Air Scent-Anyone use or teach this???? - Page 2

For a PSD to be successful at finding people it must have the ability to use the strongest scent available.  Depending on many factors such as weather, age of track, temperature, humidity, wind, etc either the ground scent / disturbance or the air scent will be stronger.  The dog must be trained to follow the strongest scent and switch between the two.  My dog will easily switch and it is very clear  and easy to read.  This is very important to note as you get closer to a subject that you are tracking.  For me, it is extremely important to read this behavior.  A Police K9 is like a heat seeking guided missile.  If you can't read the dog you will be on a bad guy before you know it and caught by surprise.  In most cases the bad guy knows your coming long before you know he's there and the dog is full steam ahead bringing you to the bad guy. 

It is perfectly natural for a dog to do both,  just watch a dog chasing a rabbit or a deer and you will see.

Jim 

With the pup that is going to be a SAR dog for this county we started him in tracking foot prints to have him understand what it is that we want him to do. The other day he was tracking with his nose down and then since it was crazy wind he caught the sent of the subject he was looking for and belined right for him picking his nose up off the track and sniffed the air. I teach the foundation of having his nose down but let him work it out himself. I don't care how he finds someone as long as he finds them. I take the dogs natural ability and try to mold it into how we want them to do it. He is coming along very nice for being young and only a month in a half into it.

Added I tried to post a picture of the pup tracking but it wouldn't post.