Why Odor Movement Matters in Detection Training (Especially for Gluten Detection)
Beyond the Sniff When people think of detection dogs, they picture a dog sniffing an object and alerting. But what most people don’t realize is that odor doesn’t behave the same in every situation. In terms of gluten detection, this could mean hot food, cold leftovers, oily sauces, dry crackers, frozen meals, or even liquids like soup or juice. Each picture releases odor differently. Just like in sport detection where buried or elevated hides behave differently, dogs rely on how odor moves in each unique environment to locate its source. Understanding how odor behaves is key to building strong, reliable detection skills. This is especially important in gluten detection, where odor can be faint, mingled with other ingredients, or trapped in hard-to-access formats. Dogs may even need to detect odor through packaging, adding another layer of difficulty. Recognizing how different environments affect odor helps us train smarter and support our dogs better. How Odor Moves Odor: Travels...