IF ONLY THEY COULD TALK!

DOGS – HOW THEY TRACE THE SCENT ?

               

You would always have wondered how a dog traces a culprit.  But have you ever thought how it does so with utmost accuracy?

It is common to see that when some criminal offence has taken place, the Policemen get clues by help of their dog squad.  The Canine intellect often tends to be a better judge of character than that of its human counterpart, and its sagacity is more strongly marked in its quick perception of intention of persons.  It is mysterious for all to know how it reveals the culprits with the help of its olfactory sense.

Do you know which helps the dog in this function? It is only the best exploitation of the olfactory system of a dog.  It is the perineal gland located at about 6 inches near to the anus which helps in the olfactory recognition of a dog.  The turbinate bone inside the nostrils of the dog is more well developed than that of any other species which also adds to this effect.

The dog is able to distinguish a particular scent among those of many individuals, even though the chemistry of human perspiration is fairly similar from person to person.

The odour of hidden persons will almost exist for two or three hours in that place even after the culprit has made good his exit.  The Police immediately send the tracking dogs to the place where the crime has taken place.  Though after a long time the dog is fetched to that place, the scents from the particles – emanating from the culprit’s clothing and body, from good evidence for tracking.

Direction of wind and water are the important factors for the dogs in tracking.  Many kinds of dogs cannot find out the clues of crimes after crossing a river because the odour of the culprit will be dissolved in water.  But there are a few amazing dogs like the German Shepherd, Doberman, and Labrador which can  trace the scent even after crossing a lake.  These dogs, especially the ones with black coat are the most preferred for their shrewdness and intelligence.  That is why they are officially honoured before burial if they die during an operation.

Remember you had, at times, criticized your grandma when she remarked that somebody would have died when a dog howls in the night.  Is there any scientific explanation supporting this theory?  You would be surprised to know that there is a fact behind this phenomenon.  Man’s olfactory sense is developed to the extent of recognizing a death only when it is total.  For example, if the tail of a rat gets necrosis, it will not be felt by the human sense unless the rat itself dies.  But a dog can feel even if a few cells of an organ die.  This irritates the dog’s olfactory sense, especially during the night when the environment is clear and devoid of any interference.  Thus the dog feels irritated and will not be able to respire normally.  Therefore, the dog respires through its pharynx rather than through its nostrils, and thus a long loud doleful cry is produced, at the time of imminent death of any creature.
In the case of hunting also, the dog depends on tracing of the scent produced by a running rabbit and follows it quickly.  At  the same time it cannot find out a rabbit lying down at a distance because there will not be any trace of scent in the air between the dog and the rabbit.  Dogs mark their territory by spraying urine of a specific scent which gives and receives information from the scent which is distributed throughout its locality.

Medical Detection Dogs:

Dogs are trained to detect the odour of human disease. It is at the forefront of the research into the fight against cancer and helping people with life-threatening diseases. Bio-Detection Dogs are trained to find the odour of diseases, such as cancer, in samples such as urine, breath and swabs as to detect minute changes in an individual’s personal odour triggered by their disease* and alert them to an impending medical event.

Life Saving Dogs:

The same way, dogs are trained to identify/locate landmines, ammunitions, wounded soldiers and people trapped under earthquake layers.