Police Trailing Dog Standards
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Here you will find the performance objectives utilized for training and certifying PoliceTrailing Dogs. This variety of Police K-9 differs from a Police Tracking Dog, as Trailing deals with "Air Scenting." Its abilities far exceed that of a typical Patrol Dog that "Street-Tracks" or "Trails.". A K-9 performing this function might be considered a "Human Scent Detector Dog," comparable in skill to other detector dogs. These are the standards which the Utah Police Academy has researched and determined to be a reasonable foundation for this special variety of Police K-9.
K-9 Trailing Behavior is sniffing the air for windborne human odor. This behavior may be exhibited with a high nose (true trailing behavior), a moderately-high nose (street-tracking behavior), or an occasional deep nose (true tracking behavior). The intent of the Dog is to detect human odor, not ground disturbances.
The skills favorable for successful deployment of a Police Trailing Dog are recognized in two categories: (1)Air Scenting, and (2)Discrimination. The Dog and Handler can be successfully trained to an appropriate skill level by a qualified Trailing Dog Instructor. The competency can then be evaluated and declared by a qualified Trailing Dog Judge.
K-9 Alert Behavior is alerting the Handler to the presence of the target body odor. An Alert is behavior which the Handler recognizes but which may not be easily perceived by another person.
K-9 Pinpointing Behavior is isolating the strongest source of human odor, once odor is detected.
The Dog and Handler can be successfully trained to an appropriate skill level by a qualified Police Trailing Dog Instructor. The competency can then be evaluated and declared by a qualified Police Trailing Dog Judge.
The Police Trailing Dog evaluation shall be concluded within a reasonable period of time after it is begun. This is to establish that the Dog's mental stamina and physical endurance are sufficient to withstand the rigors of active service.
The use and/or type of collar, use and/or type of harness, or use and/or type of leash on which a Dog is trained and evaluated shall be determined by jurisdictional need. The Handler shall not use the leash to guide the Dog.
The Dog shall be deployed at the starting point of a trail which a person has laid through an urban environment, without any special regard to terrain or other conditions. The length of the trail shall be at least 1/2 mile, have 3 turns, and aged a minimum of 1 hour.
The Dog shall be deployed at a starting point of a trail which a person has laid through a suburban environment, without any special regard to terrain or other conditions. The length of the trail shall be at least 3/4 mile, have 4 turns, and aged a minimum of 2 hours.
The Dog shall be deployed at a starting point of a trail which a person has laid through a rural environment, without any special regard to terrain or other conditions. The length of the trail shall be at least 1 mile, have 5 turns and aged a minimum of 3 hours.
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