Scent and the Scenting Dog

by William G. Syrotuck

Unveil the mysteries of Scent! Now you can understand how and why a dog can work scent. This fascinating book explains the composition of scent, how it works in the dog's nose, and what affects scent and much more! · The Sense of Smell · Anatomy and Physiology · Theories and Odor · The Human as a Scent Source · Transmission · Atmospheric Factors and Airborn Scent · The Ground Scent Picture · Working on Dog's Scent · Snow Experiments

Genres: Dogs, Nonfiction, Animals

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 1972

Reviews

[Kikyosan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this is a very useful book if you deal with scenting dogs and want to be a better handler. It explains a lot of thinks that maybe you had not considered before. It teaches how to think like a sniffing dog, how a dog's nose is made, how particles spread in the air (with focus on human and corpses' scents), how to handle a working dog, what issue you have to consider...very condensed and easy to read.

But even if you can read "2000" on this edition, the text is 43 years old. The first edition was published in 1972 and this new "edition" is exactly the same. Not a comma changed. I learnt about this book when reading a lot of peer-reviewed papers on conservation dogs, and I bought it for more information. It actually gave me more information, but maybe it should be modernized and updated, as dog's smell can remain the same, but our knowledge grows and develops.

[Christie Bane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know, I know, this is the one book that everyone has if they're interested in any type of nose stuff with their dogs. I know it, but this book was mostly a long slog through way too much science for me. I got lost in graphs and charts and moisture levels and just found myself wishing for the pop science version of this stuff. I really do not care about the geometric shape of a snowflake or anything else. It had good information in it, but was a little above my level (while masquerading as an "easy" book because it's small and has a cartoon bloodhound on the front).

[jordan perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

If you want to know how a dog's nose works, how they discriminate odors, their limitations, environmental factors, pros and cons of different styles of detection...... this is your book.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little more focused on tracking than scent detection, but still a great resource!

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, more theory than practical tips.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The graphics are helpful, but the prose is wordy and uses some outdated language, so this book's 110 pages don't offer more than a concise YouTube video.

[ThDogs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute must read for anyone getting into scent work or tracking. Indepth explanation of how scent works and how to read your dog (be it air scenting or tracking).

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very applicable to my interest in K9 SAR.