from Karin...
The duration of a viable scent trail is
one of the most commonly asked questions. It is also one of the most controversial and subjective.
There are many theories and purported expert opinions. I have
found that after 13 years working with and training scent specific dogs that the ability to detect and follow scent is different
for each individual dog. Two of my dogs have successfully followed the scent of a dog missing five and a half months
after the subject ran through the area. (This was verified by a witness who had seen the direction and trail the dog took
months earlier). By comparison, I know of a dog on the east coast that cannot follow a trail if it is older than 24 hours.
The ability to follow a trail for most dogs will be a month or less. One
former handler and author claims that scent is not viable after 14 days and I believe this was very true for her
dogs as well as those dogs trained by her students. Quite simply, inexperienced and novice handlers should
not work a trail or case where the dog has been missing two weeks or more. (A novice handler is considered to be
anyone who has been working with scent specific dogs for two years or less).
This skill must be trained and practiced by expert handlers who work with scent
specific dogs on a daily basis. Theory and guess-stimates work in some pursuits but not when it comes to a missing family
member... we must be able to trust the K9 pros that will help to find her.
NOTE: We regularly train on trails that are aged three and four months... my personal preference is to
get to a trail within 8 weeks or so. There is never a guarantee that the dog team will be able to decipher and follow any
trail... but in five years and hundreds of cases, they have been unable to find a viable trail... only once. They are
incredible dogs!
