Trailing Dogs 101

Trailing dogs are trained to track the scent trail of lost dogs. In their training they are often cross-trained to track the scent of other animals that can travel great distances such as horses, ferrets, and even cats under certain circumstances. 

Many different breeds can be trained in the method of trailing. Trailing dogs are trained to follow scent trails left by a missing animal that’s moved out of the area. This will be scent that has become airborne, settled on the ground, or attached itself to plants. The scent also can be concentrated in certain areas if the animal remained in one area long enough and created a “scent pool.” 

Trailing dogs don’t usually make “walk-up finds.” Yet they often provide critical information such as a direction of travel that can result in other resources making the actual find. Trailing dogs can find the path of a missing dog and help in developing witnesses who can provide more information as to the direction of travel. They can provide a direction of travel and help the pet owner know which direction their dog initially went, thus helping them know where to place their missing pet posters. Only in cases where they are called out within hours will they likely catch up to a lost dog.

There are two instances where a trailing dog is used to search for a lost cat. One, the cat is an indoor-only cat that escaped outdoors or tow, is an outdoor-access cat that was lost in unfamiliar territory. Trailing dog shouldn’t be used to search for an outdoor cat that goes missing in its own home area is that the cat will have created one giant scent pool, making it very difficult and confusing for a trailing dog to pick up a trail. Cat scent pools are usually easy for detection or specific scent dogs to work, but it’s too overwhelming of a task for a trailing dog. But when a cat is lost in an unfamiliar spot, a trailing dog can usually pick up a single scent trail.

 The best dogs chosen to train as trailing dogs are dogs that love to play with other dogs. A dog that takes an intense interest in other dogs, has a curiosity to use its nose on the ground and follow ground scent, and goes crazy when another dog runs away and hides are the best candidates.