K9 Maggie Alerting Dog teams have a very special role in the world of search and rescue. The proper use of search dogs in search problems can drastically reduce the number of personnel and hours required on a search and increase the probability of detection of the missing subject.

Dogs as Search Tools

A trained dog uses extremely sensitive hearing, night vision, endurance, and keen sense of smell to continually prove to be invaluable in the effort to locate missing persons. Because of their extraordinary abilities, dogs are often able to reduce the search time and thereby increasing the chances that the person will be found alive.

Typically, between three and five dog/handler teams are assigned to a search. A single dog team, working down wind of their assigned search area, can quickly clear large sections of a search area.

Large Sectors

K9 Georgia making a find The search area is divided into large sectors and each dog/handler team is assigned a separate sector. One dog/handler team can typically cover up to one square mile per day and has proven as effective as 100 grid searchers. This system provides the best possible coverage of a search area, however, factors such as terrain, natural barriers, and weather can affect the rate of coverage.

Air Scent 

All VSRDA search dogs are trained to air scent. Air scenting search dogs are trained to seek the unique scent that is produced by the bacterial activity on human skin cells. As these cells are shed from the body and released into the environment, they become airborne.

Air scenting dogs are extremely versatile. They can be used at any time during a search, including during or after rain or snow and at night. They can work after other searchers have been through the area and can be deployed days or weeks after a subject has been reported missing.

Effective Use of Dogs in Search Management

VSRDA Glossary

  • Rafts
    Rafts (skin rafts): dead or dying skins cells that have left a human body. They are composed of 1 or more cells, carry bacteria, and are microscopic. An average human sheds around 40,000 cells each mi
  • Diffusion
    Diffusion (of scent):  the even distribution of air in all directions.
  • Laminar Air Flow
    Laminar Air Flow: a straight flow of air without and interference.
  • Turbulent Air Flow
    Turbulent Air Flow: When flowing air hits an obstacle/object and causes airflow chaos.  
  • Scent Cones
    Scent Cones: movement of scent away from subject/source -in the shape of a cone.
  • Looping Scent
    Looping Scent: when scent travels upwards from a source, and settles down away from the source. Occurs with little to no wind at the source.
  • Chimney
    Chimney Effect: Warm air rises from the source, cools, then drops a distance away from the source.  
  • Fanning Plumes
    Fanning Plumes: When air hodls at the same elevation, without rising or falling. Occurs at night, and in valleys. Visualize the air like a thermocline.
  • Eddying
    Eddying: When flowing air moves along/over a large linear obstacle, like a treeline, and the air curls around the edges and swirls.  
  • Fumigating
    Fumigating: When scent from the source disperses evenly, and saturates the area. For example: a closed room.  
  • Thermal
    Thermal: Layers of air, separated by temperature (and humidity).  
  • POD
    POD (Probability of Detection): The chance that an object or missing person will be detected if present.  
  • POA
    POA (Probability of Area): The chance that a missing person (or clue) is in the search Area.  
  • PLS
    PLS (Point Last Seen): a point where a witness actually saw the subject. The PLS is usually the IPP (Initial Planning Point).  
  • LKP
    LKP (Last Known Position): the last location of the missing subject, substantiated by evidence or clues. The LKP changes with the discovery of clues/evidence.  
  • Air Scent
    Air Scent (Dog): A dog that searches for the source of human odor. They are typically "Nose Up" when they work, and are usually non-scent-discriminating. Air scent dogs do NOT require a scent artic
  • Tracking
    Tracking (Dog): dogs are able to follow a human scent, by following the footsteps. Tracking dogs may also be following the odor of crushed vegetation and soil bacterial action.  Visualize the dog's
  • Trailing
    Trailing (Dog): dogs are scent specific and require a scent article, with a track. Visualize the dog's Nose Down and Up, working some distance from the actual footsteps.
  • Target Odor
    Target Odor: (aka Source) odors which detector dog are trained to detect. 
  • Temperament
    Temperament: The general consistence with which the animal behaves. 
  • Stimulus
    Stimulus: A change in the environment. Dog Training focuses on discriminative stimuli, which causes a change of state in the dog, causing it to perform a specific behavior.   
  • Shaping
    Shaping: Building new behavior by selectively reinforcing variations in existing behavior, during the action rather than after completion, to increase or strengthen the behavior in a specific manner o
  • Back-Chaining
    Back-Chaining: A teaching methodology, where the training of the chained behaviors occurs in reverse order. The final behavior is taught first, and the second-to-last behavior is added and taught next
  • Behavior Chain
    Behavior Chain: a series of learned behaviors, carried out, after one command. 
  • Agility
    Agility: A character trait which describes the natural (running) speed, surefootedness, and coordination, and the ability of the dog to correct and recover 
  • Change of Behavior
    Change of Behavior (COB): A characteristic pattern of behaviors, as interpreted by the handler, that occurs when the dog detects a trained odor.  
  • Blank Search
    Blank Search: A training or certification exercise in which the target odor is not present  
  • Blind
    Blind: A training exercise is considered Blind if the person person searching does not know the location of odor(s), and/or if any are prescent, BUT the accompanying Instructor/Evaluator DOES know.
  • Double Blind
    Double Blind: A training exercise is considered Double Blind if the person person searching does not know the location of odor(s), and/or if any are prescent, AND the accompanying Instructor/Evaluator
  • Agility
    Agility: A character trait which describes the natural (running) speed, surefootedness, and coordination, and the ability of the dog to correct and recover