Electronic nose puts police detection dogs to the test
Reported by Phys.org · October 21 at 8:00 PM · Summary by Pawdeck
Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney tested an electronic nose called NOS.E alongside police human-remains detection dogs at a clandestine grave where remains had been buried for more than three months. The device sampled odors from the burial site and control areas while the dogs searched on their own. The team describes it as a complementary tool and plans a larger study with more donors and dogs.
Background
Cadaver detection dogs are trained to alert to the odors released as a body decomposes, which passes through several stages with changing chemical profiles. Electronic noses are sensors that detect and record patterns of volatile compounds, and they are being explored as a way to measure what dogs respond to. Law enforcement agencies generally use such dogs as one search method among several.
Why it matters
It shows how researchers are trying to understand what detection dogs actually smell, which bears on how carefully these working dogs are trained and assessed.
Written by Pawdeck from the report by Phys.org. Background is general information, not advice about your pet; if you are worried, call your vet.
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