How to Train Your Dog to Track Humans

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How to Train Your Dog to Track Humans

Medium

3-6 Months

Work

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Introduction

Your pup has a wonderfully sensitive nose that can smell things such as human scent and then follow it to its source. What you may not realize, is that your pup has been using his nose to track since the day he was born. How, you ask? When your pup was born, his eyes were closed, yet he still had to find his way to his mother in order to nurse. To do this, he used his sense of smell to locate his mother. The goal of this training is to take this natural skill, refine it, and teach your pup to use it for a particular purpose.

The early you start training your pup the better, but you can also teach this skill to older dogs. However, training older dogs can be more challenging and take longer. You can train your pup to track humans over grass, snow, and on hard surfaces such as tarmac or concrete.

Defining Tasks

The task is a little different than most types of tracking in that you are going to be asking your pup to track humans. Unlike animals whose scents are very similar by species, humans all seem--at least to us-- to have extremely different smells. However, no matter how you look at it, training a dog to use his nose to track humans is really not that different than teaching him to track any other form of game. A well-trained dog can track humans via the trail they leave on the ground and by sniffing the air.

Once you teach your pup how to track by scent, you will be able to give him an item from the person to be tracked and he should have no problem tracking them down. However, just as you have probably seen on TV, your pup can only track via air or ground. If his quarry goes into water, your pup will not be able to track them anymore.

Getting Started

You can teach most dogs to track, though some breeds are much better at it than others. When it comes to age, the earlier you can start training your pup to track the easier it will be for him to master this skill. However, there are a few supplies you need to gather, including:

Treats
A leash
A harness
A spray bottle
Several small flags
Some distilled water
Hot dogs

The key to this training is understanding that while your dog may be a natural sniffer, he still needs to be taught how to use that big snout to track down your quarry, which in this case just happens to be humans. Be patient, be consistent, practice frequently, and keep practicing even after he seems to have mastered the skill. Remember, practice makes perfect.

The Hotdog Method

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Step

Gather your training supplies

For this, you will need a few packages of cheap hot dogs, shoes you can use for training that you don't mind getting hot dog squished on the soles of, treats, and a large yard or field to work in.

Step

Get an early start

The best time to start training your dog to track is early in the morning when the grass is clear of other human smells. Tie your pup so he cannot follow you. Take two chunks of hot dog (about 1 inch long) and smash them into the ground, one piece per foot. Not only does this release the scent of the grass, but it smears the smell of the hot dogs on your feet.

Step

Turn and walk away

Turn and walk away from the spot, using the smell of the hot dogs and grass and your feet to create a trail. As you walk along, drop a small piece of hot dog every 6 to 10 feet. After your trail is about 20 to 30 feet long, place one of your gloves or a hat on the ground and place a treat on top of it.

Step

Release the hound

Go back to the starting point and release your pup. Take him over to the starting area and encourage him to sniff at the ground where you smashed the hot dogs. Give him a "find it" command as he sniffs around. If he starts following the trail on his own, quietly praise him with a " good boy!" and let him lead you down the trail. Repeat this until your pup will automatically start searching for your scent each time you create a new trail. By now he is tracking the combined smell of the crushed grass, the smell of the hot dogs, and the crushed grass you were stepping on later.

Step

Mix it up

Once your pup can track you on straight tracks, time to start mixing it up by making sharp turns, doubling back on yourself and trying to confuse him. As he masters his abilities, try having other people create starting points and trails without hot dogs. Give your pup time to "acquire" the scent of your assistant and then watch him track your friend to a hiding place.

The Spray Bottle Method

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Step

Create a bottle of your scent

This is the fun part, you need an article of clothing that contains a heavy concentration of your sweat. Try your gym clothes or a pair of work socks you have been wearing for several days so they are really stinky. Soak the item in a bowl filled with distilled water (distilled water has no odors, whereas tap water has plenty to confuse your pup) for a few days and then put this "disgusting" water in the spray bottle and label it clearly for everyone else.

Step

Get ready to go outside

Grab your rubber boots, spray bottle, treats, leash, some flags, and leave your dog inside or in a crate if you had to go somewhere else besides your backyard for training. One little trick, get your pup excited and ready to go tracking by asking him in an excited voice "are you ready to go tracking?" over and over again, getting him all riled up.

Step

Mark your starting point

Go out to an area of grass where no one else has been walking so far today, put your boots on and spray the soles and uppers with your special blend. Scuff your way around a 4-foot by 4-foot patch of grass, making sure to get spread your scent thoroughly in the grass. You may want to respray and go over the area a second time at first. While you are walking around, drop chunks of hot dog or puppy treats all over the place. Use flags to mark the corners so you know where they are.

Step

Bring on the dog

Bring your dog over to the patch on his leash and tell him to "find it" while he sniffs around and finds the treats you left for him. Each time he moves towards the next treat, quietly praise him, if he seems to be a bit confused, try helping him at first by pointing out the treats.

Step

Happy trails to you

Once he has mastered finding the treats in the scent patch, you can start using the same method to mark trails, making them longer and longer until he can track you easily. Try having other people make trails and give you a piece of clothing for your dog to sniff. He should automatically be able to follow that scent just like he does yours. The more practice, the better he will become at tracking humans.

The Clothing Method

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Step

Have a good sniff

Give your dog an article of your clothing such as your... ugh, dare I say it... underwear, or old stinky socks to play with, sleep with, chew on, for a few days. This is to give him plenty of time to get used to the scent so that he can recognize it anywhere.

Step

Play a little hide and seek

Place your pup in a room with the door closed. Take the item of clothing and hide it in plain sight for your pup to find. Now release your dog and tell him to go "find it". The first few times you may have to guide him to give him the idea. As he gets better at finding the easy to see item, start hiding it out of sight so that he has to use his nose to track down item by scent alone.

Step

Outdoor training

If necessary, use a different item of clothing with a fresher dose of your scent. Go outside without your pup and use the clothing item to create a trail by dragging it along the ground and then leaving it at the end for your pup to find. Walk back down the trail you just made to avoid creating a second trail.

Step

Let your pup out

Let your pup come out and give him the "find it" command. He should start looking for your scent at this point and take off down the trail, following it to the end where you left the item of clothing. Each time he does this reward him with a treat and praise.

Step

Work in progress

Keep repeating this training making the trails harder to find each time until he can follow your trail virtually anywhere. Start working with other people until you can give your pup an item of clothing and he can successfully track them down anywhere.

Success Stories and Training Questions

Training Questions and Answers

Question

Amora

German Shepherd

3 Months

0 found helpful

Question

0 found helpful

Amora

German Shepherd

3 Months

I am working with my dog to become a service dog. I want to train her to go find my mom and bring her to me when I need help in a store or at home or anywhere. I'm not entirely sure how to do this. Thank you!

10 months, 2 weeks ago

Amora's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

464 Dog owners recommended

Hello Haelie, I suggest playing the "Find ____" game. First, clip a leash on your dog. Have your mom sit across the room or several feet away. Tell her to "Go Find Mom" and lead her over to your mom. When she gets to her, have your mom give her a treat. Repeat this until you can say "Go Find Mom" and she will go to your mom without being lead. Your mom can make a little noise as a hint if she seems confused. When she can go to your mom in the same room, practice this randomly throughout the day when your mom is close by. If she won't do it, have your mom make a noise as a hint or you walk her over to your mom, then have your mom reward her when she gets there. When she can consistently do this while your mom is within eye-sight, start practicing it while your mom is in another room close by or further away outside. Give her hints by having your mom make a little noise or walking Amora to her if she cannot figure it out after seven-seconds of trying on her own. When she can consistently find your mom in any room or the house or outside, and has learned how to persistently search for her until she locates her, then have your mom practice the same thing with you, telling Amora to "Go Find Haelie". Practice Amora finding you just like you did with your mom, starting in the same room with her first, and gradually adding more distance as she improves. When she has learned what "Go Find Mom" and "Go Find Haelie" mean and can do both well, then practice the commands on a long leash on walks, parks, fields, and dog-friendly stores. Have the person she is supposed to be finding hide somewhere nearby when she is not looking, like the next isle over or behind a bush. Tell her to "Go Find Mom" or "Go Find Haelie" and give her hints if she needs them. When she finds the person, give her lots or praise and rewards. When you need your mom, you can tell Amora to "Go Find Mom" and when Amora arrives without you, your mom can tell her to "Go Find Haelie" so that she will lead your mom back to you. If you practice having your mom automatically telling her to go find Haelie every time she finds your mom at this point, she will likely begin to lead your mom to you automatically, even before your mom tells her to. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

10 months, 1 week ago

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Question

Bailey

Beagle

3 Months

1 found helpful

Question

1 found helpful

Bailey

Beagle

3 Months

Hi, I would like to train my beagle to help with the search and rescue to find missing dogs as so many go missing every day, some are found with the help of search and trapping teams,some return on their own and some are never found because theve gone down a badger set or have got so lost they cant find their way home and some sadly die.
Could you advice on which is the best training method for this purpose please?
Thank you
Sadie

1 week, 5 days ago

Bailey's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

464 Dog owners recommended

Hello Sadie, I would use a variation of both the clothing method and the spray bottle method. For the spray bottle method, I suggest using the fur of another dog instead of sweat and sprinkling that along a trail with rewards (practice with the same dogs fur until pup has learned that scent well before using a other dogs also to teach this). For the clothing method, work on teaching pup to also locate by sight by having another well mannered dog who will stay in place quietly hide for pup to find. Send the other dog out to their spot (preferably without having to walk the dog their so that your scent isn't on the trail), and then command the other dog to down stay and have pup track them by scent and sight. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

1 week, 3 days ago

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