Dog Search Strategies

When elaborating the search strategy there are a lot of factors that must be considered and specifically two of them that will influence mostly on the dispersal of smell, the land and the speed of the wind. This way, if you are in an open field with a somewhat stable breeze, it will be easier for the dog to capture and it will become more difficult if there are strong gushes of wind and these can create more problems due to the changes of direction that can happen and which sometimes may even drive the whole team back or make them walk around in circles. An excessive amount of heat can also interfere with a successful search especially if it is combined with thick vegetation since this smell can also become impregnated on the victim. When cliff searches are done in areas with warm whether, the search becomes more effective on the top of the cliff, granted the air is fresh, then on the bottom of the cliff.

Sometimes a chimney effect happens within the atmosphere, and it can be caused by certain obstacles that come together within the atmosphere, such as walls of rocks or lines of trees causing wind or dust storms to start up and cause the odors to disperse into different directions thus interfering with the dogs job. 

Rafts that are transported by the wind concentrate on their source in the form of a cone (in this case the person that emits them) and it has been seen in occasions how a dog in an open field works through this cone running in zigzag in and out of the odor. Once the dog has found the victim it will stay beside him or her and will bark.