Choosing your mantrailing Scent Articles
In this blog we’ll take a look at what a scent article is, what it's used for and how to make a good one, which fortunately does not involve wearing the same sock for 3 weeks, or even 3 days.
A scent article is an item or object that contains scent, specifically the scent of the trail layer, who is the person the dog is going to be finding. The scent article could be almost anything the trail layer has come into contact with or left traces of bodily fluids on.
This may not be the most pleasant thing to think about, but as living organisms we are constantly shedding bits of skin and hair as well producing sweat. These particles get left behind on the clothes we wear, objects we pick up, doors we open, pretty much everything you touch is going to hold your scent.
The scent particles not only stick to the things we touch, but are constantly falling from our bodies, some get suspended in the air whilst others fall to the ground. It is these particles left in the environment, leaving a trail for the dogs to follow using their incredible noses, the finer details of which are for another post.
As we are looking for a specific person when we are mantrailing, and not just any person, we need to be able to explain to the dog exactly which person they’re looking for. This is where our scent article comes in, by asking the dog to sniff the scent article we are providing them with the specific target of whoevers scent is on the article.
Trail Layer dropping their scent article (hat) down in front of the dog just as they head off to lay the trail
So we now know a scent article is an object containing someone's scent and that we use it to provide the dog with a target smell to follow, so that just leaves us with how to make a good scent article and why having a good scent article is important.
How good a scent article is depends on how much of the trail layer's scent is on the article and how little contamination is on there from anything else whether its people, animals, food or whatever. If we can have something that's small enough to be easily carried then all the better.
A good scent article is important, especially early on, to help build the dog's understanding of the task we want them to do and to make it as easy as possible for the dog. If the article does not contain much of the trail layer's scent then there will be less information for the dog to use, making it harder. If there is contamination from other people or sources on the scent article then the dog may be confused as to exactly what we are asking them to look for.
In order to get as much scent as possible onto an article it's useful to know that some areas of our body produce more odour and/or scent particles than others. Typically the best places to rub an item to obtain the most scent is our hands, feet, wrists, head, neck and armpit.
We also need to consider the material itself, porous materials like paper and fabrics will hold more scent than things like hard plastics and metal. Materials with a rougher or more abrasive surface are likely to dislodge more scent particles than smooth surfaces.
Trail layer creating a scent article by wiping an alcohol free sterile pad on their neck.
Avoiding contamination from other scent sources is fairly straightforward, if you are using an item of clothing then ensure it is clean and hasn't been handled by other people or had your dog sat on it, then place it in a clean ziplock bag until it is ready to be needed.
You can apply the scent by rubbing it on one of the previously mentioned body parts either before you put it in the bag or before you are about to play the part of the trail layer. If your article has been in a ziplock bag for some time it's always a good idea to get it back out and refresh it a little by rubbing it on your body. When rubbing the scent article try to avoid areas where you've sprayed perfume, aftershave, deodorant or antiperspirant
Perfume, aftershave, deodorant. Never spray perfume or aftershave on to the scent article, their strong smells can be overwhelming for a dog and even impact the dogs ability to work.
Getting a dog to sniff an article that's been heavily coated with perfume would be a similar experience to looking directly at the sun on a bright summer's day, there's also the chance that the dog finds the experience so aversive it may be reluctant to take scent or even trail in the future.
Handler asks the dog to take scent from a scent article.
There will be some sessions or special events where you'll be asked to bring or create a specific scent article but for your introduction and regular sessions you're going to need an article. Almost any item of clothing can be used although socks, hats and gloves are frequently used as scent articles however we personally prefer a snood or buff.
Snoods and Buffs are basically just a multifunctional tube of material that can be worn in a variety of ways from neck scarfs to hats and bandanas or even just as a sweatband around your wrist. As the buffs/snoods are easily worn around the neck, head or wrist where they will easily be covered with odour particles so make great scent articles as well as being functional bits of clothing to help protect you from the elements.
The other good thing about snoods and buffs is they are fairly cheap and easy to replace (like these multipacks on amazon). Scent articles are typically left at the start of the trail and on occasion have been known to go missing (often picked up by well meaning members of the public or litter pickers) so we strongly advise against using anything expensive or with sentimental value.
Trail layer drops their Snood down by their feet as a scent article.
