Oh dear, I’m about to rave about a book that doesn’t come out until April (April? Why did the Advance Copy come so soon?). Scent of the Missing, by Susannah Charleson is so well written I don’t know whether to be inspired or to turn my computer off and never write again. It’s a story about her partnership with Puzzle, a Golden Retriever who she trained as an Search and Rescue dog. I’m not close to done (but came to work late ‘cuz I picked it up again this morning, couldn’t put it down…), but it’s a wonderful story (lordy I do love stories) and it’s exquisitely written. Her descriptions of her dogs are laugh out loud funny and right on, and her use of language is so rich and sensory I’m not sure if I want to read her book or eat it. I’ll write more when it is out, but I can’t wait to write the blurb for the back cover.
Ironically, I wanted to write today about how entertaining and instructive it is to watch Willie use his nose to find the toys that I am now hiding for him outside every morning. I had planned to video him searching, because I never tire of watching how he casts around searching for the scent, and then follows the trace of molecules carried by breezes or funneled by vegetation. But alas, it was raining yet again when I went outside, hard enough to discourage any video taping. I’ll try this weekend.
I’m under a time crunch now too, trying to wrap up in the office so that I can drive to campus to listen to a panel debate between Michael Pollen of In Defense of Food fame, and representatives from agricultural interests. The University of Wisconsin initiated a “Big Read” program (a pun on “Big Red,” the college color) that has my vote for one of the most progressive and impressive moves by a University in a long time. A committee picked a book, this year Pollen’s, gave it to EVERY incoming freshman for free, and encouraged all the professors to include aspects of it’s message (“eat food, not to much, mostly plants) and the controversy it has started (“modern agriculture leads to unhealthy people) in their curriculum. UW is NOT taking a stand on the book’s thesis, but using it to create a community-wide discussion about the issues involved. It’s a no-brainer for my class (The Biology and Philosophy of Human Animal Relationships) but I don’t teach it until next semester. It’s a wonderful way to engage the entire community in a discussion that involves health, business, politics, social ethics, personal behavior, etc etc etc. I’ll keep you posted on the debate, should be fascinating.
Meanwhile, back at the farm: Here’s a few fall shots I took from the car on my drive into the office.
This is what soybeans look like as they are maturing in fall:
Here’s a typical roadside this time of year. The first beginnings of color (in this case, sumac):
This weekend friends and I will be picking wild apples and lots of them! Big plans for making apple/plum butter. Yum. I’ll post some photos of the process next week (it it’s not raining too hard!)
J. says
Eh… what’s a GR and what’s a SAR?
Trisha says
Sorry! I just changed the post to Golden Retriever and Search and Rescue Dog!
Alexandra says
I will look forward to seeing that book on shelves in the spring! In college, I was part of a volunteer SAR group, and one of my job was to navigate for dog-handler teams so that the handler could concentrate on working her dog over the search area while I kept track of where we were. I also hid for several SAR dogs in training. Those dogs are amazing!
I hope you are able to post good video of Will using his nose, Trish. I love it when my dogs catch scent of something and the are clearly On A Mission to track it down. It doesn’t snow much down south where we live, but after the first actual snowfall after I owned dogs, I was amazed that I could suddenly see that what they sniff in the yard are actually tracks left by all kinds on animals. Only with the fresh snow did I finally understand what they were doing.
J. says
Aha!
Thanks!
And thanks for not saying “let me google that for you…” 🙂
Ann says
Love the soybean photo!
Jennifer Hamilton says
FYI…Scent of the Missing is already available for pre-sale on Amazon.com so you can pre-order it and not have to think about it again until it arrives in the mailbox. Unfortunately, it’s not yet available to pre-order on the kindle or iPhone….but I’m sure that’s coming soon. Sounds like a fabulous book!
On a related note, I find my dog gets physically exhausted quickly doing scent work even though what I’m askiing her to do is not physically demanding by human standards. It makes sense given all of calculations her brain has to do to determine the scent cone. Plus I make her work indoors where there is virtually no wind to carry the scent. As a result, it makes it almost the perfect activity or an orthopedically challenged dog like mine who still wants to work all day. I find that 30 minutes of scent work is about equivalent to 2-3 hours of physically demanding activity. Even though my dog is searching in a climate-controlled room and only walks from area to area, it’s amazing to see her panting, breathing heavy and looking for water as if she just ran a marathon.
parlance says
Any chance you might publish the recipes as well?
I don’t know what plum or apple butter is, but it sounds wonderful, and we have a lot of wild apples around where I spend weekends and holidays.
By wild apples I’m thinking you mean self-seeded ones that aren’t always good enough to eat as fresh fruit?
Sirius Scientist says
“… I don
Tina says
I am looking forward to the book about GR the SAR dog.
As a UW alumni, I am proud and surprised to hear the university is taking on the Big Read, ‘In defense of food’ project. I am sure lots of $ has come to the university thru agribusiness and food industry. I wish I still lived near enough to take part.
Thanks for your blog. I really appreciate the ideas about play you have discussed recently. I have a rescue mixed breed who is wild for play. I am trying agility and flyball, since she needs something to do, but I have never trained a dog to that level before (and I am definitely not a natural). I need all the help I can get!!! So keep up the good work.
Kate T. says
I know you wrote about this a few posts back, but I found this video of a dog self-handicapping with a cat and thought of your video of Lassie and Will. Interesting because the cat really seems to be coming at the dog, claws out! At one point, I think the cat is hanging from the dog’s flews! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgW2qgMsnzw&feature=related.
Teri says
OOhhh, definately looking forward to that book. I have taken tracking/search classes (wilderness and urban) with my black lab and he absolutely loves it! It is wonderful to see him go from super goofy boy to full on working dog with amazing instincts in a flash and it has been a fabulous tool in creating a trusting working partnership between us. My guy has always had good confidence but it has been a great experience to see how these classes have helped shy, reserved dogs to gain precious self esteem.
Alessandro Rosa says
Dear Dr. McConnell,
I am wondering if you would be willing to address this idea in your next post. I feel it is an important one, as it may save the life of a dog if all owners follow it.
If you are a dog owner or walker and are leading your dog out of an area (Park, Field, Run, etc.), and someone else
Trisha says
Oh my, poor AR. I will definitely write about this soon (but leaving soon to give 3 talks, might be a week or two). I’ll include your request and also a heartfelt encouragement for all to teach a “collar reach” as part of a recall. Your story is exactly why I think it’s such an important part of training. And yes, I am sure there will be readers who are judgmental about what happened to you, but I encourage them to hold their stones lest they bounce back and hit them in the back of the head someday. My list of handling and training glitches is far to long to list here… perhaps a post on that someday too!
Sirius Scientist says
@ Alessandro,
Oh I’m sorry! That must have been such a horrible experience! We can all find fault in our actions after the fact, that’s why there are so many saying about hindsight. I actually had a similar experience with a neighbor dog a few weeks ago, which resulted in me ripping two of the three muscles which make up the “hip flexor” in my left hip.
Liz F. says
So many great posts, so little time… but I do have a burning question about scent work:
When dogs track a scent is a tongue flick ever appropriate?
I have a lab mix who flicks his tongue when on the track of something in the woods. Wondering if this possibly wafts scent to the nose -or- he also has a leg that gives him trouble (so he could instead be showing discomfort). He shows no other signs of being in pain, though, so I can’t help but ask.
Helix and Nala haven’t destroyed their Brain Twister (yet) but that is not to say they don’t love it! Thanks!
Joanna says
Thank you for the book recommendation! And I look forward to hearing more about the Big Read. It’s the kind of bold project that I wish we were seeing more of these days, rather than businesses/organizations cowering before the big corporations/industries.
Chris Moseley says
I have to agree. Scent of the Missing is a fantastic book. I photographed the author Susannah Charleson and her partner, Puzzles (that’s my photograph on the back of the Advance Copy). Susannah’s writing is a breath of fresh air. Add this to your 2010 must-read list.
Mary Beth says
After the loss of my SAR dog at 8 years of age from cancer, I’ve never gone back to working a dog in search work. It is absolutely fascinating to be a part of the team on a search, but it is physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing over time on the handler and the dog. Yet, it is so incredibly rewarding that its worth every second spent training and searching. I don’t think there is a stronger bond than that of a working dog and its handler.
Dogs have to keep the membranes in their nose moist to work the best, so they do drink a lot. Every dog has its own unique language on search. My dog would blow bubbles in water on search, yet when in the water for fun, he always swam with a high head. My hunting dog spends a lot of time blowing out his flews when searching. Tongue flicks, head shakes, open mouth, closed mouth, all sorts of behaviors are part of the handlers job when reading the dog.
I look forward to reading the story. Too bad it won’t be out this winter for a good read on a cold night. I don’t think I’m going to get much reading time. My walker hound just turned one year old and he’s got the horrible teenager blues going on! My perfect little angel puppy turned into a monster this week! Actually, he’s fine, he’s just “high maintenance” right now. I want to sit on the couch and snuggle in with fall on the way, instead I’m busy with leadership exercises and all sorts of fun mental games to keep his mind engaged and behaved. Sigh.
Trish, I can smell the apples in the air as I drive past bean fields and orchards on patrol as a Dog Warden. Oh, how I love this season!!!
Susannah Charleson says
Many, many thanks for the kind words about Scent of the Missing. I’m thrilled you’re enjoying it! And on this day when two of my very senior foster dogs are showing their frailty, your post comes as a timely, happy boost.
Thank you again.
Trisha says
To Jennifer and all: I love the comment about how much mental and physical exercise dogs can get when searching for something with their nose. I have always believed that mental exercise tired a dog out more than a long walk, but searching for a hidden toy provides both. Will runs around the yard, and is thinking and ‘working’ all the while. It’s the perfect morning exercise: I like to use my brain in the morning but my body is slow to wake up, so I get to stand and watch, while Will runs around.
To parlance (I just can’t get used the @ sign? It seems so impolite! I am SO old fashioned!): I do mean self-seeded apples. Really, I should call them ‘feral’ since their ancestors were planted by someone (Johnny Appleseed, who by the way was trying to provide cheap booze to the masses by planting apple trees for alcoholic cider). They are indeed not very sweet. My sheep adore them, and I collect them and feed them to the sheep too once they eat them all up in their pastures. You make apple butter by first cooking and straining the apples (Foley Food Mill works best) into apple sauce, add some brown sugar and butter, then cook for 3 + hours in a low oven til it cooks down to the consistency you want. I’m going to combine mine with plum sauce I made from ‘feral ‘ plums behind the house. Made it last year and it was gone by January!
To MaryBeth and Susannah: Could the tongue flicks be a way of moving the scent to Liz F’s dog’s nose?
And to Susannah: You are SUCH good writer!
Susannah Charleson says
Re: the tongue flicks and scent, yep, yep — I think that’s entirely possible — a method of moving scent up into the palate and the most scent-specific areas of the nose.
As Mary Beth notes (and hey, nice to “meet” you, Mary Beth!) there are a lot of variations on mouth working out there — and they are all interesting. We had a search dog — Hunter, in the book — who would “chew” the top of the water when he had the scent of a drowning victim. Puzzle works her mouth and chuffs when she’s narrowing to source on cadaver; this sometimes makes her lick her lips a bit. (She only does this on deceased finds, not live, and it’s one of the indicators I look and listen for when we’re searching; when I hear that hollow chuff in her muzzle, I know we’re very close to source. At night, that sound is invaluable.)
AR: I am so glad your story ended well, but how frightening all ’round. I look forward to the resulting discussion on this.
Thanks so much to all of you for the book encouragement.
EmilyS says
I’ve played a version of the scent game using puppy kibble scattered randomly. Very high motivation for my dogs to find!
Liz F. says
Thank you all for the great info about tongue flicks!
I am so relieved for my dog, and I’m so intrigued:
Loved reading about the many behaviors used by different dogs in SAR.
Appreciative of the special relationships that exist between handler and dog (Mary Beth, I am so sorry you faced cancer with your SAR dog; wishing you a long and stress-free life with your year-old friend.)
Excited to continue learning in the most recent post about Will’s toy search.
I think it’ll take a small catastrophe for me to pass on reading Scent of the Missing, can’t wait!
Thanks again for sharing!
Sirius Scientist says
First off, since my hostess finds the at symbol impolite, I’ll no longer use it at a courtesy (never even thought of it being rude, but I normally blog in a much more aggressive environment where it is the norm). Forgive me if I have offended anyone.
Secondly, I’ve been thinking very seriously the last several months about starting SAR training, but am curious what the veterans think I should look for in a program. There are two very active groups in this area, and both seem to be reputable. One is a more traditional program that includes this as a branch off from their Schutzhund training. This group has several nationally ranked Schutzhund dogs, and at least two dogs that are used commonly for SAR in the area. While this seems like the more reputable program, I’m unsure if I want to use their training methods? They do a lot of reinforcement, and treating, but they also use choke collars for corrections if needed.
The other is a much larger program but only does the introduction to tracking (not really SAR). Should I do one before the other? I have far to many questions to post here, but I guess the overall question I’m asking is what should I look for in a program? What are the signs of a successful program?
Trisha says
Sirius: Oh my, now I’m the one who feels impolite. My foolish attempt at humor was never meant to imply I felt offended myself, I just felt uncomfortable “saying” it to someone else. Please cast my comment aside, remembering it was written by someone who for years said “Me Blog? Are you kidding? A ‘blog’ sounds like something I should have removed at a doctor’s office.” And yet, here I am, loving being in conversation with all of you.
Picture me head down, tail down and paw raised.
Susannah Charleson says
Hi Sirius:
I might recommend contacting both groups and asking if you can volunteer as a victim or simply watch with an eye to learning the craft. Most teams are very glad to have volunteer victims, and being on the receiving end of search dogs and the handlers behind them would give you a clear idea of what kind of relationship is fostered through the different approaches of training. You might be able to tell from those dog teams which type of work and training would allow you to form the relationship you’d like to have with your dog — on-duty and off.
Sirius Scientist says
Oh, I took no offense!! Your blog has a much kinder tone than many of the others I frequent and I agree the use of “@” is informal and a little “to the point,” so to speak. Personally, I’m very glad to have found both your books and your blog, and it’s making me seriously question my choice of occupation, as I am tiring of the constant grind of bench science. I view the science in which you are involved much more rewarding, after-all you see the lives your work touches every time you come to the computer.
Mary Beth says
Beginning tracking training is far far from full fledged SAR work. Hence, for someone who had several certified SAR dogs, I am ashamed to admit that I have FAILED AKC’s TD tracking test three times with my current dog. I have this phenomenally talented dog and I do such a horrid horrid job of handling him. He’s truly a quadruple champion in that gray skin of his, but we are far from a quadruple champion team. I apologize to him a lot and give him lots of liver so he forgives me and we continue to have fun competing, testing and trialling.
So, for more details, there are different types of SAR work. One is cadaver. One is air scenting style training and I was certified separately for day versus night work since the dogs work so differently and scent works differently after the sun goes down. Then there is tracking. And disaster/rubble pile work. And water work (which is nearly always a type of cadaver work).
You might need to learn first aid for yourself and your dog, how to use a compass and read a topography map. What lost victim behavior is. How to work rubble, hillsides, bottoms, trees, fields, urban environments, inside buildings, etc. Obedience for your dog. Crime scene preservation. How you and your dog should behave on a helicopter. How to pack for deployment. And more. I trained at least 12 hours a week, every week, in all weather.
So, if you really want to take scent work to the next level, you might think on this some more. Its a huge committment. Worth every minute.
Susannah, do you mean by “chuff”, when the dog blows its flews out of the side of its mouth when its mouth is closed? My Weimaraner does that when he’s really intent on point and totally locked up with a bird in front of him.
I always had a hard time reading my dog in the last say 10 yards between the dog and the victim. I often thought that the dog was shocked at times when they saw the victim. As if they knew they were getting close, but there was no difference in scent to them between 10 yards and 10 feet. It always cracked me up to watch a dog work and work and work and have alerts get stronger and stronger then have the dog startle when they were right on top of the victim.
Susannah Charleson says
Mary Beth’s statement of the work involved and the variety of things you need to know is right on — really sums up the nature of SAR work. You train with the team; you train at home. You train even when you’ve been out searching four days in the same week. We have searched all night and trained three hours later — and yes, you search in snow, pouring rain, sleet, knee-deep mud, sewage and debris fields, and here where I am, frequently in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. Sometimes there are mosquitos, leeches, alligators (no kidding). Very occasionally you get shot at. Physical and emotional stamina for handler and dog is necessary. You can’t be at all squeamish, as the work often involves recovering the deceased. That is never, ever pretty. I have nightmares after the worst searches. This past May, while finishing a chapter for the book, I had nightmares for two weeks all over again, just from revisiting a particularly sad search at the keyboard. Worth every minute, as Mary Beth says, but the minutes can sometimes be very hard.
Mary Beth, the action you describe seems very like Puzzle’s “chuff.” In her case, the flews don’t bellow much. You know that sound they teach pregnant women to make in Lamaze classes? That hoh-hoh-hoh sound? It’s kind of like that, but in her blocky muzzle, and since the exhale hits her front teeth and lips, it sounds a like “chuff,” like her tongue is raised in the middle to push the scent up in the palate. I wonder if she’s doing sort of the ground equivalent of the dog you described blowing bubbles in the water? Only in her case … no water. She typically does this with very small cadaver / crime scene type work on the ground or in structures. I have a command — “nose on” — that asks her to get as close to source as possible. She tends to chuff when she’s getting as specific as she can. But never with anything above her, and never, ever on a live find. It’s a weirdness. None of our other team dogs do it, but I’m grateful it’s there. Really helps on night work.
Sirius Scientist says
Thank you everyone!
This might sound a little odd, but due to the nature of my lab work, and the work of those around me, squeamishness is something I got rid of a long time ago. Don’t get me wrong, there will still definitely be an adjustment, but I’ve been part of some very sad, and tragic events in the hospital setting as well and think SAR is a good way to make a difference. In those settings, I had to deal with nightmares of my own (though different than those you have, I’m sure).
I’m interested too in how you acquired the experience you mentioned (a helicopter makes sense of course but how did you do this?!?!)? You mentioned the importance of obedience, are there specific things I should concentrate on in more detail? How do you get called for a SAR mission? How do you plan time off from your normal job? Is there a way to test my German Shepherd to see if he would even have an aptitude for this kind of work (he’s already 4-ish, does the age of the dog when you start training make a difference)?
Sorry for all of the questions, but it’s so nice to “know” people who actually do this kind of work with their dog. I understood there were differences between tracking and SAR but never realized the magnitude of those differences!
Mary Beth says
Very interesting. Do you think the “chuff” might be more of a sporting dog type of scent behavior? My hounds don’t “chuff” but my Weims all do.
Oh, you’re making me miss the SAR work so very much! Yet, I know with being on call as a Dog Warden 24/7, that I just can’t make the committment.
Susannah, I really hope you’ll look into some compassion fatigue classes. I’ve taken them twice through the Humane Society University and they were very worth it! Your stress at revisiting a traumatic scene during writing is classic CF!
I did the same thing once. My old SAR hound and my Weim puppy took off and were lost for 5 days. After many efforts, they were found by airplane and I recovered them both. This was my first warning that the hound was beginning to develop Canine Cognition Dysfunction (or the first warning that I chose to accept). I had so many questions about it, that I wrote it up for one and all to read. It was published in the Weimaraner Club of America magazine 6 months later. I read my magazine and started bawling. How silly! Every year on June 10th, the day they were found, I hesitate and say thanks to the 30 plus volunteers that helped me search for them and get a little teary eyed. Silly considering the hound has been dead for more than two years now.
Susannah Charleson says
Hi Sirius — Mary Beth’s experiences and my own might be different (groups in different places have variable access to things). Since I’m a pilot myself, I was lucky that my dog has always had experience with air travel. She took her first flight at 10 weeks old and seems to accept air travel of any kind with equanimity. Oddly enough, she doesn’t love car travel. She’ll do it, but she’s not the typical Golden with her tongue hanging out the window. I know some teams make deals with local flight schools or get access to helicopters through cooperative joint exercises.
In terms of obedience — you need a trustworthy recall, sit, down, long stay, on- and off-lead heel, ease/willingness to walk near to and around another (strange) dog. Also some agility commands are extremely useful in rubble and wilderness.
At four years old, your GSD would be beginning this a little late, perhaps, since training can take anywhere from a year to 18 months for certification (depending on hours team trains, number of dogs on teamm individual dog aptitude, &tc.), and thus your dog’s career might be somewhat short. The physical demands of the work often lead SAR dogs to retire at 8-10 years old; some younger; some older.
There are ‘aptitude’ tests, if you will, that demonstrate where the dog sits with regard to motivation, curiosity, task commitment, willingness to work for a human, self-confidence, sound sensitivity, pain threshold, etc. Many search teams have an on-team evaluator or a person they frequently use; you might check with the teams in your area. Some hunt breeders use the same tests; that might be a good contact for you, as well.
I can’t answer for the team Mary Beth worked with, but our team is deployed only by law enforcement or emergency services. In other words, a family can’t call us out for deployment (though they can request us through their local police). This is for legal reasons — issues of trespass or evidence in court, etc. that would be vulnerable if we were not operating under law enforcement jurisdiction.
As far as time off to search, one of the necessary things is to have a job with enough flexibility, or an employer with enough understanding, that you can go at a moment’s notice. Calls come in at all hours, and you do have to be able to respond for a majority of them (team policies on this vary). Sometimes, as on disaster searches, you might be gone a week or more at a time.
Mary Beth, I didn’t know about CF classes at the Humane Society University! Interesting. Yes, I absolutely have had Critical Incident Stress / Compassion Fatigue — had the debriefs and took the seminars, but man-oh-man, that chapter brought it all back.
Sirius, I hope this helps answer your questions with a little bit of my take, anyway!
Sirius Scientist says
Thank you Susannah!!
I had a feeling we were starting pretty late, since most of the information I have read referred to “your puppy.” Since my big dog was rescued I have no idea of how old he actually is and he might even be older than 4, but that’s the vet’s best guess.
At some point in his life, someone spent a great deal of time on his manners and socialization. He has no problem with loud noises, crowds, or other active environments, not to mention he is a very confident dog. [I’m gushing, I know, but he’s very dear to me, as you can tell]
I think some of his past (probably a different individual) involved poorly done protection training. We had an incident with a man in an oversized Carheart jacket, which would lead me to believe he might have been involved in Schutzhund (not to mention him knowing commands in German).
Thank you so much for all of the great information, I think we are going to try to find out more about our local teams, even if he is not able to excel in SAR, it might be a good activity for us to do together and would make me better prepared if I bring home a working puppy.
Stephanie says
I wish I could take your class! Would you be willing to share your syllabus?