Quote: Terry Holstine

Looks like a job for mythbusters. Anyone want to provide the dog?

I will....really.

See, that's what I want to know. Isn't it possible that the dog was trailing a particular smell from the exhaust, a smell that started where the man's scent stopped so the dog followed that.

That might be a possibility, do they switch scents like that though, I mean is a bloodhound capable of thinking to himself "self the man got in the car and the car exhsaust smells like this so now I will follow the car smell"

but I do know there is no way a dog could sit in the frontseat of a moving car and somehow still be trailing and directing the handler on where the scent of a man in another moving closed in car is leading.

Dogs are capable of thinking, and probably capable of some measure of deductive reasoning, maybe more than we realize. Not deductive reasoning in the complex use of (our) language you spelled out, but I don't see that it's that big a leap for a dog to switch scents.

Well, that is a tough question since you could very well get different opinions.

IMO, No, the dog cannot follow exhaust fumes of a car like that. Exhaust masks scent or "kills" scent as well.

My hound is scent specific, so when I present an article to him, that is who he is going to look for.....I have been on trails for LE to where I did not use a scent article, and he worked fine. I am sure he was going of the hot scent of adrenaline since both subjects ran from the scene of a crime.

I missed the edit....Sandy M, if you want me to PM you some info let me know.

 Quote: Sandy Moore

Dogs are capable of thinking, and probably capable of some measure of deductive reasoning, maybe more than we realize. Not deductive reasoning in the complex use of (our) language you spelled out, but I don't see that it's that big a leap for a dog to switch scents.

lol, about the use of language..I totally agree that they wouldnt spell it out like that, but it would have to be a similar thought process.

I also agree that they are capable of deductive reasoning, Im just not convinced they would automatically make that switch without being guided to do so and even then.

Carol,

Last I heard, Mr. Fleck couldn't get anyone to agree to a double blind test of "car trailing". I understand one person had said they would do it, but then wanted to change the test rules. Evidently they didn't understand the meaning of "double blind". To my knowledge however, no one has accepted his offer.

DFrost

 Quote: david c.frost

Carol,

Last I heard, Mr. Fleck couldn't get anyone to agree to a double blind test of "car trailing". I understand one person had said they would do it, but then wanted to change the test rules. Evidently they didn't understand the meaning of "double blind". To my knowledge however, no one has accepted his offer.

DFrost

I'd do it. I think it would be great just to prove if it cannot or can be done. I told Marcia Koenig that, but never heard back.

Carol, I make my living catching bad guys with hounds. Mine have not been trained to be scent specific. I simply take them to the last point the perp was seen and the chase is on. Once they have ran him for a ways they will not switch onto someone else. I have had trouble getting on the right guy a few times but if I know how far the contamination extends I will simply drag them wide and pick up the trail outside the contaminated area. For tracking down badguys in rural areas these dogs have no peers. These dogs run off-leash and we routinely and repeatedly catch perps in some of the badest terrain on this earth. Me and my partner cover the whole State of Okla. We are usaally 3-6 hrs. behind when we start and the tracks are typically 1-6 miles in lengths. I have trained religously and know what they can and cant do. If a dog handler makes a cliam to be able to accomplish a certain task, he should welcome an unbiased unknown test to demonstrate the dogs ability to accomplish said test. I think I have found the limits of my dogs. It may be that I have just found the limits I have placed on them. Anyway I would like to see someone with a top-notch Bloodhound do unbiased extensive testing to see what their real capabilities are. If this is done I believe all tracks MUST be totally unknown to the handler and the people involved must not have an axe to grind one way or the other. I am interested in utilizing a leash dog of some sort for urban,congested,and contaminated areas and would consider a Bloodhound. If you have any contacts PM me.