Scent is a moving target, carried and distorted by the wind. As a handler, one of the most challenging parts of your job is figuring out how to help your sniffer dog get to where they need to be to find odor, rather than hindering them by blocking or pulling them away from scent. Therefore, understanding scent theory is critical to the success of your team.
Scent theory refers to how scent moves, in different environmental conditions: including wind, elevation/depression, humidity, temperature, etc. Whether you’re indoors or outdoors, there’s almost always wind (aka air flow). Wind carries and distorts scent cones, making it harder or easier to detect. In the field, carrying flagging tape, baby powder or smoke pencils can help show you how scent travels.
Since humans are visual and scent is usually invisible to us, this course will show you the basics of what scent looks like in many common searches. Examples include not only videos of smoke grenades, but also research on how prey animals use the wind to hide, increasing their chances of surviving by avoiding detection by predators. Many of the concepts are explored in more detail in the excellent resources listed at the end of this article.
How Dogs Smell
Wondering how dogs smell? They detect chemicals (target odor) carried in the air to their noses. By comparing whether the scent is stronger at their right nostril or the left, they can navigate through the odor plume to find source (the highest concentration of target odor). Watch Ted-Ed’s “How do dogs “see” with their noses?” for a 5-minute introduction: https://www.ted.com/talks/alexandra_horowitz_how_do_dogs_see_with_their_noses/transcript?language=en
No Wind
Imagine searching for a hide on the ground when there is no wind. Theoretically, scent spreads out in all directions equally, forming a primary scent pool around the hide in an approximately spherical shape:
The scent is only detectable in a small circular area around the hide. Therefore, when the air is calm, searching dogs will need to wander very close to the hide to pick up its scent.
Fig. 1. If there is no wind, scent spreads in all direction equally, forming a spherical scent pool around the hide
Having said that, outside the laboratory, there are almost always winds/airflows. Whether you search inside or outside, expect wind.
Basic Scent Cone
Fig. 2. Basic scent cone with slow, constant wind.
When there’s a slow, constant wind, scent will be carried away from the hide in the direction of the wind, in approximately the shape of a cone (Fig. 2). This airborne scent is also known as a scent plume. This video captures a scent cone in slow motion. It is most concentrated near source, and less intense further away.
The longer the aging/soak time (between when a hide is placed into the environment and when the sniffer dog starts their search), the larger the cone gets, making it easier to detect far away. How far scent is carried varies (depending on the winds, elevation of the hide and barriers in the environment), but eventually scent will fall to the ground due to gravity. Experience can help improve a dog’s ability to detect scent farther away from source (Conover, 2007, pg. 60).
This video shows the scent cone from a smoke grenade on top of a boulder in real time.
Human Scent
It’s virtually impossible to travel through an environment without contaminating the search area (15, 16). With every breath you take and every word you say, you distort scent in the search environment. For example, all humans leave behind tiny flakes of skin, which are rubbed off by friction with our clothes. This debris (aka “scurf”) falls from our exposed heads, the openings of our shirts and pants (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3. Human scent falls towards the ground. A large amount of scurf exits from gaps in your clothing, like sleeves and pant legs. Overall, you create a shower of scent, shown in green. Air currents can carry human scent even further.
Professor John Crimaldi, a fluid mechanist at the University of Colorado Boulder uses lasers to visualize what scent looks like as it moves through space (17). In this video, 3:28 shows what a single breath looks like, moving around one nostril (used with permission from Nsikan Akpan, 18).
Next, air currents and gravity come into play, messing up this tidy model. One test collected dandruff from volunteers, then dropped it from 6 feet above the ground. Flakes took between 1 and 10 seconds to hit the ground, travelling up to 9 feet away, when the breeze was barely noticeable (15, 16).
The branch of forensic science dealing with identification of suspects from lineups by police scent detection canines is called “osmology” or “odorology”. Collecting evidence of scent left by suspects at the crime scene is critical because “it is difficult for people to avoid leaving scent molecules on objects touched or in places where they were present, even if a human as the source of the scent did not directly touch the object but was above it” (2).
Containers & Residual Odor
When scent is inside a container, scent fills the container first, then exits from all holes, leaks and seams. To illustrate, here’s a video of a smoke grenade inside a container.
After smoke exits all the holes in the container, I move the container outside. Observe how the scent cone is distorted while I carry it, and when the door opens and closes. Many handlers are surprised to learn that their sniffer dogs can smell the scent as soon as they enter the room. In reality, sniffer dogs frequently pick up scent from adjacent rooms via drafts under the bottom of doors. Note the residual that remains in all the rooms of the building, minutes after the hide was moved outside.
In Police K-9 Magazine, Ted Daus explains: “The term residual means: the quantity remaining after most of something has been removed. Odor is a distinctive smell. Thus, “residual odor” is what remains of a distinctive smell after the original object has been removed”. He goes on to comment that: “Dogs alert to odor and direct the handler to the source of the odor, and then the officer searches for drugs… Every handler has had the experience of his dog alerting to a vehicle in which odor was present, but no drugs were found. That should not shock anyone when it happens, nor should it shock the judge or the lawyers involved in the case once they learn that a dog does not find drugs but merely alerts to drug odor” (19).
From the dog’s perspective, after a hide is removed from a container or vehicle, residual scent persists. Nobody vacuumed up the cloud of scent in the air! In a messy world, you won’t always know when residual odor is present, because you won’t see it like this smoke grenade.
As far as sniffer dogs are concerned, searches start well before the start line. Sometimes they detect odor at your car. Enthusiastic green dogs may lie down when they first encounter the scent plume. Patience is required by the dog and their handler to find the precise location of source, when scent is detectable throughout the building. To pinpoint source, most handlers think about checking front, top, and sides of the object. Don’t forget to search all 6 sides, including behind/under, especially for containers like mailboxes and lockers (see Fig. 4).
Fig. 4. When the hide is inside a container (position #1), scent fills the container, exits all the holes and leaks, and then it fills the room. Don’t forget to check all 6 sides of the object, including behind and under (position #2) to pinpoint source.
Dog Path
In a search containing one hot box, a stereotypic dog path is shown in yellow in Fig. 5). Notice:
Ideally, the team performs a systematic search e.g. box 1, box 2, etc. At position #1, the dog is searching for the plume.
Fig. 5. The stereotypic dog path is shown in yellow, when there’s one hot box.
When the dog encounters the scent plume (shown in black), watch for changes of behavior.
It’s important to notice where the dog does a head snap (position #2), an abrupt change of direction (2). The head snap does not always happen, but when it does, it’s important to notice the location. In ideal conditions, after the head snap the dog will go to source next. If your dog has difficulty pinpointing source, go back to areas suggested by the head snap.
According to Conover (pg. 37), “Scientists are disadvantaged when studying how predators use olfaction because humans lack the olfactory acuity of olfactory predators. The method most commonly used by scientists to ascertain when a predator has detected the odor plume of prey is watching for a change in the predator’s behavior. Hunting dogs change their behavior immediately when they detect the odor plume of a bird. The dogs become excited; their ears perk up; they run or walk faster, turn directly into the wind, and move in a straighter line than before” (2).
Between positions #2-4, the dog is sourcing (trying to pinpoint the highest concentration of target odor). They bracket, zigzagging back and forth, comparing the difference in odor intensity between nostrils as they travel up the scent cone.
The dog reaches source at position #4. This is where the indication (aka trained formal response) occurs.
Resources
Andrew Rebmann, Edward David. Cadaver Dog Handbook: Forensic Training and Tactics for the Recovery of Human Remains. 2000. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Conover, Michael. (2007). Predator-Prey Dynamics, The Role of Olfaction (pp. 36-7). CRC Press, Boca Raton.
Canine Olfaction Science & Law (Advances in Forensic Science, Medicine, Conservation, and Environmental Remediation) Ed. Tadeusz Jezierski. 2016, pages 279-284.
19 thoughts on “Scent Theory: How Scent Cones Move”
Anonymous
Wow, this article really opened my eyes to the complexities of scent detection for dogs! Reading about how scent cones move and the impact of environmental factors like wind and humidity was fascinating. It’s incredible how much goes into training and understanding a dog’s sense of smell. I feel like I’ve gained a whole new appreciation for the work that goes into scent detection training.
This blog post really opened my eyes to the complexities of scent theory and how it affects sniffer dogs in their search for odor. As a dog owner myself, I never realized the impact of wind and other environmental factors on scent cones. It’s fascinating to learn how dogs use their noses to navigate through the plume and pinpoint the source. This newfound knowledge will definitely make me appreciate my dog’s incredible sense of smell even more.
I found this to be enlightening. I’m interested in learning about scents and wind dynamics in the outdoors, like plains, hilly and mountain areas. I am studying various animals and find I need more knowledge in this area in order to better observe them without being detected. Could you point me or do you have more info available online?
I would just like to thank you for all this fantastic information. I have forwarded it to all are members as a bit of homework before are next training session. Andrew Moses. Response Rescue International England.
Thanks for sharing your feedback. I plan to write more, and will send updates to subscribers once completed. Are there any specific areas of scent theory you’d like to know more about?
Hola.os comento un poco tengo una perra border colli de 1 año.la e iniciado a buscar su juguete y se lo escondo a 100 metros en el bosque .y siempre lo localiza .me gustaría seguir trabajando con prendas de ropa aver como se le da.y no sé cómo hacerlo.gracias
Hola Rafael, That’s a great start. When she gets close to the toy, can she see where you hid it? Try putting it in places that can’t be seen so she needs to use sniffing, not vision. When that’s easy, start increasing the height, or burrying it sometimes. Trees are hard because they have so many branches in the way.
Wow, this article really opened my eyes to the complexities of scent detection for dogs! Reading about how scent cones move and the impact of environmental factors like wind and humidity was fascinating. It’s incredible how much goes into training and understanding a dog’s sense of smell. I feel like I’ve gained a whole new appreciation for the work that goes into scent detection training.
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Ευχαριστώ που το μοιράστηκες.
This blog post really opened my eyes to the complexities of scent theory and how it affects sniffer dogs in their search for odor. As a dog owner myself, I never realized the impact of wind and other environmental factors on scent cones. It’s fascinating to learn how dogs use their noses to navigate through the plume and pinpoint the source. This newfound knowledge will definitely make me appreciate my dog’s incredible sense of smell even more.
Thanks for taking the time to write Violet. I agree, dogs really open our eyes to see the world in a fascinating new way.
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I found this to be enlightening. I’m interested in learning about scents and wind dynamics in the outdoors, like plains, hilly and mountain areas. I am studying various animals and find I need more knowledge in this area in order to better observe them without being detected. Could you point me or do you have more info available online?
Thanks for your feedback. There’s an interesting book you could check out: Predator-Prey Dynamics: The Role of Olfaction Paperback 2019, by Michael R. Conover (Author) https://www.amazon.ca/Predator-Prey-Dynamics-Olfaction-Michael-Conover/dp/0367389290/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Y5D16009T5GP&keywords=predator+and+prey+dynamics&qid=1679994823&s=books&sprefix=predator+and+prey+dynamics%2Cstripbooks%2C98&sr=1-1
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Thanks for your feedback.
I would just like to thank you for all this fantastic information. I have forwarded it to all are members as a bit of homework before are next training session. Andrew Moses. Response Rescue International England.
Thanks for taking the tie to write Andrew. Glad the resource is helpful.
Great article Ms. Simon! I am a K9 Officer and enjoyed reading this. Do you have more articles like this one?
Thanks for sharing your feedback. I plan to write more, and will send updates to subscribers once completed. Are there any specific areas of scent theory you’d like to know more about?
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This is great. Thanks for sharing it Carla.
Thanks. If you have any questions about scent theory let me know.
Hola.os comento un poco tengo una perra border colli de 1 año.la e iniciado a buscar su juguete y se lo escondo a 100 metros en el bosque .y siempre lo localiza .me gustaría seguir trabajando con prendas de ropa aver como se le da.y no sé cómo hacerlo.gracias
Hola Rafael, That’s a great start. When she gets close to the toy, can she see where you hid it? Try putting it in places that can’t be seen so she needs to use sniffing, not vision. When that’s easy, start increasing the height, or burrying it sometimes. Trees are hard because they have so many branches in the way.