11/29/2025
đâđŚşScent Detection Understand Your Dogâs Body Languages
đžAs a scent detection dog handler, your primary role is to observe the changes in your dogâs behaviour as their brain processes sensory information from the environment.
đžThese behavioural shifts will occur while your dog is investigating, within the odour plume, during environmental sniffing, and at the source of the target scent they are tracking.
Some changes will be obvious, while others are so subtle they can be missed in the blink of an eye.
đžI have been fortunate to observe hundreds of different breeds and thousands of searches. This experience has allowed me to develop a keen eye for the range of behaviours displayed during a search, to recognise what these behaviours signal, and to advise my clients on what to watch for in subsequent searches.
Here are some key behaviours to observe.
1. Breathing Changes
Sniffing patterns can change noticeably. You might hear faster inhalation and exhalation, deeper breaths, and increased intensity as the dog nears the target odour or works harder to locate it. Dogs can inhale and exhale rapidly, sometimes it can reach up to 200 times a minute whilst hunting. This rapid breathing can also be seen as a quicker movement in the rib cage area. The breathing may become noisy as more moisture enters the nasal cavity, aiding in capturing those crucial scent molecules packed with information for the dog.
2. Direction Changes
Observe changes in the dogâs movement direction and/or intensity as they hunt down and lock onto target odour particles. The dog will often move in and out of the odour plume, evaluating the strength of the trail each time. Circling, side-stepping, and zigzagging are all body languages seen when a dog is searching for a target odour.
3. Speed of Movement
Note the difference between the dogâs active searching speed and their speed while on odour, as they home in on the source of the target scent. This is specific to each individual dog. Observing your own dogâs movement speed and gait when they are on odour versus when they are not will enable you to recognise these variations.
4. Head Flicks, Head Hooks (Knocking the Odour Plume)
These are usually obvious signs, but is it the target odour or something else of interest? Observing all the other behavioural changes leading up to this point, such as signals closer to the source and the final indication behaviour at the source, will help the handler determine the significance of the sudden head movement. A âknockâ on the odour is something for the handler to mentally note, as it can provide valuable insight that the target odour is in the vicinity. Allow the dog time to investigate further to see if they then show signals of being on odour or if they disregard it as a distraction smell that momentarily caught their attention.
5. Tail Carriage and Speed of Movement
The dogâs tail position and speed of movement can provide a wealth of information to the handler. Knowing the dogâs neutral tail carriage and natural movement is key, followed by monitoring the tailâs position and wag speed when the dog is investigating, on odour, out of odour, or getting closer to the odour source. Tails come in various sizes, shapes, and angles, so there is no on size fits all interpretation here. While in the anticipatory state of a passive indication, some dogsâ tails may lower and become still, others may sway, and some may wag faster or slower. This is certainly an area of behaviour to capture on camera and take note of.
6. Nose Height Changes
The height of the nose in relation to the dogâs body is a key indicator. The nose is the leading guide, and observing changes in its direction is a crucial element that aligns with what the rest of the dogâs body language is telling you. Has the nose gone to the ground or suddenly lifted higher? These variations in nose height inform the handler if the dog has latched onto a scent molecule trail of interest. Keen observation skills will indicate to the handler that the dog is onto something in that area.
7. Mouth Position
The dogâs mouth plays an active role. It allows the dog to take in more information from the area and capture particles of interest to filter into their olfactory system or to disregard those that are not of interest. The mouth will often display some degree of closure when the dog is on the target odour, as this helps to lock in the strongest odour they have located. This closure might be momentary or last for a longer duration. Observe your dogâs mouth on video replays, along with all the other key body language cues.
8. The Dogâs Indication at Locating the Find
Pay close attention to your dogâs entire body language when they indicate. Dogs sometimes second-guess, perhaps due to a memory find, strong pooling odour, lack of motivation, handler influence, or fatigue. In these instances, one of the usual signs might be missing or different from the reliable body language you have observed before.
My Summary
Your Scentwork Handler Training Progression â To Video and Observe
Video record your dog on both interior and exterior searches. There is a lot of information to absorb. I find it helpful during replay to focus on one aspect of body language at a time.
For example, tail carriage, watch the replay with only that part of your dogâs body in mind.
Take notes on what you observe.
Then, choose another element to observe within the same video and note what you see. You will essentially watch the same video up to eight times, but you will gain invaluable insights into your own dogâs search style, and the subtle body language cues will become more apparent.
Record all your dogâs searches and repeat this process.
- Mandy Rigby
Founder, Canine Scentwork Academy
Companion Pet Dog Scentwork Instructor
