracking, I didn't know you started with a dedicated type of scent. What would you reply, if you were as much of an amateur as I am? Molly's parents are working police dogs in Colorado.

I'm just doing this because my dog's so smart and it's a big part of what she was bred for. Also I've noticed her talent for it already.

[DFrost]

I can only surmise the trainer wants to know what drug odor you want to train the dog to detect. I don't know what she would mean, relative to tracking, what scent you would want to train on. Unless the trainer is thinking you want to train a dog to track deer or other type of animal. I say this only because you mention the trainer is a narcotics detection trainer

DFrost

[Wildtim]

She is a Narcotics trainer. She teaches dogs to find drugs. This is a step removed from training a dog to find a person. Which is still a step removed from competitive tracking.

In other words she doesn't teach tracking.

What do you want your dog to do?

If you just want to track and have fun find your local AKC club and see if anyone there does tracking. This will teach your dog to follow the track left by a person.

If you want to do SAR find a SAR group and see what you would have to do to join. This would be having a dog that finds people.

The Lady you are corresponding with teaches scent discrimination/scent detection. This is finding drugs, or bombs, or weed or guns by searching an area or vehicle for a particular scent.

She is expecting and answer like:

Guns
Explosives
Narcotics
Cocaine
Marijuana

I don't think that what you want.

[valleydog]

I wasn't even sure whether to post in this forum or in Search and Rescue. Would it be appropriate to say "live human"? as it could be useful when we're in Colorado to send her out to find my husband for example, with a note attached: "time for dinner."

[valleydog]

Didn't see your answer, Tim. yikes. I'm not looking for any things like that! There'd been a "nose for fun" class offered locally that filled before you could hit the keyboard, given by her partners.

When I looked for tracking classes a few years ago it seemed they were far off in Orange County, but maybe I should look again.

[tibvixie101]

I'd love to see the "time for dinner" note go into effect! LOL what a great idea!!

[Catu]

There are basically 3 kinds of human scent types of work:

Airscenting: What Area and Disatster SAR dogs do.
Tracking: Dog follow the human scent in the steps left on the ground. As in SchH and AKC
Mantrailing: the dog search for the scent of a specific person, showed first by the handler. Generally the dog start following the track, but at the ends as long as he finds he can raise or low his nose.

This woman do airscenting, since the basis to search for drugs, explosives or humans are the same, but it is waaaay different from tracking, believe me, I have several years of experience with airscenting and now I'm learning tracking I'm starting from zero.

[Wildtim]

Originally Posted By: valleydogDidn't see your answer, Tim. yikes. I'm not looking for any things like that! There'd been a "nose for fun" class offered locally that filled before you could hit the keyboard, given by her partners.

When I looked for tracking classes a few years ago it seemed they were far off in Orange County, but maybe I should look again.

That Nose for fun sound more like what you want.

I'd look into AKC style tracking. I don't know if there are any AKC clubs near you but theres a pretty good chance. Someone in the club probably does tracking or can refer you to someone who does. They have competitions and tracking titles you can shoot for, lots of fun if you like nose work.

[Kayos and Havoc]

These are the AKC clubs that offer tracking in CA. There may be others that do to that are not listed. So check with the obedience and trainingn clubs too.

http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/inde...uestTimeout=45

[valleydog]

Thanks, Kathy. I'd just been looking there earlier, though the only one that's close, in Hollywood, doesn't show anything about tracking lessons on their site.

I remember now, when I first came to this site a few years ago, that the Orange Empire Club seemed like the most likely place but it's really far from here. I think I was told at the time it was because of real estate values. I see there are lots of training opportunities in Northern California.

Actually Valley Hills is right in my town, but there's no mention of tracking on their site.

The closer I study the site of the woman offering this training, the less sure I am that it's the right spot for me.

Thanks LiCanAntai for clarifying things for me. I really appreciate it.