How to Train a Police Bloodhound and Scent Discriminating Patrol Dog ; The Kocher Method [Second ed.] 0578069865, 9780578069869

Table of contents :
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Part One: THE PRINCIPLES: Learning the Basics
Chapter 1 What is Mantrailing?
Chapter 2 Choosing the Breed
Chapter 3 The Harness
Chapter 4 The Lead and Lead Control
Chapter 5 The Reward
Chapter 6 The Targeting Command
Chapter 7 The Pre-Starting Ritual
Chapter 8 The Scenting/Starting Commands
Chapter 9 The Foundation
Part Two: Your Arsenal of Exercises to Build a Solid Foundation
Chapter 10 The Intensity Trail
Chapter 11 The Primary Actors
Chapter 12 Praising
Chapter 13 The Delayed Start Intensity Trail
Chapter 14 Scent Article Intensity
Chapter 15 Extended Intensity Trails
Chapter 16 The Flip
Chapter 17 Other Intensity Building Tools
Part Three: “Reading Your Dog” & “Learning the Dance”
How Dogs Work a Trail
The Beginning Circle
The Trail Circle
The Classic Cutback
The Flowing Negative
The Head Turn
Putting it all Together Diagram
The No Forward Scent Indication & Exercise
Part Four: Scent Articles and The Identification
Chapter 18 The Scent Article
Chapter 19 Scent Article Collection
Chapter 20 Scent Article Transfers
Chapter 21 Reading a Bad Scent Article or Failed Transfer
Chapter 22 The Scent Article Start
Chapter 23 The Identification (ID) The ID for The Patrol Dog
The ID for The Patrol Dog
Part Five: Continuing the Fundamentals
Chapter 24 Dog Training TKM
Chapter 25 Teaching the Rules
Chapter 26 Positive Trail Reinforcements
Chapter 27 The Walk Back
Chapter 28 Learning How to Cast
Chapter 29 Covered Trails
Chapter 30 Scent Pools
Chapter 31 Barriers and Obstructions
Chapter 32 Cross and Split Trails
Chapter 33 Are You Ready for Advanced Training?
Part Six: “Component TrainingTKM”
Chapter 34 The Rationale of Component Training
Chapter 35 Laying Out Trails
Chapter 36 The Pre-Scent
Chapter 37 The No Scent Identification (NSI)TKM
Chapter 38 Same-Scent Contamination
Chapter 39 Contaminated Scent Article Exercises
Chapter 40 Casting – Understanding the Information
Chapter 41 Casting for the Second Scent on an Article
Chapter 42 Starting on a Known Path of Flight
Chapter 43 General Area Starts
Chapter 44 Casting for a Trail
Chapter 45 Recovery Casting
Chapter 46 Casting for a Trail at an Intersection
Chapter 47 Door Identifications
Chapter 48 Multiple Buildings
Chapter 49 Subdivision Training
Chapter 50 The Backtrack
Chapter 51 High Finds
Chapter 52 The Car Seat Start
Chapter 53 Missing Person Starts from Vehicles
Chapter 54 Walking Identification
Chapter 55 Team TrainingTKM
Chapter 56 The Pep Talk
Chapter 57 Vehicle Pick Up Identification
Chapter 58 The Drowning
Chapter 59 Cadaver in Tree Exercise
Chapter 60 Scenting from a Person or Corpse
Chapter 61 Cold Trail Starts
Chapter 62 Night Training
Chapter 63 Missing Person Starts from Buildings
Chapter 64 Heavy Contamination Starts
Chapter 65 Fence Identification Training
Chapter 66 Stream Crossings
Chapter 67 Trailing in Unison with Patrol Dogs
Chapter 68 The Hidden Trail Layer
Chapter 69 Forest Training
Chapter 70 Transforming a Patrol Dog
Chapter 71 Vehicle Trails
Chapter 72 Combined Vehicle Pick-up and Car Trail Exercise
Chapter 73 Identification of “Get Away” Car
Part Seven: Dog Scent Lineups
Lineup Case Law
Chapter 74 Training for Lineups
Part Eight: It’s Yours Now
Chapter 75 Honesty & Credibility
Chapter 76 29 American Jurisprudence 2d #575 Sample Training Log
Sample Training Log
Chapter 77 Final Thoughts

Citation preview

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Seminar in Italy

This Second Edition published in 2014 © 2010 First Edition Kevin and Robin Kocher

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InterNational Bloodhound Training Institute (INTBI) Virginia USA Website: www.inbti.com Facebook: Kevin John Kocher

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Acknowledgments I would like to thank my older brother Jim Kocher. After all these years, I find he still has the ability to teach me lessons about life. Because of him, I understand that some deeds are not done for those I perceive as undeserving, but because that is the person I should strive to be.

To my two editors: Karen Porter Gheesling, who first started straightening out my imperfect

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English, Thank you for your hard work. I know how daunting the task must have appeared. Cynthia Weesner, who indeed took command of a floundering project and guided it to its completion. I hope all that read this book will never forget you, as I know I won’t.

Note: If you follow the method put forth in this book, you are a member of INBTI. We do not ask for dues, but consider you one of us.

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Table of Contents Part One: THE PRINCIPLES: Learning the Basics Chapter 1 What is Mantrailing? Chapter 2 Choosing the Breed Chapter 3 The Harness Chapter 4 The Lead and Lead Control Chapter 5 The Reward Chapter 6 The Targeting Command Chapter 7 The Pre-Starting Ritual Chapter 8 The Scenting/Starting Commands Chapter 9 The Foundation

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Part Two: Your Arsenal of Exercises to Build a Solid Foundation Chapter 10 The Intensity Trail Chapter 11 The Primary Actors Chapter 12 Praising Chapter 13 The Delayed Start Intensity Trail Chapter 14 Scent Article Intensity Chapter 15 Extended Intensity Trails Chapter 16 The Flip Chapter 17 Other Intensity Building Tools Part Three: “Reading Your Dog” & “Learning the Dance” How Dogs Work a Trail The Beginning Circle The Trail Circle The Classic Cutback The Flowing Negative 7

The Head Turn Putting it all Together Diagram The No Forward Scent Indication & Exercise Part Four: Scent Articles and The Identification Chapter 18 The Scent Article Chapter 19 Scent Article Collection Chapter 20 Scent Article Transfers Chapter 21 Reading a Bad Scent Article or Failed Transfer Chapter 22 The Scent Article Start Chapter 23 The Identification (ID) The ID for The Patrol Dog Part Five: Continuing the Fundamentals

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Chapter 24 Dog Training TKM Chapter 25 Teaching the Rules Chapter 26 Positive Trail Reinforcements Chapter 27 The Walk Back Chapter 28 Learning How to Cast Chapter 29 Covered Trails Chapter 30 Scent Pools Chapter 31 Barriers and Obstructions Chapter 32 Cross and Split Trails Chapter 33 Are You Ready for Advanced Training? Part Six: “Component TrainingTKM” Chapter 34 The Rationale of Component Training Chapter 35 Laying Out Trails Chapter 36 The Pre-Scent Chapter 37 The No Scent Identification (NSI)TKM 9

Chapter 38 Same-Scent Contamination Chapter 39 Contaminated Scent Article Exercises Chapter 40 Casting – Understanding the Information Chapter 41 Casting for the Second Scent on an Article Chapter 42 Starting on a Known Path of Flight Chapter 43 General Area Starts Chapter 44 Casting for a Trail Chapter 45 Recovery Casting Chapter 46 Casting for a Trail at an Intersection Chapter 47 Door Identifications Chapter 48 Multiple Buildings Chapter 49 Subdivision Training Chapter 50 The Backtrack

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Chapter 51 High Finds Chapter 52 The Car Seat Start Chapter 53 Missing Person Starts from Vehicles Chapter 54 Walking Identification Chapter 55 Team TrainingTKM Chapter 56 The Pep Talk Chapter 57 Vehicle Pick Up Identification Chapter 58 The Drowning Chapter 59 Cadaver in Tree Exercise Chapter 60 Scenting from a Person or Corpse Chapter 61 Cold Trail Starts Chapter 62 Night Training Chapter 63 Missing Person Starts from Buildings Chapter 64 Heavy Contamination Starts

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Chapter 65 Fence Identification Training Chapter 66 Stream Crossings Chapter 67 Trailing in Unison with Patrol Dogs Chapter 68 The Hidden Trail Layer Chapter 69 Forest Training Chapter 70 Transforming a Patrol Dog Chapter 71 Vehicle Trails Chapter 72 Combined Vehicle Pick-up and Car Trail Exercise Chapter 73 Identification of “Get Away” Car Part Seven: Dog Scent Lineups Lineup Case Law Chapter 74 Training for Lineups Part Eight: It’s Yours Now Chapter 75 Honesty & Credibility

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Chapter 76 29 American Jurisprudence 2d #575 Sample Training Log Chapter 77 Final Thoughts

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Introduction

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The Original Misconception: It takes many years to understand and read your dog while it tracks or trails a human. In the past, it was commonplace for dog handlers and instructors to make that statement. In our first booklet, Read Any Trailing or Tracking Dog by Understanding Negative Indications (1999), we empowered countless handlers with the ability to identify when a dog is following a trail. The article, which is included in this book, quickly gave handlers the ability to read a working dog. Professionally trained narcotic or other detector dogs are taught to give uniform indications when locating a targeted scent. Those indications enable the handler to form an opinion regarding the dog’s actions. One of the problems with trailing or tracking dogs is uniformity. The inconsistency between different dogs limits what instructors can uniformly teach handlers. Using the method of training presented in this book will produce the uniformity

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that has been missing. Prior to the Kocher’s method of training, some dogs reacted differently when faced with similar circumstances. This resulted in handlers not being able to understand or interpret their dog’s reactions. Because an opinion could not be formed, no useful information came from the dog’s trail or track. Just as our previous publication presented a simple explanation of a dog’s movements on trail, The Kocher Method will provide a simple explanation of a proven training technique – there is nothing remotely complex about it. Some of this process is a duplication of knowledge you can receive from any respectable instructor. The bulk remains uniquely ours; conceived, developed and passed on for all to learn. I’ve trained many handlers that have gone on to be instructors themselves. Some pass on what was taught to them, others forget. Many choose not to share,

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for knowledge is power. Some promote themselves, never acknowledging who showed them the way. Others trickle out information to ensure your return to them. Always remember when you harness up your dog, the search is for information that will ultimately lead to the apprehension of the subject or the recovery of the missing person. It is not about going from point A to point B, but about understanding the behavior of your dog and what he is trying to tell you. This book offers you the tools and philosophy needed to train and maintain a top dog.

What you do with these tools is up to you!

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The Future - Arabelle Kocher Third Generation Bloodhound Handler

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PART ONE THE PRINCIPLES Learning the Basics

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With one of my many classes

Robin and Kevin in Texas 21

Kocher Method Milestones The book in many languages

Completed: German, Russian, Italian, Spanish Still being translated: Portuguese, French and Hungarian Law in South Dakota INBTI is the exclusive certifying agency for the state of South Dakota’s “scent discriminatory canine teams!” 6.21.2012

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INBTI Receives Government Funding for a Seminar

INBTI member receives funding from the BalticAmerican Freedom Foundation for an INBTI training seminar in Riga, Latvia!

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Kevin and Robin pause for a picture with the other instructors at a seminar out West In memory of James (Jim) Shaffer 1946-2012

Russian Ministry of the Interior Head of the Centre K9/INBTI Instructor Sergey Kachkin (left) Retired Instructor David Daniels and his wife Sue 25

Daniels(right)

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Chapter 1 What is Mantrailing? Simply put, mantrailing is the act of a dog following the scent of a human. What differentiates a trailing dog from a tracking dog is that the trailing dog is allowed to follow the human scent naturally, rather than being trained in a head down or tracking position. In other words, the dog is taught to follow the scent, but is allowed to do it instinctively rather than mechanically. This approach allows the trailing dog to reliably function in a greater range of terrains, including urban settings that consist totally of asphalt and concrete surfaces.

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Both types of dogs can scent discriminate, which means they can follow a specific person over (and through) the scent trails of other people. But the trailing dog is taught to acquire this skill from its very first training stages; tracking dogs have to acquire this ability through experience. Because of this approach, there are some patrol/tracking dogs that can scent discriminate and others that never fully acquire the skill. The final major distinction between tracking and trailing dogs is the ability to independently establish a direction of travel. For example, a tracking dog must be placed on or near the footsteps of the person to be followed, facing the correct direction of travel. The trailing dog after being presented with the targeted scent, can establish the direction of travel on its own. The dog learns to look for the trails because it is rarely placed in front of them. Our

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method of training produces a dog that will quickly establish that direction. Two natural instincts of a dog are: 1. To follow the trails of other animals. 2. To follow a fresh scent trail. To overcome these natural instincts, which become a hindrance on the start or trail, we will use intensity exercises which are unique to The Kocher Method. We teach our dogs: 1. To accurately and consistently follow a specific human. 2. To only follow a scent, not search for it! 3. To tell us if the targeted scent is not in the area! 4. That this is the best game around!

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Let us help you create a patrol dog that can work hard surface with ease!

Hungarian Police Officer/INBTI Asst. Instructor Habony Czaba Note: Throughout this book you will find certain terms or phrases with the symbol TKM next to them. This is used to 30

indicate a concept that is uniquely ours and originally taught through THE KOCHER METHOD.

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Chapter 2 Choosing the Breed Many different types of dogs can be used for mantrailing. No breed or individual dog, by virtue of its lineage, is automatically a great trailing dog. The bloodhound’s attributes make it a proficient dog for the task. However, within the breed itself you will find many dogs that will never develop into a good mantrailer. This contradicts the testimony given in People of Illinois v. Pfanschmidt. {104 North Eastern Reporter 804} In that case, the handler testified “… bloodhounds have a natural instinct for

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nothing but human scent, but must be trained to follow the scent of a horse or other animal; that the scent of a bloodhound to trail animals must be developed.” That statement is far from the truth. Bloodhounds have no natural instinct to trail humans. Like any other breed of dog, their instinct is to follow other animals. I have always handled bloodhounds. I consider them the most easily trained and best tool for the job. Beyond their instinctive desire to follow things of interest, they do not have an overbearing prey drive when confronted with animal scent while working. This separates them from the other large hound breeds, which are much more difficult to break. That being said, I have also washed bloodhounds out of the training program. Most of those were kicked out for being too skittish. Because the dogs were not exposed to many things at a very young age, they

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become too fearful to reliably work in common everyday situations. It is best to get your hound very young and thoroughly socialize him to all environments and a wide variety of people. Trying to rescue an older hound for use in mantrailing is a risky proposition. You never know what you are starting with and may have considerable time invested before realizing the dog is not going to make it as a mantrailer. I have worked some top hounds that were dog aggressive and would not consider that a problem, but would immediately wash out any hound that displays fear aggression toward any human being.

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Arabelle Kocher’s first mantrailer, Dixie, A Bavarian Mountain Hound Picking the right breeder is another matter. I have never handled a bloodhound from a show line, but most I have seen would never succeed in mantrailing. They are bred to be well over 100 pounds and do not display the hunt drive we look for. The bloodhounds that are bred smaller - in the 70 to 80 pound range - with tighter skin and twice

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the drive or energy, are better suited for mantrailing.

Once I obtain puppies, I imprint them by letting them follow along while my older dogs work a trail. Dogs are pack animals and instinctively look to the older pack members for guidance and knowledge. The pups learn their purpose in life from the older dogs, but still need to learn the intricacies of the game. I have seen many other breeds, such as the German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever and Chesapeake Bay Retriever that were excellent working dogs and up to the task. Stay away from

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the breeds that hunt by sight instinctively (such as the Greyhound) or the toy and small breeds like the Pug or Rat Terrier.

Choose your breed, but be willing to move on from an individual dog if it does not perform. You will end up wasting time with one that might be okay, but will never be a top performer.

You choose… 37

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Chapter 3 The Harness The harness is an equipment cue that communicates to the dog it is time to work. That communication becomes important as you start introducing the rules of the game. Just prior to starting an exercise, place the dog in harness. Harnessing the dog should be smooth and quick. This takes some forethought and preparation by the handler before initiating the process.

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1. The handler should have the leash untangled and ready to attach to the harness. 2. The scent article should be ready to present to the dog. Making dogs perform an obedience command like “sit” while being harnessed appears to lower their drive. When you utilize our method, the dog learns to stand still without taking away from its starting intensity.

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While you place the harness on the dog, verbally communicate to the dog the pleasurable experience that is about to occur. Straddling the dog and placing your legs between the dog’s hips and rib cage will assure prompt and correct placement of the harness. By doing this, your legs are now holding the dog in position. This method allows the use of both of your hands to strap the harness on the dog and present the scent article. As the dog becomes accustomed to this method, it will stand perfectly still without the added pressure of your legs against the midsection.

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Author standing in the harnessing position As you present the scent article while commanding the dog to “find em,” maintain the harnessing position, so it becomes accustomed to waiting for the second command to “get em” before moving. The harness is immediately removed once the exercise is completed.

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Remember to remove it while celebrating the dog’s success when it finishes its trail. You can then allow the dog to enjoy the walk back, exploring the interesting scents it correctly ignored while working. Some older dogs respond negatively to wearing a harness. Their animation will noticeably drop while it is being placed on them. This normally indicates that at some point the dog’s handler became frustrated and used too much or too strong of a correction. The dog now associates the harness to those corrections. In order to overcome this reaction, the dogs have to be transitioned back into the harness one component at a time. Have your trail layers run intensity trails for the dog. Position yourself over the dog the same way you would if you were putting on the harness. Perform the same hand motions as if you were harnessing the dog, along with the normal verbal cues, but then run the dog on its collar. Once

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the dog is reacting positively to the intensity trails without the harness, you can start using it again. This can normally be accomplished in 5 or 6 exercises or trails.

INBTI Member Richard Heptig Harnessing his Shepherd

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Spotsylvania, VA Sheriff’s Office

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Chapter 4 The Lead and Lead Control To become one of the best dog handlers in the country, be prepared to work behind the scenes. Eventually, the majority of your cases will be homicide and other major crime investigations. You should prefer not to hear any details about the investigations before working your dog. If you have to work a case that you have prior information about, try to allow the lead to go completely slack at all crucial points or turns. As the lead slackens, ensure the detectives or police officers with you see it so they can also

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testify that no directional influence was given to the dog. Once the dog has determined the direction he wants to take, passively allow the dog to retighten the lead. With success comes a certain amount of fame, so always remain a humble, quiet professional that is willing to work without any notoriety. The length of the lead that is hooked to the harness needs to be long enough to allow the dog to follow the scent with minimal hindrance. If it is too short the dog will not be able to naturally follow the scent; too long and you will be too busy trying to stay untangled to watch and read your dog. We prefer our leads to be in the twenty-foot range. This length gives the dog the freedom work the scent, while giving us the manageability we need. Lead tension and control are very important factors in communicating with your dog. There is no clear right or wrong way to handle a lead. Repetition

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will produce the natural technique of a seasoned handler.

Roll the leash up in one hand when a shorter length is required, such as near a road, or in thick brush. 49

You will need to continually reel the lead in and out as the dog’s movements dictate. If the dog requires less lead, loop it in one hand like winding up an extension cord while shortening the lead length. As the dog requires more lead length just roll your wrist to let more out. Always keep control of the exercise by not letting the lead slack to the point in which the dog and handler are continuously getting tangled. Give enough lead length for the dog to work naturally as it eliminates directions of travel. While training, it is very important NOT to use the lead to influence the dog while he is working. The purpose of the exercise is for the dog to follow the scent without you helping. If you use the lead to slow down or give directional influence to the dog at critical points in the trail, the dog is going to learn to read your lead control rather than relying strictly on its scenting abilities. The more you influence, the less the dog

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learns. It is better to allow the dog to begin to fail with no influence, and then correct the dog at that moment of failure, rather than use the lead to influence the dog to win or make the correct decisions. That is how he'll learn! Controlling and communicating with your dog through the lead is part of handling a dog. It is what separates a dog handler from a lead holder. You are the handler, which means the alpha member (the one in charge) of the team. Always be firm, but never a bully, and you will get good work from your dog.

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Don’t influence by staying behind your dog! Some fast moving dogs will need a firm, tight leash to slow their pace to a controllable working speed. The dog will learn to adjust to the handler’s pace as the team matures. Experience has shown some uncontrolled dogs have a tendency to “freight train,” which means the dog loses its focus and moves forward just for the joy of running. Slowing the pace of the dog should not

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be done as a correction, but as a passive influence during the dog’s speed adjustment period. Adjust your lead tension to the dog – some will require a gentle touch. The leash is part of the communication between the handler and dog. Always try to stay positioned right behind the dog or you may end up with a dog that can read you better than you can read him. For example, if you always walk off to the side that the trail leads, the dog will learn to read your position as a directional influence.

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Russian Police Officer/Asst. Instructor Alexey Kozlov positioned behind his dog Sometimes corrections will need to be given using the lead as part of the corrective action. These will be needed with dogs that are so enthralled by a distraction that they are not responding to verbal commands. These are given by flipping the lead in a quick circular motion so it rolls down striking the dog in the back to regain its attention. When the startled dog looks back at the

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handler, the handler can then give the command to move on. This does not have to be done frequently because your intensity work with the dog will fix most distractions. Never strike the dog with the lead in a threatening manner; it is used only to gain their attention.

2014 Alba, Italy Seminar SAR & Police

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Austrian Police Office/INBTI Instructor Bernhard Stummer

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Chapter 5 The Reward This isn’t going to be an exposé on the different drives in your dog. All you need to know is that a dog expects to be rewarded for working a trail. The reward is the PAYCHECK that is essential to training a dog. The bigger the paycheck in the dog’s eyes, the more intensity it will have following a trail. The Intensity Trail (to be discussed in Chapter 10) is not going to be effective without a reward the dog really desires. That lack of desire will ultimately mean the dog will not be successful, dependable or trustworthy.

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The reward can be anything. It can be food or a toy, but it has to be chosen by the dog. Experiment with different toys or types of food to find the one that works best. If your dog does not have the intensity you’d like to see, change your reward. Once you find the right reward, stay with it - even if it is inconvenient or embarrassing. This reward should only be given when the dog works; it is something special he needs to earn.

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Instructor Richard Monroe holds correct treat. The reward is the PAYCHECK; the right one is essential to train a top trailing dog! Robin once had a student whose dog showed very low drive. When asked how the dog was rewarded, the handler

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pulled out a large hard rubber Kong. The dog showed no real interest in the toy, just picking it up and dropping it. Robin told the student to get another reward. The next morning the handler came to class with a squeaky plush toy that looked like a little lamb. The dog went crazy for this toy. When he heard the toy squeak, his excitement was obvious - he was totally enthralled. The dog made incredible improvement that was obvious to both the handler and the entire class. A year later this same handler came to another seminar discouraged because his dog was not working well. He was contemplating getting rid of the dog. When asked what happened to the little squeaky toy, he said, “I felt embarrassed carrying around that stupid thing and switched back to a Kong.” This is a sad story; remember the dog determines the paycheck for a job well done. No training method or technique will succeed for a dog that is not interested in working.

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Note: The root of all evilTKM (cause of all problems) is a bad reward! Note: we use pork liver as the reward for our bloodhounds. They go crazy for it, as have the other breeds we have worked with. We boil the liver until it is firm then prepackage and freeze using sandwich bags. When we train we grab a bag from the freezer and out the door we go.

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Chapter 6 The Targeting Command A “targeting command” is an indispensable component of training, and one that should be started right away. It gives you the ability to focus your dog on a specific spot thereby targeting the scent at that location. It will allow you to know with certainty that the dog has started the trail on the scent you were trying to present. A command to target scent gives the handler control over exactly where and what the dog scents from.

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Training for targeting scent is a natural progression while working and playing with your dog. When you interact with your dog, think about your actions while focusing him on something. A physical movement coupled with verbalization is how this communication is accomplished. You will point at the target and say, “Look at this,” “Check,” or “Here.” The training for the ability to target isn’t done just while you conduct mantrailing activities. Use your hands to point and give the “here” command daily. Make it part of your everyday interaction with the dog. Start by holding a treat to reward the dog for following your hand. Holding the treat, point to a spot on the floor and say “here.” Because the dog smells the treat, it will come over to investigate the spot. As soon as he does, drop the treat on the spot and praise him for being such a smart dog. After a while, you can do the motions without the treat in your hand and the dog will investigate where you

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are pointing. Still drop a treat occasionally to reinforce the “targeting” discipline. Now that the dog knows what “here” means, transferring the discipline to the beginning of a trail is fairly simple. Begin by using an object like a car seat. After placing the dog in harness, direct it to the car seat using the hand movement and verbal command. When the dog directs its attention to the area you want, give a command to take scent, such as “Find um.” The dog should follow that scent. You can then transfer the discipline to unique locations such as windowsills, door knobs, fences, etc.

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Targeting the seat Do not be concerned when the dog does not place its nose as close to the spot as you would like. It is probably

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because the dog understands the game and has already identified the scent. The targeting command will also be useful while you are working a trail, and want the dog to check an area. One example could be when you are passing an alley and would like your dog to check it and give you a solid answer that the person did or did not go there. By throwing your hand up towards the alley in a pointing motion and saying your verbal command, the dog will enter the alley. Then it is just a matter of seeing whether the dog turns back, which would indicate the scent did not go there, or seeing the dog continue on in the alley following the trail.

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Robin targeting a “victim” to start a trail

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Chapter 7 The Pre-Starting Ritual During training and at all crime scenes, prior to getting your dog, gather all of the facts and complete the scent article collection. Mentally survey the area and establish the optimum starting point that will allow you to be successful with your dog. It is important to have all of this worked out prior to retrieving your dog. Once you get your dog from the vehicle, it is all business and everything should happen as you have planned. A dog is not a machine that can be turned on and expected to perform at

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maximum capacity just because you put it in harness. You need to start building up their desire to perform, and optimally this will begin at the vehicle, as you retrieve them to work. You can do this by establishing a ritual of phrases or words that are said every time you get the dog out to work. As the dog becomes familiar with those words, his anticipation of playing the game will begin to build at the vehicle. The harness should be visibly carried by you from the vehicle. Because of the intensity work this will send a subliminal message to the dog. The dog will associate the harness as something pleasant that comes with a reward and lots of praise. You will use that association to help build clean starts. As the dog is being walked around, drop the harness on the ground at your exact starting point. If the scent article is in a bag, place it under the harness. This will allow the article to be smoothly

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presented to the dog. Again the dog will learn to read these signals. When the dog is taken from the vehicle, you need to understand there will be interesting scents in the area of the starting point. Rather than fight the dog’s natural desire to smell them, we are going to walk the dog around the general area before we attempt to start. This allows the dog to get its curiosity out of the way and catalog what’s there. I’m not sure they instinctively remember the human scent or possibly even the target scent, but doing this will produce cleaner starts.

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Kevin conducting prestarting ritual So you get the dog out of the vehicle and allow him to silently explore the general starting area for about five minutes. Then use the lead to reestablish control and walk the dog to the harness, which is already on the ground at the starting point. While you regain control and start walking to the harness, the verbal communication done during the harnessing phase of your prestarting ritual starts. This verbal communication consists of phrases or

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words that are said every time the dog is being harnessed. It alerts the dog that the exploration period is over and it is time to go to work. As the harness is placed on the dog, continue offering the verbal enticement to work until the scent article is introduced. Always do this regardless of whether it is a real case or a training session because consistency is important.

INBTI President Opal Kocher conducting a pre-starting ritual 73

INBTI Austrian Asst. Instructor Birgit Neuwirth (left) Pittsylvania Officer Adam Reynolds (right)

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Chapter 8 The Scenting and Starting Commands Every handler needs some way of communicating to the dog what scent you want it to follow and when you want it to start working, so we are going to be teaching the dog two distinct commands. The first command communicates which specific scent we want to follow and the second command lets the dog know to start working. You already have the ability to target specific locations for your dog to scent from (chapter 6). You now need to teach the dog a “take scent” command. This

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training is done by verbalizing a command while simultaneously presenting the scent articles. Every time you present a scent article to your dog you are going to say the same command. The most common command used with trailing dogs is “find um.” The “find um” phrase will be used in this book when referring to the take scent command. The handler will only say “find um” one time, when the dog is initially presented the target scent. The “find um” command is not repeated during the trail. You need to be able to honestly testify that you have trained your dog to follow a specific scent when it is commanded to do so. You started the dog at a certain area or from a specific scent article with that command and the command was not repeated. Because no repetition of the “find um” command was given, you could not have confused the dog as to what scent you wanted it to follow.

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This is not saying that words of encouragement such as, “come on girl,” “where did he go,” or “hunt him up” should not be used while trailing. Don’t talk so much that you are just background noise or always disrupting their focus, but occasionally offer some encouragement to the dog. Always be sure to use words other than the “take scent” or “find um” command. It doesn’t matter what word or phrase you use as your “take scent” command. Keeping the command simple and professional sounding, is better than trying to use creative words or foreign dialects. During the initial Intensity Training with your dog, there will only be one command. The “find um” command will also be the cue for your dog to start working. When you are doing your first intensity trails you will present the scent article to the dog and say “find um,” which will mean both take scent and start working. We will separate the two

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commands later in the dog’s training as it matures into the job. Remember: 1. Always say “find um” when presenting the starting location or scent article. 2. Do not repeat “find um” again while running the trail! The dog will quickly understand “find um” to mean you want him to smell the starting area or scent article and start working. Eventually we will need the dog to wait briefly before it starts trailing. This might happen while the scent article is being put away or last minute adjustments are made to the lead. Because of that need, a second command to start working/trailing is going to be taught to the dog. This training is going to be done passively. The dog will passively learn to wait for the start working command of “get um” by you

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maintaining the harnessing position after scenting him. So even though one command is given to take scent (find um), and another command is given to start trailing (get um), the second one does not need to be formally taught. Just by maintaining the harnessing position after scenting the dog, he will learn to be patient and wait for you to say “get um” before starting to work. The “get um” command can be repeated while trailing with the dog, unlike the take scent command (find um). Repeating it will not have any adverse consequences. Most handlers already have two distinct actions: (1) for scenting and (2) for beginning the trail, and have not realized it. This is a good example of how dogs learn to read their handler and how easily handlers can cue them. That communication has taken place without most handlers even realizing it. The timing between the presentation of the scent and the command to smell

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the article are very important. However you do it, be clear in your mind that the dog was given the command to “find um” on the scent you intend to hunt.

Sabrina Kessler of Switzerland giving her dog the “take scent” command. 80

She, and other young people like her, will be an important part in INBTI’s future.

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Chapter 9 The Foundation Dogs have to be instilled with the desire to trail our targeted scent. That desire needs to be constantly built upon. When you leave or quit building that desire, your success rate will fall. Most bloodhound instructors do not understand the simplicity of it all. They feel once a dog starts from a scent article they are past the point of running foundational intensity trails. To them, success is a complex procedure of making trails longer and older while only providing the dog with negative reinforcement training. To be successful, they ignorantly say that you must gauge

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the strength of the dog’s pull and have a degree in deciphering atmospheric conditions. Their failures can then be placed at the feet of the “scent” and explained away with theories. Yet in truth, success is a simple thing nothing remotely complex. The dog determines the outcome. Always build on a proper foundation and your dog will be successful. Progression isn’t measured in the age or length of the trail, but through the strength of the foundation. I have heard handlers remark about the “advanced stuff” they were doing at some seminars. Then while talking about what actually transpired, I learned they trailed long distance “marked” trails with some age on them. This isn’t advanced training; it really isn’t even good training. Advanced training is utilizing intensity trails to enable a dog to work through a field of cows or to start from the entrance door of a busy shopping mall. The most bizarre

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“advanced training” on record apparently occurred when a so-called instructor blew breath into a baggie for a scent article. It is smoke and mirrors, don't fall for it!

The dog is focused even during night training Keep it simple and train for a purpose. As far as the aged trails go, a dog will take a cold trail when properly motivated to search for it. This is not to say that you never need to practice an aged or

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cold trail. On the contrary, throughout the dog’s career, many trails of various ages and lengths should be run, but stay focused on your dog’s foundation to succeed. By applying this approach when training your dog, you will guarantee your dog has the drive and focus to finish a trail. K-9 units that constantly have difficulties with success are the ones that did not build their foundation by continually doing the intensity trails for drive and focus.

The Intensity trails strengthen the FOUNDATION! A dog with a strong foundation is a dog so focused on trailing the targeted scent that nothing will sway it from its job!

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PART TWO Your Arsenal of Exercises to Build a Solid Foundation

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Pictured are INBTI Instructors Sarah GriffelThompson (above) and Tammy Halstead

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Chapter 10 The Intensity TrailTKM This is by far the most important chapter in the book. The Intensity Trail is greater than just the beginning exercise used to train a trailing dog; it is the foundation for all of your work. By continually strengthening that foundation, you will create a driven, focused dog with a high success rate.

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Instructor Opal Kocher with Mary Carson Davenport (front) with hound displaying good intensity The dog needs to be convinced by you that trailing is the most exciting game in the world. Consider the analogy of coaches preaching to their athletes to work on the basics to become champions. The intensity trail is how we work on the basics with trailing dogs. There are countless things and scents

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that will distract a weaker dog from his job! Remember it’s not how “old” a trail your dog can run; it’s how “clean” your dog will run it. What good is a dog that stops working because something common like a barking dog causes it to lose all focus? When you employ the intensity trail beside or past the distractions, your dog will quickly learn to ignore them and remain focused on the scent. You want to continuously reinforce that the game is more fun than any distraction rather than waiting for a disruption to occur while working a case. It is like installing a preventive maintenance program.

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A police officer uses a building to block the patrol dog's vision When utilizing the Intensity Trail as the initial starting exercise, have your trail layer tease the dog with the reward and verbally entice him to follow. If you are employing a food reward make sure the trail layer allows the dog to smell it so he knows what delicious tidbits are at the end of the trail. The trail layer then quickly runs away while still verbally teasing the dog. The scent article should be introduced or utilized during this exercise, so have your trail layer take an article of clothing (a hat or shirt) and drop it in front of the dog as they leave.

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Retired Instructor Paul Rice faces his dog the wrong direction The dog handler also needs to verbally entice the dog while making sure the trail layer quickly disappears from sight. This disappearing act is accomplished by using anything that blocks the dog’s vision, such as the corner of a building, a vehicle, etc. Do not allow the dog to watch the trail layer run for a long time, because it will learn to sight hunt rather than use its nose.

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Instructor/VA Deputy Sheriff Mike Szelc working an Intensity Trail Also, you do not want to inadvertently teach the dog that the trail will always be in front of them. To avoid making that mistake, the handler should always turn the dog so that it is facing a different or wrong direction. The dog will obviously try to swing around towards the correct direction, before and during the presentation of the scent article. The act of making the dog turn after the scent article is presented (instead of allowing

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him to bolt straight ahead) will avoid creating that weakness in the dog. Shortly after the trail layer has run away, present the scent article by bringing it up to the dog’s nose or pointing to it while saying, “find um.” Then quickly give your starting command such as “get um” and allow the dog to start.

Russian Asst. Instructor Elena Vorontsova ensuring 95

the dog is positioned facing the wrong direction Your dog will determine the distance of these first runaways. Young pups may only be able to trail short distances where older dogs may cover 50 yards quickly. Just remember to keep it short enough for the dog not to lose interest, but long enough to see the dog’s head drop to the ground which tells you he is using its nose. Periodically try to place at least one turn in the Intensity trail so the dog doesn’t always think the find is going to be straight ahead. You will be able to tell the dog is becoming distracted or bored when you see him pausing or stopping to check or smell other things. If this occurs, quickly have the trail layer make a noise or motion to regain the focus. When the dog regains his focus, quickly give a verbal cue showing your approval. It is best to alert the trail layer to this possibility so they are prepared to react.

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Opal running a hound in Italy Remember: “Your money is in urbanTKM!” If you can work on hard surfaces with high contamination, you can work in any environment!

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Chapter 11 The Primary Actors The Handler’s Job 1. The handler’s job is to get the dog excited about following the trail layer as the Intensity Trail starts. As the trail layer runs away, verbally entice the dog to follow. This verbal enticement should be raising the dog’s excitement level.

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Kevin verbally exciting his dog before starting 2. During the beginning stages, the handler should always convey a high level of excitement. Ideally, we want the dog to bay or bark while trying to escape your grasp to follow the trail layer. Some dogs can be brought up to that level by patting their sides while verbally enticing them. Sometimes taking false starts or

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steps towards the trail layer will bring more excitement out of the dog. The dog will think he is starting and when he is stopped, his frustration level rises. 3. The handler also needs to ensure the trail layer quickly disappears from the dog’s sight. This is done so the dog does not learn to sight hunt. When dogs are allowed to watch trail layers cover a long distance, they learn to “sight hunt” or start relying on their eyes instead of their nose. 4. You should always turn the dog so it is facing the wrong direction before allowing it to start a trail. This simple step stops the dog from bolting straight ahead in the direction it is facing. We need the dog to quickly check all directions as its career progresses. 5. Be sure to give detailed instructions on exactly where

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you want your trail layer to go and what you want them to do. We do not mark our trails even during the early stages of training. The handler needs to start reading the dog and understand the information he is giving. We anticipate the dog will lose some trails, but if the handler has a general idea where the exercise ends, they can practice casting to recover that lost trail. 6. Be sure to have the trail layer praise the dog when he makes the find. This is the most important part! You are trying to build the dog’s intensity, so the level of your helper’s enthusiasm helps determine your dog’s future success.

“The handler should always convey a high level of excitement!” 101

The Trail Layer’s Job During the intensity trails, a trail layer’s job is to get the dog to want to follow them. The trail layer stands in front of the dog and verbally entices and shows or lets the dog smell the reward. The trail layer drops a scent article then runs away while still calling and enticing the dog to maintain its interest. 1. It is important that the trail layer ensures he has the dog’s attention when starting an intensity trail. (pictured) 2. The trail layer runs as quickly as possible to the ending point the handler has chosen. 3. Watch the exercise and be ready to help if the handler signals the dog needs it. When necessary, make a noise, some movement or call the dog’s name to regain its attention.

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The trail layer enticing the dog properly

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Retired FBI Agent/Instructor Mike Little works on building the foundation

The trail layer gets the dog's attention and teases the dog with the toy or treat

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Then the scent article is introduced

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Because the reward is right … the dog reacts

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Chapter 12 Praising At the end of every trail, intensity trail or component exercise, play with the dog and display animation in your voice. You should always “celebrate” your approval of the dog’s accomplishment. Many handlers use the term “party” when referring to this part of the exercise. This actually builds the dog’s excitement and eagerness to run the next trail. Consider that your dog’s performance on the next trail may be directly connected to your reward and praise on the last trail. This should give you sufficient reason to praise with enthusiasm.

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Remember, if the paycheck isn’t something the dog finds irresistible, it will not be entirely focused

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Instructors Ed & Heidi Hajek from Long Island SAR reward their dog. Notice they are both praising! Many handlers never learn how to properly praise their dog. They believe a pat on the dogs back and a couple “good boys” are enough. As the dog’s training progresses, we need it to be a partner with the handler. A pat on the back will never produce that dog. When the praise session is done properly it will be heard by people 20 to 30 yards away and be obvious you are very pleased with your dog. This is not to say that your dog’s drive will diminish if you fail to give adequate praise once in a while. What it means is that over a period of time, ineffectual praise will absolutely affect your dog’s desire to play the game.

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Praise is a big part of that paycheck – hound or patrol dog! Chief Instructor of Upper Austria Police K9/INBTI Instructor Robert Märzinger begins the party with his patrol dog 110

Chapter 13 The Delayed Start Intensity TrailTKM This exercise will help: 1. Transfer the intensity of seeing the trail layer leave to the “scent article start.” The beginning of the Delayed Start Intensity Trail is similar to the Intensity TrailTKM previously discussed. What differentiates it is the conduct of the handler and the delay in time between the trail layer leaving and the dog starting. This exercise can be used to bridge the gap between the classic

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intensity trail and scent article starts. It is a two part exercise, the first part being a delayed start while the second part is an intensity trail attached to the initial find. The delayed start intensity trail also can be used to introduce new components and as a foundation-building exercise. When this exercise is timed and done correctly by you, it will be a valuable training tool. When doing the Delayed Start Intensity TrailTKM, the trail layer will try to get the dog to chase them, while the handler also verbally encourages the dog. But unlike the classic intensity trail, the dog will not immediately be allowed to start. The handler will continue the verbal encouragement to follow until the trail layer is no longer in sight. Once the trail layer is out of view, the handler will stop all animation and walk the dog away from the direction of the trail layer. At this point, the dog will still be whining and attempting to follow the trail layer. Start quietly walking the dog around

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your starting area, mimicking your prestarting ritual while closely observing the dog’s behavior. You are looking for indications that it is losing focus on the trail layer.

Swiss Asst. Instructor Manu Vockensohn just finishing the harnessing at the end of the delayed start process

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Once the trail layer is out of sight, walk the dog around until it is just losing focus then harness up You will be able to tell he is losing focus when the dog stops whining and staring in the trail layer’s direction. As that happens, you will reach a point in time where the dog starts to smell other interesting things while only occasionally glancing in the trail layer’s direction. Once you observe that behavior, approach the scent article facing the wrong direction and harness the dog. While harnessing the dog, remember to verbalize your normal pre-starting phrases and words that are utilized during a “scent article start.” This is done so that the intensity you have just built transfers to your total starting package. The Delayed Start Intensity TrailTKM is just like a scent article intensity exercise. The start from the scent article was the

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object of the exercise, not the trail attached to it. The initial “find” is made quickly so the praise transfers back, rewarding the dog for starting from the scent article. If the length of trail is too long, you risk not making that connection to the scent article. The delayed start intensity trail should work to finish the transition from the intensity trail to the scent article start.

TC Crippen’s dog, Seeker, displays a good transfer of intensity to the scent article

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I have found this exercise useful when training in areas of heavy contamination such as shopping mall entrances. This exercise will have a young dog starting cleanly and ignoring the distraction of people milling around and walking past them. The dog will also do some nice scent discrimination work without seeming to hesitate. Remember, you mimic your pre-starting ritual of quietly walking the dog around the starting area after the trail layer leaves, but before you bring him up to the scent article and allow him to start. As you bring the dog up to the scent article, remember to start the normal verbalization that will be done on scent article starts. So what you are teaching the dog with the “delayed start intensity” is that it is a fun and rewarding moment when the “prestarting ritual” ends and the harness goes on. While exposing your dog to some new components or while trying to work through some newly found distractions,

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you will find some that are hard to overcome or ignore. You have run some intensity trails and the dog responds to that stimulus, but when you attempt a scent article start the dog appears confused or distracted and will not start to work. Use this delayed intensity exercise to help make that transition to the scent article start. At first keep the time delay short in between the trail layer leaving and starting the dog then lengthen the delay as the dog catches on. Remember to always run an intensity trail from the find! A lot can be accomplished or overcome using this exercise. It will help you produce that solid, sure starting dog that you can have confidence in.

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Instructor Steve Row’s dog responds positively to the exercise

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Chapter 14 Scent Article IntensityTKM You will need to train on a large number of scent article starts to ensure that your dog is consistent and reliable. Until I introduced The Kocher Method of training, dog handlers were stopping all foundational work once their dogs could start from a scent article. Their training consisted only of running trails of increasing age and length from a scent article start. This was and is a critical mistake! Unless they worked an outstanding dog with extremely high drive, they would slowly lose any chance

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to be consistently successful. Before the dog even started its career, it was doomed for mediocrity. My correct approach is to introduce a variety of different starts from the scent article while also maintaining the foundational work of the intensity. Scent Article IntensityTKM is a two part exercise, the first being the “scent article start” and the second being the “intensity” trail that will be attached to the find. Remember the dog starts from the scent article with only the verbalization and encouragement it will receive while working cases, and then the intensity portion is added to the exercise after the dog makes the find. The “scent article intensity” exercise is used when introducing new starting positions, new kinds of scent articles, the introduction of aged trails and to continuously strengthen the dog’s foundation.

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One classic example of how to use a Scent Article IntensityTKM is the first time your dog is scented from a window sill. Because the dog has never been asked to rear up on its hind legs for the presentation of scent, he may be confused and hesitant. Some dogs may not even want to jump up at all, and will have to be coached. That considered the start is the real object of this exercise, not the trail that is attached to it. The dog needs to make the “find” and be rewarded quickly after starting. You want that initial “find” praise to transfer back to the awkward starting position, not to the trail itself. If the length of trail is too long, you risk not making that connection to the awkward start.

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The author working one of his hounds Another example is when a dog is started from a contaminated scent article. A contaminated scent article is one that has multiple or competing scents on it, but only one of those scents will have a trail that leaves the starting point or scene. To create the contaminated scent article, simply have some friends that will not be at your training touch the article along with your trail layer. To have controls in the

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exercise, the training area needs to have multiple decoy scent trails heading off in different directions. By having those “controls” in the exercise, you know the dog is being rewarded for starting from the scent article and not just following the only trail present. This exercise may sound labor intensive and cumbersome to set up but it is simple. Take the contaminated scent article and your trail layer to a place where people are walking around. Pick a starting point in that area and have your trail layer walk away in a direction not being used. After some people have come through your starting point, the controls are in place. Again the start from the contaminated article is the object of this exercise, not the trail attached to it. The initial “find” is made quickly, so the praise transfers back to reward the dog for starting from the scent article. If the length of trail is too long, you risk not making that connection to the scent article.

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One frequent exercise that utilizes “scent article intensity” will be when you train on cold or aged scent trails. A cold or aged trail is one that has been allowed to sit a significant amount of time. Rather than attempting the antiquated process of slowly aging trails, we are not going to concern or limit ourselves with specific time frames. You can use any reasonable age of trail you desire, because every exercise will bring success and build for the next one. Your goal is to have dogs that will cleanly start on the weakest of scent trails. To understand the reason for this training, consider the rabbit dog that crosses a field while hunting. The dog will pass over numerous “cold” or aged rabbit trails without trying to follow them. The dog instinctively knows following those aged scent trails won’t allow it to catch the rabbit. The dog will wait until it crosses a fresh rabbit trail before “striking” or starting to follow its prey. We need our dogs to “strike” cold scent trails

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with the same enthusiasm shown on fresh scent trails. Until a dog will do that, it should not be allowed to work any aged or cold cases.

Russian Asst. Instructor Natasha Zagainova’s dog shows intensity on trail working from the scent article Remember, the start from the scent article on a cold trail is the object of the exercise, not the trail attached to it. The

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initial “find” should be made quickly, so the praise transfers back to reward the dog for starting from the scent article on the cold trail. If the length of trail is too long, you risk not making that connection to the scent article, which then places you back in the antiquated system. The object should be: Cold Trails = Quick RewardTKM! Once the dog makes the initial find, you will lengthen the exercise by quickly adding the “intensity trail” portion. This intensity transfers excitement back to the cold trail start. So extend the trail from there (I do not believe the dog differentiates this fresher trail from the original cold trail, they are all connected in the dog’s mind), so the dog’s foundation continues to grow along with its ability on a cold trail. When aging a trail a significant length of time, it may take some forethought and planning. For instance, have your trail layer park their car at the ending point and drive them to the starting area.

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That way they can just enter their vehicle and leave the area once the trail is laid. A possible training exercise could begin at the side door of a store. The trail layer will cross the street to a parking lot, continue across that and stop at a light pole on the far side. When it is time to run the exercise, the trail layer simply returns to the ending point without going near the starting area and waits to be found by the dog. Once your dog is displaying high drive and appears to have a good foundation, use the “scent article intensity trail” exercise to test or gauge your dog’s ability.

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Italian Asst. Instructor Rossana Rinaldi’s dog shows intensity on a “cold” urban scent article intensity trail In Italy Choose a high contamination area such as a shopping mall or store entrance. With a critical eye, set up an exercise that starts at one of those entrances while the store is open. Let the trail age a couple of hours for the first exercise to see how clean and

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quickly the dog will start. You have the intensity portion of the exercise waiting to help the dog if he is hesitant. These exercises can be aged for a couple of days while you determine the dog’s abilities. Two days is the time frame I always looked for in my dogs. The reality of showing up on the scene of a missing child where the command post has been placed right on top of your starting area is very real. You need to know that your dog is capable of working a highly contaminated area before you actually respond to a case. I’ve worked many cases where the police officer, detective or FBI Agent marveled at the focus and drive of my dogs. They weren’t exceptionally bred or naturally driven, they were just properly trained.

I am always asked, “How old of a trail would my dog’s work?” I was always honest 129

and told them, “I don’t know, but if the scent is there, my dog will follow it!” Their foundation was that good! Please note: For all intensity exercises, I cannot give a set distance to use from start to finish. You will have to determine that based on your individual dog. When running an intensity at the beginning of an exercise, use something in the range of fifty yards. This allows the excitement to transfer back to the beginning of each exercise. The intensity distance to run after the dog makes the initial find can vary. It will allow you to give the feel of a trail while actually focusing on the start. I prefer something in the range of two hundred yards, but you will need to base the length on your individual dog. The joy is; the foundation is strengthening!

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Also note: If you trail layer is not physically fit enough to run the intensity portion at the end of the trail, ask your flanker to quickly take over and run this portion. The best scenario is to use the trail layer, but occasionally your flanker or someone else can be substituted. If you are training a patrol dog, it is recommended never to substitute with a flanker. Your dog may start thinking your backup is going to offer the reward. Better to keep his focus on the trail layer!

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Chapter 15 Extended Intensity TrailsTKM There are many unforeseen distractions that will only be found by running long training trails. These distractions need to be met and overcome. You can also ensure the dog can maintain his focus after tiring. Rather than designing longer trails which simply start from a scent article, incorporating the intensity trail into these distances is a better training system. The exercise starts like any other intensity trail but covers a longer

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distance - perhaps a ¼ mile in length. When the dog makes the initial find, praise him and give him a small portion of the reward. During the praise session, the trail layer starts another intensity trail by running away again for another ¼ mile distance. This process is continued throughout the exercise until the desired distance is reached. If you do not train using the intensity trail, be prepared to waste time overcoming distractions with negative reinforcement training, such as repeating “leave it,” or constantly pulling on the dog throughout the trail. Because greater distances are going to be covered, this exercise requires some pre-planning, so the trail layer knows exactly where each leg should end and how quickly your dog will be working. You will need a trail layer that is fit enough to quickly jog several legs. The dog handler does not have to wait for the complete distance of each leg to be covered by the trail layer before the dog is started - you may start your dog

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as soon as the trail layer is out of sight. That means that during some legs both the trail layer and the dog team will be on the move at the same time. Just ensure the distance separating the dog team from the trail layer is great enough that the dog is not sight hunting.

Instructor Perry Nelson beginning an extended 134

intensity training In review: 1. Longer trails are needed to: a. Expose the dog to unforeseen distractions. b. Ensure the dog can maintain its focus after tiring. 2. Incorporating intensity trails into longer distances will help the dog overcome distractions and learn to maintain focus. Remember to do: 1. Pre-starting ritual. 2. The same normal motions when harnessing dog. 3. Normal verbalization while harnessing dog. 4. Face dog wrong direction when presenting scent article.

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In review: 1. Length of first leg of intensity trail is ¼ mile. 2. During the reward praise session at end of 1st leg, the trail layer starts a second intensity trail by running away again for 2nd leg that is another ¼ mile long. 3. Repeat until desired length is reached In review: 1. Make sure trail layer knows where each leg or intensity trail will end. 2. Dog team does not have to wait until trail layer covers complete distance before starting dog. It is important for the handler to continue verbal enticement for the dog at the beginning of each leg to maintain the dog’s excitement. It is

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best to do this exercise in different terrains with various levels of contamination and distractions in order to get a well-rounded dog.

INBTI Member Jackie De Sousa from South Africa who is training her dog to use for hunting poachers!

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Chapter 16 The FlipTKM This exercise will help if your dog: 1. Will not follow a stranger. 2. Has difficulty working past or overcoming great distractions. 3. Needs a drive-building exercise to strengthen the foundation. 4. Needs extra help as new components are being introduced.

Note: “The flip is the strongest tool in your 138

toolboxTKM!” Some dogs will not focus or show interest in following your trail layer simply because they are strangers. It is not a dog’s natural instinct to hunt humans, so it would stand to reason that they would not intuitively follow someone they do not know. Take that same dog and ask him to follow his owner’s scent and you will be amazed at his ability and focus. The courts took notice of this phenomenon and cited it in 1918 while overturning a conviction:

“Many dogs are able to trace out their own masters, but to place him upon the trail of a stranger, and to have him follow up this trail is quite another matter.”

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People of New York v. Whitlock, Sup. Ct – 109 While utilizing this method of training, your dog will learn to follow a stranger or trail layer’s scent on command, but you should always look for ways to improve or strengthen your dog. A wealth of knowledge can be gleaned from bloodhound case law if you study and think about the decisions. Consider the court’s decision in the Whitlock case from a different perspective. What if you could channel the enthusiasm of a dog following his owner to a stranger? The value of being able to channel that desire to succeed would be tremendous. You could overcome the greatest distractions and create the strongest of commitments to the trail.

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French Asst. Instructor Dr. Annick Chassing working her hound, notice the dog's focus is now on the stranger The premise of this exercise is to transfer the dog’s excitement of finding his master to finding a stranger. It consists of a two-part intensity trail. Note that the handler’s and trail layer’s roles will be reversed for the first leg of the exercise. In other words, the handler assumes the role of the trail layer. The handler should show the dog its reward or if employing a food reward, make

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sure the dog smells it, then run away while verbally teasing the dog to follow or trail them. As the dog makes his initial find of the handler, and is being thoroughly rewarded and praised by both handler and trail layer, the roles should be flipped back to their conventional positions. The trail layer is now doing the runaway. If you are employing a food reward, make sure the trail layer lets the dog smell it, so the dog knows there is more to be found at the end. The trail layer then quickly runs away while still verbally enticing the dog. The handler should also be verbally encouraging the dog to follow. The length of this portion or leg can vary; remember to run shorter distances for dogs just starting and longer lengths for more seasoned dogs. When the flip is done promptly during the praise session, you will transfer the dog’s excitement of finding his master to that of following the trail of a stranger.

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In review: 1. The trail layer handles the dog during 1st portion, and the handler does the runaway during 1st portion. 2. While praising dog for finding handler, the roles are quickly reversed. 3. The trail layer does the runaway during 2nd portion, and the handler then handles the dog during 2nd portion.

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A dog proofing exercise Notice the focus when the right reward is used Sometimes the roles of the handler and trail layer will need to be flipped without continuing the exercise to where they are flipped back. During these times, the object of the exercise is not to transfer the excitement of finding the handler to a stranger, but simply to overcome a distraction. For instance, I have seen some dogs that were so distracted by other barking dogs that the only way to continue working through the area was to place the owner in front of the dog to refocus it. Consider this as a last resort when all else is failing and your dog’s progress continues to be hindered by distractions. In the overall scheme of building and maintaining a solid foundation, I would suggest using this exercise sporadically throughout the dog’s career to prevent

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problems, rather than just trying to fix or overcome problems when they arise.

Conducting some training out west

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Chapter 17 Other Intensity Building Tools These exercises will: 1. Build on and strengthen your dog’s foundation. A dog’s desire to win the game or finish the hunt is the key to success. You have the right reward, but how do you use it? Just having it is not enough; like any tool it needs to be applied properly. The standard intensity trail, scent article intensity trail and the delayed start intensity trail are the backbone of your dog’s training. When the

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reward is consistently applied to those exercises the dog’s foundation is continuously being strengthened. Use those basic exercises coupled with component training and you will develop an advanced and solid dog. Remember to focus on intensity trails and train on the components. Here are other drivebuilding tricks you can use that wouldn’t be considered exercises in the classical sense, but are still valuable. One effective trick to gain intensity is to transfer the dog’s love of its handler/owner to the scent article of a stranger. Have someone walk a trail and leave a scent article for the dog to start from. After completing your pre-starting ritual, place the dog in harness without presenting the trail layer’s scent article. After the dog is harnessed, let your flanker take control by grabbing the harness. You will then run away a very short distance, quickly dipping out of sight. This is done with all the verbal enticement of an intensity trail. The third

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party or flanker controlling the dog should also be verbally encouraging the dog to follow you. Once you dip out of sight briefly, the flanker stops all verbal encouragement. The handler then returns quietly without showing any emotion and retakes control of the dog. The scent article is then quickly presented to the dog with your normal verbal encouragement. The enthusiasm and desire the dog showed while watching its handler leave will now transfer to the scent article.

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Kevin Kocher celebrating with 3 of his hounds after being followed off lead For this next intensity-building trick, the intriguing part is that the dogs are not handled by anyone. They will be turned loose and allowed to trail their master without any hindrance from a handler. The handler/owner should position themselves to observe the dog coming in on them, so they can witness their dog’s natural speed and the majesty of the find! After completing your pre-starting ritual, place the dog in the harness with the normal verbal encouragement given on all exercises. The dog is then quietly placed back in the vehicle, and the handler starts teasing the dog to follow him. The handler then quickly runs away while still verbally enticing the dog. The person that will release the dog should continuously verbally encourage the dog to follow. Once the handler is in the

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predetermined ending location, they will contact the person releasing the dog, who simply opens the gate or door as they command the dog to “find um!” I normally run a distance of about one half mile through woods and field before having my dogs released. This should be done with caution and away from any place the dog could be injured. If you have dogs that you do not trust or may run away, don’t give up on this exercise. Use a football field or other large fenced area. The drive it builds is worth the effort to find a safe place to work your dog off-lead. Sometimes, just stopping your dog while verbally encouraging him to continue the trail will build more drive. If your teasing gets the hound to bay, you have just built drive that will transfer to future trails.

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I want to reinforce the information already presented in the flip exercise. A dog will never work harder or be more excited than when he is trying to find his master. Channel that intensity, which is essential for building a solid foundation.

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Kevin, Richard, and Robin

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Robin’s son, TX Deputy Alex Monroe with his HRD dog, Jake (left) VA INBTI Asst. Instructor Amanda Wenger (right)

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PART THREE READING YOUR DOG and “Learning the Dance”

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Excerpts from the formerly published, “Read Any Trailing or Tracking K-9” by Kevin and Robin Kocher © 1999 Reading Your Dog 155

Different behaviors are discussed throughout this book. If you are training enough to recognize those behaviors that means you can read your dog. Reading a dog is not something mystical; it is gained through repetitive training exercises. I will tell you the movements all dogs make when following their prey, which should take your abilities far beyond what was offered to me when I began years ago. I can tell you that if your dog does not look like it is working, he probably isn’t. Now it is up to you to watch him closely and train!

How Dogs Work a Trail Understanding how dogs work in their natural element is the key to reading a tracking or trailing dog. Canines don’t follow a trail like it’s a ball on a string. While tracking or trailing, a dog must actually eliminate directions of travel in order to follow his prey. Since all dogs go through this elimination process

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when following prey, they all show the same basic movements. These movements were identified and labeled by me years ago as “Negative IndicationsTKM.” They are generally subtle. Using and understanding these negative indicators will help you “read” your dog and understand the information he is giving you. If you cannot accurately read your dog, you will not be able to help him when he is faced with sorting out a tough problem. Remember, when working a trailing dog, you did not teach him “nose to the ground.” He is allowed to do it instinctively. Now you are working as a team helping him to focus on the scent you want him to follow, but letting him do it naturally. By learning to read his natural instinctive movements when trailing prey, you will form a tighter bond with your dog and learn to trust the information he gives you while working. A patrol K-9 trained to track will not

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show the “negative indications” as frequently as a trailing K-9. However, at some point, the dog will revert to his natural instincts while sorting out a problem, which is when you will see these movements. The confidence you gain from understanding the information your dog is giving you will lead to greater success when trailing or tracking.

Putting the Knowledge to Work As you become familiar with the negative indications, you will be able to keep a running map in your mind of where your subject is heading, and know with each indication that you still have the trail. When you stop seeing negative indications and the dog is just moving straight ahead, this is an indication in itself that the dog is probably freight training and has lost his focus and possibly the trail. The good news is that by remembering the point of your last indications, you will know where the

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dog last had the trail. Knowing that gives you a location to recover the trail at. Another skill you will learn is being able to eliminate directions of travel by reading the negative indications. With each indication comes more information about where the trail is NOT. The result is narrowing down the direction the trail could have gone. For example, let’s say you are closing in on a subject who has entered a building and has not exited. Understanding your dog’s negative indications will eliminate the area around the building, letting you know the subject has not exited and is still in the building. Although, we all train for the dog to indicate on the door the subject used to enter the building, we can use what indications the dog gives naturally to finish the trail even without the “Door ID.”

The Beginning Circle

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The beginning circle movement is a positive indication. In this movement the dog is moving slightly, and does not appear to be working. Next, you will see him change direction in a quick tight circle. This movement comes when he has sorted everything out and is ready to commit to the trail. You will see this movement a great deal at the beginning of a trail. Understand what the dog has just told you. He has eliminated the

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direction of travel that he was facing before the turn and showed commitment to the direction of the trail. As a handler, you know the trail did not go the direction your dog was facing and that he has found the scent trail. When running a trail, there will be different times the dog will show you a beginning circle other the starting point. One example might be when your dog has been running on the fringe of a scent and comes across the actual footsteps of the subject. The dog will start in one direction, make a tight circle, and reverse directions to correctly follow the trail. This movement alerts you to the same information regarding the direction of the trail and also that the dog is working. In another example, the dog has skipped part of the track to cross a barrier, such as a stretch of asphalt, and gives this circle motion on the other side. At that point, your dog has recovered the trail and he has eliminated at least one direction of travel.

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Reading this negative indication will tell you at least two things: 1. You have the trail. 2. You have eliminated a direction of travel. Always remember the last negative indication received from your dog to form a running map in your mind of the direction the trail is headed. It is important to note that if you see this indication with a change in animation in your dog, it is a good signal he has gotten on the scent of an animal and needs to be checked.

The Trail Circle When the dog is running a trail and he makes a circle, it indicates one of two things: 1. He has lost the direction of the trail. 2. He has lost the trail itself.

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Both are negative indications. What is important is that the dog just told you he is still focused on his job and working because a circle movement indicates he is still looking for the scent. When your dog pulls out of the circle and moves in a determined direction, it is a positive. A positive response directly after a negative one lets you know he has recovered the trail. It is important not to line check or hinder the dog while he is circling, because he is reacting on instinct. Once the dog shows commitment to a direction of travel, by tightening the line and pulling back smoothly and tightly, you can “line check” him. A line check simply asks the dog, “Are you sure?” The circles that a dog makes are not necessarily symmetrically correct, so it is important to recognize what the dog just did. At times, your dog might slow dramatically before they circle, which makes the circles easy to miss. Occasionally, he may also do multiple

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circles while following the trail. Remember not to hinder your dog, be patient and wait for them to commit. When the dog pulls out of its circle, you can eliminate the other three directions on the map you are keeping in your mind. Arrows indicate trail of dog

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The classic cutback is the movement most often seen when trailing. Many handlers think the movement occurs when the dog has reached the end of the scent cone. I also believe that to be correct, except they have not realized the information the dog gives you when he does the cutback movement. Remember, dogs must eliminate directions of travel while following a trail. Applying that theory to this movement gives you two important pieces of information: 1. The dog just eliminated the direction he cutback from. 2. He still has the trail. The map you are making in your head grows with each of these movements that your dog makes. By eliminating the direction your K-9 turned back from, and remembering the last indication, you will find yourself closing in on your subject.

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The Flowing Negative The flowing negative movement is very similar to the classic cutback. The difference between the two movements is subtle. The dog turns smoothly back, rather than abruptly. It is easier to miss or not understand what the dog just did, because it looks so natural or inconspicuous. Those of you that have run urban streets have probably seen

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the dog give this movement as you past some driveways. The dog will ease into the driveway a little and ease back out in one constant flowing motion. That slight variation in his directional heading lets you know he has just eliminated a direction of travel, via the driveway, and he is still focused. You also know he still had the trail at that point. This movement is best described as a bow in an otherwise straight line. Some dogs will do this constantly in tight patterns. By watching for them and understanding the meaning of this movement, you can always eliminate directions of travel in your running map and be assured your dog still has the trail.

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The flowing negative Arrows indicate direction of travel eliminated

The Head Turn The head turn movement is normally done when the dog passes over what

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we refer to as “trash scent” or scent that belongs to something other than his prey. This is seen a lot when running your dog past storefronts in an urban setting. The dog will lift and turn his head in the direction of the “trash scent” and then go back to the head down position without breaking stride. The movement of his head lets you know two things. The subject did not go that way and the dog is still working. When you see a double look, a longer glance, or the dog is no longer committed to a direction of travel, you will know which direction the scent of your subject is coming from, just as you would during the “pre-scent” phase. It is important to observe the difference in the head turns. For example, the dog intermittently keeps popping his head to the left side of the road and lifting his head like when air scenting. This is a good indication that you will find your subject on the left side of the road, even though you may go through many turns and indications before finally closing in on your subject.

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The Head Turn on the Trail Those of you handling bloodhounds, or similarly trained dogs, will at times see your dog give the head turn indication as you pass by people.

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The dog is telling you the same thing he would with the doorways and driveways, except now you know three things: 1. It is not the person we seek. 2. I still have the trail. 3. The trail is getting hot. Dogs running cold trails do not waste time doing a courtesy check or acknowledging decoys with a head turn as they pass them. As the trail starts getting fresher (closer to the end), he may start to check someone with the turn of his head. You will have to train to find out how cold the trail must be before your dog quits swinging his head towards the decoys. This will also change as the dog becomes more efficient in his work. Understanding and recognizing this indication will also help you discern when your dog was given a bad scent article and is working a fresh trail, when the person you really seek

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has been missing for a substantial amount of time. The key to seeing a lot of information beyond the negative indications listed, is watching the dog’s head. You may see the dog sight in on some vegetation on the other side of the parking lot or other barriers. You will know he is “skip tracking” that barrier, although the trail probably heads in that direction. If he cannot recover, you know where he started the skip and can react accordingly.

Putting It All Together (pictured right) This diagram puts some of the movements of purpose together to give you an idea of what a dog’s trail might look like. Some dogs may not have such exaggerated movements. However, all dogs eliminate directions of travel and

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are constantly giving information by showing movements of purpose while they trail. We spoke of the “running map” in your mind. We told you to go back to the place you know you had the trail. These next pages will give you an idea of how to work your way back to that spot.

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Note from the author: I have added this immediate section with an exercise into the “Reading Your Dog” portion of the book in order to help you understand the dance! Which will further your abilities as a dog handler. More components/exercises follow later in the book. The Half Moon or Head-up No Forward Scent IndicationTKM “Dancing With Your Dog” I touched on this subject in the targeting chapter of both editions of this book, but have been repeatedly asked to go into more depth and find myself teaching this “No Forward Scent”

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recognition more and more at seminars. Unlike the other negative indications discussed in this section, this indication requires a reaction from the handler when they see it. That requirement is what separates it from the other negative indications. Where the other indications help you understand the behavior of your dog while on track or trail they do not require any action on your part beyond keeping a running map in your head. The Half Moon or HeadUp negative indication requires a reaction when you see it. To become that successful dog handler you are trying to be is simply the process of recognizing, then reacting, to these signals the dog gives you. I refer to it as the “dance.” As with any dance, you should not remain flat footed and always stay focused on and try to understand what the dog is signaling you, much like a following partner on the dance floor. It is important to not miss ANY of the dog’s signals.

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For instance, if you miss this signal and do not react properly it would be your fault or handler error when the dog fails to capture the prey just as it would be your fault when disaster strikes on the dance floor. As I previously stated in the Lead and Lead Control chapter (#4), I recommend a lead in the 20 foot range and giving the dog all 20 feet in front of you when practical. You will need to see the big picture when attempting to understand the information the dog is trying to convey or tell you. To illustrate this, stand directly behind someone with your fingers shaped like they are holding a garden hose. Look through your fingers to see only the back of the head. Now back up twenty feet and look at the same person through your fingers again. The size of the picture you see has changed dramatically. We need that big picture to understand what the dogs are signaling! Different breeds of dogs may give different signals when they are moving

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forward and run out of scent. That being said all tracking/trailing dogs that run out of scent will consistently show you one or two distinct movements. The predominate movement bloodhounds give looks like a combination of the classic cutback and the flowing negative indication (which are discussed and illustrated in this section of the book). Watch carefully and you will see the dog give you a half-moon motion when it runs out of scent. That half-moon motion is his way of telling you the scent goes no further and the next step of the dance is a backwards movement! If you take three backward steps even a weak dog will normally recover on its own. You should always be watching your dog while on your toes waiting to see what the next steps of the dance will be.

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Some other breeds such as the German Shepherd or Malinois may give you a head up motion in conjunction with or rather than the half moon, so if you are working a patrol dog watch carefully for the dog to lift its head up. When you see the dog’s head smoothly and at times quite quickly rise to a higher position it may be telling you it has run out of scent and should be coming back towards you. Sometimes a dog that is being distracted by something will raise its head and look at the distraction. That focus should make it easy for you to identify which one just occurred. Still continue the dance by taking the backward steps. If it was a momentary distraction and the trail still goes forward

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the dog will pull you through and continue on the trail. If he has lost the trail, the backwards steps will help maintain the focus of the dog and assist with recovery of the trail. By taking the backwards steps, you are simply asking the dog, “Do you still have the trail?” Sometimes rather than the half-moon motion the Bloodhound may/will give you the head up signal also.

If you are using the method of training laid out in this book, the dog should stay true and swing around on its own after showing either movement. When that happens it is still important for you to understand what occurred and what you should be doing. Do not stand flat

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footed, looking at but not seeing what your dog is telling you or waiting for your dog to do something further. Do not take a step forward and give your dog permission to explore another scent! If you do not react, a lot of weak dogs that are not totally focused on the target scent will continue forward after giving the initial indication and start exploring other interesting scents. By the time you realize you no longer have the target scent it may be too late for a recovery. Start your three step backwards motion when you see either indication. If you are standing flat footed and do not react to the dog’s signal by backing up you risk going so far out of the scent that the dog cannot recover, which is why it could be labeled handler error. Back up, then as the dog passes you, file the information which is…my dog is still working and the scent does not go any further forward and is now behind me.

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That sliding motion backwards is similar to the Passive InfluenceTKM you have been giving to your dog during its training. Remember it is important for your dog to learn to overcome difficulties or complexities without also learning to rely on you the handler, so it will need to be helped without making it dependent. With that in mind, during your “dog training” sessions if the dog is displaying total indecision or confusion on which way to go, the handler should smoothly transition into taking some backward steps in the correct direction of the trail. Then as the dog passes you, turn round to follow it and allow it to regain the leadership position of the dance. You just gave the dog a Passive InfluenceTKM, by doing this, you teach him to win the game without becoming dependent on you. Instead the dog gains confidence in its own ABILITIES. As your dog becomes familiar with the game, you can set up an exercise which allows the dog to give you a series of No Forward Scent Negative IndicationsTKM

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to learn to recognize the half-moon or head up motion your dog gives.

No Forward Scent Indications with Trail Recovery Exercise An exercise was needed to help new handlers learn to read when their dog runs out of scent. This meant I needed

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to be able to place the dog in an in-scent posture and then run a series of exercises showing the handler what it looks like when their dog leaves the scent. Most handlers or instructors would have no idea how to get a dog into a “in scent posture” beyond running trails, but reading a dog coming out of it is a vital skill that needs to be taught in a repetitive fashion. At first thought it seemed a daunting task to me, then I remembered my actions when I wanted to thoroughly clear a direction while working cases. I would throw my hand towards a direction and the dogs would instinctively assume an in-scent posture while following my hand’s direction. Then it was just a matter of waiting for the No Forward Scent Indication. This half-moon or head up indication from the dog would show me that the scent did not go in that direction. So this exercise accomplished the goals I was searching for, which was giving the handler a series of No Forward Scent Indications that helped teach them the recognition

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they would need while working cases. I taught this exercise to my dogs while they were learning to target but have witnessed countless dogs perform admiralty without the targeting ability. So set this exercise up no matter how great the abilities of a dog. Always remember if a trail is lost in an urban setting, the loss probably occurred at an intersection behind you unless the trail actually entered a building. A component exercise designed to assist you in identifying which building is already written (chapter 48) and unfortunately seldom practiced. Hopefully after doing the following exercise a few times, you will instantly be able to recognize and react to your dog’s No Forward Scent Indication in the future. The only way to master anything is to practice. The following simple component exercise is the one I used to teach my dogs. As with everything else within my training system, the ease of learning will be astounding.

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Beyond learning to recognize the No Forward Scent Indication, practicing to recover a lost trail will also create the vital casting and targeting skills you will need to deploy at some point in your career. To help acquire both of these skills set up a vehicle pick up exercise (chapter 57) on a street that has multiple alleys and/or streets leading off of it in a fairly short (one to two block) distance. These streets or alleys will allow you the opportunity to target and check them with your dog as you cast your way back down the road. To further clarify the exercise and what it should look like I’ll go into some more detail. This exercise: 1. Will give you the casting and targeting skills needed to recover a lost trail. Run an intensity trail leading to a vehicle pick-up (one or two block distance). Load up the trail layer and drive right back over the footsteps with

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the windows up. Tell your dog to “Hunt um up” about the time the trail layer is getting into the vehicle (which was waiting at the end, facing the trail’s starting point) or shortly after they enter the vehicle to head back up the street. The handler and dog will actually pass the vehicle as it drives back up the street with the trail layer inside. Then once your dog is on the trail and has worked a safe distance past the vehicle (which is driving back toward the start) stop the vehicle near the starting point and have the trail layer get out and walk down a side street or alley. The distance they need to walk only has to be a block or so. The purpose of the exercise is to see the dog make the recovery not a long trail after it. Even though this is a Dog TrainingTKM session in which you know the exact point the vehicle was entered, as with all dog training sessions do not influence the dog at that point, but wait for him to tell you. Doing that allows you the

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opportunity to witness the first “No Further Scent” negative indication and familiarize yourself to the movement. Once the dog has identified the point of the vehicle pick up by giving a half moon or head-up motion, react to it by taking three backward steps and watching. If the dog has been trained, it will give you the full blown NSI (No Scent Indication Chapter 37) at that point which would indicate a vehicle pick up. Look for confidence or hesitation in your dog, which indicates a vehicle pick up or a simple loss of trail. For the purpose of this exercise we will imagine the dog displayed hesitation (not a full blown NSI), but we will still praise him profusely for going no further. This is what we are looking for; the dog to tell you it lost the trail! Tighten the lead up to around 6 feet between you and the dog and smoothly and quickly turn around and start back towards the first or closest alley or street. As you reach the middle of the

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entrance, take your hand that is not holding the lead and throw it up towards the alley or street while commanding your dog to check. This may require you to change your lead holding hand depending on which side of road you are checking. As the dog starts into that alley or street, drop the rest of the coiled up lead so the dog has full unrestricted movement. It will tighten the lead back up.

Once you throw your hand and command the dog to check, the dog will instinctively assume the posture he displays while in scent as he leaves your

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side heading into the alley or street. It is then just a matter of following him a little ways and witnessing the head up or half-moon motion. The length you have to follow is normally dependent on the dog’s skill level but just about all dogs, whether they are fairly new to the game or seasoned veterans, will be honest. As you react to the motion by taking three backward steps and the dog starts his return to your side you should be starting to recoil the lead. Quickly trot (cast) to the middle of the next entrance and repeat the procedure. Catalog the “No Further Scent” motions the dog displays while learning to look for it while on track or trail. Once you reach the correct road where the trail layer was let out of the car to walk a fresh trail, watch as the dog hesitantly then confidently follows the scent to identify the trail layer! Once completed, smoothly and quickly run another intensity trail. 1. Be conducted on a road with little or no traffic.

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2. Have trail layer trot down the road a block or so and enter vehicle. 3. Have the vehicle (closed windows) drive back over trail layer’s steps. 4. Have vehicle drop trail layer off near the start for a short fresh trail after the dog has started working and is a safe distance away.

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PART FOUR SCENT ARTICLES and The IDENTIFICATION

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INBTI Instructor Tom Osterkamp won the State of Missouri’s Sheriff’s Association Award for “Citizen of the Year” for work with his K9.

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Kevin conducting a Russian television interview (right)

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Instructor/NC Deputy Sheriff Steve Stewart (left) and Kevin pictured with Instructor/South Dakota Special Agent Chad Carpenter

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Chapter 18 The Scent Article In order to understand what a scent article is, you need to have a basic understanding of scent. Rather than turn to books or articles or even present a theory, we felt it best to simply write what we found in case law. The first court to rule what dogs follow was the 1903 case of Brott v. Nebraska 97 NW 593. In this case, The Supreme Court of Nebraska cited: “To get a nearer and clearer view of the nature of the evidence erroneously admitted, let us consider closely what trailing is. The

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path of every human being through the world, at every step, from cradle to the grave, is strewn with putrescent excretions of his body. This waste matter is in process of decomposition, it is being resolved into its constituent elements, and its power to make an impression on the olfactory nerves of the dog or other animal becomes fainter and fainter with the lapse of time.” The Supreme Court of Nebraska went on to say that dogs have the capability to scent discriminate. “His method of trailing is simple and well understood. Particles of waste matters given off by the particular individual fall to the ground, while undergoing chemical change come in contact with the olfactory nerves of the dog, and produce an impression which he is able to recognize, as distinct and different from all other impressions.”

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You do not need to spend a lot of time studying atmospheric conditions and other matters, which are better left to theorist handlers; just go out and do the job. Understand that scent can move some with wind, so do not expect your dog to be right on the footsteps of your trail layer. If your dog is having difficulties following an old trail on a hot day, try it again after the temperature cools down. Dogs have hunted or trailed animals for thousands of years. Those that could not hunt in all conditions died out many years ago. Now that we have an understanding of what scent is we can look at the scent article. A scent article can be defined as something that has the scent of the subject you are looking for on it. It can be anything touched or handled by that person.

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There are two categories of scent articles. The first category contains the “good scent article,” which would be anything that contains only the scent of the person you seek. This article will

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allow the dog to know for certain whose scent to follow. The second category contains the “bad scent article,” which would be something that doesn’t have the scent of the person you seek or has been contaminated with the scent of someone other than the person you seek. Using a bad scent article can result in the dog not knowing precisely who you want it to follow. This contamination could result from: Residual sources such as scent falling from the air - which could happen if your fellow officers have been standing over the article for an extended period of time. Transfer scent from another article, such as a missing child’s article of clothing bundled together in the family hamper.

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Direct scent transfer, which means your scent article was touched by a person other than your missing subject – such as a family member or fellow officer. You will learn how to train successfully using a contaminated scent article in later chapters. The difficulty on an actual case comes from not knowing whether or not the scent article has been contaminated.

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Chapter 19 Scent Article Collection As previously stated, the scent article is how you communicate to your dog which person to follow. When that communication link is broken, the dog team will fail. Is it the dog’s fault? How can it be? If you did not collect and package a good scent article, how could the dog know what to follow? Is it the handler’s fault? Not always. There will be occasions where it is beyond their control. There will be times you’ll work cases using bad scent articles. Sometimes it can’t be helped, other

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times it could have been prevented. The best advice we can give is to take your time when evaluating potential scent articles. Unfortunately, it is second nature for people to touch things and most of the time they can’t even recall it happening. Because of this, you can’t ask a blanket question like, “Has anyone touched this?” I can tell you the answer will be “no,” when indeed it was touched. The solution is to ask more specific questions like how the potential scent article got in its current position. When was it last worn? Who cleans or picks up the room? Who made the bed? Do other family members frequent the room? Do the children or family members share clothing? You will be going into homes of families that live differently than what is considered average or normal. Ask the questions in a professional tone showing no prejudgment in your voice about their living conditions. Ask the questions

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simply because you need to know the answers. If a room has been thoroughly contaminated before you get on scene, the chances of finding a good scent article in plain view are low. Try looking in secondary positions, such as behind and under the dressers or between the mattress or box springs and wall. I’ve been successful on numerous cases because of those secondary locations, including one that involved an abducted child. In that case, the child’s room had been thoroughly contaminated before I arrived on the scene, but by locating an uncontaminated sock in a secondary location which was between the mattress and wall, I was able to help save the child’s life. When no article can be found in those secondary locations, remember the interior of recently worn shoes are normally uncontaminated. Another option is turning an article of clothing inside out to lower the risk of it being contaminated. In other words, you

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locate a shirt that has been worn by your victim, but it is in a location that would indicate it was possibly touched by someone else. Turn the shirt inside out so you can scent the dog from the interior of the shirt that was against the skin of your victim. That way you have a solid chance of presenting the correct scent to your dog.

Instructors Patti and Tim Elfreth Remember: The dog will follow the fresher trail even 206

though it is the weaker scent on the scent article. That is why it is so important to ask the right questions when collecting the article!

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Chapter 20 Scent Article Transfers Some call-outs will require you to create a scent article. The most common method used to create a scent article is known as the scent transfer. Unlike the article that becomes contaminated unintentionally (such as in the family hamper), this transfer is done on purpose to create a secondary useable scent article. A scent article transfer involves transferring the scent from an original article to a sterile gauze pad or multiple sterile gauze pads. You will then have the original article containing the

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scent and the sterile gauze pad scent articles. Use this method if you have a stationary object that you cannot take with you, such as a car seat or door handle or when more than one dog team will be on scene and there is only one original article available. Remove a sterile gauze pad or multiple sterile gauze pads from their packages and place them in a position so they are touching the original article. Remember to be patient and give this transfer process time to work; twenty (20) minutes would be reasonable. Then place the gauze pads containing the “transferred” scent into gallon sized plastic baggies. The baggies can be sealed to protect the gauze pads from outside elements until they are ready to be used. You can then open the baggies and scent the dogs directly from the pads. It is recommended to practice doing scent transfers during your training sessions. The transfers will contain less scent than the original

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article, but still contain plenty for your dog to work from. Use the transfers while doing some intensity work or coupled with component training (to be discussed later) to cover multiple tasks in one training session. When transferring scent from a car seat, place the sterile gauze pad so it is lying flat on the seat. Open a gallon size Ziploc bag and place it in a tent-like formation over the sterile gauze pad. This will protect the gauze pad from trash residual scents floating in the air, and will allow you to collapse the baggy from the outside to gather the gauze pad when the transfer is complete. You can then seal the baggy without even touching the gauze pad. Try creating scent articles using sterile gauze pads from different objects such as windowsills, knives, guns, etc. A pair of tongs makes a good device to remove sterile pads; you should consider placing a pair in your scent collection case.

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To ensure you have the proper equipment, always carry various sized packaging materials to protect and preserve the scent article. I kept my scent article kit in a brief case to further project the appearance of a trained professional. It is important to note that we have experienced both success and failure doing scent transfers. If at all possible, we highly recommend using the original article. When you do fail, it will probably be because you did not receive the correct information about the original article before you attempted the transfer. An alternate and faster method is to wipe a sterile gauze pad across an

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object to transfer the scent. You may have heard of this method being used on vehicle steering wheels. Before attempting this method, make sure the investigating officer understands that latent fingerprints may be destroyed. To quickly accomplish the wipe, use a gallon-sized baggy pulled inside out over your hand, creating a glove. Grasp the sterile gauze pad with the “gloved” hand and wipe your object. While still holding the gauze pad, pull the baggy back to its original position. Your scent article is now protected and ready to use. Treat every case as a criminal investigation. The scent article is evidence - log where and when you collected it, along with other pertinent information. Start a chain of custody log to document when you pass it to someone else. The final assessment of the scent article doesn’t stop when you collect it. As you run the trail, you must continue evaluating it by judging or gauging the

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behavior of the dog on the trail. Compare it to the trails you have run in training and any previous cases. Compare your trail to the normal travel patterns of lost or confused people. If you are unable to make the find, taking all this information into account will help you form an opinion about the scent article you used. This happened to me on a missing person case several years ago. The subject lived in a high-rise nursing home. I decided to use the woman’s pillowcase as a scent article. I then scented my dog at the front door of the building, as this was the only nonalarmed accessible exit point. The dog immediately took trail, but I was able to tell my article was contaminated based on the pattern of the trail. The dog took me to obvious vantage points someone would use while looking for a missing elderly woman, rather than the trail of somebody who wandered off. After attempting to use a couple different

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articles from the woman’s room and finding no trail in the area of the front door, a new search inside the building found the woman safely asleep in a room other than her own. In review: General transfers: 1. Place opened sterile gauze pads so they are touching original article. 2. Allow 20 minutes for good scent transfer. 3. Place gauze pads containing scent in gallon sized baggies. 4. Scent dog directly from baggies. 5. Introduce scent article transfers while working on intensity and component training. Vehicle transfers: 1. Lay sterile gauze pad on car seat.

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2. Open gallon-sized baggy in tentlike formation over pad. 3. Allow 20 minutes for transfer process. 4. Collapse baggy to collect pad without touching it.

Third Generation Dog Handlers, Arabelle Kocher and Fia Sheler Kevin’s Granddaughters harnessing bloodhound Ellie

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Chapter 21 Reading a Bad Scent Article or Failed Transfer Once you have trained your dog the “No Scent Identification (NSI),” it will be easy to read when your target scent is not in the area or the scent article contains no identifiable scent like when a scent transfer fails. Sometimes it is not as clear-cut as simply seeing the trained No Scent IdentificationTKM response (to be discussed in a later chapter). You will have to gauge the dog’s overall behavior that you have seen while training and

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then weigh that against what you are seeing at that moment. For instance, your dog never loses a trail the first 100 or 200 yards during training exercises, but now you are seeing a short trail followed quickly by the apparent loss of scent. The dog's loss of scent behavior will not look like a vehicle pick-up or a clean end of trail. The behavior appears to be more like confused searching after short bursts of an apparent good trail. This appears to happen more at scenes where the family members have been out searching for the missing child or suspect prior to your arrival. It would be advisable for you to keep this behavioral pattern in mind when evaluating your dog’s work. The quicker you read or realize what has happened, the greater your chance of ultimately being successful with another scent article. I once worked a case in another jurisdiction where a vehicle was found at the entrance of a park with a suicide note left in it. There was a large river

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nearby reachable through a narrow section of woods. The car had been processed and the family of the missing man had been in the area searching. I tried multiple scent articles out of the vehicle. The dog went out about 75 yards from the vehicle, but then his head would come up and he appeared to lose the scent. I tried working with several different articles, all with the same result. I’d never seen that behavior in training, so I figured I was getting bad scent articles. Then a Detective shows up with a hat he had seized from the subject’s vehicle. I scented my dog again from the hat and he gave me a clean “NSI” or No Scent Identification indicating a vehicle pick-up or at least no trail leaving the area.

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If your dog is focused and never loses a trail in the first 200 yards and now you see this, a bad scent article is probably the cause. Pictured is French Asst. Instructor Cathie Fettig When I went to the briefing, I told the Incident Commander and detectives that the only article I felt comfortable with

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was the hat, and my dog indicated there was no trail leaving the vehicle. One of the detectives spoke up and said, “Maybe he got into a car and left,” and I nodded my head at her in agreement. The agency rightfully continued their search; dragging the river, etc. for 5 days, while other detectives searched for him like he was still alive. The subject was later located up in New England. We have never been able to replicate the short bursts followed by confusion in training; therefore we have not formed an opinion why the dogs behave in this manner. Just remember that a change from your dog’s normal behavior is most likely a solid indication of a bad scent article. You have got to decide that the scent article was probably bad; that is your job as a handler. Do not go to the responsible agency and verbalize your dog’s behavior. They are not knowledgeable enough for that type of information, and the indecisiveness will make you and the dog look bad. Make

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the call, rest the dog and collect another scent article. Sometimes, you will present your dog with an article that has the wrong scent, causing your dog to (a) follow the wrong person or (b) refuse to leave the immediate area. There is not much you can do about this, just be careful collecting your scent article. Watch the overall pattern of your trail as it may suggest you’re after a searcher not the victim. So even after you’ve collected the article and are working your dog, your evaluation of the article or scent transfer doesn’t stop. Since a good trail off of a bad scent article is not likely, you need to look critically at your dog’s work before debriefing. For example, a Fairfax County, VA police officer was called to an apartment building of a man who had left a suicide note, and could not be found in the upper level apartment. The man’s wife had come home about six hours after he

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had left their apartment. She called the police to report the note. The officer used a shoe the man had worn the day before as a scent article. He scented the dog out in front of the building, but the dog would not take a trail. He would range a little, but kept coming back to the front of the building. Even though there was very little scent from the man’s wife on the article, the freshest trail was hers, not her husband’s. The dog was identifying the fresher trail even though it was the weaker scent on the article. If this happens to you, I would suggest collecting another scent article or bringing the wife outside so the dog can eliminate her while re-scenting on the shoe. Bad scent article in review: 1. Gauge the behavior of the dog seen during training, against behavior seen while working cases.

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2. Dramatic change of behavior is an indication of possible bad scent article. 3. Watch the overall pattern of your trail, does it look like the path of an Alzheimer’s patient or a searcher stopping at strategic overlook points trying to find them.

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INBTI Instructor/Fairfax Co. VA Police Officer Peter

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Masood

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Chapter 22 The Scent Article Start Throughout your dog’s career, the scent article is the primary way you will start your trails. You will arrive on a scene, collect a scent article and start your dog from it. The length of time between the victim/suspect leaving and you starting the dog will vary. The ability to scent the dog off of many types of articles in many different ways will help create a confident dog. Most of your casework will involve presenting the scent article from an evidence bag or baggie, but you should train for unique

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circumstances also. This varied approach during training will enhance the dog’s capabilities and boost your confidence in your dog. That is why you will be doing many different starting positions and techniques while following this method of training. During training, always demand a correct direction of travel every time you scent your dog. You can accept that the dog may lose the trail while following it, but do not tolerate a wrong direction at the start. During the majority of training you will know which direction the trail went. It is important to continue facing the dog in the wrong direction, so you will see the dog quickly and tightly turn to follow the trail. When working cases, you want immediate and correct information from the dog. Witnessing or reading that turning motion provides you with the knowledge that a trail has been found. Do some exercises using homes, businesses or other similar obstructions

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to force a quick decision from the dog. To do these exercises, stand about 15 to 20 feet away, facing the entrance/exit points while presenting the scent article. The dog will then have to make an immediate decision whether to turn right or left to follow the scent. The dog may pause prior to going in the correct direction but again, you will witness or read that turning motion. In review: 1. When training for direction of travel, the dog should not see the trail layer leave. 2. Face the dog in the wrong direction when starting. 3. The dog’s turning motion allows you to conclude it has located scent trail.

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While scenting from an evidence bag or commercial baggie it is not necessary to totally submerge and enclose the dog’s muzzle or head. A dog’s scenting or smelling ability allows it to catalog or check the article from just outside the opened mouth of the evidence bag or baggie. So you are going to open the bag containing the scent article, bring it up to the dog’s nose and briefly pause while you give the command to take scent. You will then watch for and read any circling motions or behaviors that

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would indicate a scent trail has been found. Some dogs will object to the bag even being placed under their nose. They will turn or throw their head up attempting to avoid the bag. Rather than chasing the dog’s nose around with the bag, control the dog’s head movements. While still in the harnessing position, hold the opened baggie in one hand. Now position your free hand on one side of the dog’s head, while placing your thumb on the top of the dog’s muzzle. Then bring the hand holding the baggie into the same position on the other side of the dog’s head using your fingers to present the opened baggie. This method restricts the dog’s ability to keep turning or rearing its head, while you present the baggie. Remember it is not necessary to bring the bag over the dog’s nose for it to catalog the scent.

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Chapter 23 The Identification (ID) In most criminal cases, whether it is a simple bail out from a stolen vehicle or an investigative trail on a “colder” violent crime, your dog will be following an unknown subject. When following an unknown subject, the dog has to be trained to identify the suspect once he is located. The courts have accepted a variety of identifications; from a dog that was trained to attack his prey (North Carolina v. Freeman 60 SE Reporter 986) to one whose ID was a sniff (U.S. v. Lavdo 750 F. 2nd. 1527). The courts

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have been fairly lenient on this matter. A weak identification will go to the weight, not the admissibility of the handler’s testimony. As a law enforcement officer you should build a strong identification to strengthen your testimony. When determining which ID to train, consider that a dog’s natural instinct is to jump up when excited. To become a reliable dog team you need to remain focused on maintaining a high level of intensity. Because of that, as the dog finds your trail layer it will be at the peak of its excitement. With very little coaxing the dog will jump up for its anticipated reward. This can easily be transitioned into a consistent behavior at the end of every trail. If you chose not to use the jump up ID, it is important to use an identification that is not a discipline or commanded act. Some handlers make the mistake of having their dog sit or paw the trail layer for the ID. If you closely watch those dogs’ intensity at the

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end of the trail you will see it drop dramatically. By making the dog do a commanded act rather than something spontaneous for its identification, the handler incorrectly removed the ID as a natural extension of the trail. Does the dog think he’s being rewarded for the trail he just ran, or the discipline of sitting? I’ve seen many dogs that noticeably improved once allowed to react naturally at the end of the trail rather than being forced to do a discipline.

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To teach the jump up ID, run a short intensity trail and have the trail layer hold the treat at chest level so the dog needs to come up for it. The trail layer should remain quiet until the dog jumps up and then quickly give the reward and offer praise. Multiple jump-ups or identifications can happen in a single exercise. Once the dog jumps up the first time, the trail layer should praise and give a portion of the reward. Then back up a couple steps while verbally enticing the dog to jump up again. A couple of these component exercises will lock the identification into the dog’s trailing behavior. Once you start using the “jump up” ID, while the dog is in harness you will have to verbally discipline it for jumping up on anyone other than the trail layer. During the initial stages where decoys have to be passed, the dog may be playful and look for anyone to have its reward. Mildly discipline him for any “false IDs” and you will see the dog quickly learn

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that only the trail layer will provide its reward.

The Sit ID By following my high intensity method of training, you will also transition this jump-up ID to other “no find” trails or exercises. Your ability to read your dog will vastly improve because you will train a consistent behavior in a given set of circumstances. In others words, rather than trying to guess what happened, you will teach your dog to tell you. One such circumstance is at the point of a vehicle

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pick-up. Through the years I’ve been successful in helping solve or investigate crimes, because all my dogs have shown the same behavior at the place a child or suspect entered a vehicle. On some cases, the investigators then identified which vehicle was parked there or the identity of the person who was given a ride. This information enabled them to solve the crime or at least know how to focus the investigation. These “no find” exercises will be discussed in their respective chapters. In a wooded or forest setting, your dog may come back and jump on you (obviously a helicopter pick-up was not involved), but the information is invaluable because you now know the dog has lost the scent. There will also be times when a young dog becomes confused and jumps on your back-up personnel. For instance, you have been chasing a suspect for a fairly good distance during which the dog has

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remained focused on the trail and ignoring your back-up personnel. Now, suddenly he starts to jump on the officers that are with you. This normally happens when the dog smells the fresh scent of your suspect or trail layer. Don’t be concerned or harsh with the dog; just understand you are probably close and should take the appropriate measures. It is also important not to discipline the dog for jumping on people while it is not working and out of harness. Doing this will send a mixed message and create an unsure dog. Don’t worry about lost elderly people or children being hurt by your dog jumping up on them. You have the lead and are in control of the dog and the scene.

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First Seminar in Australia with Jill Gow (3rd from right) and Carolyn Macgill (far right) The ID for the Patrol Dog If you are training a patrol dog, obviously he cannot go in and jump on your trail layers so you will utilize the bark identification. It is easily trained and a behavior your dog has already been

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taught to display. As the dog initially goes in on the trail layer, apply back pressure to the lead. It will not take a lot of enticement to get the dog barking. Although most patrol dogs are just looking for their ball not an automatic bite, for liability reasons extra care needs to be taken to avoid accidental bites. I would suggest not letting the dog close in on your trail layer if it can be avoided. I have witnessed patrol dogs reach the trail layer before the handlers saw them, and the dog just barked at the trail layer like he was trained to do. Because you should play it safe, after a few exercises have your trail layer standing behind a fence so the dog can close without any back pressure being applied to the lead. The dog will bark without any lead influences. Quickly reward the dog for the barking identification.

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A Malinois displaying the bark ID

Seminar in Ukraine 2013 241

Some of the best dog handlers in Europe participated! Russian Instructors: Lyubov Koshevaya (below left) St. Petersburg Police K9 Chief (Retired) Andrey Mamaenko (right)

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PART FIVE CONTINUING THE FUNDAMENTALS

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Ukrainian Asst. Instructor Vadim Yanishevsky (left) Russian Customs Officer/Asst. Instructor Alexey Baranovskiy (right)

Squad of Russian Police Officers with Kevin and Elena

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Chapter 24 Dog TrainingTKM Dog TrainingTKM is the descriptive term used for training sessions that have the handler in control of the exercise. The exercises are laid out by the handler and designed for a specific purpose. That purpose might be to work on one of the components of a trail or the entire trail itself. Running an entire trail (verses training on just one component) helps handlers see their dog’s reaction when exposed to distractions in a controlled setting. Those reactions may expose weaknesses that will have to be overcome in future exercises. Entire

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trails also help handlers learn to read negative indications by observing the dog work. Component TrainingTKM is best described as short, focused, high intensity training. These exercises help dogs quickly learn new facets of mantrailing or to overcome difficulties they are having on specific aspects of a trail. Component training focuses on one specific thing or part of a trail, such as starts or crossing a fence, but it also is used to work on overcoming distractions in a positive manner. When you are Dog TrainingTKM (running known trails), it is important not to influence the dog! Remember it is human nature to want your dog to be successful. It is not human nature to instinctively let your dog fail or make mistakes. It seems counter-intuitive that the only way to help the dog win is to allow him to make unhindered decisions without your influence. Allow the dog to

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make a mistake and then give a quick correction, so he understands there are rules in this game. The moment the correction is made, the dog will regain his senses and turn back towards the trail. When you see the dog refocus, be sure to offer praise immediately. Once the actual trail is recovered, again offer quick immediate praise. Again, we recommend the handler maintain a position directly behind the dog at all times. Some handlers have a tendency to cue the dog when running a known trail by walking on the side that the trail is headed. For example, a handler may walk just to the left of the dog when he knows that there will be a left-hand turn coming up. The handler needs to be very conscientious about their position at all times. Dogs will learn to read their handlers.

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Croatian Asst. Instructor Sanja Ostroski positioned correctly behind her dog even in the stream We’ve seen dogs that trailed to the correct house, went up on the front porch, and then turned to see if the handler would follow them up the stairs. When the handler did not step up on the porch, the dog left the house, presumably under the impression that the trail must not lead there. We have also seen dogs become confused when their handlers followed them onto the wrong porch, causing the dog to think it

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had located the correct house. Unfortunately, the dog learned to read the handler’s willingness to come up on a porch as a cue that the find was correct.

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Chapter 25 Teaching the Rules The Kocher Method of training a trailing dog concentrates on drive and focus. You will also have to incorporate some trail discipline in your dog. The dog should be focused on its “prey” and working in a fluid motion, not stopping to check out scents or marking an area. In other words, the dog should be in constant movement following the trail. When you don’t see fluid motion, the dog is lacking drive and focus. Timing is everything. The creation of a solid working dog is developed through instant corrections and praise. It is

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unacceptable for a dog to stop while on the trail to investigate or become distracted by anything. Most dogs will react to a corrective verbal noise or command, while others may require a stronger correction at first, such as a snap of the lead. We prefer making a noise to a full-fledged command like “leave it.” Again, timing is everything and a noise is quicker. It should come instantaneously, preferably before the dog stops or the instant he stops. If the distraction is great and the dog will not refocus, simply stop the exercise and call the trail layer back to run intensity trails. If the dog is manageable, work past the distraction and then run intensity trails near the distraction at a later date. Some examples of distractions you may encounter and have to conduct focused intensity training near include, large equipment in operation, areas containing an abundance of wildlife,

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barking dogs, large animal carcasses, etc. If you have to snap the lead to correct your dog, make sure a voice or noise correction is given at the same time. A verbal correction timed with the lead correction will help the dog differentiate between the lead getting accidentally jerked, versus an intentional correction. If the lead does accidentally get hung, reassure the dog with the customary verbal cue of approval and it will continue trailing.

Conducting Intensity work with a patrol dog 253

There will also be times that we refer to as learning opportunities. These occur when the dog has gone beyond an acceptable distance off the trail. It is losing its focus and becoming distracted or stopping. You need these learning opportunities so it is important not to hold the dog on trail. Let the dog have the entire leash when it wants to go in a wrong direction while trailing. When the dog goes beyond a reasonable distance, consider it a learning opportunity and verbally correct. When we said the dog should not stop while trailing, we did not mean it wouldn’t alert on or identify something touched by the trail layer. It is easy enough to differentiate whether the dog is doing this type of alert or is simply not focused. As your dog develops a stronger foundation and gains your trust through its continuous high performance, you will learn to recognize any legitimate alerts on your target scent. Do not become scent mystified

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and think the trail layer’s scent “must have collected at the bottom of the fire hydrant.” Trust me; the trail layer’s scent is not what your dog is stopping to smell. Allowing these actions to continue will result in a weak trailing dog. Watch the dog closely during the training process and correct him before he stops. Utilize a quick, low-pitched verbal cue to correct the dog. As your dog’s foundation becomes stronger, the verbal cues will become less frequent and you will ultimately find the dog making the transition to constant fluidity. In review: 1. A dog should not stop on trail. 2. Use a quick, low-pitched noise to verbally correct the dog. 3. Learning opportunities are created not by influencing, but allowing the dog to make mistakes and then correcting it, so the dog can learn the rules.

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4. When using the lead as part of the correction, simultaneously pair it with a quick, low-pitched verbal correction.

Instructor Mike Little, offering a verbal correction before the distraction

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Chapter 26 Positive Trail Reinforcements Hunting animals is a natural canine behavior, but the instinct to hunt humans is not. It is a trained discipline, which means you must reward and reinforce it throughout the dog’s career. A trail is composed of many different elements a dog must overcome to be successful. The ability to communicate your approval as your dog meets these challenges will create a solid mantrailer. Also, as you previously read in this book dogs must eliminate directions of travel while following someone. The

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ability to dissect those fluid movements of purpose while the dog trails and verbally reward at the correct moment will help you become successful. Because of the critical nature of correctly timing your approval, you should use a high-pitched sound to accomplish this rather than a word. Even after the dog is a working mantrailer, continue utilizing the praise cue occasionally when clear negative indications are seen. Doing this will let the dog know your satisfaction and reinforce the positive. During some training trails, rather than just using the praise cue, stop and playfully romp with the dog when a clear negative indication is seen. After a short period of praise, command the dog to “get um” and watch the marked improvement in the dog’s drive. As discussed, a low-pitched verbal reprimand should be used if your dog stops to investigate something while running a trail. Please note that it is just as important to verbalize a high-

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pitched approval cue when he corrects the unwanted behavior. Always use a verbal cue of approval when the dog makes the correction and moves on.

Verbal approval cues will help build the drive you see here INBTI Catalonain Member, Meritxell Wm, helps instruct in Spain (right) 259

Your training trails will be reflected in your casework. You will find that by implementing these methods, your dog will show greater results. In review: 1. A low-pitched verbal cue is used for correction, while a highpitched verbal cue is used for praise. 2. Communicate your approval when negatives are seen. 3. Occasionally stop and playfully romp with the dog when a negative indication is seen. 4. Communicate your approval when dog stops unwanted behavior.

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Chapter 27 The Walk Back The final phase of each exercise or trail is the walk back to the vehicle. Refrain from making this an exercise of heeling on lead or any other discipline. The dog worked admirably and after finishing the exercise was immediately taken out of harness. Because it is no longer bound by your trail expectations, allow the freedom of exploration. Failure to allow this pleasure may produce a dog that is not willing to end the next trail. Utilize this last portion of the training regiment to gauge the strength of the 261

foundation you are building. You will see evidence of the dog’s foundational strength when you see your dog plant himself on an interesting scent that he ignored while in harness. This reflects you are doing your job by building drive and focus for the trail. When you get back to your vehicle, put the dog up. This last step helps imprint your dog with the total summary of what just happened. Ending on a positive note will increase your dog’s drive for the next trail. In review: 1. Remove the harness immediately after finishing the trail. 2. Allow the dog freedom to explore while returning to the vehicle. 3. Put the dog up after getting back to the vehicle.

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A handler worthy of noting here is Edwin Grant, a retired Master Game Warden from North Carolina. A throwback handler from years gone by, the type of man that would chase a fugitive over a mountain, curl up and sleep with his dog when he tired, then resume the chase again in the morning. He took the walk back a step further by always retracing his steps and verbally encouraging the dog to “take me home.” By doing this, he created the ability to run back tracks on command. A back track is when the dog will follow where a person came from, in other words the dog follows the scent backwards. If he noticed a vehicle parked on the shoulder of the road along state property, he would mark the spot and continue to patrol his assigned area. After finishing his patrol, he would return to where the car had been parked and start his dog commanding him to “take me home.” His dog would 263

then take him to where the person or people had been in the woods. Many a poacher and marijuana grower wished Edwin had never developed that skill.

INBTI Trailing and HRD Instructor Edwin Grant 264

Edwin currently works for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Photo provided by NC Wildlife Resources Comm. One of the more note worthy incidents he utilized this skill on was Eric Rudolph, the Olympic Bomber case. Everyone knows Mr. Rudolph was caught at a trash dumpster, but few have heard how his camp up in the mountains was found. Edwin was able to backtrack from the scene of the arrest, to Rudolph’s hideout. From that hideout he worked his dog using the “backtrack” command to the next one, until all the hideouts were located. His ability to work that case, which I’m sure no other handler could have done, reflects the quality of his dog handling.

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Chapter 28 Learning How to Cast Casting is the act of guiding your dog along an imaginary line or direction of travel in order to locate the scent trail. You may have to cast to initially find the trail or to possibly recover one that was lost. No matter the reason, you will definitely use this skill many times in your career. To learn how to cast, go to a field and pick a point or landmark on the other side to walk towards. This will require you to continuously glance at the point or landmark while also watching your dog. Do not put the dog in harness.

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Start moving in a straight line to the point you have chosen. The speed of your pace should be faster than a determined walk - more like a half-trot. Continuously offer high-pitched encouragement to the dog to keep him focused on you. As you head in a straight line towards your destination, do not allow the dog to pull away from you or tug on the lead. There will be some tension on the lead at times. Hold the lead between your thumb and first two fingers. If the dog pulls the lead from that three-finger grasp, correct him while continuing to move forward. They key to the cast, is that you are always in control of the direction and the dog should be tuned into you. Give a verbal correction such as “here” along with any lead corrections so the dog understands what you want from him. The moment the dog stops pulling and is loosely trotting with you, be sure to give quick verbal praise. Consider the exercise as performing a loose heel.

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Give your dog about 6 to 10 feet of lead as you move at the half trot speed. If you feel the dog trying to pull away to a side or in front of you, give your corrections while always moving towards the point or landmark. The dog should look like it is prancing across the field with its head up. Some dogs will continuously circle you as your straight line movement continues to the point or landmark. Don’t correct the dog for circling; it is just excited about the game. You want the dog in a highly attentive or learning mode, so offer encouragement along with any corrections.

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Instructor Terrie Clark demonstrating what a dog should look like during a cast Once you can cross the field without the dog tugging on the lead, add the second phase which is stopping the dog from dropping its head while casting. You want to easily “read” when your dog has found or recovered a scent trail. Training the dog to hold its head up until the scent is found is the best method.

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While crossing the field towards your point or landmark, every time the dog tries to drop his head to the ground you will give a quick verbal correction followed by immediate praise for lifting his head. We want the dog to hold his head up and not pull on the lead while casting at the half trot speed towards the point or landmark. By maintaining your speed, you will help the dog hold a good head position off of the ground. Next, have your trail layer walk across the field perpendicular to the direction of the cast. Harness the dog, present him with the scent article and then start across the field at your half trot pace. Your dog’s head should be up, just like you practiced previously. At the point you cross the trail, the dog’s head should drop and he should swing into the trail. You have just performed a successful cast! Give the dog its normal praise and reward for the find then run an intensity trail.

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The difference between casting and the dog searching for scent is the fact that you are in control of his movements or the cast, and the dog only checks for the scent where you ask him to. They will learn to tell you quickly and solidly whether the scent is there or not. Remember, our dogs follow a scent; they do not search for it! It is important for you not to cut corners on this exercise. Your ability to quickly and confidently cast will be tested throughout your career. Once the dog understands what is expected of him and you are comfortable handling him and maintaining your straight line, you will be ready to cast with confidence and perform the casting exercises in other portions of this book. I was once called to assist in a missing child case. The investigation had started in another jurisdiction at a Walmart store. A man had called the local police to report his girlfriend’s son was missing from his truck. He told the

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police that while going into the store briefly, the 3-year-old had been left sleeping in the truck. When he returned the child was missing. The detectives had initially asked the man some standard questions including where they had been prior to coming to the Walmart store. He told them he was cutting and splitting wood in a rural section of my jurisdiction, Spotsylvania County Virginia. The police checked the store’s camera’s that had taped the parking lot and realized the child had never been in the vehicle. Because all the evidence at that point showed the child had never been in that jurisdiction, my Sheriff’s Office was called and an investigation was launched. It was midnight when a search for the child started at the wood cutting and splitting area. Part of that search involved me collecting a scent article transfer from a van the suspect was known to drive. I started casting about 20 feet inside the woods line and

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continued until I had completely surrounded the wood cutting/splitting area. By then, it was about 3 o’clock in the morning and my dog had found no trail. At a later time the suspect tried to claim he was smoking crack cocaine while the child wandered off from the cutting/splitting area. He said after coming down from the drug, he went into the woods to search for the child. He was charged with the murder even though no body had been found. I was subpoenaed to testify against his claim that he had ever been outside the wood cutting/splitting area searching for the child. I was going to be able to tell the jury my dog found no trace of his scent, but he plead guilty to a reduced charge and took detectives to the child’s body. He had thrown the body into a lake which was miles away, and had never even had the child in the wood cutting/splitting area. Amongst other things he specifically stipulated to my dog’s work in the plea

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agreement. Remember, the search is for information!

Kevin in the early years with a couple of his hounds

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Chapter 29 Covered Trails The term “covered trail” describes any exercise that has multiple dogs working the same trail. For instance, someone will drop a scent article, walk across a field and hide. Then starting from that scent article, the first dog will follow and find him, then a second dog does the same thing, then a third dog does the same thing and so on and so on. In an attempt to mask the obvious flaw conducting this type of exercise, some will extend the trail after each dog has run to create a section that is uncovered or where no other dog has followed. Unfortunately, until you reach that

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section, you are following an animal scent that your dog will intuitively trail. To explain the flaw I turn to bloodhound case law. In 1901 – State of North Carolina V. Moore, 89SE.626 the court correctly stated, “We know of no breed which instinctively hunts mankind.” That is a true statement, so if you haphazardly place your dog on top of one scent that it will intuitively follow and one scent that it won’t, which do you think will be the most influential? Normally covered trail exercises are a problem for handlers training with organized groups, not individual handlers that train separately. Unfortunately, while attending some seminars, you will see new or “green” dogs placed on a covered trail. Be cautious of seminars where your “instructor” lays out these trails, because it is being done out of convenience to them, not what is best for the dog. Remember, you paid money to attend

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the seminar. Don’t be intimidated – the instructors work for you. Some case work will involve you running trails that have been attempted by other dogs. Because of that, some controlled work on covered trails should be done. There is a difference between training them for a purpose, rather than setting them up for convenience only. So occasionally incorporate the covered trail in your training regiment, but design it to ensure you are helping your dog not hurting it. The next two examples should assist you in designing a covered trail exercise when you need it.

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A young dog on an “uncovered” trail in Italy This first “Covered Trail” is a two part intensity trail exercise. The first intensity trail is used to ensure your dog is focused on the trail layer and the second intensity trail is attached to the initial find. The decoy dog does not have to be a working dog; it can be a neighbor’s pet. The exercise is going to look like a split trail or a capital Y from the alphabet. Determine where you want the separation of the trail layer and the decoy dog to occur. Have the decoy dog walk its assigned path prior to starting your intensity trail Conducting this exercise places a tempting distraction but allows you to focus your dog on the trail layer’s scent. I generally design something in the one to two hundred yard range. Place your trail layer about forty yards beyond the point of separation. The trail layer is placed around that distance, so the dog is quickly rewarded for staying true. Once

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the dog makes the initial find you will lengthen the exercise by adding another intensity trail. Doing this second intensity trail transfers excitement back to the scent article start and helps strengthen the dog’s foundation to ignore other canines. The second “Covered Trail” exercise could employ the scent article intensity trail or a delayed start intensity trail. The decision on which one to use should be based on your dog’s ability. Both exercises give you the ability to place a fresher dog scent over your trail layer’s path. The scent article intensity exercise gives you the ability to really age the trail, making the decoy dog’s scent a lot more tempting and fresher. With either variation, design the same capital Y exercise and again the distance will be based on your dog’s capabilities. When conducting the delayed start intensity trail, wait until after your trail layer runs away before having the decoy dog walk its assigned path. This should occur

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while you are walking your dog around during “the delaying action” prior to starting him. This places a slightly fresher dog scent on top of the trail layer’s scent. Watch your dog with a critical eye for any indications that it is being disturbed by the decoy canine’s scent. As always, run an intensity trail from the “find” to help strengthen your dog’s foundation. Remember to try a couple variations of this mixture to honestly evaluate your dog. Since this chapter is dealing with trail contamination from other dogs, it seems the appropriate place to also discuss another variation. If you believe your dog may be hampered by even crossing another canine’s scent, conduct this exercise. The decoy dog in this exercise does not have to be a working dog; it can be a neighbor’s pet. The finished design of the exercise will form the letter “t.” Have the dog providing the distraction walk across a field about twenty five

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yards from and perpendicular to your starting position. This is the horizontal line of your “t.” Your trail layer will form the vertical line of the letter “t” when he goes up the field and crosses over the decoy dog’s path. You are in control of the exercise and will know the location where the two lines intersect. Train your dog by first using the intensity trail to cross over the other dog scent. Then graduate into scent article or delayed start intensity trails. Be ready to offer corrections or praise as the dog passes over the other dog’s scent. Always run intensity trails from your initial find to strengthen your dog’s foundation. Your dog should quickly start ignoring the scent of other dogs by conducting these exercises. Starting your dog from areas contaminated by other dogs will be a continuous process, similar to how you train for same scent contamination. In group settings and throughout the dog’s career you will be working in areas that

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have numerous dog trails leading off in different directions. In other words, do not walk your dog away from the group’s general area to start him. The more dogs that start from an area leading off in different directions, the better training the dog receives. When you scent your dog to start its trail, by virtue of your system of training it will learn to ignore the trash canine scent. Always do your pre-starting ritual of walking the dog around the starting area prior to harnessing it up. Once you command the dog to start, remember to give a quick verbal praise when he moves in the correct direction. By starting on the correct trail, your dog has shown you that he is becoming trustworthy.

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Verbal praise produces the confidence shown here

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Chapter 30 Scent Pools A scent pool is just what the name implies. It is a pool of scent that is created by sitting in one area for a period of time. Some younger dogs will slow down in a scent pool and circle around looking for an exit trail. Sometimes inexperienced dogs will correctly locate the exit trail, but be drawn back into the scent pool. When your trail layer is in a tree above you, it will create some confusion in the dog. Normally the dog's change of behavior while transitioning from trailing to searching will alert you that a scent pool is there. This chapter is going to discuss

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when the trail layer is no longer there, but has created a scent pool by stopping someplace. Sometimes when a dog is just starting to mantrail a scent pool can create some difficulties. I have never formally trained my dogs to overcome scent pools. Through the same scent contamination training, dogs learn to find the exit trail from a scent pool area without a lot of hesitation. I could take this chapter and explain some elaborate bogus system for you to follow while training your dog, but as I told you at the beginning of this book, mantrailing is a simple thing nothing remotely complex. I am sure a lot of my contemporaries if in my position, would feed you a lot of unnecessary training in an attempt at looking grandeur. I’m not going to tell you to perform some training exercises that I have not done with my dogs. The bigger issue that faces you is the ability to recognize something is different in your dog’s behavior when it hits a scent pool area.

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Will that modification in the dog’s behavior trigger your recognition that this may have happened here? Whether you recognize it or not will it have an effect on the overall success of finding your prey? No, it will not, if you have followed this book as your training guide. The dog will shoot through or sort out the scent pool area very quickly. So now some will say, “I want to identify that the dog is in a scent pool!” So I guess an apology is warranted for helping you train too strong of a dog.

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On occasion, you will observe your dog sniff a fallen log before quickly moving on with a half or full circle around an area. If you see that sniff, in the dog handler world that means the dog alerted on the log. Because of that alert, you could assume your prey or trail layer sat there. Since he sat there, an assumption that a scent pool was created would be warranted. The most valuable information you just received is that the dog is still working and you still have the trail at that location. So you see, reading a dog is not a science but rather an ability to blend some imagination into the recognized behavior you see in your dog.

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Chapter 31 Barriers or Obstructions

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French INBTI member, Virginia Notegen, working some stairs Urban The urban setting is not trained for any differently than a rural setting. Use the three principal exercises (intensity, delayed start intensity, scent article intensity) to familiarize and train your dog. While working your dog, your ability to understand and recognize some behaviors, will require you to be cognizant of your immediate surroundings. You will inevitably trail under building overhangs or canopies in a downtown setting. These common features can become obstructions which will possibly entrap the dog underneath them. An inexperienced dog will correctly locate the exit trail, but be drawn back underneath the canopy. This trapping

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effect is similar to a scent pool, except it is created by the canopy rather than the trail layer stopping. This scent illusion created by the canopy confuses the dog. It is as if the dog thinks the trail must end here because no stronger scent leaves the area. Always be conscious of your terrain and its possible effect on your dog. In this instance, if you cast the dog a short distance from the affected area, it will resume the trail. After a few intensity training sessions, your dog will be trailing under overhangs or canopies with ease.

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Notice the overhang Asphalt or concrete should not be treated any differently than grass or other favorable vegetation. When intensity trails are done consistently and correctly, dogs will learn to trail across vast stretches without any hindrances. The position of your dog’s head is going to be different, but your approach to training doesn’t change. The head will be held higher, possibly with an occasional dipping motion. There are different trains of thought as to why this occurs. Some will say it is because the scent is stronger a foot or so off the asphalt or concrete, and others will argue it is because of the different chemicals that are trapped in the porous material. We will let the philosophers debate their positions on that matter; just understand that your dog will look different. When the head dipping motion is observed, it can be read as an indication the dog is on trail. In other

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words, the dog dips its head to make sure it still has scent. The dipping motion may not always be observed during hard surface trailing. Sometimes the dog will continuously have enough scent at chest or shoulder height and will not need to dip. The frequency of any dipping motion should not be used when trying to gauge the age of the trail, as no correlation can be established between the two. In other words, the dog will not dip more frequently on an old trail versus a fresh trail.

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Using the intensity trail on hard surface training in Holland There will be times when dogs will “skip track” across whole sections of asphalt. It appears as if the dog knows the direction of the trail without having the precise scent trail. You will observe the dog cross the asphalt and then reestablish the trail in some vegetation on the other side. Prior to crossing some stretches of asphalt, you may observe the dog “sight check” towards the vegetation on the other side. Once he has reached that vegetation, the “beginning circle” negative indication is frequently seen. The dog will start one way then make a tight circle reversing directions to correctly continue the trail. When you see your dog offer this circling behavior, you can be confident that he has recovered the trail. In the scheme of reading your dog, so much information was just offered to

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you. Remember working a dog is an art, not a science. You are going to have to use some imagination to understand or read him. The most valuable information is knowing the dog is still working. You can also eliminate different directions of travel, thereby narrowing the direction the scent trail must lead.

Malinois displaying no difficulties on hard surface As a rule patrol dogs are not efficient in the urban setting, but only because nothing was written as a guideline for them to follow. Many agencies and

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handlers wanted to get better, but did not know how to improve. Train where you will be working, not at the training center, and follow the template laid out in this book. There are some agencies that are waiting for this book and the decision to follow it has already been made.

Imagined and Natural Barriers Sometimes a dog is hard to figure because when they act instinctively, the greatest obstacles won’t even bring a pause. BUT, let the dog get tired or don’t instill enough drive, and watch the simplest vegetation change stop them cold. You know the scent continues through the change of vegetation, but the dog acts like it just reached an impassible wall. A couple of the different vegetation changes that have been seen to affect dogs are when the trail transitions from a mowed grassy area into an uncut field or at the actual tree

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line of a wooded area. If your dog reacts in this manner to a change of vegetation, accept it as an opportunity to read and catalog his behavior. Cast your dog through the obstruction. Don’t stop the exercise; you can overcome the weakness at a different time using the intensity trail. While working a trail and coming upon a change of vegetation that confuses the dog, watch closely to memorize and catalog his behavior. Sometimes a successful training exercise isn’t solely about getting the dog from point A to point B. It is about learning how your dog reacts and its strengths and weaknesses. You will need that information when working actual cases. In these instances, the dog will work up to the vegetation transition point, look up at the direction the trail goes and circle around. Once you are confident you can recognize or read the dog’s behavior, take the first step over the threshold showing them it is passable.

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Immediately after making the transition, stop and let the dog regain its leadership position following the trail. A common mistake handlers make is to resist taking that first step to help the dog. Some handlers just don’t understand it is okay to offer help while dog training. Others just mistakenly repeat the command “get to work” when obviously the dog needs assistance. Verbal orders or commands are not the ticket when a dog just needs help. After finishing the exercise, return to the area of difficulty and run a few repetitions of the intensity trail. Your dog will then be confident when he faces that change of vegetation.

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Robin helping a new hound make a transition. When your dog encounters briars or rough vegetation while trailing, he may stop clean at the entry point. If this happens the dog will look up at the direction of the trail and start circling, or he may start to go into the rough but then quit the trail. This simple observation or reading of the dog will alert the handler that the trail goes through the rough. Rather than trying to force the dog through the obstacle take this opportunity to cast your dog around

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the rough to pick up or recover the trail on the other side. As with any obstacle you encounter while training, at a later date set up an intensity trail that goes through it. We need the dog’s desire to follow the trail, to be greater than the obstacle in front of it. Remember the “Flip” exercise if the dog will not follow a stranger through or past it. If you want to work on a barrier but do not have anyone to handle your dog, don’t give up. You can use the “Flip” principal to conquer it, without having someone else handle your dog. Walk backwards, through the rough, while enticing and rewarding the dog as he follows. Once he is confident, take it back to a standard intensity training trail. In review: 1. Let the dog sort it out if possible. 2. If necessary, take first step over or through the threshold

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between the two types of vegetation. 3. Let the dog retake the lead once over or through the threshold.

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Chapter 32 Cross and Split Trails By now, your dog is confident starting from scent articles in a variety of places and is displaying high intensity when trailing. One of the most important aspects of a successful dog is his ability to scent discriminate. Scent discrimination is a dog’s ability to differentiate the scent of one person from another person. Eventually your dog will be able to cut through or scent discriminate through hundreds of different scents to follow the correct trail.

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One of the first basic scent discrimination exercises is the cross trail. A cross trail is made by having someone walk across the trail after it was laid or walked by your trail layer. This will cause your decoy’s scent to be fresher than your trail layer’s scent. The end result of the exercise will look like a cross or the letter “t” where the main portion or shaft is the trail made by your trail layer, and the cross piece is the trail made by your decoy. The length of the trail leading into your decoy’s scent does not have to be long. You are working on the dog’s scent discrimination ability, not his trailing capability. Although, the length should be long enough for the dog to be intently on the trail before crossing over the decoy’s scent. You can utilize all of your different foundational exercises (intensity, delayed start intensity, scent article intensity) in this training. The exercise will be lengthened when you

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add an intensity trail after or from the initial find. By adding that intensity trail, you will continue your foundational work while also transferring its excitement back to the first portions of the exercise which was the dog correctly scent discriminating. Watch the dog carefully as he reaches the point the decoy crossed the trail. He may circle some or show confusion. It is important to let the dog work it out; the only way he can learn is if you are patient. If your dog starts following the decoy’s scent give a verbal correction and cast back into the correct trail. When the dog starts to continue on the correct scent, verbally show your approval.

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The split trail is a slighter harder exercise where the decoy walks beside your trail layer to a predetermined location. At that point they split apart walking at a 45% angle away from each other. The final pattern of the exercise will look like a capital Y.

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The final positions of the trail layer and decoy need to be at least 50 yards apart so you have no doubt that the scent has separated, and your dog followed the correct trail. That distance should also keep your dog from air scenting to the correct trail layer. This is a Dog TrainingTKM exercise; so know exactly where the split occurred. Watch the dog carefully as he reaches the point the trail splits because he may circle or show some confusion. It is important to let the dog work it out. The only way he

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can learn is if you are patient. If your dog starts following the decoy’s scent give a verbal correction and cast back into the correct trail. When the dog starts to continue on the correct scent, verbally show your approval. Remember to quickly run an intensity trail from the find. The important part of these exercises is to know where the paths crossed or split apart. Do not influence the dog; let the dog sort out the problem. If the dog makes the wrong decision correct it verbally so he understands the rules.

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Kevin allowing his dog to work out a problem

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Chapter 33 Are You Ready for Advanced Training? Your dog is doing well. He is starting from scent articles quickly and cleanly in fairly uncontaminated starting areas. You have a high intensity dog that is having fun and loves the high praise and reward he’s receiving. The dog understands the harness and the pre-starting ritual both mean he is getting ready to work. It is now time to start doing some advanced training with the dog. You will soon have young dogs performing “advanced” trails by applying these COMPONENTS and

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TECHNIQUES. Always remember that you’re training for the future. Anticipate spending a year with the dog, averaging three training sessions a week before working on actual cases. If you always train for “next year” you’ll never get frustrated with the dog or circumstances that may befall you. Your dog would have been successful before that time period is up, but his reputation and yours are on the line every time you “harness up.” You will be judged by how good you do on your next case - not the successful cases you have run in the past.

“Train for the future, for you are only as good as your next trail” YOU are ready for advanced training if you: 1. Understand your job as a handler.

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2. Understand what scent is. 3. Understand how to properly collect scent articles. 4. Have found the right reward for your dog. 5. Can target your dog on objects. 6. Have developed a pre-starting ritual that you always use before starting to work the dog. 7. Verbally offer positive trail reinforcements. 8. Understand the importance of the “walk back.” 9. Understand how to overcome natural barriers. 10. Know how to cast the dog correctly. 11. Document your training after every session. YOUR DOG is ready for advanced training if he:

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1. Understands the harness means he’s going to work. 2. Has an identification to show you who he was following. 3. Understands the scenting and starting commands. 4. Is learning what the rules of the game are. 5. Can start from a scent article. 6. Can cast correctly. YOU AS A TEAM have run several: 1. Intensity trails of various lengths. 2. Scent article intensity trails of various lengths. 3. Delayed start intensity trails of various lengths. 4. Ran some extended intensity trails

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5. Flip exercises of various lengths. 6. Cross and split trails of various lengths. 7. Casts comfortably and properly across fields.

Advanced Patrol Dog/Bloodhound School Spotsylvania, VA 2012

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PART SIX Component TrainingTKM

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Design each training session to accomplish a goal!

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INBTI Instructor Joe Rybacki and Belgian Asst. Instructor Denis Luyten (right)

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INBTI Instructors and Members from the 2013 seminar in Switzerland with Kevin and Cynthia Kocher

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Chapter 34 The Rationale of Component TrainingTKM When a mechanic is working on your car, he focuses on the specific element or section that needs repair. When a runner is having difficulties with his start, he doesn’t run long distances to work on it. He separates the start or any area of difficulty from the rest of the distance and works on that specifically. Children learning a language are taught the different components that make up a sentence such as verbs, nouns, etc. The

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trained whales and dolphins at the aquatic shows are taught many individual components, which are then combined for the total performances you come to see. This is the same concept that led to the development of the training technique in this book. A dog team will have to overcome many things when working a trail. Some are physical barriers and others are distractions. The dog must have the drive and focus to overcome these. Experience has taught us that the most successful method of training is to separate these difficulties from the trail and focus on them individually. Once we apply this concept, we see barriers and distractions easily overcome and advanced training methods quickly achieved. As each component is trained, the handler’s job is to ensure the dog is having a pleasurable experience. Frustration with a dog that is displaying difficulties learning something

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new or overcoming a specific distraction can set back the overall training program. Your frustration may create a dog that is uncertain or fearful when trying or facing new things. Be patient! Follow our method of training and your dog will start working with you, not just for you. There is a big difference between those two types of dogs. As you develop a strong working bond with your dog, his desire to please you and overcome the new obstacle before him will be invaluable. While you are quietly communicating encouragement to him you will notice him pausing and making eye contact with you. That eye contact tells you that the dog is truly a team member and working with you while trying to figure out this part of the game. In review - Component TrainingTKM: 1. Focused training to overcome specific problems or the introduction of new elements.

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2. Done by separating the problem or new element from a long trail. 3. Once trained on, the component or element can be placed back in trail.

Kevin Kocher working with some police officers from Houston, Texas While working trails you will observe obstacles that were trained on during component training, the dog will readily identify the obstacle without any

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prompting or commands. For example, your trail could lead to and end at an area with a lot of doors like a hotel. You will see your dog switch from trailing to checking doors without any encouragement. The dog will automatically start working the door identification component exercise on his own. The obvious benefit of the dog applying what you taught him and reading his trained behavior lets you know the trail is ending in that area. That information is invaluable to any investigation. Component training also helps solidify the dog’s foundation, because the rewards come quick and the dog is exposed to many different obstacles. Your ultimate goal is the creation of a high drive dog that gives quick indications, which translates into reliable information. A classic example of how different components are encountered is shown in a case I worked in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. (I will tell you how to

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train each of these in this book.) It was a brutal rape. The lady had been viciously attacked and beaten so badly that she was permanently disfigured. The attack started while she slept on a couch in her home. Entry was made through an unlocked front door. The subdivision was only partially occupied, because most of the homes were still under construction. The investigators initially felt the perpetrator was probably one of the construction workers. I assisted in the investigation with one of my young dogs two days after the crime. I could not use anything in the house as a scent article, because everything had been thoroughly contaminated while being processed for evidence. The detectives had the robe she had been wearing the night of the attack in an evidence bag. The plan was to send it to the crime lab to be processed for trace evidence. I inquired through the lead detective if the victim would be willing to assist me as I started my dog. After receiving her approval, I had the victim stand a couple feet in

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front of my dog as he was scented from the evidence bag containing the robe. The bag was always in visual control of a detective to keep me out of the chain of custody. The first two components I encountered: 1. The contaminated scent article start. 2. The cold trail start. My hound quickly trailed down a couple of her neighbor’s front yards towards the new construction then he cut in between two homes. Once in the backyards, the dog continued the same direction until arriving at the new construction. He then quickly showed a negative and doubled back. The third component I encountered: 1. The back track. The dog then broke away from the subdivision and trailed through some brush and a section of woods. On the

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other side of the woods was a six-foot chain link fence. This fence separated the new subdivision from an established trailer park. My dog indicated the scent trail went through the fence. The fourth component I encountered: 1. Identification of a fence crossing. I found a section of fence that could be manipulated enough to get him under while I climbed over. The dog continued trailing into the trailer park. After reaching a section of the trailer park, he started working up to the front doors of different trailers without any prompting, then turning back. The fifth component I encountered: 1. Multiple Building Door Identification. I knew he was searching for the end of the trail and the behavior indicated no vehicle was involved.

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The sixth component I encountered: 1. No vehicle pick-up. Note: Because the dog started checking different doors in the area instead of circling cleanly before shutting down, I knew the perpetrator lived right there in area. A clean circle would have indicated a vehicle was involved. The dog finally shut down by coming back into me and sitting. I made a note of the location and passed it on to the lead detective. The arrest was made a couple of days later. The perpetrator lived in one of the trailers near the dog’s stopping point. I testified in the rapist’s preliminary hearing. He plead guilty before going to trial. It is quicker and easier to train on different components while still strengthening the dog’s foundation, than to try to accomplish advanced training through running volumes of trails

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that may never teach needed components.

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Chapter 35 Laying Out Trails Your bloodhound needs to be taught the rules of the game while he gains knowledge from experience. In order to convey the rules and create a working bloodhound, you will need to focus on Dog TrainingTKM which was briefly discussed in chapter eleven. Within the Dog TrainingTKM category there are two different types of training modules: 1. Component exercise. 2. Trailing exercise.

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Both of these modules place the handler/trainer in control of the exercise, similar to a laboratory setting. In other words, you know where everything occurs because these trails are experiments designed to allow you and your dog to learn. The typical mistake handlers make when they know exactly where the trail goes is to influence the dog while he’s working. The common misconception is that it is better to influence the dog using the lead so he “succeeds,” rather than letting him make a mistake. Remember you need to give the dog enough lead to make mistakes; it is called a learning opportunity! The Component TrainingTKM exercises are designed to strengthen the foundation and 1. For the introduction of new variables. 2. To overcome distractions.

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They are short enough in duration that any unwanted lead influence from the handler is not a major concern. To limit any unsolicited lead influence on the trailing exercises, do not run “marked” trails. (Marked trails are created by having your trail layer use tracking flags, or little pieces of toilet tissue stuck on tree branches, to show you precisely where they walked.) Design or lay out trails using what I have coined as the Corridor MethodTKM. This method does not allow the handler to know the exact footsteps of the trail, but allows him to have a generalized idea where the trail layer walked. Only having a generalized idea should limit any influences the handler may inadvertently give the dog. In review: 1. Do not run marked trails. 2. Lay out your trails using the Corridor MethodTKM.

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German police Officer/INBTI Instructor Andreas Vogel Using the corridor method to lay out training trails Most non INBTI “instructors” at training seminars will run nothing but

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marked trails with students. This is done because the instructor is concerned that the bloodhound may not be working, and are afraid the dog team may become lost. Any dog that is working is easily read, so any person proclaiming to be an instructor should not be so concerned. If the dog is not working, then why is the exercise even happening? I have found it beneficial to advise the students of the generalized corridor the trail went through, and to let them work it out. I will be with them to offer my opinion on what might be going on, but the work is still theirs.

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When using the corridor method in a wooded or forest setting, give generalized directions to the trail layer. Tell them to go into the woods about 100 yards and make a right, then walk straight ahead about another 200 yards. This gets you up around 300 yards in length with a turn and gives you a general area where the trail layer will be found. As the dog team strengthens, add a couple more turns with a greater distance. If you know the wooded terrain use landmarks to guide your trail layer such as, “Go straight into the woods until you hit the stream, make a left and follow it a few hundred yards, then cross over. After crossing the stream walk straight ahead 50 yards and find someplace to sit down.” Even if the dog team becomes disoriented and cannot complete the trail, you know it ends about 50 yards off the stream. Remember if your dog has problems, run an intensity trail.

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With newer dogs, you can use a road as a landmark to maintain your orientation. Have your trail layer go into the woods 30 to 50 yards, turn right or left and parallel the road for any length you desire. You can catch glimpses of the trail layer while it is being laid, and then while working the dog you can occasionally see traffic which should be reassuring. Just make sure the trail layer walked deep enough in the woods that the scent doesn’t drift out to the road. The most common mistake handlers make while training in the woods is to allow their trail layer to follow foot paths. You should avoid paths during your dog’s initial training, because he will learn to follow them instead of the scent. So rather than creating a problem to be overcome later, steer clear of paths as much as possible. While training, once the dog is cleanly trailing cross country in the woods, you can start introducing paths. You can lay trails that cross paths, to see if they influence your dog.

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If they do, run intensity trails that cross them. You can also have your trail layer go down a path 200 feet, then break off one way or the other, before continuing on for a predetermined distance. Run intensity trails to overcome any problems found on these training trails. You can also use the corridor method in an urban or suburban setting. Without dictating what side of the road your trail layer walks on, use city blocks to map your trail. For instance, have the trail layer walk 3 blocks make a left, then walk 2 blocks make a right, and hide some place in that area. You will use that general direction of travel and then trust what information the dog gives. If your dog is heading in the correct general direction and showing Trail IndicationsTKM, give him the benefit of the doubt. Trail indications will be easily recognized by understanding the negatives all dogs give when working. I was the first dog handler to catalog and label those standard movements or

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indications that dogs make while following scent. These indications were explained to you in the “Reading Your Dog” section of this book. As you close in on your hidden trail layer, work on recognizing your dog’s transition from trailing into a searching mode.

Swedish INBTI member, Tobias Lundh, conducting Intensity training across a suspension bridge

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You have to expect your dog will lose the trail at some point. It is going to happen while you are training and working cases. Because you have a general idea where these training sessions end, you can cast the dog to recover the trail. Consider it as a learning opportunity for both you and your bloodhound. While conducting this training, utilize the intensity trails, scent article intensity trails, delayed start intensity trails, and the extended intensity trails.

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Chapter 36 The Pre-Scent Any information you can glean from the dog will be helpful in successfully completing your job. The act of “prescenting” starts that flow of information while the dog is being put in harness. Remember your verbalizations and motions at the end of your pre-starting ritual start cuing the dog that it is time to work. If you present the scent article at the beginning stages of harnessing, the dog will start looking for the scent trail. Pre-scenting gives him time to sort out the direction of travel while you finish harnessing.

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Notice the dog's head looking towards the scent trail Bomber Ernest Cap from Spain harnesses his dog After straddling the dog in the harnessing position, place the harness over the dog’s head. Before you finish snapping the harness together and without saying your take scent command, bring the scent article up to the dog’s nose for him to smell. As you finish snapping the harness on the dog

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watch his head turn to glance or stare towards the direction of the scent. After you finish harnessing, formally present the scent article again while giving your take scent command.

As you become familiar with this technique, you will be able to easily recognize when your dog is distracted or not focused. Being able to recognize this will help you determine how much credibility the start should be given. If the dog is not focusing on the scent now, the odds are you will not run a successful trail or gather valuable information.

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Use the delayed start intensity trail to introduce this new component. Remember to walk the dog around until a loss of focus towards the trail layer is seen. At that point, walk him up to the scent article facing the opposite direction of the trail layer. Flop the harness over his head and use the pre-scent technique of bringing the scent article up to his nose. The dog will turn his head towards the direction of the trail layer while you finish harnessing. After a couple of delayed start intensity exercises, do a regular scent article start and notice the dog’s head as he searches for the scent.

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Just watch the dog's head Remember: The search is for information, which starts while you are harnessing up the dog! In review: 1. After straddling the dog place the harness over his head.

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2. Before snapping harness together allow dog to smell the scent article. 3. Watch the dog’s head while you finish harnessing as dog will glance or stare towards direction of scent. 4. Present scent article again after finishing harnessing and give scenting and starting commands.

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Chapter 37 The No Scent Identification (NSI)TKM Throughout my career, I was called to different scenes and asked to determine if a trail existed or not. This method of training has served me well. I am going to list a short cross section of cases I have been successful using it on. These cases should give you an idea of what you will face at some point in your career.

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The first case occurred at one of Washington DC’s prisons in Lorton, Virginia. An inmate was found missing during one of the head counts that was conducted periodically throughout the day. Because no blankets were found on the razor wire fence, the prison officials felt he was hiding someplace inside the compound. (When convicts attempt climbing over fences that are topped with razor wire they normally throw blankets on them to lessen the chance of receiving serious cuts.) Correctional Officers normally can identify where the escape occurred by looking for a blanket or other pieces of cloth on the fence. By the time I arrived on the scene, the prison was in total lock down. I got a couple of items for scent articles from a bag that had been collected from the missing inmate’s cell. The original plan was for me to locate where he was hiding inside the prison. Since all the prison staff was right in the middle of another search of the compound, I went outside the perimeter and scented my

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dog at the vehicle gates that were in constant use. My dog showed no hesitation at the vehicle gates. I would scent the dog and he would quickly circle, come back and jump up on me. This identified that the targeted scent was not there. I then came to the walk in gate that was only used by the correctional staff. I scented my dog again, but instead of a quick circle he took a trail which ended in the staff parking lot. The focus of the investigation then took on a new dimension as it shifted to the correctional officer that had been at that post. She was eventually charged and pled guilty to aiding the inmate’s escape.

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The dog is starting the initial training Another common example of when this skill is needed will be during a missing child case when a possible sighting has been reported or a clue has been found. The clue could be a sock or shoe that was located away from the place the child was last seen. Nobody is sure; could the clue mean that the child went that way? I quickly realized I needed the ability to make a definitive

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decision if the child’s scent was present at any given location. All of your training so far has been focused on positive trail exercises, meaning you have presented a scent article to the dog and a trail has always been there. Your ability to correctly determine if the scent is not at your starting point is just as crucial. Before I developed the “No Scent ID,” the prevailing wisdom was to watch the dog for an extended period of time and distance, and try to read if he ever had a trail. Some handlers became fairly competent at that method, but even within that group many misreads or mistakes occurred. Most could not form a decisive opinion of “whether the scent was there or not.” The No Scent ID is a trained behavior or response given to a certain set of circumstances, similar to the positive indications seen in narcotic, HRD, etc. canines. The difference being the circumstances are reversed, in other

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words the dog gives an indication when there is no scent. Your hound is consistently given scent trails during training and can be counted on to hunt the trail layer. To round out your dog to be a top performer, you need to train an indication to identify when there is no trail to follow. To smoothly accomplish this training, you will transfer the dog’s trail layer identification (ID) to also encompass the (NSI) No Scent ID. You do not want to train a bunch of different identifications, just keep it simple. Since I trained my dog to jumpup on the trail layer for the ID, when the target scent is not in the area, the dog turns around and jumps up on me for the reward. Using the same ID made it easy to train a NSI. Training of the No Scent ID should not start until the dog clearly understands or has made the connection between the scent article and the trail. The No Scent ID:

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1. Trained response when target scent is not in area. 2. Should be same response as trail layer identification. 3. Training not started until dog clearly understands the trailing game.

Starting the NSI training

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The dog circles around

After not letting the dog leave the area to “search” for 351

the scent, he slowly comes in.

The jump up is solicited and praise is given! To conduct this exercise, collect a scent article from someone who has not been in your training area. Before getting your dog from the vehicle, mark or pick the exact spot you will be scenting from. Go out from that spot approximately 40 feet in every direction and mentally mark it with an imaginary line. This imaginary boundary will be your correction point. If

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the dog attempts to cross over or go beyond this point, it will be verbally disciplined. He has been trained to follow scent, not search for it. Remember once you get the dog; follow your normal behavior pattern just like there is going to be a trail. Remember to do: 1. Pre-starting ritual. 2. The same normal motions when harnessing dog. 3. Normal verbalization while harnessing dog. Once the scent article is presented and the starting command is given, watch the dog closely. If your dog attempts to cross or go outside the imaginary boundary, a verbal correction should be given. When the correction is given, he will turn back. When that happens, immediately offer a verbal enticement such as “where did he go.” Because your dog just received a verbal

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correction for heading in one direction, he will swing around to go a different route. If the dog reaches and attempts to cross the imaginary boundary in a new direction, offer another correction followed by the same verbal enticement. Continue doing this until the dog is holding true and not attempting to search for the scent beyond the imaginary boundary. This exercise should not take long to complete. Smoothly and quickly move the dog through the different directions before he gets bored. Watch the dog closely for eye contact or signs of shutting down or losing interest. When you see any of those signs, quickly back up and encourage the dog to jump-up on you for the praise and reward. The timing of your praise and reward is critical for the dog to learn quickly. Reward the NSI with the same enthusiasm given for the identification of a trail layer. When training this discipline:

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1. Draw an imaginary line 40 feet in every direction, from the spot you scent the dog. 2. If the dog attempts to cross the line, verbally correct then encourage it to find the scent. 3. Continue doing this until dog is staying within the 40 foot line. 4. When the dog looks at you or shows signs of frustration step back and encourage him to jump on you. 5. Give praise and reward. 6. Praise and reward the same way as the trail layer identification. After completing this exercise always follow up with an intensity trail to reinforce the basics of: if the scent is there, follow it! After every No Scent ID exercise: 1. Complete an intensity trail.

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The NSI training exercise should not be done too frequently. There are an abundance of components and distractions you will need to work on. Stay focused on your intensity and component work, and then practice a No Scent ID exercise every so often. Once your dog becomes proficient, based on his trained response you will be able to quickly form an opinion about whether the targeted scent has been in the area. He will rapidly give you the NSI at times with barely even completing a circle. Because of that proficiency, you may possibly attain the next skill level and form opinions at scenes where the scent is present, but no foot trail leaves the area. For instance, a missing child may have left the store and entered a vehicle right at the side door. There is no trail to follow and just a short distance of scent to determine if the child was there. If the child has never been in the area, your dog will check quickly usually with a swift circle or two, and then give you the

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NSI. If the missing child’s scent is there, your dog will check quickly but the pattern will look like a star. In other words, the dog will range out then come back only to range out a different direction. This behavior happens because the dog is checking the area more thoroughly looking for the exit trail. That checking motion will alert you that the targeted scent was in the area.

Once the dog is trained, he will tell you quickly when the scent is not there 357

The No Scent IdentificationTKM has been helpful in identifying many false reports of robberies, rapes and other sexual assaults. One incident began when the reported victim placed a 9-1-1 call. She had just started a new job which kept her out late every night. That night the victim stated she came home, parked in the driveway and exited the vehicle. When she turned to retrieve an article left on the seat, the perpetrator quickly came out of nowhere and forced her against the car. While using his body to trap her against the car, he lifted her dress and removed her panties. She was then forced to the ground while he stood over her and started masturbating. She reported he did not ejaculate, and fled the scene crossing her front yard. The Sheriff’s Office’s response was sizable. Some deputies started searching the neighborhood while others responded straight to the scene. The patrol dog team was having difficulties

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and the supervisor asked for our Bloodhound Team to respond. After arriving, I interviewed the victim and determined that she was composed enough to assist the investigation. The area in the yard beside her driveway had been searched for physical evidence and nothing was found. This matched her statement that the perpetrator had not ejaculated. The evidence bag that contained the dress she had worn that night was used as the scent article. I had the victim stand a couple feet in front of the dog while scenting from the dress. The dog circled quickly and came back in and jumped up on me. I encouraged the dog to search again by dropping to my knees and raising his excitement level. He circled again and jumped back up on me. I pulled the supervisor to the side and told him of our findings. The investigation changed at that point. The reported victim was informed that as a routine investigative procedure she

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needed to have a polygraph the next morning. She refused any further contact with the Sheriff’s Office.

Reading a dog is not a complicated, mystical thing. It is a matter of providing the proper training, to receive a uniformed response from all your dogs. Be sure to slowly incorporate the NSI into your different starting positions. One Friday night I was called to the scene of a reported armed robbery. The taxi cab driver said he had picked up a rider and taken him to the requested intersection in my county. Once they arrived at that location, his rider pulled a hand gun and robbed him. After complying with the demand, the driver was struck in the back of the head and rendered unconscious. As can be

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expected, the Sherriff’s Office response was large. I arrived on the scene and started my dog from the rear seat. To my surprise, my dog did not take a trail but circled around and jumped on me. I tried the other side of the cab just to double check my dog, but got the same results. The driver was scheduled to take a polygraph, but refused any contact with the Sheriff’s Office. The cab company said they felt the driver took the money because a large portion of his paycheck was about to be garnished to repay a loan he had taken out with them.

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Train the dog then trust the information!

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Chapter 38 Same-Scent Contamination The length of this chapter should convey the importance I place on this expertise. A child’s home creates a difficult dilemma for a dog that has not been exposed to same-scent contamination. There is total saturation of scent because the child lives there. The child’s scent is everywhere, and the yard is covered with many older trails heading off in different directions. It is unfair to expect a dog to establish a correct direction of travel without training for that unique type of contamination.

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You should start the exposure to samescent contamination immediately and continue it throughout the working life of the dog. A dog’s ability to quickly work through same-scent contamination is developed over a long period of time, not in one or two training sessions. The importance of this cannot be overemphasized. If you are in an organization, most of your formal training sessions occur with everyone meeting at a predetermined location. All of your vehicles are parked fairly close to each other and your team members break their dogs in the area and mill around talking. The general area of your vehicles is fairly well contaminated in short order. During most seminars, the same thing occurs. All of the participants meet at their assigned training area, park their cars and mill around. Then rather than capitalizing on the same-scent contamination created near the parked cars, the dogs are taken away to start in a clean, uncontaminated

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area. This means that golden opportunities to enhance the dog’s ability to work through same-scent contamination are routinely missed. So, one of the most glaring weaknesses in the dogs that handlers produce and instructors allow is done unconsciously. As the group training session develops, do not be concerned about starting your dog in an area that has been “continuously contaminated” by the trail layer. To correctly take advantage of that same scent contamination, the handler should know the starting direction of every trail. The exercise can develop into a team training (blind trail), but should start as a dog training (known trail) session. As trainers, our first and primary goal is to create solid dogs. Until that goal is achieved, blind trails are not going to be effective. Component training can quickly capitalize on this unique opportunity. For example, you can combine this same

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scent contamination training with a car seat start exercise. Because it is a short exercise, the same trail layer can be used for all the dogs. Each time an intensity trail leaves from the car he will go in a different direction. Because the same trail layer is used for multiple exercises, the dogs are faced with many different directions to choose from. For instance, the first trail heads north, the second goes east, the third loops around the car to the south, etc. Dogs trained with intensity in this fashion have proven time and again that they can find the freshest trail in a thoroughly contaminated area. In review: To expose the dog to different aged trails of the same scent: 1. Head many trails in different directions from a singular starting point using the same trail layer.

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You will notice that in this book I won’t reveal the names of any victim who was injured or killed nor any criminal who was convicted, but the following case is the exception to that rule. I worked a missing child call that ended up being a homicide case. The victim was a young teenager named Sofia Silva. She had been doing school work while sitting on her parent’s front porch. It was a nice sunny day in a pretty little neighborhood. Neighbors were out cutting grass and strolling around. Her sister Pam was inside the house taking a shower after which she looked out the front door. There sat the school books and a full glass of soda, but her sibling was nowhere to be seen. It was originally thought Sofia went to visit a friend in the neighborhood or had walked down to some woods in a nearby park. The teenager’s parents called the police that evening, but the deputy figured she would be home later that night. Two days later the detective who reviewed all written reports decided to call the family,

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so he could close out the case. When the family told him she still hadn’t been home, a major investigation was launched. I was dispatched to the scene as part of that investigation. I scented my dog facing the front porch from an article that I found in her bedroom. He quickly took a short trail across the yard to the street. The distance was hardly twenty-five feet. At the street, he indicated that Sofia’s trail ended there. I was able to quickly tell the detectives she left in a vehicle. I tried a vehicle trail but lost it at an intersection heading out of her neighborhood. I still remember casting vainly trying to recover the trail. When some teams of air scent dogs were brought in to scour the woods in hopes of finding her, I kenneled my dogs and went as their backup. I formed up with the other police officers and walked line searches in sections of the park. I joined the team of detectives, seasoned officers and FBI agents that spent countless hours

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knocking on doors and interviewing at every house in the neighborhood. We were hopeful to find someone that noticed a strange vehicle the day she went missing. Although the agency worked feverishly side by side with the FBI, we could not locate the child. If you are a civilian reading this book you may ask, “If your dog said it was a vehicle pickup, why do all of that?” The answer is simply, “A child was missing and I was a Police Officer that was part of the search team.” Searching for Sophia consumed all of my time. Even when I was not on the scene, I was thinking about the case. Her body was recovered months later two counties away wrapped in a blanket and dumped in a stream. Although her life wasn’t saved, without my samescent contamination work I couldn’t have given them the correct information on that scene.

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Out of that tragedy I came to know Silva family. They are remarkable people who through Sofia I will feel forever linked. I've shared tears with her sister Pam, and I promised to help make sure the world would never forget Sofia …that is why I write her name here.

Sofia's sister Pam listens as I talk about the case. I’ve witnessed trainers and handlers afraid to work a dog across a field if the

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trail layer has been in it. Because there was no real method to train bloodhounds, contamination was something to just stay away from. No one had thought to use intensity to focus the dogs. During some of your training sessions, the final product should show that the same trail layer crisscrossed a large area with multiple trails heading in different locations. Each time the trail layer crosses the large area run a dog following him. After that exercise is finished, have him lay another trail from a different direction so he crosses his older trails. Multiple directions and trails expose the dogs to more complicated but surmountable lessons. As your dog crosses over the older trails watch him and help if it is needed. More than likely the dogs will drift as they pass over the colder trails but stay true to the fresher scent. As your proficiency increases, you will find most of your call outs will be of an

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investigative nature - prepare and train for it! For training to cross older trails of the same scent: 1. Trail layer crosses a field to lay a trail and dog runs on it. 2. After that exercise is finished, the trail layer then re-crosses from a different direction and the dog runs on the new trail. 3. Repeat and run the dog again and again from different directions. Whenever conducting component training that is coupled with intensity trails remember to do: 1. Pre-starting ritual. 2. The same normal motions when harnessing dog. 3. Normal verbalization while harnessing dog.

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4. Face dog wrong direction when presenting scent article. Be sure to train for how you work! Same-scent contamination is essential for reality-based training. I worked one burglary case where I scented my dog in the backyard area where the thief entered the home. I trailed out of that back yard across some other property and through the streets in the subdivision. We ultimately ended up in the back yard of a house. While the dog didn’t give me a door ID, he clearly ended the trail by the basement door. The investigation revealed that the teenagers living in that house had a history of previous burglaries, but we couldn't get enough evidence in this case. They were known to ride their bikes and skateboards throughout the neighborhood and congregate with other teenagers. If I had not trained on samescent contamination, my dog could have become confused at those points.

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Sometimes your dog will run a good trail, but the case will never be resolved. You will probably respond to a similar case. A young perpetrator will commit a crime and run back home. To train for this type of ending, find a trail layer willing to use their home. The starting point only needs to be a couple blocks from the trail layer’s house. To get the dog into a highly attentive or learning mode, an intensity trail will be used. The distance of a couple blocks should allow the dog to be firmly on trail prior to reaching the front yard area. Watch the dog closely as he gets into the yard of your trail layer. You will see the dog transition from clear trail indications to searching for the location of the freshest scent.

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The dog may not cleanly finish the exercise by identifying the door of the trail layer’s house. Because the dog may not ID the door on his own, the trail layer should observe the exercise and be prepared to help or at least quickly reward. The dog will need to be rewarded before he loses interest or obviously cannot finish the trail in a classical sense. In reality the dog isn’t likely to identify the door in the majority of the cases you work. If you learn to recognize the behavior indicating the trail has ended, you have still have done

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your job. When you are working cases, a trail that ends at a house without an ID is good enough. The detectives can sort it out from there.

Reality based training, trailing the perpetrator home: 1. Go a couple blocks from trail layers home. 2. Run intensity trails back to house. 3. Trail layer should be prepared to quickly reward the dog even if no door ID is obtained.

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Consider the majority of your missing child cases will start from their home, some focused training needs to be done. Whenever possible, find a trail layer that will run some delayed start intensity trails away from their yard or home. The delayed start intensity trails are utilized to get the dog into a highly attentive or learning mode. Completing these exercises gives the dog a saturation of same-scent that is impossible to replicate. This is the reality of what the dog will face at a missing child’s home. The length of the exercises does not have to be long; a couple of blocks will suffice. You are training for a clean start from an area contaminated with the same scent, not a long trail. It will serve you better to do multiple starts from the home with short trails, rather than one start containing a long trail. Once the dog is performing admirably on the delayed start intensity, add some scent article intensity trails of

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various ages from the same starting point.

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INBTI Instructor/ NYPD Patrol Sergeant Eric Konoski (bottom picture)

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Chapter 39 Contaminated Scent Article Exercises Just because a scent article has been contaminated doesn’t mean it can’t be used. If you know whose scent is also on the article, you can eliminate the competing scent by having them present when you start your dog. In other words the dog will follow the scent of the person that is not in attendance at the start of the trail. To conduct training exercises for this scenario, have the trail layer and a decoy handle the scent article. Normally this is done by having one person hold

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the scent article for a minute or two, then hand it to the second person who also holds it. The scent article is then placed on the ground or in a baggy to be presented to the dog. To ensure a confident solid start from the dog, the first exercise will be a delayed start intensity trail. Always remember to: 1. Mimic your pre-starting ritual after the trail layer runs away. To eliminate the decoy that contaminated the scent article, have them present when you start the dog. The decoy will stand about 3 feet away from and in front of the dog as you present the scent article. When you start the dog he will follow the trail layer’s scent. After the successful completion of a couple delayed start exercises, you will incorporate the last step which mimics a normal case scenario. That means the dog will not see the trail layer leave. You

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should remain focused on building the dog’s foundation, so the exercise will be a scent article intensity trail. Remember to have the decoy who contaminated the scent article stand a couple feet in front of the dog when he is scented. Order of exercises: 1. Delayed start intensity trail from contaminated article. 2. Scent article intensity trail from contaminated article. This exercise can be completed with numerous people handling and contaminating the scent article. Remember to train in an area with decoys walking around, so you know that the dog started from the scent article and didn't just follow the only trail present. Don’t get so caught up in the exercise that you forget to do the intensity work when the dog makes the find.

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Opal with her big brother Kevin Kocher (above left) Notice he is holding an original copy of our booklet on reading negatives. Kevin and Ruckersville, VA Volunteer Firefighter Randall Sheler (top right) and current 383

picture of myself with Kevin and Opal 2013 (below)

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Chapter 40 Casting Understanding the Information While casting your dog to locate or recover a trail, you will receive a constant flow of information. If you have followed the instructions on how to train a dog to cast, this information will be easy to read. To understand the casting information, a blending of both positive and negative indications will be needed. The largest mistake handlers make is to allow the dog to stop being fluid. Casting is like trailing, it is a fluid motion.

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Keep the dog moving and watch closely for any signs of scent recognition. 1.   What is a positive indication? While casting you are looking for the dog to drop its head and move away from the direction of travel which you are controlling. When the dog does this movement, it is a clear positive indication you have located the scent. While working in an urban setting on asphalt or other hard surfaces you will not see the dog trail in the head down position. They will hold it higher, but the dog will instinctively drop its head when they first recover the scent. 2.   What is a negative indication? While casting, if the dog does not drop its head down on the ground and move away from the direction of travel you are controlling, this would be classified as a negative indication. The lack of any positive indication means you have not crossed the targeted scent.

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3.   Combining information from both Indications. It is a simple matter of either the scent was there or not. If the dog shows a positive indication by striking the scent trail, you’ve just established where your suspect was and his direction of travel. If your dog does a clean cast without showing a positive indication, by virtue of that action you have eliminated a direction of travel. An inexperienced handler will consider the lack of finding a trail, as something other than being successful. If you gather correct information, your dog’s work will be invaluable to the overall search being conducted. Robin Kocher was called out one night to an arson scene. A Fire Marshall was investigating a rash of fires in a neighborhood. They had been set in a period of a couple of weeks. At this latest fire, a crumpled newspaper was found in the general location. It was believed to be part of the fire-starting

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material that the wind had blown away from the scene. She scented her dog from the newspaper at the location it was found, and casted in the general direction of the actual arson scene. Before she reached the scene, the dog indicated it had located a scent trail. The dog worked to another location in the neighborhood and started circling around as if he was in some sort of scent pool. The Fire Marshall inquired about the behavior of the dog. She conveyed her thoughts on the dog’s behavior, and was told that they were near the scene of the arsonist’s first fire. In the meantime, a neighbor near the latest fire reported he had seen a teenager walking behind the homes before the fire was noticed. Robin and the Fire Marshall went to interview the teenager, but he denied walking behind the homes. Robin told the teenager that because of her dog’s work, she knew the same person that set this last fire also started the first one.

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She also knew how that person walked to the scene of first fire, and told the teenager how the scene was reached. They asked the teenager to give them a scent article, so they could clear up the fact that a neighbor reportedly saw him behind the homes. He agreed and gave Robin an article of clothing. She informed him she was going to the other arson scenes to check for any scent recognition before coming to the one that was set that night. If the dog displayed any positive scent recognition, and then took a trail to him from the last fire scene, it was “not going to look good.” She went to the vehicle and while retrieving her hound, the teenager confessed to the Fire Marshall telling him to just “leave the dog in the car.” Robin was able to successfully complete this investigation by correctly casting the dog and reading the information. Some handlers would have been unsure of the dog when he indicated scent recognition prior to

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reaching the point they thought a trail should be found. Gather as many facts as possible about your scene, but trust the information the dog gives you.

Robin Kocher

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Chapter 41 Casting for the Second Scent on an Article This training exercise was developed to enhance a skill I have deployed successfully on sexual assault and rape scenes. At those crime scenes, I had a piece of the victims clothing that also contained the perpetrator's scent. The victims had already been transported to the hospital or were unavailable, so their scent could not be eliminated from the clothing. Some of the crime scenes were still taped off for processing, so I had to

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work the peripheral area of where the attack occurred. My first step was to establish which direction the victim left the crime scene, because as a rule it is a different route than the perpetrator. If my dog took a trail working the general route of the victim’s path, I would stop him and start casting around the crime scene in a large circular pattern until I found the perpetrator’s trail. I had trained for this skill and documented it in my training logs. I knew with confidence I could locate and follow the perpetrator’s trail. To train for this skill have two trail layers handle a scent article and place it on the ground so it can be used to start the dog. The trail layers will then walk away from each other heading in opposite directions for approximately 150 yards and hide out of view. No matter which trail layer the dog chooses to follow, pretend he just started to follow the victim’s path. Stop the dog before he reaches the trail layer he chose. Before

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stopping the dog, be sure he was firmly on a scent trail and you could “read” it. You have to pretend it is a “team training” exercise to learn to read your dog. When you stop the dog from following the first scent trail it must be done passively. Do not stop him abruptly and be sure to convey that he did a good job. The dog did exactly what you asked him to do, which was to follow a trail from the scent article. So when you stop the dog, reassure him with a “Good boy!” Immediately take him off that trail and begin to cast in a large semicircle around the starting location until you reach the other trail layer’s path. Watch the dog for a head drop and pull away that are classic indications the second trail has been found. When the dog finds and takes the second trail, quickly verbally praise him. If he does not want to start on the second trail take a couple steps backwards along the path. Verbally praise the dog as he starts past

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you following the scent. When the dog finds the second trail layer he is rewarded and an intensity trail is run from that point. By adding the intensity trail from the find, you will continue strengthening the dog’s foundation.

In review: 1. Have two people handle scent article. 2. They walk away from each other in completely opposite directions. 3. Either trail the dog chooses is correct, but he is stopped before reaching the trail layer. 4. Cast in a large semi-circle to locate second trail.

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5. Once dog locates second trail layer run an intensity trail from the find.

Reading a dog is not a mythical process, but simply a matter of utilizing a consistent training regiment to see the same behavior in one dog after another.

Austrian Instructor Gundula Czappek (immediate left of Kevin) instructing with Kevin in the Ukraine 395

Austrian Asst. Instructors Gerhard Czappek (left) and Police Officer Gerhard Schwarzlmüller (below)

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Chapter 42 Starting on a Known Path of Flight Just because your dog can start from a scent article does not mean it has to. During your career, you most certainly will arrive on a crime scene and be told the suspect “ran right through there.” It could be at the scene of a robbery where the victim watched the assailant run away or a sighting by a fellow police officer during a manhunt. You have the ability to drop your dog on those paths of flight and follow the scent.

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You have been training this skill since the first tentative intensity trail, when the purpose of the scent article wasn’t yet understood by your bloodhound. Currently every time you run an intensity trail from the initial find, you are reinforcing the skill. So, your dog is already capable. The only things that will be added are: 1. How the dog is commanded to start. 2. Some age to the trail. 3. A limited break period before the dog is started.

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The dog is going to be started by you grabbing the top of his harness with one hand and taking a few steps down the path of flight. The dog will then be released while that forward movement is accomplished. It will almost look like the movements that are done when someone is bowling. Since no scent article is being presented, only the start working command is given. While working component exercises that have an intensity trail from the initial find, occasionally start the dog on those intensity trails in this manner. Doing that will limit how much time will have to be dedicated to this start. Conduct a delayed start intensity trail and start the dog in the above described manner. The dog will hesitate briefly upon being released, and then shoot off like a bolt. The next step is to age the trail for an hour or so and repeat the process. Remember to run intensity trails from the find! The final step is to have the trail layer start at a specific

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location and walk to a predetermined ending spot. You will drive to the starting location, while running your emergency equipment, and verbally pumping up your dog. Once you arrive on scene, remove your dog and start working him after an abbreviated breaking period. If the dog does not respond with the enthusiasm you are looking for, repeat the process. This time drive to a different location and have your trail layer run an immediate intensity trail without any breaking period. Your dog should respond with correct enthusiasm, occasionally repeat this exercise throughout your career. I have successfully deployed numerous times on these types of cases. One was a stolen car where the suspect bailed out and ran into the woods. My agency’s response was quick. Although we normally did not have the manpower to set a perimeter, because the suspect ran into a national park, rangers were there to assist us.

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State police also arrived on the scene. The perimeter was fluid as the trail progressed. He would be spotted at a location and minutes later I would pop out of the woods in hot pursuit. He eventually was apprehended, because my dog started quickly and continued to push him.

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Chapter 43 General Area Starts There are going to be cases where you do not have a scent article, or a direction of travel to start your dog, so another generally accepted method will have to be utilized. General area starts is a standard method that has been used for years. A review of bloodhound case law shows that it has been used to deploy bloodhounds since the early 1900’s. 1905 - Denham v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, 119 Ky.508 Assault with intent to kill

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(The victim was assaulted and robbed) ■ “...care was taken by the family and friends of {the victim} to prevent persons about the premises after the assault upon {the victim} from going to or about the place where it was committed” ■ “The heads of the dogs were held up when they were taken from the wagon until the place of the assault was reached” 1908 – Spears v. State of Mississippi, 92Miss.613 Arson (The victim heard a noise and found his house on fire) ■ “The next morning {the handler} arrived with bloodhounds” ■ “He {the handler} was the owner, and trainer, and which were shown to be of pure blood and reliable.”

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■ “...in this case they were put on trail at a place where it was shown that their criminal agency must have had its origin” While conducting a general area start, you won’t know with certainty that your dog has located the specific scent you are looking for. Because of that uncertainty, be sure to conduct careful interviews about who has been in your general starting area. Ask about any known person that was there and where they went. If your dog indicates on that trail, you can mentally eliminate it and cast for another trail. In the same token if your dog indicates on another trail, you can be fairly confident you’ve found the targeted scent. Unlike known paths of flight, when doing the general area start, you will not know the direction in which your quarry fled. To train this starting discipline first utilize the delayed start intensity trail, a straight intensity trail will not be employed. The dog will then graduate

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into not seeing the trail layer leave. To prepare the scene, have your trail layer mill around or stand in the general starting area prior to conducting the exercise. Remember the purpose of this exercise is the start from a general area, not a long trail from it. The trail layer should walk far enough to keep the dog from air scenting, but close enough to ensure the excitement of the find transfers back to the start. You want to build on or raise the excitement level of the dog to strengthen his foundation for future general area starts. While walking around during the delaying portion, closely watch your dog. If you do not delay long enough and start him too soon, you risk it being a straight intensity trail. Be patient and wait until you see the dog has lost all focus towards the trail layer’s direction. Once the dog is ready take him to the middle of the general area where your trail layer was standing. Face the dog in the wrong direction while harnessing

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and verbalizing the fun he is about to have. Since no scent article is being presented, the “take scent” command will not be given. While remaining stationary, give your start working command. The dog may initially move slow before quickly following your trail layer. Remember to run an intensity trail from the find! After a couple of these exercises, rotate into the dog not seeing the trail layer leave. The same basic process is followed as described above. Remember to run an intensity trail from the find. On the remote chance that the dog goes in the wrong direction, which means he is attempting to false trail, offer a verbal correction and swing him back towards the trail layer’s path. If the dog displays uncertainty, offer him verbal encouragement to help him succeed. If necessary take a couple steps backwards towards the trail layer, and watch the dog confidently take over from there. Your dog will be solid in general area starts after a few more training sessions.

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German Instructor and Author Katrin Kolbe (left) Hungarian Asst. Instructor Janovszky Gergely(right)

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Chapter 44 Casting For a Trail You may have a crime scene containing heavy contamination and no scent article to work from. The best chance to pick up the trail is to cast beyond the contamination. If you have a general direction of travel such as north you can locate the trail by casting across it. It is important to stay as close to the crime scene as possible, the 29 American Jurisprudence 2d #575, states you must show 1. “The dog began on the trail at a location where the perpetrator was known to have been.”

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So if the perpetrator was known to have left in a northerly direction, you would cast your dog from east to west in hopes of cutting or finding the trail. You have learned how to cast and your dog has become proficient at locating trails and eliminating directions of travel. This can be invaluable in quickly determining when a false report was filed, such as a claim that someone fled on foot. When looking for a lost person that left in an unknown direction, eliminating directions of travel will help narrow the “hasty” search area. In review: 1. Stay as close to crime scene as possible. 2. If you have a general direction of travel, cast your dog perpendicular to that direction to cut the trail. 3. If no trail is located you can eliminate that direction of travel.

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4. In some reported criminal cases, the inability to locate any trail may indicate a false report was given to police. When casting for a trail because you do not have an exact spot to start your dog, the actual take scent command is never given. After harnessing the dog, say your start working command and begin your casting movements. Remember to do: 1. Pre-starting ritual. 2. The same normal motions when harnessing dog. 3. Normal verbalization while harnessing dog. 4. No take scent command, say start work command with casting movements. 5. Pick a point or landmark to walk or cast towards.

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To train for casting without a scent article, find a football field and have someone walk across the 50 yard line. Be sure they walk far enough that the dog cannot visually spot or air scent into them. Position yourself and your dog perpendicular to the trail. Start in the end zone so that you’re casting towards and into the trail at a 90-degree angle. Remember, no take scent command is given; simply harness the dog and say your start working command while beginning to cast. The dog may become confused and excited at first and try to pull hard, straight up the field. If this occurs, back up your training and clean up your casting skills. You want the dog to display the same behavior it was taught in the “Learning How to Cast” chapter, which is holding his head off of the ground and not pulling on the lead. This is a fast flowing exercise the cast is performed smoothly and quickly to maintain the dog’s focus. Watch the dog for a head drop and pull away that are

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classic indications the trail has been found. When the dog finds and takes the trail quickly verbally praise him. If he does not want to start on the trail take a couple steps backwards along the path. Verbally praise the dog as he starts past you following the scent. When the dog finds the trail layer, reward him and conduct an intensity trail. By adding the intensity trail from the find, you will continue strengthening the dog’s foundation.

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Conducting a casting exercise in an urban setting Once the dog is reliable casting for and taking a trail, the next step is adding a decoy to this exercise. Have two trail layers cross the field - the first one at the 50-yard line (this will be the decoy) and the second one at a point 30 yards beyond that. This exercise is similar to what you did while training to follow a second trail from a contaminated scent article. The dog will strike the decoy's path on the 50-yard line and be stopped before the decoy is reached. Before stopping the dog, be sure he was firmly on a scent trail and you could “read” it. You have to pretend it is a “team training” exercise to learn to read your dog. When you stop the dog from following the decoy's scent trail it must be done passively. Do not stop him abruptly and be sure to convey that he did a good job. The dog did exactly what you asked him to do, which

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was to find and follow a trail. So when you stop the dog, reassure him with a “Good boy!” When you take him off the decoy's trail immediately continue your cast down the field until you find the trail layer's scent. When the dog finds and takes the second trail, give a quick verbal praise. At the end of the exercise reward him and conduct an intensity trail. By adding the intensity trail from the find, you will continue strengthening the dog’s foundation. When you are confident your dog has learned what is expected of him, change your terrain from fields to woods, neighborhood streets or other urban settings. You and your dog should be comfortable in any environment. Remember to always run intensity trails when the dog makes the find.

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Asst. Instructor Trudy Garvey practices hard surface casting Always watch for signs that the dog is losing focus. This lack of focus may be displayed by the dog wanting to stop and smell things during the cast. When this starts to happen, verbally help him maintain or regain his focus.

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Chapter 45 Recovery Casting Although your dog is trained to consistently establish a direction of travel, once the dog is working there will be times he loses the scent. You will recognize the dog’s loss of scent, because he will suddenly stop the flowing forward movement. This means you will no longer see the negative indications that are explained in the “Reading Your Dog” section. You will see the dog transition from flowing negatives to stopping and searching for the scent. He may hesitate and look at you, or continue forward without displaying any animation. Without producing a high

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drive dog by reading this book, most handlers would not understand what the behavior meant. They never experienced this in training because the majority of exercises were just strictly following the dog. This should be an exciting point in your career because now is YOUR chance to function as a seasoned member of the team. You need to react with decisiveness, because the “Recovery ClockTKM” (page 233) has just started ticking! This means you only have a limited time to cast and recover the trail. A dog can stay focused when they have the scent and follow it a tremendous distance, but if they lose the scent you only have a limited time to recover it. After a fairly short time, the dog will lose all focus or interest and will not recognize or indicate on the scent even if you cross or cast over it numerous times. When the dog shows he has lost the scent, think about how you got to that location. Now consider how far you

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could have gone before recognizing the dog was not trailing, which means displaying the negative indications. Now you have a pretty good idea how far back you may need to go to recover the scent. That distance may be too great for you to recover the trail. As your dog's foundation strengthens and your experience grows that distance will shrink to a manageable size. If the size is currently manageable, try to remember… While working in a rural or wooded area the loss of trail requires you to quickly analyze the lay of the land, wind direction, etc., while also deliberating where the trail may have been lost. Try to remember if the dog was favoring one side or glancing towards a certain direction as he came to the stopping point. Looking at the problem this way gives you options to work from. In rural or wooded terrains, the scent trail is sometimes broken because of natural barriers or the lay of the land. So unlike

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the loss of scent in an urban setting, this trail might be broken through no fault of your dog. Because of these natural breaks, cast forward about 15 yards from your stopping point, in a half moon pattern to make sure the trail isn’t still in front of you. Always remember to “Eliminate Avenues of Escape,” which means making sure you place or cast your dog over any direction the suspect may have fled. Then start casting back towards the direction you came while closely watching your dog for a recovery. The forward cast is done quickly and decisively remembering that the “Recovery Clock” is ticking. Always keep a running map in your mind as you work your dog! This running map will help you when considering where you may recover the trail. The main thing is to react when you see the dog lost the trail, because the “Recovery Clock” is ticking.

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Expose your dog to know its limitations

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INBTI Instructor/Head of the Odessa Ukraine Police K9 Unit Sergey Marynchuk (pictured right)

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Chapter 46 Casting for a Trail at an Intersection There will be times your dog will lose the trail while working in an urban setting. In an urban setting the trail is most likely behind you. If you have followed the training guidelines in this book, the dog will indicate quickly the scent was lost, which means it is close by. Since the loss of scent in an urban setting normally involves a turn, cast back towards an intersection you passed for the recovery. The dog may recover the trail prior to reaching the intersection, but the intersection gives

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you a clear location to cast towards. In other urban settings that are more open, such as an industrial park or apartment complex, the missed turn is probably around one of the buildings. The same reasoning applies there, knowing the loss probably occurred around a building, gives you a clear point to cast towards. Closely watch the dog for any signs of recovery. This exercise will help train your dog to recover those trails, and give you the skills and confidence needed to react and read your dog. Find a four-way intersection with no pedestrian or vehicular traffic. With the car windows closed have someone drive your trail layer up to the intersection. The vehicle will make a left or right turn, and stop about 15 feet away from the actual point the roads intersect. The trail layer will exit the vehicle at that 15 foot mark and walk about 100 yards away from the intersection. That distance should give the dog time to firmly commit to the trail, before making the

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find. Take your dog to the intersection and complete your pre-starting ritual. Remember you are starting your dog with a cast, so do not use your take scent command.

A dog casting an intersection Cast your dog across all three of the roads that do not contain your trail layer's scent. Allow your dog to go down each of the wrong roads twenty or thirty feet or until you see a negative indication. The negative indication will be the dog turning back or doing a semi-

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circle or half-moon motion. Quickly verbally praise the dog when the negative indications are seen, and cast him across the next road. If the dog wants to continue down the wrong road give a quick tug on the lead with a verbal correction. This will reinforce not to search for scent and will train another type of negative. After conducting that corrective training you may see the dog turn and look back at you when it does not have scent. As you cast into the correct road, look for the dog to show or indicate the scent trail is there. They will show this indication by displaying a head drop and commitment to the scent trail. If the dog does not start the scent trail walk a few steps backwards along the trail layer's path and watch the dog take over from there. As you see the dog take the trail, quickly offer him verbal praise. Run an intensity trail from the find. Using the intensity trail at this point will transfer excitement back to the cast. In other

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words, the dog will commit stronger to a scent trail while being cast, which will make reading the dog easier.

Another dog casting an intersection The next time you repeat the exercise, incorporate the scent article into it. Everything remains the same, but the dog will be started from a scent article, rather than just the cast. The dog may attempt to go directly to the road that contains the trail layer’s scent. If he does

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this, stop him in a non-corrective manner, reassure him with a “good boy,” and quickly go into your casting. Once this exercise has been completed at a low traffic intersection, train at some busy intersections. This will require stopping the dog while waiting for the vehicular traffic to clear. When you add in the people walking around it makes for an awkward exercise. All of this is good because it challenges the dog and improves your handling skills. You are always in control and the exercises are designed to ensure the dog receives a quick reward. Diagram of the intersection exercise:

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Instructor Steve Wald observing an exercise

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Chapter 47 Door Identifications Inevitably you are going to work a case where your trail ends at a house or building with a door. The trail ending at that house or building even without the door ID is valuable information to pass on. I was called out to Quantico Marine Corps Base one night. An abduction victim and her car had been dumped in an isolated section of the base. Although they had a functional bloodhound team at that time, they correctly anticipated the trail leaving the base. Because the military is not allowed to deploy against civilians they needed an outside team. I arrived on the scene and met with Sgt.

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Santos who was their bloodhound handler. He had me stand-by while a team of Military Police Officers cleared an abandoned building that was near the car. They swiftly used flash bangs and M16s to search the structure. I can honestly say those young men were disappointed nobody was found. I scented off of the car seat and ran a clean trail through the woods. The trail led off base and down a fairly busy state road. The trail then turned and lead down a side street lined with houses on both sides. My bloodhound trailed down that road until he reached a house which had a dog loose in the unfenced front yard. My hound would not go into the yard or continue past the house. He just stopped in the middle of the road. I took my hound back to the intersection of the main road and restarted (not re-scented) him again by saying his start working command. My dog led me right back to the front of the same house.

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At that moment, all I could tell the deputy was that my dog wouldn't go past the house which had the loose dog. An arrest was later made from that very house. My dog was right – he knew where the trail went and took me as close as he was willing to go. This was a successful trail without an ID on the door. The identification of a specific door could result in the quick recovery of a missing child or a quick arrest, so that is what you should train for. The goal of the exercise is to have the dog identify a door. Utilizing the Component TrainingTKM system means the exercise will be designed specifically for that purpose. To get the dog into a highly attentive or learning mode, the exercise will first be coupled with an intensity trail. Design an intensity trail with the trail layer going through and standing behind a door. It should be a long enough distance for the dog to be committed before reaching the

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building. As your trail layer goes through the door have them rub the edge of the door and door jam with their hands. If your dog is capable, allow him to locate and identify the door. Some dogs may give a natural identification, if you receive something of that nature; solidify that ID using this method of training. If the dog does not give any natural identification, you will transfer the standardized jump-up ID to the door. He may run a good trail to the area and become confused, but still be highly motivated. If the dog tries to leave the area, quickly give the verbal correction cue followed by the sound of approval as he turns back. You shouldn't expect your dog to identify the door the first time without your help. So if you see the dog becoming distracted quickly take control of the exercise. Shorten your lead to about 5 feet in length to gain better control of the dog's movements. Guide your dog up to the door and sweep your

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hand along the edge while quietly commanding him to “check.” Because of your training the dog will already be accustomed to this targeting command. If the dog goes past the door without checking it, just swing him around in a circular motion so he is now behind you. This allows your body to block the dog’s forward progress in a non-threatening manner. Remember it’s still a game.

Put the treat in your hand and start low

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Slide your hand up the door

When the dog jumps up, offer praise

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As the dog is guided to the door look for a head turn or change in behavior that indicates he recognizes the scent. If that occurs, verbally reward and entice the stronger response or indication you are training for. If you are teaching the jump-up ID, encourage the dog by holding the treat high on the door. Once the dog jumps up, reward and praise him in the normal manner. This is a dual reward exercise so the dog will get one for identifying the door and one for identifying the trail

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layer. So just as your praise is ending for the door identification have the trail layer open it so the dog can identify him. The dog then receives the second reward and praise session.

Asst. Instructor Darlene Rak is pictured teaching her dog the door ID Some dogs cannot make the connection between the building and the trail layer. If this is occurring, have the trail layer crack the door to allow some fresh scent out. They can also make a noise to get the dog's attention. You can then go through the process of soliciting the identification. Do not get frustrated with the dog!

Open the door to ID the trail layer and give the dog the ultimate party!

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A Fairfax, Virginia Police Officer/ bloodhound handler once ran a trail from the scene of a rape. The detectives in charge had no idea who the rapist may have been. His trail ultimately led to a subdivision where his hound took him to the back of a townhouse. The hound was circling around outside the fenced backyard. The Officer decided to cast the dog around to the front of that section of townhouses. As he went past the front door of the same townhouse, the dog gave her door ID. The subject living there was later arrested and convicted in this case.

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As you just read, this case had multiple doors at the end of his trail. You are going to experience the same thing in some of your cases. It may be an apartment building, a motel or another location. This Component TrainingTKM is the same as the door identification exercise, except you are now placing multiple doors into the equation. The type of building that can be used in this exercise can vary. It can range from a restroom building with three outside doors (two for the restrooms and one for the furnace or supplies) to a small strip mall shopping center with multiple stores. The training procedure will be the same as the single door ID, except you will check multiple wrong doors before hitting the correct door. Start with the hand sweep targeting command at the first wrong door. If the dog wants to pass the door without checking, use your body to block his forward progress in a non-threatening manner. When you do

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not see any reaction at the door, which would indicate there is no scent recognition, quickly move to the next door while the dog is still focused. Repeat the process for the second and third wrong doors. Remember it is a quick moving component exercise so when you see no reaction move to the next door. As you come to the correct door, look for a head turn or change in behavior that indicates the dog recognized the scent. I like doing this exercise at strip malls, because I have multiple doors with fresh decoy scent. I wanted to be sure my dog would not alert just because of fresh scent. During your training regiment revisit this exercise using the delayed start and scent article intensity trails.

As an investigative tool: 1. If your dog trails to a house or other place and does not leave

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that structure it is a successful trail within itself and a. Is valuable information to pass on to investigators. b. Indicates perpetrator lives or is in the area. 2. As trail layer enters the door have him rub the door and door jam.

Remember to use the double reward system: 1. First one for ID’ing the door. 2. Second one for ID’ing the trail layer.

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Chapter 48 Multiple Buildings

Some cases will end at a subdivision of closely built homes, row houses or other places with multiple single family dwellings. Because the dog’s trail ended in that area it is valuable information to

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pass on to the investigators working the case.

Teaching the dog this discipline while utilizing the Component TrainingTKM method, means it will be separated from, not at the end of a long trail. This component training session is similar to the multiple door exercise, except we are sending the dog to each door without the handler. The handler will use hand signals and verbal commands to send the dog without themselves actually going up to the building. Completing this exercise will start establishing the dog’s consistent behavior pattern that will alert you the

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trail has ended. A city block of row or small single detached houses is one venue for this exercise. They normally have small front yards and the streets are narrow enough for the handler to work a couple houses on both sides quickly. Any setting that has multiple buildings in a small area can be utilized. For instance, a trailer park will serve well for this exercise. Remember any area that is used needs to be large enough for the handler to send the dog while standing back from the entrances. To get the dog into a highly attentive or learning mode, the exercise will first be coupled with an intensity trail. Design a long enough intensity trail to allow the dog to be firmly committed before it ends with the trail layer going through and standing behind a door. As your trail layer goes through the door have them rub the edge of the door and door jam with their hands. If your dog is capable, allow him to locate and identify the building and door. If the dog cannot

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finish the exercise, quickly take control of his movements. As an example, I will use a city block of single detached homes for simplicity’s sake. This entire exercise is completed with the handler remaining in the street. Take the dog to the front of the first decoy or wrong house and get the dog to focus on you. As the dog is focused on you, take a couple quick steps towards the house while simultaneously throwing your arm in a pointing motion towards it. While doing those motions, verbally command the dog to “check.” The arm motions and verbal command while taking those couple steps should be enough to get your dog headed towards the building. The dog may or may not travel all the way up to the entrance door. It does not matter. You are looking to see a negative indication, which will be the dog turning back. This means the dog determined the scent is not there. The moment the dog turns back, verbally give it some positive

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reinforcement. Quickly go to the second and third decoy houses and repeat the process. After finishing the decoy houses mimic the same motions and send the dog to the correct building. Ideally the dog will go up to the house and identify the door. You may not see a solid ID. A slight hesitation or other minor behavioral change could be all you observe. Seeing any change of behavior is valuable information that should be noted by the handler for future reference. The trail layer needs to play an active part in this training exercise and closely watch the dog through the door. If the dog turns back prior to reaching the front porch, the trail layer should quickly attract his attention so he comes all the way to the entrance. If the dog goes to the house without any assistance but then loses his focus, the trail layer should draw the dog’s attention to elicit your door identification. The trail layer will then

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quickly open the door and allow the dog to successfully “find” him. After placing this exercise in the dog’s training regiment and completing it a few times, you will see the dog start going up to check the different houses when he reaches the end of the trail. This behavior makes it easy for you to read your dog. An example of successfully being able to read this trained behavior can be seen in a missing child case I worked in Lancaster, Ohio. The full-scale search for the child had been going on for a couple days before I got there. The search had expanded to the edge of the city limits. The FBI and Ohio State Police had joined with the Lancaster Police Department to bring in additional resources. The command center had been moved from in front of the child’s home to another location on the second day of the search operations.

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I located a good scent article in a remote location of the child’s bedroom and scented my dog in the front yard facing the house. He took a trail through the side yard of the house into the alley behind the child’s home. While trailing down the alley, the dog started going up to the back door of houses and then returning to the alley. The dog went towards one house twice, and then continued further down that side of the alley. He then crossed over the alley, where he continued the same pattern of going up the rear sidewalks and turning back. He finally shut down and my attempts to refocus him were unsuccessful. He had checked and eliminated all but three of the houses in the alley before shutting down. During the debriefing with the local and federal authorities, I was able to say with confidence that the child was still in the alley. I was advised the house my dog went towards twice was the child’s grandmother’s home. The residual scent

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from previous visits would explain why my dog would check twice. I told them which houses in the alley my dog had eliminated and the three houses the dog did not give any information on. Approximately two hours after my debriefing, a search warrant was executed on one of the three houses that was not eliminated. The child was located alive wrapped in insulation, bound, and gagged behind a false wall in the attic. The child predator had sexually assaulted and bathed the threeyear-old toddler, before entombing her behind the false wall. The perpetrator was arrested and confessed to the crime. He was murdered in jail prior to going to trial. When you compare this child abduction case to the brutal rape case discussed in the component chapter, a pattern should be noted. Two different dogs were used in those cases, but both dogs gave the same indications or acted in the same manner when they were

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close to the end of the trail. In both instances, the dogs transitioned from running a trail to searching. In yet another case, while working a third dog the same consistency is seen. That trail started from a recovered vehicle that was taken during an armed carjacking. The trail led into a townhouse project where the dog transitioned from trailing into the motion of going up to townhouses, doubling back, then repeating the behavior at other townhouses. In this case, the dog stopped at the rear of the correct townhouse where the perpetrator was arrested. This standardized behavior seen in dog after dog that we train is a product of the consistency that Component TrainingTKM brings. A quick review of this exercise Whenever conducting component training that is coupled with intensity

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trails remember to do: 1. Pre-starting ritual. 2. The same normal motions when harnessing dog. 3. Normal verbalization while harnessing dog. 4. Face dog wrong direction when presenting scent article. Any setting similar to these can be utilized: 1. City block of row houses. 2. City block of small single detached homes. 3. Mobile home park. As an investigative tool: 1. If your dog trails to a city block or section of mobile homes, or other similar area and does not leave that vicinity, it is a successful trail within itself and:

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a. Is valuable information to pass on to the investigators. b. Indicates the perpetrator lives or is in the area. The purpose of the component training exercise is twofold: 1. To have the dog identify the correct building the trail layer entered. 2. To start establishing a consistent behavior in the dog that will alert the handler they are at the end of the trail. The exercise is completed: 1. With the handler remaining in street. 2. By the handler taking a couple quick steps towards houses while throwing an arm in a pointing motion towards each house.

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3. Verbally commanding dog to “check.” 4. Then verbally give a positive reinforcement when dog turns back. The trail layer: 1. Plays an active role in training. 2. Should make sure the dog comes all the way up to the entrance. 3. Should open door to help the dog “find” him.

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Working multiple buildings in an urban setting in the Ukraine

INBTI Air Scent Instructor Sharon Jones of Dogs East (left) INBTI Trailing and HRD Instructor Bobby Blackwell (right)

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Chapter 49 Subdivision Training No other location will offer the challenges of an established residential subdivision. The tribulations your dog will face there are dreadful. It will appear that every home owns a cat, which instantly materializes the moment you arrive. If your dog has the discipline to work through those tantalizing scents, it will then face the nosy neighbors who mask their recon operations by walking their dogs. When training, don't become frustrated with these pitfalls, view them as the perfect place to challenge and further learn to read your dog.

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I’ve had the privilege to handle some of the best bloodhounds in the country. Unfortunately they were only dogs and capable of being distracted. To be a superior dog team, a lot of training time needs to be devoted here. It will take a lot of intensity work and even after that there will be moments of lost focus. Hopefully you will be able to recognize those moments. I became pretty decent at it, because I was always absorbed with watching my dog. The most common training mistake handlers make in a subdivision is not following the dog through someone’s

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yard. Because you instinctively value the property rights of people, you act as if every yard is posted with a no trespassing sign. Normally you will never be seen; remember it’s a fluid movement, you are in and out. If a home owner does speak to you, offer them an apology for the intrusion and use my standard explanation, which was “I’m training for a missing child.” Any opposition from them will then melt away!

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Always be aware of the environment and what is around you The decision is made by you to lay out a scent article intensity trail and allow it to age twelve hours or so. Design your exercise with the trail layer walking down the road, but don’t make the mistake of thinking the dog will stay on it. Although you know where the trail goes, your responsibility is to follow the dog. In any dog training session you will know where the trail goes, but always pretend you don’t. Simply put; by not always going with the dog, you are influencing him. The purpose of any trail is not to go from point A to point B. The real objective is for the dog to tell you where the trail goes. In order to get that information, you need to travel with him. Realize that the dog left the road and entered a front yard for a purpose. Travel with him and watch him closely to try and figure out why! Is it trash scent or something else that has pulled him there?

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A slowing of the dog’s pace after it leaves the road probably means trash scent is involved. If the dog is still fluid and trailing the correct direction, he’s distracted but working through it. Do you see any negative indications and how deep is he in the yard? The trash scent will be stronger closer to the houses than the road. So the closer he goes to the houses, the greater the chance of him becoming distracted. Allow the dog the opportunity to confront and work through those distractions, you are there to help if he needs it. If he ever stops, a correction will be given instantly but while he’s fluid and moving the right general direction just watch, wait and see. His head is a little high going across the front yard which tells you he is not directly on top of the trail. As he closes in on the house, watch the dog’s head pattern around any shrubbery. Slight head turns or twitches between the plants are probably paths the cats take home. Remember reading a dog is an art, so let’s look at the big picture

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being painted. The head position is high so the dog is not on top of the actual footsteps, but a determined direction of travel is being displayed; which would indicate he still has the trail. Considering his pace has slowed, you know he is distracted. Those voids between plants are logical places small animals would pass through, so that just makes sense. You should feel good so far; the dog has maintained fluidity and you have a pretty good read on him. Your dog has passed by the front of the house and is coming to the end; emotionally you are in a knot. Is he a little stiffer in his gait which would mean other dogs are in the mix? Watch him closely for the next signal or sign. Normally backyard fences are placed even with the back wall of the house. This creates a little side yard between two houses. If he goes pretty much straight across, he actually is running pretty clean. If your dog dips in fairly deeply, watch his head to understand

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why. If it’s looking towards a backyard, I’ll bet good money, somebody’s dog lives there.

The dog is still fluid while he crosses both side yards. With your peripheral vision you notice a car in the adjoining driveway; it's directly in your path. Your focus should always be on your dog, while remaining conscious of the possible disruptions in the area. Identifying those disruptions, before your dog reaches them will make evaluating their effects easier. The dog swings out towards the road and around the car. As the dog dips back in towards the house along the driver’s side of the car, he

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pauses and head checks the sidewalk. This would probably mean someone has recently come home or has been outside. The dog does a beginning circle and you’re confident he has the scent trail. Then the process repeats itself until the next negative indication is seen. The point is; you need to go with your dog to read him. Guiding him from the road is of no value and if the dog remains fluid, he’s still in the game.

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Chapter 50 The Backtrack A typical piece of advice passed on from experienced criminals to their novice underlings is to “forget trying to beat the dog; the way to escape is to confuse the handler.” A backtrack is when someone walks one direction and then turns around and walks back over their own footsteps. As the dog trails the person into that turnaround spot, the illusion that he is not working and has completely lost the trail is created. It makes you wonder how many dog teams were defeated by a simple backtrack.

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For this exercise find a fence line that can be used to limit the dog's forward progress on an overshoot. The fence line should also serve to limit the handler’s motivation to influence the dog. Many inexperienced handlers have pulled their dogs off of a good trail, because they did not understand way the dog would suddenly turn around and go back the way they came. In the same token many inexperienced and low drive dogs have actually lost the trail, and just continued on past the turnaround spot. This exercise should help both the handler and the dog. The object of this component training exercise is to expose the dog to a backtrack, not run a long trail containing one. To get the dog into a highly attentive and learning mode the exercise will first be coupled with an intensity trail. Make sure the intensity trail is long enough for the dog to be committed to the scent before he reaches the turnaround spot. That turnaround spot

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will be approximately 15 yards in front of or away from the fence. The distance that will be covered or walked back over should be in the 20 yard range. That should be long enough to challenge the dog, but short enough for him to win the game. So the trail layer is going to walk towards the fence, turn around and walk back over their footsteps then cut off to the side and go hide. The exercise is designed with the backtrack placed in the straightaway portion, rather than off to one side. By designing the exercise in this fashion, dogs have a tendency to continue into and have to overcome the backtrack. If you conduct this exercise without a fence line, allow the dog the freedom to “sort it out,” but be prepared to give a correction if he just continues on. The dog should be able to recognize the scent is getting weaker within a couple lead lengths of the turnaround. If a correction is needed do not be overly

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harsh but make it firm enough to reinforce that…

Our dogs follow scent; they do not search for it. When the dog gets to the turnaround spot, he will start circling or throwing negatives while searching for the scent. If a fence is being used, it will stop the dog if he tries to range too far. Remember you are building his confidence to face new problems, so be patient and let the dog figure it out. If the dog is having a difficult time and shows signs of shutting down, you step in to help. If he jumps on you, this is a sign of frustration and again it is time for you to help. At this point, verbally reassure the dog and start casting toward the direction of the split or point the person walked to the side. As you cast the dog back down the trail you will see him reworking the scent, verbally encourage him to sort it out.

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As you reach the split or point the person walked to the side, you will probably see a reaction from the dog. The dog will again be firmly on trail as he follows your trail layer. If you don’t see any reaction, take a step backwards towards the trail layer and allow the dog to pass you and finish from there. It is important to note that when you see the dog commit to the correct trail, give a quick verbal praise. Remember, he won the game! Timing is everything with praise. I would hope that you would conduct an intensity trail from the find without it being written here, especially to rejuvenate a dog that struggled. If after pausing and thinking for a moment you believe it would have been done, then the effort I put into writing this book and the hard work of my friends who edited it is paying off!

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I worked a case involving an emotionally disturbed child at a middle school. The child had been sent to the vice-principal’s office to be disciplined. Once there she became further agitated and ran away leaving her backpack behind. I collected a scent article from the child’s backpack because the viceprincipal said he had not touched it. I scented my dog at the front door of the school where she was last seen running out. The dog trailed out to the road that ran in front of the school and made a right turn. As we trailed down the road, my dog had to work numerous backtracks in a strip of woods that opened to another school. It’s circling motions at the end of each leg, then doubling back to continue further down the road were classic signs. The dog worked hard sorting out the numerous backtracks, in that stretch of road. He continued the trail which eventually circled back to the original school.

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Armed with the dog’s behavior and the trail’s pattern, I knew the dog had just followed the vice-principal. My next interview with him resulted in an honest answer. He had searched the bag prior to my arrival. I restarted the dog at the same exit door, but this time the viceprincipal was standing in front of us. My dog trailed around the side of the school to the back of the property and into the woods. A long story short, we flushed out the child and a police helicopter spotted her entering a vehicle on an interstate highway. The helicopter kept track of the vehicle until a police officer was able to pull it over and make the recovery. I hope the citizen who stopped and picked up the child did it for the right reasons, but I am glad we did not have to wait to find out.

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The patrol dog is offered a sleeve or bite as part of the reward system

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Chapter 51 High Finds

Opal Kocher hiding on the roof The object of this Component TrainingTKM is to expose the dog to a

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high find, not to run a long trail that contains one. A high find occurs when the trail layer is hiding from the dog off the ground. This exercise will require enough pre-planning to locate a climbable tree, some playground equipment or another structure for the trail layer to climb. It needs to be high enough for the dog to go under as he searches for the source of the scent. To get the dog in a highly attentive or learning mode the exercise will first be coupled with an intensity trail. Design an intensity trail long enough for the dog to be committed to the scent before he reaches the high find area. As the dog trails into the area beneath the high find, you will see a change in behavior. The dog will switch from clear trailing indications to searching. You will notice the dog start circling around with high animation, trying to locate the source of live scent meaning the trail layer. Some dogs will become confused and try to leave the area; a mild verbal

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correction is warranted if that occurs. Cast the dog back into the live scent or trail layer's area. Whenever the dog comes back into the live scent pool, he will probably restart the circling pattern. Allow him to search independently, but watch closely for signs of losing interest or the obvious inability to locate the trail layer. If any of those signs are noticed have the trail layer make a noise, crack a limb or dangle a leg to draw attention. Since it is something new expect some difficulty. This is why we train!

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Russian Police Officer Alexandra Yakovenko (pictured above)

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Austrian Instructor/Police Officer Bernhard Stummer’s dog identifies the ladder the “suspect” went up Once the dog has located the trail layer, entice him to jump up to identify the object the trailer layer is on. Quickly reward and praise the dog for this object identification. In a continuous motion during that praise, have your trail layer jump down so the dog can then ID them also. The dog should receive his normal praise and reward for the trail layer identification. So the dog will get two rewards when training this component;

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one for the identification of the object and one for the trail layer. Once you’re familiar with the dog's reaction to a high find, you will notice the distinct behavior they display as they search for the source. Remember it! Recognizing that behavior may save your life one day. I responded to a felony call one night in the rural section of Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Deputy Fred Keck, a patrol dog handler, was also on scene. We decided our best course of action was to trail the bloodhound and have the patrol dog follow closely behind. This placed the patrol dog in position to do any apprehension work that might be required. The trail left the house and started through some fields and pastures. To limit our exposure to the unseen felon, we only sporadically flashed or turned on our flashlights. While crossing a barbed wire fence, the patrol dog badly cut one of its pads. After viewing the cut, Fred and I decided

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the dog should not go any further. I told Fred I would press on with the trail as they returned to his vehicle. I trailed another ¾ mile while still only sporadically using my flashlight. I eventually found myself on a narrow dirt road in some fairly dense woods. I could always feel a strong pull, so I knew my dog had the trail. After he left the road to go into the woods the pull stopped. I had to turn on my flashlight to look at my dog and sort out what was going on. When I saw the behavior, I instantly knew the suspect was close and probably above me. I had trailed myself into a very dangerous situation. I tried to flash my flashlight a few quick times but could not penetrate the trees, the light just seemed to reflect back on me. I called out into that darkness to the felon that he had won this round and that I was backing out of the woods. He was apprehended the next morning walking down a rural road. I did not get to interview him, but was told he was

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close and heard me say I was backing out. Remember your dog’s behavior! Your life may depend on it! In review: 1. You will notice a change from clear trail indications to a searching pattern when scent pool is reached. 2. The scent pool will most likely have the dog circling around with high animation. 3. If the dog attempts to leave the area, mildly correct and cast back into the live scent. 4. If dog cannot locate trail layer have them make a noise or dangle a foot. 5. Use the double reward system: a. First one for the tree or structure. b. Second one for the trail layer.

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Asst. Instructor Marsha Patterson at the end of a high find exercise in the woods

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Chapter 52 The Car Seat Start As a police officer you are going to start a trail from a car seat at some point in your career. Utilizing the Component TrainingTKM system means this exercise does not have to be a long trail. The purpose of the exercise is to train the dog to start from a car seat, not run a long trail from it. To get the dog into a highly attentive or learning mode, the exercise will first be coupled with a delayed start intensity trail. Have your trail layer sit in the car, and verbally entice and tease the dog with the reward. If you are employing a food

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reward make sure the trail layer lets the dog smell it. As the dog is watching have the trail layer jump out of the car and run away.

The andler’s job is to get the dog excited about following the trail layer as they leave the vehicle. As the trail layer jumps up from the car seat verbally encourage the dog to follow. As the trail layer runs away stop all animation, and quietly walk the dog to the other side of the car. At this point the dog will still be whining and attempting to follow the trail

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layer. Once the trail layer is out of view, walk the dog around the general starting area mimicking your pre-starting ritual while closely observing his behavior. You are looking for indications that he is losing focus on the trail layer. You can tell the dog is no longer focused on the trail layer when he quits staring in that direction and starts to smell other interesting things. When this behavior is observed, approach the vehicle’s opened door. Face the dog towards the car seat and start the harnessing process. While harnessing the dog remember to verbalize your normal prestarting phrases and words. Target the seat and give your take scent command. When you are ready say your start working command. Remember: 1. Verbally entice the dog to follow the trail layer. 2. Quietly walk dog around general area of the vehicle, while

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watching for loss of interest. 3. When loss of interest is observed, return to vehicle and face car seat with the door open. 4. Do normal verbalization while harnessing dog. 5. Target seat and give take scent command 6. Give start working command. Once the dog makes the initial find have your trail layer run an intensity trail. It will only take a session or two for your dog to be able to quickly start from any car seat.

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Chapter 53 Missing Person Starts from Vehicles You are going to be receiving what I considered “nuisance” calls that involve juveniles breaking into cars. The little thieves normally make entry through unlocked doors, rifle through the cars and steal anything of value. You will not know which side of the car they made entry from, or what seat they sat in. Because you do not know which seat the culprits sat in, this a more effective way to start the dog. Conduct a delayed start intensity trail that mimics the “Car Seat Start” chapter

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of this book. The difference being the dog will be harnessed and placed in the car from the opposite side the trail layer left from. Allow the dog to briefly remain in the car, then reopen the same door and give your start working command. I always left the lead attached to the dog while he was in the car and never completely shut the door. You will probably have to eliminate the car’s owner, so place a decoy in the car once the dog is working blind starts. What I mean by a blind start is the dog will not see the trail layer leave. So your trail layer will exit the vehicle and walk away and then the decoy will sit in the vehicle for a while and remain in the area. Have the decoy stand in front of the dog while harnessing to eliminate his scent. Then you place the dog in the vehicle. The purpose of the exercise is the vehicle start, not a long trail attached to it. So have the trail portion just long enough for the dog to drop its head, which indicates he is trailing. As always

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run an intensity trail from the find to transfer the excitement it creates back to the start and also to strengthen the dog's foundation. Age this exercise so that the trail portion is significantly older than the decoy’s scent. This will require some pre-planning unless you can leave your trail layer out for a significant amount of time. If that is not an option, the trail layer needs to park their vehicle at the exercise’s ending spot. They can be picked up from there and driven to the exercise's starting point. Have the trail layer enter the target vehicle for a few minutes to place the scent. They will then simply walk back to their car and go about their business. The decoy/owner of the targeted vehicle can drive the car away and also go about their business. The trail layer and target vehicle owner will return at a predetermined time. The owner just needs to park the vehicle in the same location. The trail layer will return to the ending point and wait for

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the dog. The dog can then be started on the older scent trail.

Also consider that one of your fellow officers will make a traffic stop and all the occupants will bail out and run. He may not be sure which occupant was sitting where. The same basic training process is used when starting from this car. Locate an area that has people walking around that are unrelated to the

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exercise. Having them in the area will simulate the responding officers that will be on the scene. Have three decoys and your trail layer sit in the car. The trail layer and decoys will exit the vehicle and walk away. The decoys will return to simulate some being captured. Harness the dog in front of the decoys while standing near the vehicle. Then place the dog in the car for a moment, and give your start working command. If the dog has difficulties, dissect this exercise's components back further. Have the three decoys and the trail layer sit in the car and conduct a delayed start intensity trail so the dog sees the trail layer leave. Then have the decoys stand together on the opposite side of the vehicle. The dog will be harnessed in front of them and placed in the car. The opposite side of the car is being used so the dog learns to search for the scent trail.

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Notice the “captured suspects” standing against the vehicle so the dog can eliminate them

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Chapter 54 Walking Identification While training a bloodhound, it is important to vary the position and posture of the trail layer at the end of the exercise. If the trail layer is always in plain view, the dog will quickly learn to rely on its eyes to finish a trail not its nose. If the trail layer is always standing you may witness some confusion when an exercise ends with someone sitting. If you run a couple of training trails that end with the trail layer lying down, watch the dog’s reaction on the third one as you try to work past decoys in that

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position. Viewing their reaction illustrates how fast they learn and how quickly bad habits are formed. One of the generally accepted harder endings to a trail is when the subject is walking. Although this scenario can be a reality, most handlers have never exposed their dog to it. It is not unrealistic to imagine that you will encounter a suspect who attempts to elude you by casually walking down a street while you are in “hot pursuit.” A dog that has not been exposed to this scenario may go past the suspect simply because they are moving. Teaching a dog to identify a moving suspect can be initiated out of harness. Using the dog’s reward while slowly walking, entice the dog to jump up for it. Continue doing the exercise multiple times in succession where every jump brings a reward and praise. This new “game” will now be introduced to the harness and trail layer. Two short intensity trails will be used to expose the

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dog to someone walking away and someone walking towards you. The length of these intensity trails does not have to be over 30 yards. You are dissecting and training the dog with the walking identification component, a long trail is not needed. Once the dog has mastered that you will at least have confidence he has done it before.

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The trail layer should still briefly disappear from the dog’s view so it is not just a sight hunt. The first exercise starts as a normal intensity trail, but once the trail layer is out of view, their pace quickly drops to a slow walk as they wait for the dog’s arrival. The dog is started shortly after the loss of sight occurs. The same process is duplicated for the second exercise; except this one has the trail layer reversing course and walking slowly back towards the dog. The walking ID can now be introduced to a longer trail.

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Some dogs will not successfully complete this identification. It does not mean the dog is not suited to be a mantrailer, only that it is weak on this facet. If a dog won’t make the identification, you should observe its behavior passing the trail layer. If you can see a consistent behavior when he passes the walking trail layer, then that behavior is an ID within itself. If the dog

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continues past the trail layer for an extended distance without displaying any change of behavior, the dog may need more work on the rules of the game. Remember we follow scent, not search for it and at some point the scent was getting weaker!

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Chapter 55 Team TrainingTKM Although you are in the midst of training a solid dog, on many cases the difference between being successful or not will depend on your actions. Contrary to most people’s belief, the majority of cases do not end in an easy walk up find. As your dog becomes stronger, the majority of cases you work will be a search for information not the types of cases where the dog can just drag you to the find. The crime will have been committed long ago and you are just trying to sort out what happened. It is often said the success of a dog

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team is based on a partnership with 90% of the credit going to the dog while a meager 10% goes to the handler. The problem is that the dog will need your help at some point to succeed! A dog team’s success is determined: 1. 90% by the dog’s ability. 2. 10% by the handler’s ability. Because of that 10%, you need to practice helping your dog. The type of exercises needed for this kind of training are commonly referred to as “blind trails.” A blind trail is a training exercise that is designed without the handler knowing where it went. These “blind trails” are set up for two purposes: 1. To help the handler trust the information being given by the dog.

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2. To react when the dog loses the trail or has serious difficulties. Someone other than the handler will design the trail. That person will go with the dog team, so they can offer assistance if it's needed. If the dog team never completes the trail, the exercise will not be of any value. A blind trail: 1. Is one the handler has no information about. 2. Is designed by someone that will go with the dog team. One common weakness displayed by dog handlers is the inability to react when their dog loses the trail. When the trail is lost, the “Recovery ClockTKM” starts clicking. You only have a limited amount of time to recover the trail before the dog loses focus! Once the dog has lost focus, you can cast directly over the trail without seeing any

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reaction or indication from your dog. It is very important that you react immediately when you see your dog has lost the trail. By reading the negative indications you will have a general idea where the dog last had the scent. Because of that, you have an idea where the trail may be recovered. Remember to eliminate the avenues of escape before casting back. Ten seasoned handlers may attempt to recover the trail utilizing ten different patterns. The point being; there is not just one way to correctly recover a trail. It will all depend on what information the handler has been receiving from the dog. The one common thing all seasoned handlers will do is immediately react. You should decipher your dog’s information and react confidently and swiftly when needed. This can only be gained through Team TrainingTKM exercises. Because you have followed the training in this book, your casting abilities are up to the task 502

and it will be easy to spot the recovery. You will see the dog drop its head, and move away from you in a determined fashion once you cast him in the right location. When a dog loses the trail: 1. The “Recovery Clock” stars clicking. 2. You only have a limited time to recover and push on to a successful conclusion. a. React swiftly to help your dog recover the trail.

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At times your dog will shut down and quit working, so even after casting in the right location the dog will not react. The novice handler will be determined to “finish” the trail. Walking the dog through the remainder of the exercise is of no use. When the dog has lost all focus, it is not gaining anything by continuing. Success of a training session is measured by what the handler or dog has accomplished or learned. If your dog has shut down, nothing is gained. A more effective approach is to stop the exercise, call the trail layer to your location and then run some intensity trails. These will help refocus your dog while ending the exercise on a positive note. So sometimes these exercises start out as “Team TrainingTKM” and end up or conclude as a “Dog TrainingTKM” session. On the reverse side, some Dog TrainingTKM exercises will start out as a simple repetition and end or conclude as a Team TrainingTKM

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session. This will happen because your trail layer went to a different spot or went beyond the designated ending location. If for any reason the dog does not make a find, run some short intensity trails to ensure the dog feels like a winner.

“Success in a training session is measured by what the handler or dog has accomplished or learned.”

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Chapter 56 The Pep Talk One day while working a case your dog will indicate that he lost the trail. You have cast forward to “Eliminate the Avenues of Escape,” then worked your way back past the location where you thought it would be recovered. Your dog has not reacted and is almost lethargic. This behavior indicates the dog has quit working. The only chance to reverse the shutdown is to practice the “Pep Talk” described in this chapter. When the dog shuts down while working a case, you can quickly mimic this technique and briefly get the dog back working. Once the dog starts working again and

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recovers the trail, he will cover a lot more ground before totally shutting down. Design your exercise to be a couple hundred yards long and utilize the intensity or delayed start intensity trail. The sole purpose of the exercise is to stop the dog and raise his excitement level. A long trail is not needed to accomplish that goal. Before starting remember to do: 1. Pre-starting ritual. 2. Same normal motions when harnessing dog. 3. Normal verbalization while harnessing dog. 4. Face dog wrong direction while presenting scent article. At the midpoint of the trail, passively shorten the lead and stop the dog in a non corrective manner. Once the dog is stopped have him sit or lie down while

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you start the “pep talk.” You are attempting to bring the dog's excitement level even higher than what it is. So your voice's animation should reflect that desire. Choose your words and say them every time the exercise is repeated or when they're needed on a case. Continue to verbally refocus the dog for a couple minutes then spring back to your feet. While jumping back up with a lot of animation in your voice tell the dog to get back to work. Allow the dog to then proceed to finish the trail so he receives the normal reward and praise.

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While working a case in which the pep talk is used be ready to continue when you say the command. There will be a sudden burst of energy, because the dog will be acting on an instinct you previously created with the “pep talk.” If you hinder the movements in those first seconds of restarting, you will lose the effectiveness of this exercise. So be ready and hope you’ll never need this on a case!

It is better to try something that is not successful, than nothing at all!

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Chapter 57 Vehicle Pick Up Identification I have worked many missing child cases. One was a high profile case in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. A serial killer was abducting and murdering children right from their homes. The crimes were featured on the television program “America’s Most Wanted” a couple of times. I was a Deputy Sheriff in Spotsylvania County when the crimes were being committed. The father of two young girls had called his home, but did not get an answer. It was part of a daily routine to

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ensure both children had safely gotten home from school. When no one answered the phone, the father left work early and drove home. He found one of his child’s school books spewed across the front yard, but his kids were nowhere to be found. He called 9-1-1 to report them missing. A patrol dog handler was initially dispatched to the scene. It was first thought the two sisters were lost in the woods behind their rural home. After the patrol dog handler could not locate a track leading into the woods, he had communications dispatch us. I got to the scene and collected scent articles from the children’s bedroom. The dog was scented in the yard near the schoolbooks while facing the front door of the house. He immediately took a trail through the neighbor’s yard and down their driveway. At the intersection of the driveway and road, the dog circled around and jumped up on me. By that time a sheriff's office supervisor was on

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scene. I returned to the home with my dog and stated, “We have a problem here, these children left in a car.” The FBI was contacted and on the scene within an hour. These two missing girls triggered the largest search to that date in the history of the State of Virginia. Three or four additional bloodhound teams were eventually called in to our scene. We collectively attempted a car trail, which was successful for a few miles before being lost. Although all involved in the search and investigation worked feverishly, we could not save the children's lives. The bodies were later discovered in a river a couple of counties away. The serial killer that murdered these children migrated to South Carolina where he kidnapped another girl. While he was holding this brave young child hostage in his apartment, she was able to escape. The police quickly identified him, but he fled to Florida in his car before they reached his apartment. As

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the police were closing in for the arrest on an interstate highway, he committed suicide. Although I wish the outcome had been different and the lives of our children saved, my dog did his job. This case clearly demonstrates that a dog can quickly distinguish the freshest trail at a child's home and rapidly identify when a vehicle was involved. While working criminal cases, you will have a substantial number of trails ending with a vehicle pick-up. The agency you are assisting will need to know if a car was involved and where the suspect entered it. They can then further the criminal investigation by conducting interviews and other examinations based on your information. The best approach to identify these vehicle pickups is a trained response from your dog. The method of training described in this chapter produces a uniform consistent response. That uniformity creates the difference between a dog team that quickly

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produces valuable information, and one that fumbles around ultimately giving little or nothing of value. Your dog is already giving a trained response (NSI) when there is no targeted scent. You are going to be transferring that same indication to a vehicle pick-up. In other words, you are going to now take that skill and place it at the end of a trail or where the trail layer entered the vehicle.

Designing this exercise will require some planning and forethought. Locate a road with little or no traffic so there is

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minimal disruption to the dog team. The length of the training trail leading to the spot the vehicle was entered only needs to be a couple of blocks. The distance should allow the dog to be firmly on trail prior to reaching the area the pick-up occurred. A car with the windows rolled up should wait for the trail layer at the ending location. Mark the exact spot the vehicle pick-up will occur and then design it as a NSI. Go out from that spot approximately 40 feet in every direction and mentally mark it with an imaginary line. This imaginary boundary will be your correction point. If the dog attempts to cross over or go beyond this point, he will be verbally disciplined. To get the dog into a highly attentive or learning mode, the exercise will first be coupled with a delayed start intensity trail. The trail layer will trot down the road and enter the vehicle, then drive back over the road that leads to the starting location. In other words, they will be driving right back over the trail layer’s

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footsteps. The vehicle should continue past the starting location before stopping. The trail layer will stay in the enclosed vehicle to observe the exercise. As soon as the vehicle passes the beginning location, the dog can start his trail. Once the exercise is completed, the dog will be walked to trail layer's location for an intensity trail. This exercise should: 1. Be conducted on a road with little or no traffic. 2. Have trail layer trot down road a couple blocks before entering vehicle. 3. Have the vehicle (with closed windows) drive back over trail layer’s footsteps. 4. Have vehicle continue past the starting area before stopping. 5. Have trail layer remain in vehicle.

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Running the trail to the point of the car pick up Watch the dog closely as he enters the ending area, you will see him transition from clear trail indications, to searching for the scent. You can now treat this exercise the same as a (NSI) no scent identification. If the dog crosses your imaginary line, correct him. The end game has you eventually encouraging the dog to jump up on you. Remember the timing of your praise and reward is critical for the dog to learn what is expected.

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After every vehicle pick-up exercise: Complete an intensity trail. Follow the same procedure and train at intersections and busy parking lots. Because you continuously train on same-scent contamination, once your dog is trustworthy you can have the pick-up vehicle leave in any direction. Just be sure the dog understands that he does not search for scent, and he will be rewarded for telling you when a scent trail ends. Once that occurs, your dog will successfully identify vehicle pick-up points throughout his career. A successful job by your dog will not always result in the recovery of the child. As painful as it is, you will not save every child and some are going to die. Your bloodhound is a tool not a mystical animal that always produces miracles. On those cases where a miracle does not occur, look critically at the dog's information. If the information was good, your dog did its job. Car or vehicle trails are rarely successful. Do not expect to

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always make the find. If you can at least establish the car’s direction of travel, the information may be of value to the investigation. The reality is there is only so much you can do, but if a child is involved try everything!

Dog identifying the spot the vehicle was located

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INBTI Seminar at the Hungarian National Police Dog Training Center in Budapest - Pictured are Law Enforcement Officers that attended

Seminar in Slovenia (above) German INBTI member, Viktoria Heimann, 520

demonstrates that with the right drive even a dog missing one leg can happily do the job (below left) and Ukrainian Asst. Instructor, Tatyana Marynchuk (below right)

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Chapter 58 The Drowning While looking for “missing persons” you will have a number of trails that end at the edge of a river, lake, or other large body of water which would indicate the missing person has drowned. The agency you are assisting needs to know where the victim entered the water to have a start point for any “water recovery” operations. You may or may not get a trained response (NSI) that is similar to a vehicle pickup. Rather than give a trained response, the dog may go a short distance into the water turn around and just look at you. When my dogs displayed that behavior I found no

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reason to try and modify it. So when he came out of the water, I would reward the dog without asking for the jump-up ID.

If your dog stops at the water’s edge and starts circling around, go ahead and solicit a trained indication. Treat the exercise like a vehicle pick-up or NSI at that point. If the body of water is a small lake or pond, you may observe the hound circle the complete circumference but never attempt to leave. You will have to decide when to stop that exercise and reward the dog. Treat it like the dog

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finished in the yard of a home but never identified the door. I have not trained a strong indication for that behavior, but I always rewarded my dog.

Texas Deputy Mel Boschwitz conducting a drowning exercise Designing or laying out exercises to simulate drowning victims will require some planning and forethought. Locate a river, lake, or other large body of water, which will allow a vehicle to pick-

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up your trail layer at the water's edge. You can use either a grassy shoreline or a boat landing for this exercise. Either way you choose, have the car backed up to the edge of the water waiting for the trail layer. To get the dog into a highly attentive or learning mode, couple the first exercise with a delayed start intensity trail. The exercise needs to be long enough to allow the dog time to be firmly on trail before coming to the shoreline. The trail layer will trot down to the water’s edge and enter the car. With the windows rolled up, they drive back over the trail layer’s footsteps continuing past the starting location before stopping. The trail layer should remain in the enclosed vehicle to observe the exercise. After the exercise is completed, the dog will be walked to the trail layer's location and an intensity trail will be run to reinforce the basics. In Fredericksburg Virginia, I once searched for an elderly man who had been reported missing. The gentleman

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lived in a townhouse complex with his wife and had left early in the morning. When it went well past lunch with no word from him, she became concerned. I was requested to assist the Fredericksburg PD in locating him. After the collection of the scent article, I started my hound in front of his home and quickly located a trail. It wove through the complex and down an old gravel road towards the Rappahannock River. My dog trailed to a spot under the Interstate 95 bridge and went into the water. The shoreline at that location was muddy and short with a quick drop off. My dog briefly swam around, came back on land, stood perfectly still, turned and just looked at me. I was leaving town and needed to be sure, so I took the dog back up the gravel road about 50 yards and encouraged him to “hunt him up.” The dog returned to the same area and repeated the behavior. I confidently knew at that point they were dealing with a drowning. The body was recovered downstream a couple of days later.

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Chapter 59 Cadaver in Tree Exercise As a police officer, you will be getting many “threatening suicide” and “missing hunter” calls. Some of these will end tragically with you locating the subject dead in a tree. Although your dog is competent at locating “high finds,” the dog’s behavior may be different when a cadaver is introduced. Designing or laying out exercises to simulate a suicide or hunting accident will require some planning and forethought. Locate a tree to place cadaver in which is also assessable to a

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vehicle. Have the car backed up to the base of the tree waiting for the trail layer. The distance of the exercise should be long enough to ensure the dog is firmly on trail before coming into the cadaver scent. Remember all component training exercises require one basic thing: get the dog into a highly attentive or learning mode! To achieve this, the exercise will first be coupled with a delayed start intensity trail. From your starting point have the trail layer trot to the base of the tree and enter the vehicle. With the windows rolled up, the vehicle will drive back over the trail layer's footsteps and continue past the starting location before stopping. The trail layer should stay in the enclosed vehicle to observe the exercise until the dog is brought to his location for an intensity trail. Once the dog is started, watch closely and mentally catalog the dog’s behavior as he reaches the base of the tree. You could see the dog transition from clear

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trail indications to searching for the scent which means he is ignoring the cadaver and looking for your trail layer, or you may see him alert on the cadaver material. The alert could be anything from a subtle recognition of its presence to something that has garnered all of his attention. Some dogs show an aversion to cadaver which means he may shut down. The only way for you understand how your dog will react is to run the exercise or something similar to it. You are looking for a change in behavior that indicates the dog has come into cadaver scent. If the dog ID’s the tree or cadaver material, verbally reassure and reward. If the dog does not indicate on the cadaver material and attempts to leave the area, verbally discipline it for attempting to search rather than only following a trail. Once the dog is remaining in the area, attempt to draw his attention to the cadaver material. If he shows recognition that it is there verbally reward him to build a

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stronger alert. If the dog shows aversion to the substance, catalog the behavior so you can “read it” in the future. It is important to run an intensity trail after this exercise is completed to reinforce the basics.

Robin and Karen Gheesling with trailing dog turned HRD specialist Kodak

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Chapter 60 Scenting from a Person or Corpse If you follow my training technique, you will get good enough to find yourself at one of these calls. On most cold cases you work, the evidence collection process will be well underway or even finished. The victim’s clothing will already have been seized and bagged, which will supply you with a scent article to use. Due to time restraints, you may need to start working before that is practical. If the victim was murdered, I doubt you will receive that clothing anyway. In 1990, I found a murdered

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child and then scented from his body to run a successful trail on the murderer. I testified against that predator who was convicted and subsequently executed by the State of Virginia in 1996. In another case that will be described below, another officer and I conducted a scent transfer from the clothing of a murdered sexual assault victim. To be successful handling a bloodhound is just a matter of training and doing continuous foundational work. If a perpetrator fought with, sexually assaulted or touched the victim then their scent transferred. This means your dog can be started from that clothing whether it is in a bag or still being worn. You will need at least two people, one as a “victim,” the other a trail layer for this exercise. To get the dog into a highly attentive or learning mode, it will first be coupled with the intensity trail then followed by the delayed start and scent article intensity trails. Have the victim and trail layer standing in an embrace

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right in front of the dog. The trail layer is going to tease the dog from that position and run away. Place the dog in front of your victim and go through the normal harnessing motions. Although the dog will obviously know who to follow, before allowing him to start, direct his attention to the victim using your targeting command. When the dog places his attention on the victim give your take scent command. You are working on a new starting component so the distance of the trail will not have to be great. After successfully completing this exercise, go on to the delayed start and scent article intensity trails. You can then place your victim in the prone position and repeat the process.

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These exercises will be conducted with the “victim:” 1. Standing. 2. Lying down. Although this exercise may sound difficult or advanced, your dog should not have any real problems. Of the two exercises, some dogs may get confused when the “victim” is prone on the ground. If your dog has difficulties with this position, have the trail layer and “victim” standing in an embrace again. As the dog is focused on them have the victim fall to the ground while the trail layer runs away. After conducting one or two of this starting variation, the dog should not have any more difficulties. Once the dog is starting these trails with ease, age the starts and have fresher decoy trails in the area. This is done to ensure your dog has learned to scent from the victim and not follow the freshest scent trail leaving the area.

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Remember to: 1. Run the intensity trail after the dog locates your trail layer. Some dogs will shut down or become overly distracted when a strong cadaver scent is present. You need to know what your dog will do and train for that probability. Take a gauze pad that has your trail layers' scent on it and place it on some cadaver material, so that odor will also transfer to it. Then use that gauze pad to run through the three types of intensity trails. When faced with that distraction, you will know through your training that the dog can still do the job. A female’s body had been found alongside a house-lined thruway in Falls Church, Virginia. Although it was midsummer and she had been dead a few days, the neighbors associated the strong cadaver odor to an animal carcass lying beside the curb. Her body was bloated with the clothing disheveled and the pants undone. In this initial

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stage of the investigation no one had developed a theory about the crime. Was the murderer right there perhaps even watching? Did the assault happen there or was the body just dumped? It was decided to do a scent transfer from the victim’s clothing to see if we could help. A gauze pad was placed in the belt area of the clothing. We waited twenty minutes for the scent transfer to occur. The dogs were run consecutively. The first bloodhound started at the area of the body and took a trail heading north along the road. After a few blocks the dog indicated the trail was lost in the area of a bus stop. That information allowed us to be confident where the murderer went after leaving the crime scene. Because of the trail, we also felt he did not reside to the north in our close proximity. I started the second dog a few blocks south of the crime scene. By doing this we hoped to determine if the perpetrator had walked to the crime scene possibly stalking his victim,

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verses living in a home close-by in that direction. This dog trailed north going past the crime scene and then ending in the same general area as the first dog. We were confident that this was a stalking type crime and the murderer did not live in close proximity. Neither of the dogs’ trail behavior indicated a vehicle was involved in the placement of the body which meant it was not dumped and the crime actually occurred right there. Even though a strong cadaver odor transferred to the scent article with the perpetrator’s scent the information the dogs provided was correct and assisted the investigation. CSI came back that evening and sprayed Luminol around the crime scene. A trail of tiny specks of blood were located that ended at the bus stop. A conviction was made in this case and in fact the murderer had taken the bus from that location. An interesting side note to this case involves the infamous Washington DC

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Sniper Case. The murderer convicted in this case was the same person who lied about being an eyewitness when the female FBI employee was shot at the Home Depot Store in Falls Church, Virginia. Before starting the dog remember to conduct: 1. Pre-starting ritual. 2. Same normal motions when harnessing dog. 3. Normal verbalization while harnessing dog. 4. Face dog wrong direction while presenting scent article. Although I do not want to go beyond my area of expertise, I need to explain how I’ve helped some bloodhounds become accustomed to cadaver scent. We had been called to the scene of a suspicious death at an apartment complex. A lady who lived alone had been found dead after her neighbors

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complained about a foul odor. While waiting for the detectives to determine if a crime had been committed, we decided to walk that jurisdiction’s dog around the building. As they came around to the side of the building that had windows opened to air out the apartment, his dog displayed an adverse reaction to the smell of the decomposing body. Although the detectives determined the lady died by natural causes and we did not have to work our dogs, we realized an attempt should be made to diminish his dog’s adverse reaction. This was accomplished by slowing introducing cadaver material to its intensity training until the dog could function in that environment.

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INBTI Instructor/ Madison Police Officer Carren Corcoran (left) and Asst. Instructor/Green County Deputy Cody Kanable (above) were awarded the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Canine Handlers Assoc. Meritorious Tracks of the Year award for 2013

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Chapter 61 Cold Trail Starts The coldest case I’ve worked in my career was an abduction/capital murder case that started in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The victim’s car was located in an industrial park after being parked there for 7 days. A business owner had complained about an “abandoned” car being on the property. Before calling in the complaint, the business owner had rummaged through the car trying to locate a contact number. An “Evidence Recovery Team” and a couple of FBI Agents had also been in the car before I arrived on scene. Using a sterile gauze pad, I did a twenty

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minute scent transfer from the driver’s seat. I had all the decoys that had been in the car congregate in front of my dog so they could be eliminated. After harnessing, scenting and commanding the dog to “hunt them up”, he remained stationary while turning and looking at me as if saying, “They are right here.” I dropped to my knees while verbally reassuring the dog and then jumped back up to my feet while commanding him again to “hunt them up.” The dog quickly started and followed the suspect’s trail along buildings, across asphalt and concrete to a different area in the industrial park. He trailed into a warehouse through a large bay door that had been left open. He continued to the far side of the interior and nosed or weakly indicated on a bathroom door. Then turning back he exited the warehouse through the same bay door. Shortly after going back outside the dog indicated a vehicle pick-up by circling around and jumping up on my chest. I

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returned to the victim’s vehicle and told the FBI Agents exactly where my dog’s trail had gone. I was then requested to eliminate possible body dumping sites around the industrial park.

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Kevin Kocher in his younger days As I was working those sites, the FBI Agents went to the warehouse that my dog had trailed to and conducted a photo lineup with the employees. The pictures used were persons of interest that may have been involved in the case. One picture was of an exboyfriend that was identified by an employee of the warehouse. He had given the ex-boyfriend a ride to the metro rail station a week earlier. They arrested the ex-boyfriend and charged him with capital murder. I was subpoenaed to testify against the suspect at trial, but a plea agreement was reached. In exchange for pleading guilty and telling them where the victim’s body was, the death penalty was taken off the board. My dog quickly worked that trail not by slowly training him on aged trails but by staying focused on his intensity work.

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Dogs routinely and instinctively ignore old or cold trails of the animals they are hunting. Picture a beagle crossing a field while on the hunt. It will ignore the old rabbit trails instead waiting to cross a fresh trail before it starts the chase. The beagle does not start on the cold trail because it instinctively knows that only a fresh trail will bring the reward. That reward is the probability of catching the rabbit. All dogs including bloodhounds have that same natural instinct. Because of that instinct, they will not start old trails with the same intensity as the fresh trail. To overcome this, you need to convince your bloodhound that even a cold trail will bring the reward. The only difference between that beagle hunting a rabbit and your bloodhound hunting a specific human is the prey; the natural instinct is the same.

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Richard Monroe with his first working dog Before I developed the Component TrainingTKM system, the conventional training method was to slowly age the trail in increments of minutes. This slow aging method could produce a

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competent dog over an extended period of time but did not have any mechanism to build intensity in the dog. The intensity or desire in the dog to locate your suspect or its “prey” is what produces success in old or cold trails. Your ultimate goal is to produce a strong dog that quickly follows your target scent no matter the age. In other words, “if the scent is there your dog will follow it,” no doubts or question about it. To accomplish this goal, you are not going to be just running long cold trails; you will focus on the starts. Remember the dog’s natural instinct that a cold trail won’t result in the capture of his prey has to be overcome. We need the dog to think, “Cold Trails = Quick RewardTKM!” To produce a strong dog that will quickly follow the oldest and weakest of scents: 1. The dog needs the desire to work or follow old scent.

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2. The handler needs to build that desire or intensity by training with the focus on starting old trails, not following long trails. The way you overcome the natural instinct against chasing old trails is the utilization of the scent article intensity trail. These exercises are short enough to transfer the excitement of the quick find, back to the cold scent article start. In other words, the dog will start to equate the intensity trail that occurs with the find back to the cold trail it started from. In the dog’s mind they will become one and the same. So when the dog finds the trail layer, quickly run the intensity trail to transfer the excitement back. The lengths of these intensity trails from the initial find can vary. I preferred something in the 200 yard range, but you will have to adjust it based on your dog. The initial cold scent article starts/trails may only be 30 to 50 yards long and at first completed in

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uncontaminated settings or areas without decoys walking around. Let the first trail age 6 to 12 hours before starting the dog. Because of your foundational work, the dog will start this trail but not with the enthusiasm or intensity you want. After a couple of exercises that will change. Once the dog is starting these trails with enthusiasm, you can double or triple the age and repeat the same exercise. You can then introduce more complicated settings such as shopping centers, apartment complexes, etc. while following the same procedure. Your goal as a bloodhound trainer is the ability to start in front of a shopping mall entrance and watch your dog chew up a 2 to 4 day old trail like it was just laid. You know then that the dog has a rock strong foundation for handling the dirtiest of starts. These trails or starts:

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1. Should be short enough to transfer the intensity back to the scent article start. 2. At first conducted in uncontaminated settings and aged 6 to 12 hours. 3. Once dog starts those quickly, you can then double or triple the age of the trail. 4. Once the dog starts these quickly, conduct exercise in normal work environment. As these exercises are worked into your training schedule, you will have a barometer to measure the dog’s foundational strength. These cold trail starts reveal the competency of the dog. Remain focused on these exercises to improve. Do not get caught up in the antiquated process of slowly aging trails. That process is not beneficial. Intensity work will quickly bring the improvement you desire. When I was called out on cold cases, I would be asked if my dog

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could follow that old of a trail. My confident answer was always… “If the scent is there, my dog will follow it!”

Russian Police Officer/INBTI Asst. Instructor Ekaterina Goldina readies her dog for the scent article.

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Chapter 62 Night Training Utilizing your bloodhound as an investigative tool allows you the luxury of determining when to use him. The work can be done at the convenience of you and the investigating detective. Because you can work older trails and still maintain the same percentage of success, it will not negatively affect the investigation to just wait a little while. Obviously daylight offers advantages to you when reading the dog. Then there will be those fleeing criminal or a critical missing person cases that require an immediate

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response. Because you will be dispatched to a large number of those cases, you need to train your bloodhound in the nighttime or after dark. Nighttime in an urban setting is not going to be difficult because it will not have a large population of nocturnal animals that are moving around leaving distracting scents. Also your ability to read your dog will not be as adversely impacted because you will have the residual lighting from street lights, buildings, etc. One debilitating problem you may encounter will be shadows produced by the lights which can spook some hounds. If the hound’s aversion is a continuous behavior, it means he was not properly exposed as a young dog and you may never overcome the fear. If you can train with the intensity trails and get the hound to calmly work through those simple distractions, then the dog is still of value to you. If you cannot overcome those fears wash the dog out

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of your program as you need one that can work at night. In a rural or forest setting while working at night, you will find that the same geographical area that has never given your dog any problems may now produce completely different results. These poor performances happen because nocturnal animals are moving around leaving a completely different set of distracting scents. Overcoming those scents can quickly be accomplished with some intensity work. Unlike the urban setting I have never witnessed a hound become fearful in a rural setting so that should not be a concern. Your ability to visually read your dog will depend solely on your flashlight which will never seem strong enough. You will also need to run night trails and learn to read your dog in a blacked out state. This means without a flashlight or one that just periodically flashes on. In those circumstances reading your dog is mostly going to depend on feeling his pull on the lead.

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You'll need this ability because your flashlight is a great target for the armed suspect.

Longtime INBTI Member Margaret Choffel and her dog 558

“Annie” who were credited with saving a life! You are training a strong dog that will give you a continuous pull while following your suspect. There will be times that the lead goes slack as he circles around sorting something out. The lead will then quickly regain its tautness as the dog settles back into your direction of travel. So you will mostly be feeling the steady pull of the lead with brief periods of slackness interspersed throughout the trail. Feeling that classic pattern of lead tension will allow you to have a good idea the dog is still on the hunt. These night trails are classic illustrations of how your intensity work and time spent in training pays off. An occasional flash of your flashlight will allow you to quickly survey the terrain for anything that may cause an injury. So the flashlight is never left on, only quickly flashed. You also need to ensure your back up officers do not

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silhouette you when using their flashlights. You will be surprised how much terrain information you can take in with those flashes. As the dog pulls you forward, quickly flash your light and then return to darkness. The dog pulls you forward some more and the process is repeated and repeated until you have an arrest. Some words of wisdom… the helicopter that is flying cover for you is only as good as the pilot reading the instruments. I have had some helicopters almost directly over me and multiple accompanying back-up officers when they finally admitted they could not “find” us. We had to turn on a flashlight to be located. Then I’ve seen others, like Fairfax County Virginia’s helicopter unit direct or walk the officers right into the suspect or critical missing. Obviously when training at night the intensity work will move slower because of the lack of vision. The trail layer will still bring the excitement out of the dog

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as they leave but it will take them longer to make their way through the woods. Once the trail layer is in place, they should turn off the flashlight and wait for the dog’s arrival. If you are doing an extended intensity trail then the process will just be repeated again and again. The point is that any and all of the foundational exercises can and should be done even if it is dark. Before you start working at night take the precaution of buying and wearing a pair of safety goggles to protect your eyes. Anticipate your face receiving minor scratches and cuts from trees, limbs and brush as it comes with the job of being a bloodhound handler. I’ve worked multiple cases chasing/hunting armed subjects. I’m not going to write about any of them. I believe the following letter will give you an idea of what you will face.

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Chapter 63 Missing Person Starts from Buildings There are going to be cases where you have no scent article but the scene has been reasonably preserved. Your bloodhound will instinctively hunt for the person that is missing; you’ve done it in training. The contaminated scent article, general area and vehicle interior starts all have the element of the missing person. The only difference is now a building will be added to the equation.

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For instance, a local convenience store has been robbed. The clerk followed standard procedure and locked the door before calling for help. Unfortunately people will continue to walk up to the front door looking for service, so starting right outside the door is a risky proposition. The best option is to start inside the door where you know the contamination has been controlled since the robbery occurred. Another example is the burglary of a small business or home. You know the culprit was inside because property was taken. Only the manager or home owner and a fellow officer have been inside the building. You know the contamination has been controlled since the burglary occurred. I have deployed successfully in both circumstances. Find a building that will not have any inside movement beyond the people connected to your training. The purpose

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of this exercise is for the dog to commit to the scent trail of the missing person, not run a long trail. So the trail itself needs to only be long enough to ensure the dog is committed to the scent. You want the excitement of the intensity trails which are run from the initial find to transfer back to the start. Prior to going inside the building, break and allow your dog to explore the distracting scents just outside the exit door. Have your trail layer and three other people/decoys milling around the room prior to your arrival with the dog. Once you enter the room, allow your dog to smell around in an abbreviated pre-starting ritual. Then harness the dog and have your trail layer do an intensity trail running out of the building. Once the trail layer has left, harness your dog and briefly loosen your grip on the lead. This will give the dog the freedom to move around a little. Have your decoys standing in front of him. Of course the dog knows who he is

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following during this intensity exercise, but you are establishing the pattern that will be used when blind trails are run. Since no scent article is being introduced, the “take scent” command is not given, the “hunt him up” command will be used to start the dog. Your dog will go to the exterior door trying to get out. Quickly offer verbal praise when he gets to the door and open it allowing him to follow the trail.

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person’s scent If your dog is weak on doors, adjust to it and leave the correct door open while you start inside. To your advantage, normally the exit points are known or easily recognized because of the damage caused while any break-ins occurred. After one or two successful intensity trails, progress to the delayed start intensity trail, then incorporate the scent article or blind start intensity trails. Because the outside trail is short, the excitement created by your intensity trails which are conducted from the “finds” will transfer back to the missing person start. When you are confident your dog understands the missing person start, go deeper in the home or building. The dog will now need to work through a couple of rooms to reach the exterior door. Since windows are often the entry point during break-ins, they should be used during training. Partially built

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homes that don’t have the actual windows in place are good for these exercises. After the trail layer leaves through the window opening, harness your dog and give your start working command. If the dog won’t hurt himself and wants to go through the window opening, just for fun go with him. It’s only going to make him stronger and you more confident. Don’t be afraid to have fun and challenge your hound - that’s how to enhance him! In real life you will not be exiting through a window. You will ensure the dog is cataloging the missing person’s scent, then exiting through a door and casting back to the window area. To train for this ability, conduct the intensity exercises in a building with two exit doors. When the dog identifies the correct exit door verbally reward him then quickly go out the other. Once outside cast around the building into your trail layer’s scent. Have decoys walking around outside to ensure your

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dog is hunting the scent of the missing person. If the dog tries to follow a decoy mildly correct him and continue your cast. Eventually you want to have an aged trail leaving the building with fresh decoy scent walking around outside. Conducting this training is how you communicate to the dog which scent to follow. Once that communication link is established, you can be confident your dog will follow the suspect. Although your dog will trail the missing person instinctively, you need to ensure his desire is strong and document that you have trained for it. While working cases, I have used both of these methods successfully in commercial and residential settings while working cases. One case that is sort of comical involved a brazen thief stealing a keg of beer and calmly rolling it away down city streets. Some dogs that are seasoned but have never done this type of start may quickly be capable without cycling through all of the

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exercises. You will have to observe your dog and make that decision but just remember to keep it fun.

INBTI Instructor Tina Braun of Switzerland (left) who is an author in her own right and Asst. Tatyana Shamhalova of Russia (right)

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Chapter 64 Heavy Contamination Starts Your ability to confidently start in an urbanized separates your scent discriminating dog from the other K-9 units. That separation is through the focused training your dog receives. Walmart, one of the largest retail stores in the world has a missing child policy. That policy is in place because child predators can strike at any time or any place. A missing child at a Walmart triggers a series of events in an attempt

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to ensure the child is safely found. How much and what type of training have you done that starts in front of a large retail store?

Conducting training in Holland To quickly enhance the dog’s scent discriminating ability, this exercise will be coupled with the “flip” intensity trail. Hunting his master will help your dog remain on the targeted scent despite all the decoys or trash scent in the area. After conducting a couple of “flips” you

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can transition into the normal delayed start intensity trail. Once your dog is starting confidently with those, you can try a scent article intensity trail. At first age this exercise approximately a half an hour. Remember you are focusing on the start so a long trail is not necessary. You are still looking to transfer the excitement of the intensity trail that will be run from the initial find back to the scent article start. Your dog’s ability to scent discriminate and its confidence are growing with each exercise. Do not be afraid from this point to really challenge your dog by allowing your starts to age 12 hours or more. If the dog has a problem or does not start with the normal confidence and speed, run a few more delayed start intensity exercises. Then return to the cold start scent article intensity trail. Your goal is to age the cold start a couple of days. I have routinely used the entrances of open shopping malls to expose my dogs to heavy human contamination. You can

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use any store that is open with a steady flow of pedestrian traffic. After conducting a few exercises, change stores to vary the entrances and directions the trails take. Make sure you do not continually train with the trails following the store’s exterior walls. Dogs will learn to follow exterior walls rather than the scent.

INBTI Instructor Kevin Pirtle starts his dog at the entrance to a church

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Chapter 65 Fence Identification Training At some point in your dog’s career, it is going to be trailing someone who crosses a fence. Some weaker dogs will trail up to a fence and veer off to one side leaving the trail rather than alerting the handler that the fence was crossed. To get your bloodhound into a highly attentive or learning mode this training component will initially be coupled with the “intensity trail.” The purpose of this exercise is the fence identification not a long trail with a fence in it. The length of the trail leading to the fence should be

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just long enough to ensure the dog committed to the trail before he reaches it. A double reward system is used during this training exercise, one for the fence identification and one for the trail layer identification. So when the dog identifies the fence, give quick praise and a partial reward. Then at the completion of the exercise or after finding the trail layer, the normal praise and reward is also given.

Some dogs may give a natural identification

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As the dog comes into the fence let it range up and down the fence line as it looks for the spot the trail layer crossed. You should be careful not to allow the dog to range more than 40 feet in either direction from the actual crossing point. If the dog tries to leave the area, quickly give a verbal correction followed by a verbal sound of approval when he turns back. You know the scent trail does not leave the area because you designed the exercise. Do not allow the dog to leave the area the fence was crossed. This ranging motion of going back and forth should be enough for the handler to realize where the trail goes, but you are utilizing this opportunity to further solidify the dog’s foundation.

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Asst. Instructor Brian Parrish’s (Hanover Hounds) dog indicates on a fence When the dog shows commitment to the fence, look for some sort of an indication then quickly reward for it. Some dogs may give a subtle or natural identification of the fence. If you receive something of that nature you should solidify that ID. If the dog does not give you any natural identification you will build the standardized jump-up ID that the dog is already comfortable and confident with. After you see the dog’s recognition that the scent goes through

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the fence, hold the treat up on it. Once the dog jumps on the fence to get the reward quickly praise him. There are four different methods of getting your dog to the other side of the fence: 1. Pick the dog up and drop him over the fence. 2. Going around the fence and casting back across the scent on the other side to recover the trail. 3. Simply opening a gate to get on the other side. 4. Going under the fence. By conducting this component training the dog will quickly learn to identify the exact point someone crossed the fence. Now it is just a matter of familiarizing him with the different crossing methods. After conducting a couple of intensity exercises in which you pick the dog up and drop him on the other side,

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transition into going under a fence. The final one has you going around and casting to recover the trail. Cycle through the intensity exercises until you're dog is solid working the different varieties of crossing a fence. I have crossed over and gone under six foot fences with my dogs. On the commercial grade six-foot fences there normally is a center bar between the top rail and bottom of the fence. I straddle the top of the fence standing with one leg on that center bar. I then pat my leg and tell the dog “here.” When the he jumps up on my leg I grab the back of his harness and lift him up and over.

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Dog giving a fence ID I once was working a missing juvenile case down near Williamsburg, Virginia. It was an urban setting and a detective dressed in suit and tie was my back-up. My dog had been running a good trail down a subdivision road when we came to a large fenced in area across from a local convenience store. He went up to and indicated we needed to cross the 6 foot fence. I told the detective my dog wanted on the other side of the fence

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and then I jumped up straddling the top and patted my leg just like in training. My dog jumped up on my leg and I grabbed his harness and started lifting when out of the corner of my eye I noticed the detective move behind my dog and start pushing. I just got down on the ground on the other side when I heard the detective say, “Damn, your dog shit on me.” I turned around and saw my hound had squirted shit all down the front of his suit. I guess he got nervous about someone being back there. Wouldn’t you know the dog went about 30 feet away from the fence threw a negative returned to the fence and indicated he wanted back across. As I climbed back up on the fence to get my dog back over, I heard the detective say dryly, “You don’t need any help getting back over do you.” I had a hard time not laughing and maintaining some professionalism the rest of that trail.

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Consistency is the key to successful training!

INBTI Instructor/Nassau Co. NY Police Officer, Jeff Shaikh, getting his patrol dog over the fence

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Chapter 66 Stream Crossings Initially the stream’s width only needs to be about ten feet or so. As the dog becomes more proficient, the width came be extended until a fairly wide body of water can be crossed. The ideal depth of the stream will be deep enough to force the dog to swim for at least a brief period. While looking for locations to conduct the training, keep in mind reeds or patches of grass just inside the water or along the shoreline will allow the dog to recognize that the scent goes into and across the stream.

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When conducting this stream crossing component training, to get the dog into a highly attentive or learning mode the exercise will initially be coupled with the “intensity trail.” You want the dog to quickly identify that the scent crossed the stream or just continue following the trail. Remember to give your verbal sound of approval as the dog takes those first tentative steps into the water. The length of the trail leading down to the stream needs to only be long enough for the dog to be committed to the trail before encountering it. As the dog comes to the stream, let it range some up and down the shoreline as it looks for the scent or spot the trail layer crossed. You should be careful not to allow the dog to range more than 40 feet either direction from the actual crossing point. If the dog tries to leave the area, quickly give a verbal correction followed by a verbal sound of approval when he turns back. You know the scent trail does not leave the area but crosses the

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stream because you designed the exercise. If the dog is allowed to leave the area, you risk teaching him its acceptable to just continue moving rather than staying true to the scent. This ranging motion of going back and forth should be enough for you to realize where the trail goes, but you are utilizing this opportunity to further solidify the dog’s foundation. When the dog shows commitment to crossing the stream quickly verbally reward for it. The dog may run a good trail to the stream and become confused but still be highly motivated. Be patient and allow him time to sort it out. If it becomes obvious the dog cannot sort out where the trail goes, take those first steps into the water for him.

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The trail layer should be hidden from view, but only a short distance away from the stream. This allows the dog to quickly receive the reward for its hard work of crossing the stream. A short intensity trail should then be run from there. By utilizing this method of training, the dog will learn to quickly show his handler the exact point someone crossed the stream and continue following the trail. Some dogs will not go into or cross the stream. The handler needs to treat the training exercise like they were

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working a case. The dog should be picked up by the handler and carried across the stream. This needs to be done because a trail cannot be stopped just because a stream is encountered. Someone’s life may hang in the balance!

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Chapter 67 Trailing in Unison with Patrol Dogs As a police officer, you will be responding to and working your dog on criminal calls. Some of these calls will be for violent criminals which raises the “known” element of danger. Working in tandem with patrol dogs is a viable response to lower the risk of injury. This cooperative effort places the patrol dog in a position to do any apprehension work that may be required. This combines the best qualities of both K-9 units.

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To practice this exercise, locate an area that gives you the ability to have the trail layer disappear from the view of both dogs. The dogs should start the exercise reasonably close to each other, mimicking the reality of a case. This exercise will have two predetermined ending points. The first is the place the trail layer hides and the other is where the bloodhound will be stopped. The bloodhound’s stopping point will be about 20 to 30 yards away from the hiding place. At that point the patrol dog will be sent in on the trail layer to make the “apprehension.” So the bloodhound will not be allowed to finish the intensity trail until the patrol dog goes in for the bite. Once the patrol dog has finished his bite work, the bloodhound will go in for his identification and reward. The intensity trail will be utilized to focus both dogs on the trail layer. The trail layer will wear a hard sleeve the first couple of exercises to focus the patrol dog. They can transfer to hidden sleeves

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as the patrol dog becomes familiar with the exercise. The trail layer needs to maintain the focus of the patrol dog while also going through the normal routine of teasing the bloodhound while starting the intensity trail.

Spotsylvania, VA Deputies practice trailing in unison

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Both handlers need to control their K9’s to mitigate potential dog fights while ensuring each is focused on the trail layer. The trail layer will run a fairly long intensity trail that ends at the predetermined point. The hound is scented and worked on its normal lead length. Be careful until you are confident your bloodhound will not try and swing around to fight the patrol dog. This is normally only seen at the very beginning of the exercise and then again after the find is made. The patrol dog is handled on a short lead while following or backing up the bloodhound. Work the bloodhound at a pace that the patrol dog team can maintain. Because of the excitement of another dog on the trail, your speed will noticeably increase. As the bloodhound comes to his stopping point, the lead is shortened in a non-corrective manner. The bloodhound handler then verbally alerts the patrol dog team he has a visual. When the patrol dog handler

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receives the verbal notification, he quickly swings out to the side so the bloodhound team is not a visual obstruction. He then goes through the verbal commands and releases the dog for the apprehension. The bloodhound will be held on a shortened lead while the patrol dog does his bite work. This exercise has been done with numerous canine aggressive hounds and patrol dogs. Once started on trail, I have yet to witness a dog sway from their job while doing this training.

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The bloodhound seems more focused because of the competition factor of having another dog on his trail. The patrol dogs are focused on the trail layer and have not swayed from the bite. The bloodhounds will bay wildly while watching the patrol dog make the apprehension or get his bite but show no aggression towards the trail layer because of it. The patrol dog handler should: 1. Bring the patrol dog to the starting area, after the bloodhound is already in the area and acclimated. 2. Maintain control of the patrol dog on a short lead. 3. Follow about 20 feet behind the bloodhound team while they are trailing. 4. After receiving verbal notification quickly swing or take the patrol dog to one side.

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5. Give normal verbal commands and then release the patrol dog for apprehension. 6. After apprehension is made, take the patrol dog away from the trail layer so the bloodhound can come in to ID the trail layer and receive its reward. The bloodhound handler should: 1. Conduct normal pre-starting ritual prior to patrol dog’s arrival. 2. Be cautious of hound swinging back to fight patrol dog. 3. When visual contact is made of trail layer, shorten lead and notify patrol dog handler. 4. Go in for reward after patrol dog finishes bite work.

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Chapter 68 The Hidden Trail Layer You always ensure the trail layer quickly disappears at the beginning of exercises so the dog does not sight hunt. Yet at the end of most exercises, the dog always sees the trail layer so he learns to rely on his eyes to finish the trail. Please don't say I have the trail layer “hiding” behind a tree. If you believe the dog doesn't finish with his eyes, I suggest you pay closer attention to him. If the dog is never challenged to finish strictly with his nose, he can

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become weak or disoriented when faced with a hidden finish.

Asst. Instructor Jennifer Blanton’s dog makes the find All of the locations that will be mentioned in this section can be incorporated into the dog’s continuous foundational work. These finds are not placed at the end of a long trail, but designed as a short component exercise. By making the trail a reasonable length, your dog will be focused and firmly on trail before encountering the ending area. Some of

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these exercises will require some forethought during the planning stages.

Chief of Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Jonnie Walters’ dog makes a find As the dog trails into the area of the hidden find, you will see a change in behavior. The dog will switch from clear indications of trailing to searching. You will notice the dog start circling around

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with high animation trying to locate the source of live scent, meaning the trail layer. Some dogs will become confused and try to leave the area; a mild verbal correction is warranted if that occurs. After the correction, slowly guide or cast the dog back into the area of the victim. Remember you are building their confidence to face new problems so be patient and if possible let the dog figure it out. You are exposing the dog to something new, so expect failure and then step in to ensure success. This is why we train! Whenever the dog comes back into the live scent area, he will probably restart the circling pattern. Allow the dog to search independently but watch closely for signs of losing interest or the obvious inability to locate the trail layer. If any of those signs are noticed, have the trail layer make a noise to draw the dog’s attention. If the dog handler is working a team training session and the dog is trapped at a location by the scent,

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have them start a casting movement to finish the trail. It is important for the handlers to learn to react and not allow the dog to burn all his energy at an obviously bad location.

Trail layer hidden in vehicles Sporadically throughout your training regiment, you will have multiple component exercises that end with the trail layer hiding in or around a vehicle. Do not be afraid to make these progressively harder for the dog. The first exercise can have the trail layer lying across the front seat with the windows down or in the back of an open pick-up truck. You can then raise the degree of difficulty by having the trail layer hide in a car with the windows up. From that exercise you can place the trail layer in the trunk or under the vehicle.

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As the dog becomes proficient in identifying vehicles challenge him further. Have your trail layer walk a couple different ways from your starting area. This will simulate a child walking to school or going to play with friends. Your bloodhound should be fully acclimated to same scent contamination by this time. The last “trail” does not leave the starting area at all but simply has the trail layer enter a vehicle that is parked there. So the dog is presented with the older trails but the freshest scent is still in the area. Start your dog and see if he identifies the vehicle or attempts to

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follow one of the older trails. If the dog attempts to follow an older trail give a gentle correction and swing him around. Watch carefully for signs he needs help, but allow the dog to finish on its own if possible. Run an intensity trail from the find. Caution: 1. Do not do multiple hidden vehicle finds in succession. 2. Place one only occasionally during the course of the dog’s training regimen. 3. If you do too many in a row the dog will start checking vehicles that are unconnected to the exercise.

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Trail layer hidden in culvert pipes Find a road that has a culvert pipe going under it and have your trail layer climb inside for the ending location. Also some construction sites will have them stored and stacked above the ground which will allow your trail layer to hide inside one. Utilize intensity trails making the exercise just long enough to place the dog firmly on trail. Watch the behavior of the dog as it comes into the area. Remember to be patient and allow the dog if possible to finish without any

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assistance. Exercises done in the above ground or stacked pipes will utilize the double reward system. One for the pipe and then one for the trail layer identification.

Use of a Ghillie Suit or lying beside a log A ghillie suit is a great training aid for the dog and when used during Team TrainingTKM a great lesson for the handler. In both instances the trail layer should choose and prepare the ending location so they can thoroughly blend in before the dog reaches them. Use the same component training procedures as described for the other hidden find exercises. Watch for the transition from clear trail indications into searching for the live scent source when the dog reaches the ending area. I have witnessed dogs literally walk right on top of the trail layer before realizing they have located the source. In the same token I’ve seen handlers tell their dogs

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to “leave it” not realizing the dog had made the find right in front of them. Check with your agency’s SWAT team to see if their sniper has a suit. If you cannot find someone with a ghillie suit, have the trail layer lie close to a fallen log and cover themselves with leaves. Doing this ensures the dog will have to finish the trail strictly using its nose.

Richard Monroe in his Ghillie Suit.

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Chapter 69 Forest Training Dog handlers from suburban and rural jurisdictions will find a good number of their cases involve the woods. You urban dog handlers better carefully read this chapter because you're going to be called to assist, so you're not quite as immune as you thought. Everyone ends up looking for missing hunters, lost children and suicidal subjects that are thought to be in the woods. The unique landscape and the vast amount of animal scents warrant setting up exercises to expose your bloodhound.

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I have suggested not to train with marked or flagged trails, because the risk of influencing the dog is too great. Many handlers and dogs can miraculously run a great marked trail but can’t successfully complete an unmarked one. Marked trails are observed at mediocre seminars. The student runs a great marked trail and then after the seminar returns to their jurisdiction only to be dismayed by the lack of real progress. As stated previously, when training a new or young dog, the corridor training technique is the best method. Locate a road that borders a forest on one side. Have your trail layer enter the forest 20 to 30 yards and walk parallel to the road. This allows the dog team to work an unmarked trail in a “forest” environment, while still granting enough control of the exercise. Plus it is done without the influencing risk that comes with “marked” trails. The general length of the exercise can be manipulated to the

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individual dog. If you over judge the dog’s ability and lose the trail, because you have an idea where the trail went you can cast the dog to recover it. Consider casting to recover a trail as a learning opportunity for both you and your bloodhound. When working a more advanced or trustworthy dog in a forest setting, the “general direction” technique would be considered the best method. This technique has you giving general directions to the trail layer such as; go into the woods about 200 yards and make a right then walk straight ahead about another 200 to 300 yards. This gets you up around a ¼ mile in length with one turn and gives you a general area where it ends just in case you have to cast. The general length and the amount of turns can be manipulated to the individual dog. One of the general weaknesses seen in handlers is their inability to react comfortably when the dog loses a trail. By designing their

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training sessions in the above manner, if the dog loses the trail the handler can learn to quickly react in a somewhat controlled setting.

The “General Direction” training technique: 1. Does not have marked trails. 2. Gives the general directions to the trail layer. 3. Has a general ending point or area for the exercise.

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If you know the area you are training in, use “landmark based” directions for your trail layer such as; go straight into the woods until you hit the stream then make a left and follow it a couple hundred yards before crossing over. After crossing the stream walk another 50 to 100 yards further into the woods and find someplace to sit down. You then have an idea where everything occurs and where the exercise ends. Again the general length and the amount of turns can be manipulated to the individual dog. The “Landmark Based” training technique: 1. Does not have marked trails. 2. Gives a general direction using landmarks. 3. Has a general ending point or area.

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Do not use established footpaths when training in a forest environment because dogs have a natural tendency to follow them rather than the scent. If you feel the need to double check your dog’s instinct, walk down a footpath while giving him full rein or the ability to leave the footpath. Your dog will continue to follow the footpath even as he passes over interesting scents. If you build on that natural instinct, you will create a weakness in your dog. When initially training around footpaths in a forest setting, run intensity trails that

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cross over them. Once the dog has shown the ability to cleanly cross the footpaths, introduce exercises that briefly follow them before turning off one side or the other. Ensure the trail layer does not end the exercise on or beside the footpaths that were trained on. Any number of distractions may give you problems in a forest setting. If your dog shows waning focus or completely stops, consider calling back your trail layer to immediately run intensity trails. If you continue on with the exercise, mentally mark the problem for future training sessions. As an example, you now know your dog has problems passing over certain “trash scents” such as deer or other animal signs. At a later training session, focus on the distraction with intensity trails.

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Instructor Cheri Sorensen on a trail leaving the forest

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Chapter 70 Transforming a Patrol Dog The scent discrimination and tracking capabilities of the patrol dog are limited only by their training. The method used to initially train patrol dogs to track has been proven successful for many years, BUT once the dog is working “the street” that method becomes antiquated because it limits the opportunity to advance. Training sessions are squandered reverting to a system that now promotes mediocrity.

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Madison, WI Instructor Henry Wilson Most patrol dog handlers fall in one of two categories: 1. Do not like working tracks or 2. Are rightfully frustrated by their inability to catch criminals with their dogs.

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Patrol dogs cannot do progressive scent work, because they've never been given any advanced training. The master trainers of patrol dogs who are knowledgeable and can fix any problem shouldn't have fault laid at their feet. This book is the first time a written format for a patrol dog's advancement has been offered. Through the years, the one group the patrol dog trainer could have turned to for advice did not have a clear method themselves. It seemed they were responsible for perpetrating the myth that a bloodhound would just do it. So law enforcement's best dog trainers would become exasperated and say they didn't know anything about bloodhounds. This meant that the opportunity for the patrol dog to advance was lost. I'll give you the fact that hounds are peculiar animals, but “a dog is a dog!” If the correct training method is used, all of them will get better.

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Patrol dog handlers are at an advantage because their dog’s drive and reward or the “rabbit” have already been identified. They were already established during the dog’s initial evaluations to become a patrol dog.

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Dallas, Texas K-9 Officer Sue Millard A solid patrol dog handler that was not afraid to come out of the box with her old partner named “Ben” If you are hoping this chapter is going to provide you with the knowledge to bypass all the information written in this book, I apologize. But I will tell you a patrol dog can be easily transformed beyond your current expectations. I anticipate some “old school” trainers will initially be threatened by my method while others will openly embrace it. With some, it will be about the money they make maintaining the status quo. Because of the “fringe dog” myth, some may mistakenly think the trailing dog will stray too far from the actual footsteps of the criminal. The term fringe

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dog was created to excuse certain dogs whose performances were lacking the proper intensity. The idea being, the dog might work scent that was hundreds of yards away from the actual footsteps. Because no one had addressed how to fix the problem, it was decided to give it a label and assumed to be acceptable. This training will not increase the distance your dog is going to work from the actual footsteps. That was effectively demonstrated in 2004. A convenience store clerk was stabbed to death during a robbery. The police had a general clothing description and knew the murder weapon was a knife. The suspect was last seen fleeing towards the rear of the store. A considerable time later, a suspect was spotted about two miles from the scene of the crime. The suspect matched the general description but wasn’t carrying the murder weapon which would positively link him to the crime.

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Detectives were called to the scene of the apprehension and made the decision to detain the suspect. They knew the murder weapon and stolen money had to be found. The detectives acquired a scent article from the suspect and their bloodhound to the scene of the crime. After being offered the scent article, the dog started a trail. The trail took them along roads through sections of woods, fields, even crossing a stream. The dog indicated the trail ended at the scene of the apprehension. Officers mapped the trail as the bloodhound team ran it. The agency then dispatched officers to conduct line-searches and patrol dogs to work article searches along the bloodhound’s trail. This resulted in the recovery of the murder weapon, linking the suspect to the crime. That dog could just as soon have been a patrol dog rather than a hound. Your ability to “come out of the box,” and apply our simple training techniques will prove invaluable. When the component

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training is continually coupled with the recommended foundational work, your patrol dog’s potential is unlimited. We have assisted many patrol dog handlers by teaching them how to apply our unique training techniques. We continue to receive newspaper clippings of their exploits years after they have attended a class.

Madison Wisconsin Police Officers Instructor Sgt. Chris Boyd in uniform (below left) and teaching with Kevin in Latvia (below right) 622

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Chapter 71 Vehicle Trails I have only worked one successful vehicle trail to its conclusion in my career. That trail happened while I was still a volunteer fire fighter prior to becoming a deputy sheriff. I had originally trained my first hound for search and rescue work. The Sheriff’s Office would routinely call me for assistance on criminal cases. The investigating deputy called and asked for help on the burglary of a home. After attempting a couple of different scent articles, my dog finally pulled away from the house on a trail. We trailed

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through the backyard and a significant section of woods. While trailing through the woods I observed items from the house that were dropped by the culprit. The trail continued to a private dead-end gravel road. When I reached the road, my dog turned left which led deeper into the small subdivision. When we got to an intersection the dog circled up and went no further. I told the deputy this was the point the suspect entered a vehicle. Because I loved the thrill of chasing “bad guys,” I offered to try the car trail. This wasn’t about solving a crime it was about not wanting the thrill to end. After resting my dog for about half an hour, I took the original scent article and went to the intersection of the gravel and hard surface state road it turned off of. I scented my dog a few feet down the gravel road, while facing the state road. This was done so I could watch the dog make a decision on which way the scent went. He broke to the left and we trailed

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for a couple of miles. During this trail, he would dip into driveways in a half moon motion while checking to see if the scent had exited the road. (A simple deduction made from those motions was if he was checking for an exit point, he still had the scent trail.) After gently dipping into and bypassing all those driveways, the dog reached one where he hesitated then entered. The dog went down the driveway circled around the house and some sheds before ending in the front yard area.

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Opal Kocher getting ready to “harness up” A little old lady answered the deputy’s knock on the door. Initially my

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confidence faltered when I saw the lady and I could tell the deputy was also taken aback. Through his questioning I knew he didn’t even consider her, but immediately explained our intrusion and asked if anyone had visited today. The only visitor had been a friend of her grandson. The deputy asked the name of that friend and the type of car he drove before we left the scene. Later that day, the deputy went to the subdivision off the gravel road and started knocking on doors. He asked if anyone had seen a car parked at the intersection where my dog had originally trailed to. Someone had seen the car and the description matched the grandson’s friend’s vehicle. It was two weeks before the owner of the car could be located. By that time, he had learned the sheriff’s office was looking for him. He had a solid alibi for the day of the burglary, and was never charged for that crime but he was

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convicted of seven other burglaries in the area.

Kevin Kocher casting for a trail in Holland During your normal casework, if you can identify the point a suspect entered a vehicle you have done your job. The detectives will have to take it from there. Do not place unrealistic expectations on yourself and your dog. The odds that you will be successful following a vehicle

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while “working a case” are low, even next to nothing. You have probably read about some bloodhounds that got lucky following a car while working a missing child case. I congratulate them on the achievement because when a child is missing you need to try the improbable. Just maybe it will be your dog’s lucky day to do the amazing or miraculous. The properly trained dog will try to follow a scent trail, no matter how cold or weak it may be. Only a restricted amount of scent will be leaving an enclosed vehicle. The lessening of scent will be further exasperated by the vehicle’s acceleration. Then factor the extended distance a vehicle will travel and you can see why success is improbable. For an abducted child’s sake, go ahead and train for that one implausible trail you may get lucky on. To design this training exercise, find a road long enough to allow a vehicle trail with little or no traffic so potential

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disruption of the dog team is minimal. Have your trail layer enter the vehicle drive 4 or 5 blocks then turn on another street, travel a couple more blocks, park and remain inside the enclosed vehicle. The trail layer remains there to limit any possibility of the dog air scenting in to make the find. Take the dog 1 block beyond the point the trail layer entered the vehicle and left the area. The exercise is started at that point so the dog is started on the weak scent trail from the beginning of his trail. Remember to do: 1. Pre-starting ritual. 2. Go 1 block beyond the point trail layer entered vehicle. 3. The same normal motions when harnessing dog. 4. Normal verbalization while harnessing dog. 5. Face the dog in the wrong direction.

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As the dog works the vehicle trail, watch and catalog the movements of purpose, meaning the manner or way the dog follows the scent. Cataloging these movements for the future will help you determine if you are on a vehicle trail while working an actual missing child case. While following vehicles, dogs will normally display a different pattern of negative indications than you ordinarily see. Some dogs will have to continuously cross from one side of the road to the other. The difference being that if the dog was following someone that had simply walked down the road the pattern would be straightforward without crossing from shoulder to shoulder. Some of the indications will be subtle, such as the dog hesitating when the shoulder of a road transitions from a small hillside or wooded background to flat terrain with mowed grass. That hesitation gives a lot of information to the handler because the solid working dog normally wouldn’t even flinch with such a minor change of vegetation.

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Watch for these differences, they will be there for you to find. The ability to recognize if your dog is on a vehicle trail will also help you determine the quality of your scent article. Remember the evaluation of the scent article doesn’t stop when it is collected but continues while you work your dog. So if you are given a scent article where it is a known vehicle trail and your dog does not display the correct trailing patterns you should consider the possibility that the scent article was bad.

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Russian INBTI Instructor Lyubov Koshevaya conducting some classroom training with Turkish Military Officers

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Chapter 72 Combined Vehicle Pick-Up and Car Trail Exercise This exercise is a simulation of a missing child call out. The vehicle pickup, car trail and NSI [no scent identification] exercises are all included. You have trained individually on each component that will be showcased, so unless you are working beyond your dog’s foundation no difficulties should be encountered. This exercise should also help hone your thought process for working a scene. It will show that once

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your dog has identified the point of a vehicle pick-up, you can re-scent to follow the weaker scent trail left when someone drives away. Always remember to remain focused on the dog’s foundation to succeed. The combination of a trail and NSI will demonstrate your ability to correctly identify the point your suspect entered a vehicle. That information is what will solve crimes. It will further demonstrate your ability to follow a car trail, such as in the event of a missing child. Repeat all the steps in a vehicle pick-up exercise. Except this time the exercise will end in a large parking lot or at an intersection. If a large parking lot is used, choose one that has multiple exits. The trail layer will walk into the large parking lot and enter a vehicle. The vehicle will drive out of a parking lot exit and continue four or five blocks making at least one turn. The trail layer can then park the vehicle and wait for the dog

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team. Once the pick-up point in the parking lot is marked by your dog, he will be rewarded, taken out of harness and rested. While the dog is resting, survey the parking lot for all exit points. This is done to formulate how the vehicle could have left thereby establishing the places that need to be checked. After surveying the parking lot and deciding on the order the exit points will be checked, retrieve your dog. For the purpose of this exercise, the first exit point you check will be wrong or one the vehicle didn’t leave from. Your dog should give you a clean NSI [no scent identification] at that exit point. He will be mildly rewarded for his work and taken back out of harness. Approach the correct exit point reharness and scent again. The dog’s trail pattern should be cataloged for your future use to correctly read a vehicle trail. It is the same fundamental process when an intersection is used. It is still a three part exercise:

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1. The standard vehicle pick-up exercise 2. NSI exercise and 3. The vehicle trail exercise. Your trail layer will walk to and enter a car at the intersection. The trail layer picks a direction and drives four or five blocks and makes at least one turn. He'll then park the vehicle and wait for the dog team. As the dog approaches the intersection, closely observe his behavior and ending position. Dogs frequently will turn towards the direction of travel or the direction a vehicle went just prior to giving the NSI. Recognizing this information may allow you to determine which direction to check first when working a case. Once the pick-up point is marked by your dog he will be rewarded taken out of harness and rested.

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For this exercise, one of the roads the trail layer did not drive down when leaving the intersection will be checked first. Take your dog down that road about one block away from the intersection and offer him the scent article again. After receiving a NSI, mildly praise reward the dog and take him out of harness. Then take the dog to the road the trail layer did drive down when leaving the intersection. Before re-scenting, take him about one block away from the intersection where the trail layer entered the car. The dog’s trail pattern should be cataloged for your future use. What is he doing differently while working this trail? Once again, you will normally see a wider trailing pattern when you are working a vehicle trail. The dog is always scented about one block away from the vehicle entry point, so he is initially faced with the weaker scent trail. The dog can be placed back in the vehicle after he identifies the

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vehicle pick-up point and after each NSI exercise. This will simulate you debriefing the responsible agency of your dog’s work to that point. Remember prior to starting your dog on each phase: 1. Pre-starting ritual. 2. The same normal motions when harnessing dog. 3. Normal verbalization while harnessing dog. 4. Face dog wrong direction when presenting scent article. Once the dog finds your trail layer, run an intensity trail.

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Chapter 73 Identification of “Get Away” Car While cycling through the different exercises, you have successfully completed a couple of trails that ended with the trail layer still in the car. A dual reward system was used; the dog was rewarded for identifying the car and then the trail layer. With that work, the dog has learned to associate a car to or with the trail layer. So now the dog has progressed to the point you can attempt this next exercise. To make it interesting, a scenario will be given…

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Consider that a percentage of bank or other commercial robbers are going to use a stolen vehicle for their “get away” from the crime scene. They will drive that vehicle to another one that could be considered clean. Of course by “clean,” I mean one that was never near the scene of the crime. They “dump” the hot car, transfer to the clean vehicle and calmly leave the area. The FBI said they could not say statistically the distance a stolen vehicle is driven before it is dumped. I’m thinking the distance is probably not great, because the robber does not want to be caught in the hot vehicle. In the vast majority of bank robberies, there is not going to be a scent article but sometimes the bank teller keeps the note. So your hound scents from the “stickup” note and trails across the parking lot to the point the robber entered the stolen car. Normally, I would say your job is done at that point but you have trained for a vehicle trail. Is it worth trying?

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Thinking the switch to the clean car was possibly made within a mile would mean the distance is within the dog’s range. Your agency will probably not even have a description of the “get away” car yet. In fact, the “get away” car’s description may never be known. Without that description how would a vehicle trail assist the investigation? You would not know what you were even following, so what is the point of trying? Would your dog alert on or identify the stolen “get away” car at the place the switch was made? If you don’t try, a week or two later some poor patrol officer will take a “recovered” stolen vehicle report and half halfheartedly process the car, never connecting the two. After training on a couple of vehicle trails as mentioned earlier in this section, place this added scenario into the mix. Have your trail layer drive into an isolated section of a parking lot with the windows down. Park the vehicle a couple of spaces from or around the

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“clean” car. Then with the clean car’s windows up drive back over the original vehicle trail. You only have to drive over it a short distance, then turn off to the side and go a few hundred yards park and observe the exercise. The purpose of the exercise is to see the dog’s response to the original car, so the vehicle trail leading to the parking lot does not have to be long. If the hound gives an indication on the car praise him and try to build a full identification. Don’t be afraid to push yourself, just keep it fun, and don’t lie about the results. If your dog is doing it, we should all be able to see it. As with any exercise run an intensity trail at the completion!

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Pictured above – Dog recognizes the scent

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Above left picture: Two forest police officers from Italy and Officer/ Italian Asst. Instructor Pierluigi Tenni (far right) Above right picture: Italian Asst. Instructors Lorenzo Gardumi and Luca Zanetti (Luca Zanetti passed away in 2017, but we will always have fond memories of him!)

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PART SEVEN DOG SCENT LINEUPS

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2013 Seminar in Barcelona, Spain 650

INBTI Asst. Instructor in Portugal, Rui Cortes ((right)

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Instructor/Clare Co. Michigan Deputy Luke Tessner

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Lineup Case Law Dog Scent Lineups There are two basic types of scent discriminatory lineups: 1. A human lineup: The dog is scented from an object/scent article and identifies the person that has the same scent as the object/scent article. 2. A inanimate object lineup: The dog is scented from an object/scent article and identifies another object that has the same scent on it. There are numerous instances in bloodhound case law of dogs identifying inanimate objects. A few of these are:

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State of North Carolina v Freeman, 60 S.E. 986 In this case, the handler testified the dog was “Whining when she found and smelled the shoe.” McDonald v. State of Alabama, 165 Ala. 85 In this case, the court recognized the inference of the dog’s conduct that the owner or someone that came in contact with the bed was connected to the crime. The handler testified the dog “jumped up on the bed and barked.” State of North Carolina v. Taylor, 337 N.C. 597 The handler testified that the dog’s actions indicated the victim’s scent was in or about vehicle saying, she “went directly to the driver’s door and around to the passenger’s side door. She jumped on both doors.”

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There are six cases that are normally listed in a case law search for lineups. The difference between the cases that are listed, and the ones not officially listed appears to be that in the official ones, no trail is run leading up to the lineup and/or the attempt comes at a point and time removed from the crime itself. There are two foundational requirements that have emerged from doing lineups: 1. That the particular lineup has been conducted in a fair and objective manner. 2. That the dog used was properly trained and found by experience to be reliable in this type of identification. Under no. 2 of the foundational requirements, you should note that some courts view dog scent lineups as an extension of or not inherently different from dog tracking evidence, while Florida has taken the position that 655

it is unique or different from dog tracking evidence. So proof of the dog’s reliability in doing lineups needs to be given. This means you need to show the dog is trained specifically on lineups and that you cannot rely on your trailing training logs to help you qualify. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous handlers have made the dissenting appellate judge in Pedigo v. Commonwealth of Kentucky 44 S.W. 143 appear smart when he wrote “it seems to me that neither the life nor liberty of a citizen should be taken away or even jeopardized by the mere fact that some person testified that the hound was well trained to track human beings.” He went on to write “the owner or trainer of hounds will be engaged in the business for pay, it will be greatly to their interest to always have well trained hounds.” A certain dog handler involved in a majority of the lineup cases was

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discredited. The Roanoke Times & World News in the Sunday, July 24, 1983 edition wrote, “He was charging $250 a day plus expenses for his dog’s work.” The article goes on to tell about some of the cases he worked. One case that was mentioned told of a person spending two years in prison, before being released because “someone else confessed to the crime.” The assistant U.S. attorney was quoted as saying, “The evidence from the handler and his dog was a crucial factor in Sutton’s conviction.” According to the paper in another case, the handler claimed to have supposedly “found the defendant’s scent at the service station where the killing occurred” 9 months after the crime was committed. Fortunately, the trial judge refused the dog evidence in that case on foundational issues. But yet in another case, the handler claimed to have followed “a trail that is supposedly more than 8 years old.” His claims of grandeur did not stop there. In another 657

case, he claimed he “took scent from the defendant’s sock and found the same scent on the bomb.” A better description found in another paragraph of the article refers to it as the “remains of the explosive device.” In the Roscoe v. Arizona case, which is one of the cases to follow, a transcript in 1990 shows the judge blasting the handler while granting a new trial saying, “Evidence in this hearing indicates that the handler is a liar, a charlatan, and a fraud. Without the testimony of the handler, the verdict probably would have been different.” Roscoe had a retrial in 1993 and was again found guilty, but that does not change the facts about the dog handler’s conduct. Through the years, this handler worked hundreds of cases and testified in at least forty. Because he was proven a liar, you cannot view his work as a blue print on how to use your dog, but we can learn from the decisions of the courts. All the dates 658

listed on the following cases are when a decision at the appellate level was made, not the date of the trial. 1982 – United States v. Gates, 680 F.2d. 1117 was a bank robbery case The following excerpts were taken directly from the case. The bank’s “alarm system was triggered, and surveillance cameras took pictures of both men. The suspects took off running and were pursued by the police officer on foot. As they ran, each of the two men lost a shoe; one was a sandal.” Eight months later “a tracking dog was given the recovered sandal, which had been kept in a sealed package, to smell. It then entered a room where a lineup had been composed, walked up to appellant, and placed its head on the appellant’s lap.” The defendant was convicted and appealed claiming “that the District Court erred in admitting the tracking dog evidence in the absence of a proper foundation.” The government 659

citied “substantial authority” in particular, the foundational requirements in People v Centolella 305 N. Y. S. 2d 460 where it was held that a jury may hear dog tracking evidence if: 1. The dog is of pure blood and of a stock characterized by acuteness of scent and power of discrimination. 2. The dog has been accustomed and trained to pursue the human track. 3. The dog has been found by experience in actual cases to be reliable in such tracking. 4. The dog was placed on the trail at a spot where the alleged participant or participants in the crime were known to have been. 5. The dog was placed on the trail within the period of his 660

“efficiency.” In the Gates case, the government argued that this criterion had substantially been met. The German Sheppard named Harrass 2 had “received extensive training in Germany with his American Handler.” Further that “the dog has been on 100-150 tracking cases. He has tracked in fifteen states and qualified before in court.” Also that “the handler has been working with dogs for seven years during which time he has been on three hundred manhunts and participated in seventyseven actual case lineups and again that many demonstrative-type lineups.” In upholding the conviction, the United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit wrote “The Judge, we think properly, admonished the jury to be wary about placing too much weight on this evidence.” The District Judge told the jury: “Evidence has been presented in this case that law enforcement

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authorities conducted portions of their investigation with the aid of a trained dog. Because it is of course not possible for the dog to communicate its findings to us directly, we must rely on the interpretation of the dog’s actions provided by the testimony of his trainer. Because of the nature of this evidence, you are instructed to receive it with caution and not give it undue weight. It is to be considered as a part of and along with, all the other evidence in the case in your deliberations.” The appellate court must have had some concern because they wrote, “We also conclude that even if the evidence supplied by Harrass 2 were inadmissible, there was more than enough clearly admissible evidence to support the jury verdict beyond a reasonable doubt.” The next case was also from 1982 – Epperly v. Commonwealth of Virginia, 294 S.E. 882. This was Virginia’s supra or first case dealing 662

with dog tracking evidence; it was a first degree murder case without a body. The victim had been last seen with the defendant at a function. The next day her car was found parked along a road, “near a point where a railroad trestle crosses the New River into the City of Radford.” After the function, the defendant had taken the victim to a house on a lake. An investigator processed the house carefully, and found bloodstains at numerous locations. “A large bloodstain, about 18 inches in diameter, was found on the living room carpet.” The owner of the home “reported two towels, a roll of paper towels, bathroom cleaner and a large homemade quilt were missing.” During the search for the young woman, a police officer “discovered a blue towel in heavy undergrowth ten feet from the railroad tracks, near the trestle. The blue towel bore bloodstains, and contained fibers identical to the carpet in the living room.” A shoe later identified as one worn by the victim, 663

was found on the City of Radford side of the river near the end of the trestle. As the search expanded, a blue and white striped towel was found in the City of Radford between the New River Valley Shopping Plaza and the river. A short distance away they found all the clothes the victim had worn on the night of her disappearance, tied into a damp bundle and stained with blood. As far as the dog is concerned, “testimony showed that, although the trail was eleven days old and had been subject to considerable rain fall, the dog has successfully followed much older trails and had succeeded despite far worse atmospheric conditions.” The dog was scented on underwear taken from the defendant, near where the victim’s car had been found abandoned. The dog indicated that he had a trail. “He ascended a path up the grade to the trestle crossed the New River into Radford.” The dog’s trail went past the different places the evidence had been 664

located and ended at the defendant’s house. Then on the following day, the handler spread out six blue towels of similar appearance in the Radford High School auditorium. Before the dog was admitted to the room, he was again scented on the defendant’s underwear. The dog ran immediately to the towel which had been found in the woods and refused to leave it until ordered to do so. The Handler testified that this meant that “the towel, in addition to any blood and fibers it contained, also had the same scent as that on the underwear.” The next day when the defendant was at the Radford Police Station in an office, the handler took the dog into the parking lot which contained numerous vehicles. After the dog had been scented on the same blue towel which had been found in the woods, he made a casting search through the parking lot until he came to the driver’s door

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handle of the defendant’s parked car. After pausing there, he tracked into the police station, coming directly to the door of the office in which the defendant was seated. When informed of the dog’s performance on these three occasions, the defendant put his head down on his arms and said, “That’s a damn good dog.” In his appeal, the defendant challenged the admittance of the dog evidence. The court had required substantial foundation evidence outside the jury’s presence before deciding to admit it. The handler testified that he had performed tracking services and qualified as an expert witness in seventeen states, including Virginia and in Puerto Rico. In this case, he worked a male German Shepherd, which had been used in over 150 criminal cases throughout the United States. The dog had successfully followed trails as old as twenty-one days.”

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In upholding the conviction, the Virginia Supreme Court wrote, “Although a few jurisdictions exclude such evidence generally, and some require proof that the dog is a purebred bloodhound, a substantial majority of jurisdictions admit such evidence after the trial judge is satisfied that a proper foundation has been met. Thereafter, objections on such grounds as the staleness and contamination of the trail due to lapse of time, precipitation or other traffic, as well as matters such as the relative inexperience of dog or handler, go only to the weight which the jury should give to the result. We hold that dog tracking evidence is admissible in a criminal case after a proper foundation has been laid to show that: 1. The handler was qualified to work with the dog and to interpret its responses. 2. That the dog was sufficiently trained and a proven tracker of human scent. 667

3. That the dog was placed on the trail where circumstances indicated that the guilty party had been. 4. That the trail had not become so stale or contaminated as to be beyond the dog’s tracking capabilities.” The next case was 1983 – United States v McNiece, 558 F.Supp. 612. It was for the theft of cash and postage stamps from the post office. A post office had been broken into and McNiece had been charged with the crime. A lineup was conducted “20 months after the offense.” In a motion to suppress at a pretrial hearing, the defendant challenged the admission of the “identification actions” of the dog, a video tape of its work, and the testimony of the dog’s trainer. “At this lineup, the dog smelled a sock that had been worn by the defendant and was then brought to a room in which various

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tools, including a pair of bolt cutters found at the scene of the postal robbery, were spread out on the floor. Upon being exposed to the several tools on display, the dog exhibited a reaction to the bolt cutters in question, thereby, according to the handler, alerted him that the bolt cutters contained a scent that was present on the socks. Through the handler’s testimony and the videotape of the lineup, the government wanted to show that the defendant had been in contact with the bolt cutters found at the postal station and to argue from this that he committed the offenses charged in the indictment.” The defendant tried to have the handler’s testimony thrown out because it has not been established that individuals have unique scents or odors. In responding to the defendant’s challenge, the appellant court wrote, “The relevant scientific data supports the conclusion that a well trained dog is 669

able to distinguish among the odors of specific individuals and is able to detect the odor of a particular individual on a particular object.” But before a jury gives this evidence any consideration or weight, it must find this dog, Harrass 2: 1. Has previous actual lineup experience. 2. That his record in such cases in sufficient to conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that his powers of discrimination and identification are reliable. In addition, the jury will be instructed that it may not convict the defendant on the basis of the dog’s identification alone; rather, it may use such evidence to convict the defendant only if it first finds that all the other evidence in the case establishes defendant’s guilt by at least clear and convincing evidence. “We think, however, that this dog, which has been employed in over 500 man trailing cases and in over 1,000 lineup 670

situations, has shown through experience to be sufficiently reliable to submit both the evidence and the question of his reliability to the jury under proper and careful instructions” The 1983 - Roberts v. State of Maryland, 469 A. 442 was a case of rape, unlawfully wearing and carrying a dangerous weapon, housebreaking, and attempting to steal goods valued at less than $300.00, and is the only listed lineup case not done by the discredited handler. “The offenses occurred at the victim’s home, a large, hilltop house in Kent County. A private driveway from the house to the nearest public road is one-quarter to one half mile in length. That public road can also be reached on foot from the house via a path through woods on the hillside. The intruder wore a ski cap pulled down to just above his eyes and had covered the lower portion of his face with a bandana, so that only a band across his eyes was uncovered. He was carrying a 671

corn knife that belonged to the victim. After the rape, the victim went to the home of a neighbor who telephoned the sheriff’s office. The ski cap worn by the rapist had been discarded on the floor of the mudroom at the victim’s home. In order not to contaminate any scent on the cap, an investigator used a broom handle held at arm’s length to pick up the cap and place it on the ground outside of the mudroom door.” The bloodhound took the scent from the cap and the handler gave the command go find. The cap was retained in an evidence bag. The bloodhound trailed to a point in the garden at which the corn knife was lying. This evidence was bagged. Continuing to follow the trail, the bloodhound led the handler, who in turn was followed by other officers, down the footpath to the public road, then along the public road for approximately 200 yards to a place where the unpaved shoulder of the road widened. At that 672

place the bloodhound lost the scent, but there were automobile tracks in the sandy soil. Further investigation in the area produced two fishermen who had observed an automobile parked during the time when the offenses were occurring. This car’s description was broadcast over the police radio. A Kent County Sheriff, while driving to the crime scene, observed a car answering the description parked outside of the house of the petitioner’s mother. He pulled over and decided to ask who the car belonged to. “Roberts acknowledged having parked the car for about 5minutes off the road near the victim’s house while he was relieving himself in the woods.” He agreed to accompany the Sheriff to the victim’s house for a “show up.” The dog lineup was held on the lawn outside of the victim’s house. “Roberts stood in the middle of a line of four officers. The group was arrayed side by side, approximately three to five feet apart. At 673

least one of the officers was in civilian clothes. The ski cap was dumped from the evidence bag onto the ground at a point 25 to 30 yards from the fiveperson group. The bloodhound was taken from the motor vehicle used to transport him. His trailing lead was attached, and he was given the scent and trailing command. The bloodhound went to Roberts, circled about him and then sat at Robert’s feet. The bloodhound was put back in the vehicle and the relative positions of the five individuals were altered, with Roberts being placed at one end. The same process was repeated with the same result.” The Court of Appeals wrote, “The only ground which has been preserved for review by this Court concerning the bloodhound’s match of scents is that the dog lineup in this case was impermissibly suggestive and that, consequently, it was not a form of dog tracking which the trainer or handler 674

may describe in evidence. Roberts’ point is that all of the persons in the lineup were known to the dog. He argues that although smell is supposed to guide the dog, familiarity may have led the dog to the stranger, namely Roberts. The circuit judge initially concluded that the bloodhound had demonstrated reliability in tracking and the handler was qualified to interpret the dog’s actions. The trial court then treated the interpretation of the bloodhound’s actions at the lineup as a form of bloodhound evidence. Thus, although Robert’s certiorari petition does not challenge the trial judge’s threshold determination, some background review of bloodhound evidence is required.” The Appeals Court then citied other rulings and wrote, “We join the majority and hold that evidence of tracking by a dog of the scent of a suspected criminal is not per se inadmissible as to identification. Because of the way in 675

which the instant case comes to us, we need not at this time lay down any tests for the required foundation for the admissibility of such evidence nor, indeed, need we opine whether prescription of a hard and fast test for all cases is even possible. We have also surveyed to some extent the general literature concerning tracking dogs and find no indication that a trained and reliable tracking dog will signal a find because the person found is the only one unfamiliar to the dog from among a group of persons. To the contrary, so far as we can determine from the literature, the purpose of training a tracking dog is to keep it focused on the given scent and undistracted by other scents. Whenever a court admits bloodhound evidence of a dog’s having tracked over an area traversed by one or more human beings other than the subject, the court is essentially dealing with a lineup case”

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The next was in 1983 – Dedge v State of Florida, 442 So.2d 429 a burglary with assault, sexual battery with a weapon and aggravated battery case. “The primary identification of Dedge as the perpetrator of the crimes came through the activities of Harrass 2. For this scent lineup, the victim’s sheets and four dirty sheets from the jail that Dedge did not use or touch, were placed in a lineup outside the presence of the handler and Harrass 2. Harrass 2 smelled the contents of a paper bag in which were paper towels used by Dedge. The handler then commanded Harrass 2 to search, and walked Harrass 2 down the lineup of sheets. During the second time the handler walked Harrass 2 down the lineup, after again telling the dog to search, Harrass 2 stopped and went over one of the sheets with his nose, which indicated to the handler that the scent Harrass 2 was looking for was on that sheet. That sheet was the victim’s sheet that Dedge had allegedly been on. Harrass 2 677

ignored the other sheets and again stopped at the same sheet in the lineup. The handler and Harrass 2 subsequently went to the victim’s home, and Harrass 2 also indicated Dedge had been there by touching his nose to areas where he smelled Dedge.” The defense attorney tried to introduce as evidence during the voir dire a videotape by an expert on scent. The judge refused the offer without viewing it. The District Court of Appeals, while overturning the conviction wrote, “The ability of a dog to identify human scents on objects at the crime scene more than three months after a crime is committed was a key point in this case. The trial courts failure to hear any testimony and to conduct a proper voir dire by reviewing the videotape of defense expert cannot be deemed harmless error in this case.”

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Just a Note: New DNA testing proved Dedge was not the assailant. The State of Florida said they were still not going to release him because they had the K9 testimony. Kevin passed on information about the K9 handler being a liar. Dedge was freed shortly thereafter, but after decades in prison. 1984 - State of Arizona v Roscoe, 145 Ariz. 212. This was the first degree murder, kidnapping and two counts of child molestation case that lead to the downfall of the unscrupulous dog handler. “Over the strenuous objection by defense counsel, the trial court admitted evidence that the defendant had been identified by Harass 2, a pedigree German Shepherd using a

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scent identification process. The test protocol was as follows: The dog was given the victim’s scent, which was obtained from her clothing; when so scented the dog was taken to a lineup of five cars, one which was the defendant’s, for the purpose of identifying the victim’s scent in one of those cars, if possible. The handler testified that the dog alerted to the victim’s scent at a car which was later identified as the defendant’s. According to the handler, the victim’s scent was present in several areas of defendant’s car. The dog was scented on clothes belonging to defendant and then taken to the general area where the victim’s bicycle had been found; the dog was put on a search of the area and alerted at the place where the bicycle had been found. According to handler, the dog’s reaction indicated that the defendant had been present in the area the bike had been found. Similarly, the dog alerted to the defendant’s scent in the area the body was found. After having 680

been again scented on the defendant’s clothes, the dog was taken to a room where five articles of clothing were laid out. After having been ordered to search, the dog alerted at the clothing which had been taken from the victim’s body. According to the dog handler, this indicated that the defendant’s scent was present on that article of clothing. After having been put on defendant’s scent, the dog was taken to a lineup of five bicycles. The dog alerted at the bicycle which had belonged to the victim, thus indicating that the defendant’s scent was present on that bicycle. The Defendant had numerous objections to this testimony in particular, that there is no scientific acceptance that even a trained dog can perform scent identification in addition to tracking, and there is a total absence of scientific agreement that any dog can either track or identify after a long hiatus between the time the scent is laid down on the scene and the time at which the dog is put on the scent. The 681

state argues that proof of acceptance by the scientific community is not required. In other words, he objected using the Frye test which kept polygraphs out of the court room. Mr. Frye had petitioned the court to allow the results of a polygraph, to be used in his trial, to help prove his innocence. The court wouldn’t allow it in as evidence. The ruling of that court set the standard for other scientific evidence. The Supreme Court of Arizona in upholding the conviction wrote, “We do not believe that the Frye test is applicable to evidence of dog tracking or scenting. The evidence here was not bottomed in any scientific theory. In fact, it appears that no one knows exactly how or why some dogs are able to track or scent, or the degree to which they are able to do so. No attempt was made to impress the jury with the infallibility of some general scientific technique or theory. Rather, this 682

evidence was offered on the basis that it is common knowledge that some dogs, when properly trained and handled, can discriminate between human odors. The handler’s testimony was premised upon this simple idea and was not offered as a product of the application of some accepted scientific process, principle, technique or device. It was offered as the handler’s opinion of the meaning of his dog’s reaction; that opinion was based upon the handler’s training of and experience with the dog. The weight of the evidence did not hinge upon the validity or accuracy of some scientific principle; rather, it, hinged on the handler’s credibility, the accuracy of his observation of the dog’s performance, the extent of the training he had given the dog, and the reliability of his interpretations of the dog’s reactions. It was not the theories of Newton, Einstein or Freud which gave the evidence weight; if so, the Frye test should have been applied. It was, 683

rather, the handler’s knowledge, experience and integrity which would give the evidence weight and it was the handler who was available for crossexamination. His credentials, his experience, his motives and his integrity were effectively probed and tested. Determination of these issues does not depend on science; it is the exclusive province of the jury.” Of course years later, new appeals and evidence ultimately resulted in the dog handler being disgraced. The defendant was retried and found guilty again. The last case was in 1986 – Ramos v State of Florida, 496 So. 2d 121. It was a first degree murder case. “The Appellant, Juan F. Ramos, appeals his conviction for first degree murder and the imposition of the death penalty. The state’s evidence against appellant included two dog scent-discrimination lineups. Prior to the lineups, appellant was interrogated for approximately seven hours in the courtroom of the 684

Cocoa Police Department. On the following day, this same room was used for the lineups. The only people present at the lineups were the police chief, a police detective, a sergeant from the sheriff’s office, and the dog handler. The first lineup consisted of five blue shirts, four of which belonged to the husband of the secretary to the police chief. The fifth shirt was the one the victim was wearing when she was killed. The victim’s shirt was the only one that had been worn by a female and was the only shirt with blood on it. The dog was given appellant’s scent from a cigarette pack that had been handled by appellant during the interrogation; then, beginning with shirt number one, the dog walked past each shirt. When the dog reached shirt number five, he put his head down and sniffed it. The dog was led away and, on a second pass by the shirts, immediately returned to shirt number five.”

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“The second lineup consisted of five knives: three from a local diner, one from a police officer, and the one that had been imbedded in the victim’s body. The knife found in the victim was the only knife with blood on it. This knife was placed in the number three position. The dog was again scented with the cigarette pack and was walked past the knives. He dropped his head when he got to knife number three. The handler led the dog away and, on a second pass, the dog stopped and licked knife number three.” The Supreme Court in overturning the conviction wrote, “This Court has previously addressed the admissibility of dog tracking evidence; this decision is not intended to change that law. The use of a dog in a scent discrimination lineup is not the same and is an issue of first impression in this court. We believe it is important to recognize that using a dog to track a human or to detect the presence of drugs or 686

explosives is distinctive from using a dog to directly identify a specific human from items in a lineup. We find there must be a proper predicate to establish the reliability of dog discrimination lineups before this type of evidence may be admitted at trial. Courts have been cautious to accept new methods of proof which have not been shown to be reliable. The only evidence presented regarding the reliability of the type of scent discrimination lineup used in this case was the testimony of the dog handler and the police officer. We hold that this testimony, by itself, under the facts of this case, is insufficient to establish the reliability of dog scentdiscrimination lineups as a method of proof. We find that this record does not establish that this scent-discrimination lineup was conducted in a fair manner. We do not rule out the use of dog scent-discrimination lineup evidence as a method of proof, but find that before it may be admitted it must be established that: 687

1. This type of lineup evidence is reliable. 2. The specific lineup is conducted in a fair, objective manner. 3. The dog used has been properly trained and found by experience to be reliable in this type of identification.”

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Chapter 74 Training for Lineups Throughout my entire career handling a bloodhound, I was only called one time to conduct a lineup. That callout wasn’t a major criminal investigation, but a simple drunk driving charge. The car was found off the road where the driver had wrecked it. The registered owner was located about a mile from the vehicle walking alone, but he denied driving the car. Through the radio traffic he heard me marking on and driving towards his scene. He confessed just as I pulled up. The plan was to have some deputies and him stand in a line. I was going to scent from the driver’s seat and run a

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short trail leading into them and see what happened. So you may find this to be a useful skill one day. The traditional way to teach this skill would be conducted something like this… The trail layer and decoys would stand in a line about 15 feet away from and in front of the dog. The distances between the trail layer and decoys would vary depending on who taught the class. This component wasn't being taught, a more honest evaluation would be that the dog was being tested. If it failed no suggestions to improve the outcome would be offered. The major flaw with this type of lineup exercise is that the intensity trail is not incorporated, so the dog is never in a high learning mode. I think following the handler’s example that established the validity of lineups in the state of Maryland is a better approach. The use of that approach would allow our dogs to be familiar with the exercise and give us

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the opportunity to incorporate the intensity training into this component. Go to a spot about 25 to 50 feet from your starting point, and line up your decoys with at least 5 to 10 feet between them. Your trail layer will run a simple intensity trail to one of the locations in the line of decoys. Vary the ending location of your trail layer within the line of decoys so the dog does not start to anticipate which one is his target. Make sure the dog cannot sight hunt the trail layer into the line of decoys and I believe you will find your dog being quite capable in short order.

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Conducting a lineup exercise Russian INBTI member Anna Popova and Russian Asst. Instructor Natasha Zagainova

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Pictured above is a set of stacking dolls that Natasha painted for me – she even has the INBTI emblem on the chest of the large doll! Hungarian Police K9 Chief/Instructor Gránicz Csaba (below left) and Asst. Instructors Tamas Ujhelyi and András Bánszki

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PART EIGHT It’s Yours Now

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INBTI Asst. Instructor: Jan de Regt (left)

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Seminar in Croatia

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Chapter 75 Honesty and Credibility

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Don't allow her to become blurry! Because I automatically assume the integrity of each of you is above approach, this is a hard chapter for me to write. Your whole career is based on honesty and the presumption that you can be trusted. That truthfulness has to carry over to your dog handling. As you go through your career as a

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bloodhound handler you are going to feel pressure. Part of the pressure will come from your agency, which I’m not really concerned about. Your solid work will hold them at bay. It is the internal pressure you will feel to do even greater things with your dog that concerns me. This is where the problems start! The need to be recognized quickly exposes previously unseen character flaws. I have no doubt the handlers that have been or will be exposed for their lies, started out honest. They started out with good intentions which turned to fabrications about their work. It could be the number of cases they claim to have worked or their claim of success when what they produced was utter failure. You will inevitability meet some at different seminars, a good chance is it will be some association’s “instructor.” Associations are nice social clubs; some have grand names and can even boast their longevity but they are fraternities, nothing more. Within them some have

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quietly adopted my method of training and can hopefully build on it. The problem with fraternities is they create an environment that causes handlers to clamor to be recognized. Beyond schmoozing in order to climb the social ladder, a perception of grandeur is needed. This has caused some handlers to start misrepresenting what they actually did on real cases. This misrepresentation allowed the ascent up the ladder, but the descent from what is morally right. There are some that misrepresent their successes and their ability for the money or glamour it brings them. My sense of duty calls me to write this chapter that exposes what I believe to be corrupt statements or unrealistic claims. I cannot stand by quietly knowing this is being done especially as a police officer. I can honestly make this statement, can you? “I have made mistakes while working my dog and cannot always understand or read him.” “His behavior

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is something any dog handler can recognize not something mystical which can only be seen by me.” When a handler makes exuberant claims that put them in a position of grandeur, you should immediately become suspicious of the information. There also will be claims made by respected agencies in an attempt to be known as the best. They may cloak their hidden agendas under the guise of research. Just remember not all “research” is conducted as a search for the truth but rather done for other motives. Once a “study” is large enough by virtue of sheer numbers, the “findings” will be legitimized and accepted by the courts. It was once even suggested that dogs must follow something other than scent, since it was proven that the bacteria from decaying skin particles did not last a year. Since the scientific findings did not fit the claims of their dogs following “year old

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trails,” it surely must be something else they follow. I advocate that testimony about the actions of a well trained dog should be allowed to go to a jury. But the testimony or statement, “Only I can read my dog; it is something personal between him and me,” shouldn’t be allowed. Here is something to consider; if only they can see it, then the dog wasn’t properly trained. If the dog is not presenting a clear indication then it is not mission ready. Since the dog wasn’t properly trained, the jury should have never heard the testimony. Dog handlers cannot gauge a cold trail’s age within a few hour window. In other words, you can look at the behavior of the dog and know whether it is a fresh or old (cold) trail. Once the handler determines that the trail is old, to say they know how old it is within a few hour window is a fabrication. I am sure any testimony to this fact was based on other evidence, not the dog.

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Prior to attaining the knowledge in this book, some handlers could lie to you and claim grandiose things saying only they can see it, but now you know better! If you belong to a civilian search and rescue group, do not self deploy to search scenes. The responsible law enforcement agency knows what resources they need and will contact you. To just show up is creating logistical problems and takes away from the efforts to find the missing person. As the search grows, I am sure your group will be included, just be patient and wait. While I have your attention, don’t make stupid rules your trailing dogs need to meet in order to be “certified.” Set up a competent standard that is focused on the team’s trailing ability, not all the other pretty dog stuff. As a retired police officer, I can tell you that agencies do not care about the fluff, they just want a dog that can hunt!

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I was very protective of my jurisdiction, but my motive was always in the best interest of my county, which I swore to protect. Was I confrontational at times? Yes, I was. Was I always professional? Yes, I was. One incident occurred during a murder investigation of a 3 year old child. I threatened to arrest a civilian dog handler for obstruction of justice. Solely based on the handler's reputation, she was escorted off of the investigation site and the law enforcement agency she was representing was notified of her pending arrest if she returned to it. Another time was when a supervisor on duty asked me for guidance regarding the ability of a dog to take a car track that was several months old. Unfortunately, he had to go to a family and tell them they were being exploited. He advised me that a “search team” was in the county to assist a family in locating a missing family member. The “search team” was requesting

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assistance to shut down a major intersection to attempt a car trail that was several months old. The family stated they had been contacted by the dog team, claiming their dog could do “magical things” and offered hope of locating information that may help them find their loved one. Although it was hard to break their hearts by explaining the truth, they were grateful and advised the “search team” they were no longer needed. I’m not sure how the “search team” was being compensated for their work, but the motel rooms and travel expenses were definitely paid for by the family. This type of exploitation is detrimental to the creditability of all “search teams” and leaves a lasting impression on law enforcement. The one time that I was confrontational was with a federal agency that came into my county with one of their “contractor” dogs. These “contractors” claimed their dogs could do “magical things” and that is how they got

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the attention of this federal agency. It was during the Washington DC sniper investigation, and they showed up days after the last shooting, probably weeks after the first sniper shooting happened in our county. No courtesy call had been given to the sheriff’s office to inform us they would be working in our county. They were spotted by a deputy on patrol who immediately called me. I will admit I was not happy they had brought the dog and pony show to my jurisdiction and I voiced my opinion. Because of my demeanor with the dog handler and the federal agents, one of my agency’s captains was dispatched to the scene. I thought I was in trouble, but after explaining the situation to him, he left telling me to “carry on.” I admit I was not happy, but the false characterization that it was still a viable crime scene was ludicrous. Please do not misread me, I have known several federal officers and have valued friends that are federal agents who are ethical and deserve the utmost respect.

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Just please remember, when you cross the line and start making false claims with your dog, you will never recover your credibility.

Instructor Dan Woodruff passing on his knowledge

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Chapter 76 29 American Jurisprudence 2d #575 PROPER FOUNDATION (For your testimony in court) Bloodhound tracking evidence is admissible if: 1. The dog has an acute power of scent determination; 2. The dog was trained to track humans and could do so with a high degree of accuracy;

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3. The handler is qualified and experienced; 4. The trail had not become stale or contaminated beyond the dog’s ability to follow the trail; 5. The dog began on the trail at a location where the perpetrator was known to have been. Trailing by bloodhounds, generally… Most courts in which the question of the admissibility of evidence of trailing by bloodhounds has been presented take the position that upon a proper foundation being laid by proof that the dogs were qualified to trail humans beings, and that the circumstances surrounding the trailing were such as to make it probable that the person trailed was the guilty party, such evidence is admissible and may be permitted to go the jury, for what it’s worth, as one of the circumstances which tends to connect the defendant with the crime. But even under this rule, Bloodhound evidence is

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not admissible where the trailing is so uncertain and confused that it has no tendency to prove the defendant’s guilt. Nor is evidence of the act of a dog in trailing one accused of a crime admissible if it was not allowed to follow its inclination during the process. In some other jurisdictions, evidence of tracking by a bloodhound is not admissible.

Sample Training Log

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Chapter 77 Final Thoughts When I was a new bloodhound handler, I joined some fraternities as just another cop with my dog. I had always trained on my own, sorting out how to do it as I went. I attended seminars looking for a greater understanding and fellowship. I quickly learned I would find neither from my own state’s bloodhound association's leadership. It seemed I was a threat because I could see things (negative indications) when dogs worked trails that he could not yet understand. Rather than ask me for my knowledge, he allowed his insecurities to take control. Some notables who normally

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stood alone, such as Bill Tolhurst and Garland Gilman would encourage me to pave my own way. Others notables such as Dan Senger, Doug Lowery and Jim Shaffer along with others unnamed were always courtesy and friendly. It does seem that the word “instructor” in some groups has warped over the years. It now means someone who looks for weaknesses, but can't help students overcome them. Then because of their insecurities they return to their “instructor” peers and elevate themselves by bad mouthing the very students that came asking for help. This is why I have always prided myself on the conduct of (INBTI) InterNational Bloodhound Training Institute. Because we know how to strengthen the weaknesses seen, our instructors do not have insecurities that foster pettiness. It has always been about training stronger dogs and welcoming any that search for it.

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I can remember when nobody understood a dog’s negatives indications, so I was relentlessly attacked by some pretending to be leaders. The funny thing is now they teach “the voodoo” (what they called it) as their own; unable to even say, “Kocher saw it first.” I can promise this, if you come to a INBTI instructor they will not back stab or attack you. They are of the highest quality of people, which you will not find in a random search for instruction. Ours is not a membership association, but is based on a training concept. Each instructor is a proven dog handler and will bring their own unique technique for success, but the base line training is the same. So if you look carefully at the different groups that are represented by them, you will see how generally accepted INBTI's training method is. To see the current list of instructors visit our website, bloodhountraining.com

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I know it is difficult to see in the dark corners of some people’s hearts, and I have previously allowed INBTI to be soiled by handlers who tricked me. I would hope that its future leaders and instructors continue setting the example and offer their open hand in friendship, without feeling any pettiness. INBTI has developed a software program that will track your training. It is designed to keep you informed of the dog's percentages of success, along with the number of exercises you have run in different environments and conditions. A free trial period is offered for your inspection at bloodhountraining.com. I've included a paper training log sample, but know from experience something better is needed. The program will also allow an agency's K-9 section head to access their dog program and see the progression of a dog along with the frequency of training. I realized while writing this book that there were going to be training exercises

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I did not include. It was not done on purpose or to ensure our personal dogs are stronger. On the contrary, once you adopt The Kocher Method, I will take all of your accomplishments and failures personally! If you watch your dog for the movements of purpose and recognize them, coupled with the thrill of watching your dog learn new things, we will have accomplished our goal … the goal of making you more successful on the hunt! I wish you all the best of luck, because yes, sometimes luck is all that will determine your worth on a particular trail.

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Italian Instructor Roberta Bottaro (above) and with 2 of our Italian Asst. Instructors Valeria Piana and Karin Patelli

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INBTI Member Suk Bahadur Lama (SAR Dogs NEPAL)

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practicing a river crossing with K9 Hunter in Nepal. Keep it fun for your dog to continuously build the foundation. Be creative in your training exercises, and you will build a stronger dog!

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Two fallen Officers I was honored to know and work with… May they never be forgotten! Dean Ridings Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office June 19 2010

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James Feltis Pentagon Police Department Feb. 14, 2005

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About the Editors…

Karen Porter Gheesling is a volunteer (HRD) dog handler with Southeast K-9 Search and Rescue of Florida. A valued member of her community always ready to lend a hand and help bring closure to families.

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Cynthia Kocher is a volunteer dog handler and Officer of the Sedgwick County Emergency Management K9 Search Team (scemk9.org) in Wichita, Kansas. She is what a volunteer should embody. A dedicated dog handler that has never taken her eye off of the goal ...saving lives!

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My name is Kevin John Kocher. I was born in 1957 and my first memories were from our family farm in Pennsylvania. During my early years, the family migrated to Virginia where I started collecting various stray dogs in failed attempts to create my own pack to fill a void of missing love. I didn’t actually start training dogs to man-trail until I became a volunteer firefighter in my twenties. As time passed, I was helping Law Enforcement so much that the Sheriff’s Office made me a Deputy so I would continue using my dogs to work cases. A realization of how important my information was to help catch criminals or find those who went missing spurred me to search for a consistent training method that produced a constant string of successes. I stayed with the Sheriff’s Office for many years. God gave me a gift and He started to develop it in me as a young child with those stray dogs. The Kocher Method is based on love and the simple act of

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listening to my dogs. Many have heard me say, “If you want to learn to hunt humans then I was your man!” Oh how true a statement that was. While developing my training techniques, I started to recognize the “negative indications” dogs would show as they ran trails. As a gift from me to the Search and Rescue (SAR) community for their unselfish acts, I wrote a free booklet in the 1990’s that changed the way handlers learned to read their dogs as they were on the hunt. This was the beginning of a method that is used around the world today. There was nothing I liked more than training my dogs, sometimes as many as five at one time. The sky was the limit! I was just on the verge of understanding so much more. Then in 2008, after years of having various symptoms, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. At first, I was devastated and thought, “Why?” I continued to work and train until the loss

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of balance and pain forced me to retire in 2009. Over the years, many handlers had asked me to write a book to help them, but I didn’t want to take the time. Finally, because of the MS, I started to put my thoughts and training experiences down on paper. I realized that God wanted me to share my knowledge with others. If I had my way, I would still be totally healthy and selfishly running my own dog, but because of His blessing now I have the chance to train thousands and will continue to do so until He says, “No more.” On my journeys, many say to me, “How do you do it?” (If you have seen me move around, you understand why they are so shocked that I am able to go to so many places and countries.) I say unequivocally, it is God that gives me strength and I want to make sure that each person I meet understands that my life is based on a deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am not perfect and I’m still a constant sinner. If you have been

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around me much, you know this to be true , but I was saved at a church revival as a child. Some rough teenage years soon tore me away from God and I walked a hard road for most of my life. I realize now that God never gave up trying to get my attention! He has been with me every step of the way. He gave me two beautiful children with multiple grandchildren and more blessings than I ever deserved, including the Multiple Sclerosis.

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 To all my dog handlers: God has given me a deep love for you. There is nothing I enjoy more than

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meeting and passing on the gift God gave me. Then watching you handle and understand your dogs at a different level. I love hearing about the cases you have worked, the criminals you have caught and the people you have saved! I know that some of you will take my method and make new discoveries that move it forward and make it even better! What a legacy God has given all of us! With each new handler you freely help (just as I have) our voices about mankind will always be heard. What an honor it is to know each of you – what a privilege to call you my friends! I hope that long after I am gone you will continue to make this world better and open your homes to my family and heirs as you have for me. But I would be remiss if I did not point you back to the One that allowed me to meet and train with you in the first place. I would beg each of you to take a few minutes to consider life beyond this time on earth. I love to think of God as the

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ultimate human hunter – determined to stay on the trail like a rabbit dog until He finds every one of you! Now that is “Intensity!” Your soul is God’s “rabbit” YOU are what He loves more than anything! Give Him a chance to be for you what He has been for me. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus), that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life! John 3:16

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Alphabetical Index Advanced Training Chk List 149 Backtracks 222 Barriers/Obstructions 138 Cadaver in Tree 252 Car Seat Starts 230 Casting For Trail (No Scent Article) 196 Intersections 203 Learning How 128 Recovery 200 Second Scent on Article 188 Choosing the Breed 15 Circles

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Beginning 79 Trail 80 Cold Trail Starts 259 Component Training 151 Contamination Heavy Contamination Starts 272 Same-Scent 175 Covered Trails 132 Cross Trails 145 Dancing With Your Dog 76 Delayed Start Intensity 54 Dog TrainingTKM 119 Door Identifications 207 Drowning 249 Ethics: Honesty & Credibility 330

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Extended Intensity Trail 64 Fence Identification Training 274 Flip 67 Forest Training 289 Foundation 39 General Area Starts 193 Get Away Car ID 305 Handler’s Job 48 Harness 19 Head Turns 91 Hidden Trail Layer Finds 284 High Finds 226 Identification (ID) 111 Intensity Building Tools 71 Intensity Trail 43

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Known Path of Flight 191 Laying out Trails 158 Lead/Leed Control 23 Line-Ups 308 Log Sheet Sample 33 Missing Person Starts Vehicles 232 Missing Person Starts Buildings 268 Multi le Buildin s 212 Ne atives- Flowin 82 Ni ht Trainin 264 No Forward Scent Indication 86 No Scent identification (NSI) 166 Patrol Dogs ID 115 Trail in Unison with 280

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Transforming 293 Pep Talk 241 Positive Trail Reinforcements 124 Praisin 52 Pre-Scent Ritual 163 Reading Your Dog 75 Recovery Casting 200 Reward 28 Scent Article 95 Bad Articles 104 Collection 98 Collection Case 101 Contaminated Exercises 183 Scent Article Intensity 58 Scent Article Starts 108

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Transfers 100 Scent Pools 136 Scenting from a Corpse 254 Scenting/Starting Commands 36 Split Trails 146 Stream Crossings 278 Subdivision Training 218 Targeting Command 30 Team TrainingTKM 238 Trail Rules 121 Vehicle Pick-Up ID 243 Vehicle Trails 297 Walk Back 126 Walking Identification 235

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INBTI Instructor Damon Griffith (formerly with the Brookings Co. Sheriff’s Office in SD) currently stationed in the Middle East and working an explosives dog.

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Lithuanian Police Officer/Asst. Instructor Arunas Petraitis

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Оглавление Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Part One: THE PRINCIPLES: Learning the Basics Chapter 1 What is Mantrailing? Chapter 2 Choosing the Breed Chapter 3 The Harness Chapter 4 The Lead and Lead Control Chapter 5 The Reward Chapter 6 The Targeting Command Chapter 7 The Pre-Starting Ritual Chapter 8 The Scenting/Starting Commands Chapter 9 The Foundation

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1 2 6 19 27 32 39 47 57 63 69 75 82

Part Two: Your Arsenal of Exercises to Build a Solid Foundation Chapter 10 The Intensity Trail Chapter 11 The Primary Actors Chapter 12 Praising Chapter 13 The Delayed Start Intensity Trail Chapter 14 Scent Article Intensity Chapter 15 Extended Intensity Trails Chapter 16 The Flip Chapter 17 Other Intensity Building Tools

Part Three: “Reading Your Dog” & “Learning the Dance” How Dogs Work a Trail The Beginning Circle The Trail Circle The Classic Cutback

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86

89 98 107 111 119 132 138 146

154 156 159 162 164

The Flowing Negative The Head Turn Putting it all Together Diagram The No Forward Scent Indication & Exercise

Part Four: Scent Articles and The Identification Chapter 18 The Scent Article Chapter 19 Scent Article Collection Chapter 20 Scent Article Transfers Chapter 21 Reading a Bad Scent Article or Failed Transfer Chapter 22 The Scent Article Start Chapter 23 The Identification (ID) The ID for The Patrol Dog The ID for The Patrol Dog

Part Five: Continuing the Fundamentals Chapter 24 Dog Training TKM

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166 168 172 183

192 197 203 208 216 226 232 239

243 246

Chapter 25 Teaching the Rules Chapter 26 Positive Trail Reinforcements Chapter 27 The Walk Back Chapter 28 Learning How to Cast Chapter 29 Covered Trails Chapter 30 Scent Pools Chapter 31 Barriers and Obstructions Chapter 32 Cross and Split Trails Chapter 33 Are You Ready for Advanced Training?

Part Six: “Component TrainingTKM” Chapter 34 The Rationale of Component Training Chapter 35 Laying Out Trails Chapter 36 The Pre-Scent Chapter 37 The No Scent Identification (NSI)TKM Chapter 38 Same-Scent 748

251 257 261 266 275 284 288 301 308

314 318 328 338 344 363

Contamination Chapter 39 Contaminated Scent Article Exercises Chapter 40 Casting – Understanding the Information Chapter 41 Casting for the Second Scent on an Article Chapter 42 Starting on a Known Path of Flight Chapter 43 General Area Starts Chapter 44 Casting for a Trail Chapter 45 Recovery Casting Chapter 46 Casting for a Trail at an Intersection Chapter 47 Door Identifications Chapter 48 Multiple Buildings Chapter 49 Subdivision Training Chapter 50 The Backtrack Chapter 51 High Finds Chapter 52 The Car Seat Start Chapter 53 Missing Person Starts from Vehicles 749

380 385 391 397 402 408 416 422 430 443 456 464 473 482 487

Chapter 54 Walking Identification Chapter 55 Team TrainingTKM Chapter 56 The Pep Talk Chapter 57 Vehicle Pick Up Identification Chapter 58 The Drowning Chapter 59 Cadaver in Tree Exercise Chapter 60 Scenting from a Person or Corpse Chapter 61 Cold Trail Starts Chapter 62 Night Training Chapter 63 Missing Person Starts from Buildings Chapter 64 Heavy Contamination Starts Chapter 65 Fence Identification Training Chapter 66 Stream Crossings Chapter 67 Trailing in Unison with Patrol Dogs Chapter 68 The Hidden Trail

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493 499 506 510 522 528 532 544 555 563 571 575 584 589 597

Layer Chapter 69 Forest Training Chapter 70 Transforming a Patrol Dog Chapter 71 Vehicle Trails Chapter 72 Combined Vehicle Pick-up and Car Trail Exercise Chapter 73 Identification of “Get Away” Car

Part Seven: Dog Scent Lineups

607 615 624 635 642

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Lineup Case Law 653 Chapter 74 Training for Lineups 689

Part Eight: It’s Yours Now Chapter 75 Honesty & Credibility Chapter 76 29 American Jurisprudence 2d #575 Sample Training Log Sample Training Log Chapter 77 Final Thoughts

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695 699 710 712 714