page_title: Tracking (dog)
section_title: Factors that influence tracking ability
hierarchical_section_title: Tracking (dog) / Factors that influence tracking ability
caption_attribution_description: English: member of the French Urban Search and Rescue Task Force works with his Alsation to uncover survivors at the site of the collapsed World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks.
context_page_description: Tracking refers to a dogs ability to detect, recognize and follow a specific scent. Possessing heightened olfactory abilities, dogs are able to detect, track and locate the source of certain odours. A deeper understanding of the physiological mechanisms and the phases involved in canine scent tracking has allowed humans to utilize this animal behaviour in a variety of professions. Through domestication and the human application of dog behaviour, different methods and influential factors on tracking ability have been discovered. While tracking was once considered a predatory technique of dogs in the wild, it has now become widely used by humans.
context_section_description: There are many different factors which influence a dogs ability to successfully determine the directionality of a track. The age, sex, and even personality of a dog can greatly influence tracking behaviour. Male dogs have been described to more accurately determine the direction of a trail than female dogs. It is hypothesized that this is due to the evolutionary history of male dogs. Male olfactory ability of canines is superior to that of females because historically it was their duty to find mates and mark territory. Canine olfactory sensitivity is also found to diminish, therefore younger dogs tend to have superior tracking than older dogs. Personality traits of dogs affect both their ability to be successfully trained and their ability to successfully track. Dogs that are more active and confident tend to perform better during training activities and tracking activities.
  The mannerisms of the handler working with the dog can also affect tracking ability. It has been discovered that humans and animals share very specific social skills that enable them to bond and work together effectively. Adaptations of social tolerance and attentiveness has enabled dogs to participate in cooperative problem solving with their human counterparts. Social attentiveness refers to an animals ability to pay attention to their partners actions and behave accordingly. It is this factor that explains how dogs are capable of interpreting and reacting to cues from their handler. Pointing, gaze shifting, and facial expressions demonstrated by the handler can be used by the canine to locate objects and follow a certain direction. Although usually purposeful, unconscious signals are also capable of being interpreted by canines while working with humans. Therefore, handlers are trained to be cautious of their actions when working with their canine in order to ensure their demands are being properly perceived by the dog.
caption: A member of search and rescue and his dog looking for survivors in the aftermath of 9/11.
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