using pigs for cadaver scent

[reeny08]

I have just received some pig flesh/blood and bone. I am using a Labrador/Retriever for cadaver work. I am new to this type of thing. How do i go about getting my dog used to the scent and do i need to bury bits and pieces in the ground to get the dog used to the scent of rotting pig?

[Daryl]

Hi Reeny

Where are you based and are you part of a team?

Have you taught your dog any search work before?

Do you have standards that you are aspiring to be assessed against?

With this information the guys on the forum may be able to help a little more accurately. I can also tell you how I did it with my dog, but as always there are many ways to do it...

[reeny08]

i am based in Melbourne, Australia. I do not have any affiliation with SAR work. Im just a dog trainer that is interested in teaching my dog this type of work, so hopefully she may be of use down the track.

[Daryl]

I'm not sure of legalities in Australia so you would need to look for yourself, but in the UK we cant put piglets etc in water that is linked to the water table (at least the last time I heard anyway) so its worth finding out about things like that.

Anyway, the way that I did it (and remember that there are lots of ways to do this) was to put a small amount of pig skin into a treat ball. Make sure that the skin wont come out as a treat....

We played an easy search game first where the dog saw me through the ball into undergrowth or long grass which he then found and brought back to me.

The next stage was to start hiding the ball in places where he couldnt get to it, but as soon as he 'pointed' to it, he was rewarded.

Then we moved on to scent tubes. Small tubes from sink drainage type uses with an end cap fitted to either end, holes drilled throughout its length which could also be pugged to the ground or hidden under rocks etc to stop the dog touching or other animals stealing it.

Make sure your close by so that you can reward immediately.

we did age our pork in air but not under ground, the reason for this as the times that we would be used were not for buried remains....

If you had an idea of how the dog would finally be used (or the goal you are trying to achieve) ie the dog can/can not touch the item, the way the dog has to alert of its find, whether the item would be in air, under soil or in water etc etc it would be much easier to figure out how to train.

Have a look online for Cadaver Dog Handbook amongst other books for some ideas. There is a lot to learn so would suggest that you invest in books and read around the subject first or find a local team that do 'Cadaver/Body' work and train with them.

[reeny08]

Thankyou so much for the information. The dog will be taught to sit when she has found a scent. She is a lot better with treats than with praise. I know that the law here is you can only bury these types of things on your own property or with the consent of the owner of another property. We are not allowed to bury these types of things in local/wildlife parks or national forests. If she is successful with the cadaver training, i am hoping to put together a volunteer cadaver club, so if needed by police or other services we will be able to help free of charge. At the moment the SAR dogs are used for human distress scents to find missing persons. The books that i am buying are The Detection of Human Remains, Buzzards and Butterflies:Human Remains Detection Dogs. I am also investing in a chest freezer for the garage to store the pig flesh/bones/blood. The dog's name is Patsy. She was originally a Guide Dog Puppy but she failed her assessment, so i thought i'd give this a go.

Cheers for the information

Corine

[reeny08]

Does anyone know about how to go about storing pig/human (my own) blood, flesh and bone for cadaver work? As far as i know blood breaks down after 2 weeks.

[Philip E]

I get pig trotters from the butcher and leave it outside in a tupperware container for a period of 2-3weeks before I dispose of it. As I myself have only just started I'm more than happy just to use (fresh) pork and will increase ageing latter on.

You could freeze it and keep a record on when it's out defrosting that way you can age it more slowly.
As much as I know blood breaks down anyway if frozen/defrosted or not after a while. I know people have used sanatary towels instead of pure blood.

[reeny08]

I have started my dog on human blood just getting used to the smell and getting small food reward each time. we pracitce this 3 times a day of a perion of roughly 10 mins. She is already starting to turn her nose away from the blood. i am using a cotton bub dipped in h. blood. am i pushing her too hard? she is not impressed with the smell. i have also started ageing my pig bones with written records and date and time of when each is done. the problem is she wants to eat the bones. should i perhaps put the bones in a plastic plumbers pipe with end caps and just drill a few holes to get her used to the smell? when should i start to bury all the pig remains for the scent detection?