Scent Cone
Definition
The plume of airborne VOC molecules that diffuses upward and downwind from a buried source. A dog working downwind of a buried deposit will enter the scent cone before reaching directly above the source, which is why wind direction governs the working direction of a canine search.
Related terms
- HRD Dog
- Human Remains Detection dog: a dog trained to detect and alert on the volatile organic compound signature of decomposing human tissue. Also...
- Passive Alert
- A trained response in which the dog sits, lies down, or freezes at the scent source without digging or pawing. Preferred in...
- Search Pattern
- The systematic geometric route walked by a dog handler to ensure uniform coverage of the search area. Standard patterns include the ladder...
- Tile Probe
- A solid steel rod used to probe suspect ground by hand pressure, detecting resistance changes in disturbed soil and releasing sub-surface gases...
- VOC (Volatile Organic Compound)
- Carbon-containing compounds that evaporate readily at ambient temperatures. Decomposing human tissue produces a complex, changing VOC mixture that HRD dogs are trained...
Explained in
- Canine Search and ProbingThe plume of airborne VOC molecules that diffuses upward and downwind from a buried source. A dog working downwind of a buried deposit will enter the scent con...