Search dog training plays a very important role in our society. Search dogs are commonly used during search and rescue missions, where the goal is to use the dogs scent to find a missing person.

The dog that is used most commonly for this purpose is the Bloodhound. These dogs have the strongest sense of smell compared to any other dog. The second best is the Basset Hound, but they are rarely used for this purpose because their short stature does not allow them to move as quickly through rough terrain. The long ears of a Bloodhound play an important role by stirring up the scent when they have their nose to the ground. The wrinkles on the face of these dogs helps hold the scent close to the nose. The Bloodhound can then establish a trail.

Scent training generally starts when the dog is a puppy. This form of training is done in a variety of ways, starting with practice “missions” that allow the dog to find something based on the scent. One of the most popular training techniques can be found in “Secrets to Dog Training”. There are many jobs that dogs can be trained to do but scent hounds may have the most important job of all. They help find people who have become lost while hiking, camping, or simply walking through the woods.

Training these dogs to pick up on a scent after smelling an item of clothing owned by the person they are looking for, they can quickly pick up the scent and track it over a variety of terrain. It is a common myth that Bloodhounds lose the scent once it goes to the water, but this is not true. The dog will easily pick the scent back up on the other side and continue searching until they find the missing person.