Tracking (dog)

Tracking is a technique in which dogs are trained to locate certain objects by using the object's scent, for a variety of purposes. Tracking has always been an essential skill for dogs to survive in the wild, through hunting and tracking down potential prey.

Primarily, dogs use their sense of smell, to find and follow a track. Dogs have a highly sensitive olfactory system superior to humans, and are able to discriminate between different human’s scents. Moreover, dogs are also able to use visual cues to follow a track.

There are three phases, which complete the process of tracking:

1. Searching Phase

2. Deciding Phase

3. Tracking phase

There are several factors which influences a dog’s ability to track: Physiological features of the dog are a factor, including age and sex. As a dog ages, their olfactory acuity decreases and decreases their ability to track. Furthermore, male dogs have been found to be better at tracking than females, possibly due to sex differences in olfaction. Sniffing behaviour also influences olfaction, and therefore a dog’s ability to track. For example, a dog’s ability to sniff is higher when it is not panting due to fatigue – it is physically impossible for a dog to both pant and sniff at the same time and the mouth must be open or closed respectively. However, dogs trained to track during physically demanding activities may have adapted their behaviour by increasing sniffing frequency to maximize olfaction, and tracking. Also, different dog breeds have varying suitability to different tasks of tracking. For example, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives use Labrador Retrievers for their tracking purposes.

Besides the dog itself, there are other factors influencing tracking ability. A track’s age and cross-contamination of scents, the range of the dog from the trail, as well as the handler’s relationship with the tracking dog can all affect a dog’s tracking ability.

There are several uses for tracking. Several examples include:

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Wikipedia